Things you save in a fire

by Katherine Center

2020

Publication

St. Martin's Press, c2019

Library's rating

Status

Available

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. HTML: "In this charming listen, narrator Therese Plummer portrays Cassie Hanwell�??a confident, talented firefighter whose solitary life is upended when her estranged mother asks her to relocate to Boston...A wonderful story of forgiveness, friendship, love, and hope." �?? AudioFile From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new audiobook about courage, hope, and learning to love against all odds. Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew�??even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because love is girly, and it's not her thing. And don't forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...and it means risking it all�??the only job she's ever loved, and the hero she's worked like hell to become. Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt and healing tour-de-force about the strength of vulnerability, the nourishing magic of forgiveness, and the life-changing power of defining courage, at last, for yourself. Praise for Things You Save in a Fire: "Oh, how I love Katherine Center's writing...and her newest novel is a gem...a story that reminds us that the word emergency has, at its heart, a new beginning. Just read it, and thank me later." - Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author "...a sharp and witty exploration of love and forgiveness that is at once insightful, entertaining, and thoroughly addictive." - Kirkus, starred… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member susan0316

This is a fantastic well written novel about learning to love. It's the story of someone very strong who needs to learn to live life more fully by accepting the softer parts of life and learning to accept others.

Cassie is a fire fighter in Texas. She's tough as nails and can keep up with the male

fire fighters in every way - from winning obstacle courses to playing pranks on other firefighters. She's tough and totally accepted as part of the fire team and she wants to stay that way. Her dad raised her after her mom left when she was a teenager and she feels that living her life without love is the best way to live. Until...her estranged mother calls and asks her to move to Boston for one year to help take care of her. She reluctantly agrees and gets a job at a very traditional fire station in Boston, where there has never been a woman fire fighter and she is not accepted until she is able to prove her worth to male firefighters. She is faced with blatant discrimination from everyone but a rookie who started at the fire department the same day she did. As she begins to have feelings for the rookie, she has to decide if she wants to continue her tough loveless life or open herself up to love and caring about other people.

This is a fantastic novel about love and life and family. I really enjoyed the character of Cassie and her attitude and determination are what I'll remember about her. I highly recommend this novel.

Thanks to netgally for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own,

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LibraryThing member Darcia

Things You Save in a Fire is a story about people, the messiness of relationships, and the power of forgiveness.

This is a character-driven novel, with the plot focusing on Cassie's life journey. The content is emotional, with moments of humor and heartbreak.

I'm the daughter of a retired

firefighter from a small city outside Boston, so this book touched me on a personal level. Katherine Center understands the job and the dynamics of the firefighters' relationships with one another, and these details made the story all the more believable.

Some people might consider aspects of this story and the way it wrapped up too convenient or even a little cheesy. And perhaps it is, but I needed a little cheesiness in my life.

*I received a review copy from the publisher.*

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LibraryThing member Bonnie.Franks

I first read a Katherine Center book when I read How To Walk Away. I loved that book and just fell into and couldn't extricate myself long after it was done.

I have to say she has done it again. Her characters are so crisply right and so relatable, you expect them to come knock on your door. Add to

that a story line that is both humorous and truly sad. Now throw in the fact that her books draw you in somehow and you don't even realize time is marching on, or that you are reading. You are there. Right there. I cannot say enough about her writing.

This book was just plain enjoyable on all levels. I'm sure you will find it to be the same.

I was provided with an ARC from NetGalley.

