Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

I started, and finished, this one today, and it was a good kick off for this year's reading. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center is the story of Cassie, a young woman working in the male dominated firefighting profession. She is in Austin at the start of the story, but gets a request from her long gone mother to move to Massachusetts for a year. She says no, but circumstances soon change, and she finds herself in a home with a woman she has tried hard to ignore for over a decade and in a new fire station with a crew that has never worked with a woman on their shift.

The book is billed under the romance genre, and there is some romance, but the heart of this story is a kick ass woman learning the art of forgiveness and vulnerability. Is the ending wrapped up with a pretty little bow? It is a "romance," so you can probably figure that out for yourself, but let me tell you, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on in between.

As the long time partner of a firefighter, I found a lot of the storyline entertaining based on what I have seen and heard on visits to the station, and I was familiar with the firefighting terminology used throughout the book. The author's husband is a volunteer firefighter, which comes as no surprise, because she has the lingo and feel of a shift down pat.

This was my first novel by Katherine Center, but I know it won't be my last. I was happy to start the year with such an upbeat story.

Final Rating: ★★★★☆

ATY prompt 19: Three books related to 'Past, Present, Future' - Book 2 (present)

Popsugar Challenge prompt 27: A book about do-overs or fresh starts

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