THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE – Katherine Center
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 978-1-250-04732-8
August 2019
Contemporary Fiction

Massachusetts – Present Day

Cassie Hanwell had a promising firefighting career in Austin, Texas until she encountered an old foe at an awards ceremony—and promptly slugged him. The resulting aftermath left her losing her job, even if she feels she did the right thing. The guy is a jerk and deserved being decked but try to explain that to your supervisor! Right after this happens, Cassie receives a call from her estranged mother, who requests that she come stay with her for a year to help her recover from eye surgery. Cassie really doesn't want to go because she hasn't forgiven her mother for leaving her on her sixteenth birthday to join her lover. But maybe this is a good time to temporarily relocate until the scandal dies down. With the help of her supervisor, Cassie finds a firefighting job near her mom's home and moves to Massachusetts. Her relationship with her mother isn't the best, while her new co-workers don't think a woman is able to be a firefighter/EMT. Then she learns the real reason her mother needs her.

Told solely from Cassie's point of view, THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE gives readers insight into the lives and work of firefighters and EMT's and shows how resilient she is. From day one, Cassie has had to prove she is a dedicated hard worker who can beat out men, and she certainly proves she can beat one up too. Yes, she let her anger toward city councilman Heath Thompson get the best of her, but it was only a reaction over seeing him again that led her to slug him. Now she is living in a state where she has never been before and starting over. Right away, the men in her unit give her a bad time and continually doubt her abilities, but she thrives on proving she is the best. On her first day there, another man also starts, and in this tale, he is usually referred to as the “Rookie.” It isn't until much later that we learn his name (Owen). But by this time, Cassie is interested in and intrigued by him. Especially when she agrees to be his faux date and they end up kissing in a closet. Meanwhile, someone apparently wants Cassie out of the fire station as anonymous messages and threats are left for her.

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE is an intriguing and entertaining read about life at a fire station. Then there is also Cassie's relationship with her mother, Diana, and how they slowly and finally heal the rift that tore them apart when Diana walked out on her family. Everything about this tale is an emotional journey that is sad, yet readers will feel uplifted by the end. Life hasn't been easy for Cassie and moving to a new state only appears to magnify it. Cassie's journey will make you root for her to succeed and to wonder if anything will become of her attraction to the “Rookie.” THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE is a realistic tale that is part contemporary fiction and part romance. By the end, you'll be smiling and crying. Don't miss this endearing book.

Patti Fischer