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LibraryThing member beckyhaase

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE by Katherine Center
THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE is the first book I have read by Katherine Center. It wasn’t exactly what I assumed it would be, but was an interesting read even though it turned out to be a romance rather than a firefighter story. The tension author Center

creates around Cassie’s determined “aloneness” is palpable from the very first lines. Cassie, Diana, the other firefighters and Diana’s friend Josie all speak and act like normal people. The two “villains” are known pretty quickly.
The romantic story line is actually quite interesting (this said by a person who doesn’t usually read romance novels). The pranking escalates rather quickly into real fright producing torment. That resolution is the weakest part of the novel. Cassie turns around socially because of fear for her mother and over a period of time – understandable. The resolution of the out of control pranking is not so understandable, especially on the part of the villain who changes too quickly and too completely to be believable.
(No vulgar language except for a few damns, one sex scene, one alluded to violent sex scene, I received this book free from St Martin’s Press for my honest review)
4 of 5 stars
#ThingsYouSavebook

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LibraryThing member susan.h.schofield

I'm in the minority here but I didn't care for this book. It felt like I was reading a Lifetime movie. It was too corny and predictable for me.

LibraryThing member amysan

I enjoyed this fun read by Katherine Center about a firefighter that moves to a new town to help her estranged mother after an incident at her home fire station. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read it early in return for my honest review!

LibraryThing member cwhisenant11

Cassie Hanwell reminded me of Lieutenant Andy Herrera from the TV show Station 19. Both characters are confident, capable women firefighters in a male dominated profession. They are both fierce competitors, tough-as-nails, and multidimensional. I love a strong female lead so I was sucked into the

story right away. What I hadn't anticipated was being wooed by the sweetest love story since The Notebook. I absolutely adored the rookie. I loved the chemistry and slow burn between Cassie and Owen and the power of love to heal even the most broken of places. I also loved the powerful themes of forgiveness and courage--of making the choices that are consistent with the person you want to be. Cassie is the kind of character that girls and women need more of in literature--full of integrity and worthy of admiration. Highly, highly recommended!!

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LibraryThing member kimkimkim

Wow, Katherine Center has created an incredibly strong female protagonist. Cassie Hanwell is a first responder, abandoned by her mother on her sixteenth birthday which was also the day she experienced something so horrific that she has kept it submerged for ten years. On what is to be a great day,

full of applause and accolades, she comes face to face with her worst nightmare and does what any self respecting, wronged female would do. She loses it and in a moment her life changes.

Center captures the essence of this woman who has to prove herself over and over again, not just to her male colleagues, but to herself. She has to figure out a way to exist in a job that she loves while her fellow firefighters continue to doubt her abilities. This part of the story is relatable on so many levels. She has to decide whether breaking every rule and protocol she has been taught will bring her happiness or end her career.

Much of this book deals with the issue of choice. The choice to pick yourself up over and over again and keep going despite the battering you have just taken. The choice to “refuse to let the world’s monsters ruin everything”. The choice to find your inner strength through your greatest weakness. Good on you Catherine Center, good on you.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

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LibraryThing member JKJ94

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center.

This is my first book I have read by Center, And I was so looking forward to reading it. I wanted to like this book so bad, because the blurb really grabbed my attention. But it wasn't grabbing

me as I had hoped it would at first. So I read on, and I thought well maybe this isn't so bad, but then I started to get confused a little bit. I mean here you have a girl, that gets angry when anyone calls her a girl, she insists she is not a girl but a firefighter. Okay, then it comes to she doesn't have time to have a relationship with anyone. Then next thing I'm reading is her and this other firefighter are getting a little romantic together. I just couldn't figure out if it was a romance or if it had to do with strong-willed women or if it was something to do with the women's movement back in the day. I am sorry to you all that loved it, and that is awesome because that's your prerogative. But it just didn't do it for me.

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LibraryThing member SBoren

I purchased this book from @bookofthemonth to read with my bestie @mycornerforbooksand. All opinions are my own. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center. Cassie has spent her entire adult life ensuring her place in the fire department. She has worked hard to keep her

emotions, her career, and her personal life separate from her career, and her theory is simple: keep people at a distance preferably as far as possible. One night, one phone call and one decision to punch a handsy ex-boyfriend sends her entire world impaling in on itself. In order to find true happiness she has to find a way to learn forgiveness. Not just for everyone in her past but most of all for herself, even when giving up feels so much easier. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Twitter @jason_stacie, Amazon, and my blog at readsbystacie.com

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LibraryThing member teachlz

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "Things You Save in a Fire" by Katherine Center. St. Martin's Press, August 2019

Katherine Center, AUthor of "Things You Save in a Fire", has written a captivating, witty, emotional, thought-provoking and entertaining novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction,

Women's Fiction, Contemporary and Romantic novel with some Humor. The timeline for the story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her colorful and dramatic cast of characters as quirky, complex, complicated, and flawed.

Cassie Hanwell has always enjoyed helping people and especially likes using her skills as a medic in the fire department to care for people. Cassie is determined, courageous, brave, tough, yet broken on the inside. Cassie herself has had traumatic things happen to her.

Cassie's estranged mother calls her to come home for a year to help her. Circumstances occur where Cassie will now be working with a different firefighter unit near where her mother lives. The Captain of the original unit gives Cassie a whole list of "survival rules" for her new placement. The men on the new unit, and especially the new Captain are less than thrilled that Cassie is not a man. How is Cassie going to survive these new changes?

This is a wonderful book about forgiveness, second chances,self-growth, family, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this emotional and thought-provoking novel.

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LibraryThing member tamidale

I was hooked from the first chapter! This is such an enjoyable story about finding love and learning to forgive. There’s also a bit of suspense and mystery in the mix.

Cassie is a young EMT that moves from Texas to a small town near Boston in order to be with her mother, who is having health

issues. Most of the story takes place in the fire department where Cassie works. As a woman, she has to go above and beyond, just to be on equal footing with the men.

I loved how the firefighters were portrayed in the story. From my own knowledge of friends who are firefighters, I thought the portrayal was accurate. They truly have a heart for helping others and are often the cream of the crop in any community. The down-side is that it can be a dangerous job and there were moments in the book that illustrated just how dangerous.

This one is full of good characters, humor and a few problems, but was just such fun to read! I highly recommend it to my fellow readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

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LibraryThing member BookConcierge

2.5**

From the publisher: Cassie Hanwell is a tough-as-nails firefighter who plays by the rules better than any man. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged

and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.

My reactions
Going into this I knew I was getting a “chick-lit” romance, with a flawed heroine hiding from her feelings due to an earlier trauma. Cassie is a (mostly) strong woman, working in a “man’s” job – even excelling at it. The opening scene pretty clearly outlines the trauma she’s buried but still carries with her (duh!). It also gives her little choice but to give in to her long-estranged mother’s request that Cassie come stay with her in a small Massachusetts town.

I liked the way Cassie approached dealing with her mother – dutiful but not at all warm. It seemed genuine given their background. I also liked the way her mother didn’t demand a full-blown mother-daughter reunion and loving relationship, but accepted what Cassie was willing to give when she was willing to give it.

I liked how Cassie prepared to go into this new firehouse, determined to perform (or outperform) this new crew and prove her worth as a dedicated firefighter / EMT. The new firehouse crew clearly doesn’t want her, and all her efforts to show them she can more than handle the job only serve to separate her further from the team. At least she’s not the only “newbie” subject to hazing. On her first day on the job she’s joined by a rookie straight out of the academy. And despite all her training, all the advice given to her by her female lieutenant back in Texas, all the vows she’s made to herself to avoid romance at all costs, she feels a spark that she cannot ignore.

And that’s where Center lost me. It was a fast read and I was pulled into the story quickly. But I thought the past trauma was handled poorly, and Cassie’s weak-at-the-knees, head-over-heels, hit-by-a-truck reaction just doesn’t ring true to me. Despite its flaws, Center’s novel kept me turning pages, but it’s not a book I’d save in a fire.

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LibraryThing member GirlWellRead

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie Hanwell thrives on emergency situations and as one of only a few female firefighters, she has dealt with all kinds. She is excellent at her job and steadfast in a crisis. But even with all of

her training and natural ability, Cassie is not prepared for the type of emergency her estranged and ailing mother springs upon her—she wants Cassie to move from Texas to Boston to assist her with day-to-day living.

Taking a transfer, Cassie now works at an old-school firehouse. Even though Cassie is more than competent, they are less than thrilled to have a woman on their crew. The only one that is not bothered by Cassie's arrival is the handsome rookie who started on the same day. But Cassie needs to stay focused and stick to the advice that her old captain gave her which is to never date a firefighter. She has worked incredibly hard to be taken seriously and can't risk jeopardizing her career over falling in love.

Things You Save in a Fire is a story of relationships, love, the power of forgiveness, and how to be brave against all odds.

This is my first foray into Center's wrtiting and it won't be my last. She has an effortless style that completely captures the reader. The pace and flow of the narrative was spot on, and it was an absolute pleasure to read this story.

I don't want to mislead anyone by pigeonholing this book as "chick lit" because apparently this is a genre that turns off/alienates readers and I'm not sure why. Is it because it is deemed as fluff or badly written? Or perhaps trashy? Anyway, this book is so much more than how it is perceived. Obviously there is a romantic element going on, but there are different relationships being explored that offer value to the narrative. There is also a strong female lead in a male-dominated industry that deserves recognition—Cassie is a complex and interesting character that holds her own without compromising her integrity and sense of self doing so.

After reading the book, I feel like I came away with learning a thing or two. I also, if possible, have more of an appreciation for those that put their lives on the line every day for their communities. Many women, not just those that work in professions that have traditionally been male (fire, police, sports journalists, mechanic, etc.), face incredible obstacles and sexism in their workplaces and this story shined a small light on what these women endure on a daily basis and for that, I applaud the author.

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LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie

First off, if Katherine Center writes it I’m going to read it, and so should you. Things You Save In a Fire is just the latest amazing novel from this marvelous author. Her stories take some monumental events in people’s lives and walk you through how they deal with them. The good, the bad, the

pain, the happiness, it’s all there. Makes you laugh and makes you cry and gives you a lot to think about.

Cassie has had a lot thrown at her in her life but she has succeeded despite that. She’s a decorated firefighter, one of the best at the job. The way she has done that, though, is to push the bad parts down and ignore them. And now circumstances have come together that will make her confront her past and the things she’s been avoiding. Being forced to leave her forward-thinking modern firehouse in Texas where she feels so at home and join a tough, old-school firehouse in Boston where she is unwelcome is not easy. Nor is suddenly living with the ailing mother she’s been more or less estranged from since she was sixteen. Pushing the feelings down wasn’t dealing with them and meant her life was her work and nothing else. No friends, no dating, no relationships. Now she is discovering she can’t avoid those feelings when she is face-to-face with her mother and others on a daily basis.

And the Boston firehouse. Well, to say they don’t want her there is an understatement. She has to prove herself over and over and still struggles to fit in. Someone in the firehouse is trying to force Cassie out, by harming her or even harming her mother. The last piece of advice her female captain in Texas gave her was fit in, and most of all don’t date a firefighter. She’s trying, but it’s not easy. Cassie’s not the only newbie in the Boston firehouse. There’s a rookie – and there is definitely something sparking between the two of them. But she can’t jeopardize her job, and as things keep getting worse and more dangerous her she doesn’t know if she can even trust him.

Things You Save In a Fire is a story with everything – excitement, danger, mystery, emergencies, fires – but most of all it’s a beautifully told tale about learning to forgive, to love, and to stop and think and listen and face what has hurt you.

Tissue alert: a few chapters in you learn that Cassie was the first firefighter on the scene after Margaret’s accident in How to Walk Away. I had the same reaction as when I read that (marvelous, terrific, wonderful) book and it was a nice tie-in.

Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life and love with characters you will care deeply about. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed Things You Save in a Fire and recommend it without hesitation.

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LibraryThing member jbarr5

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
There's something about firefighters and I don't know what it is but I love reading about how they put out fires and save others.
Book starts out with the firefighter award ceremony and she's been propositioned from her partner, she sees it as a

prank.
She also in her downtime runs a defense class, volunteers at Big Sisters and helps her dad build his house...
She was the most honored one: a female, a firefighter and the youngest ever...
Cassie has to face the Counsel Man before getting her award-we learn their past and wow! you can tell how nervous she is...she does ok til he pinches her butt...we learn about what she wanted to be when she grew up and how things changed.
When her mother calls for help it's a very touching moment for me as I am blind myself and don't have many who help me so for her to ask Cassie to come is huge.
Diane is an artist-so devastating. Like the choice she has and takes. Have visited Rockport for a few hours one day and found it a close community on the ocean.
Love hearing of the crochet club, I would fit in perfect in this environment-we have visited and enjoyed the area years ago.
Like how she conforms to the new firehouse and is alert for the other rookie...
Love hearing about the grants, to better the firehouse She is in fear of losing her job then captain informs them of cut backs and it's either her or other rookie...
Everybody has a secret that would alter their lives and has... Love when they each open up, makes so much more sense to have others support.
This book has something for everyone: adventure, action, romance, travel, mysteries and secrets.
I received this review book from St. Martins Press via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.

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LibraryThing member PinkPurlandProse

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of Things You Saved in a Fire. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

Cassie Hanwell is a born firefighter. Now her whole career is in

jeopardy because of one night. Granted she did crack her award over the politician’s head but he shouldn’t have grabbed her ass. Her only choice might be to leave her Texas. Her ailing mother has asked for her help for the next year. The Boston firehouse needs someone. It could work.

Except that Cassie hasn’t spoken to her mother in years. On Cassie’s sixteenth birthday her mother left the family to be with another man. Cassie has never really forgiven her, much less want to live with her for a year. The Boston firehouse doesn’t believe women should be firefighters. She’s going to have a very tough go to make it work. Cassie’s chief gave her strict advice if she was going to make it work. Be tougher than anyone, never complain. Work harder than anyone and keep your femininity dialed down to zero. Never cry and never, ever, ever, sleep with another fireman. That won’t be a problem for Cassie. She already lives by those rules. Except that the rookie who started the same day she did is very distracting. Why is he so gorgeous. Why is he so nice? He is slowly breaking down every wall Cassie has. Cassie is in big trouble.

You know when it is a Saturday afternoon, maybe outside it’s a little gray with the rain spattering down and you curl up and watch that Saturday afternoon movie. You know the one. And it just hits the spot. That is this book. I read it all in one shot. It hits so many right notes. Cassie is on a journey that runs the gamut of emotions. She is very closed off in the beginning, having survived two major traumas at a young age. She built a hard shell around herself and even though she is a young adult, she is still a little girl in a lot of ways. Learning to see her mother as a human being, with flaws and all, accepting her despite her mistakes, was beautiful. Oh, if only life were like that. There is a part where her mom teaches her about forgiveness, explaining that there are three parts to it.

“Forgiveness is about amidst of letting go…It’s about acknowledging to yourself that someone hurt you, and accepting that…Then it is about accepting that the person who hurt you is flawed like all people are, and letting that guide you to a better, more nuanced understanding of what happened…The third part… probably the hardest, that involves trying to look at the aftermath of what happened and find ways that you benefited, not just ways you were harmed.”

I think that this is the first time I really and truly understood forgiveness. I have read everything from Oprah to the Dali Lama trying to explain forgiveness and how it is for you and not the other person. I understood that letting go of the anger benefits you, but to really and truly let go, well it is hard. The way Center explains it, I really understand how if you can do all three steps, you can get there. When Cassie starts to heal her relationship with her mother, then that opens her up to love. Not only the rookie but herself.

Everyone gets to grow in this story. All in the right direction. Everyone gets to forgive, everyone finds a home. The only minor note is that I am sorry that in today's age you still have to have the storyline of females not accepted in the workplace. She has to be superwoman and prove she is ten times the man anyone else is. They still don’t trust her and then begrudgingly have to accept her. I understand why it works for the story but I just wish this still wasn’t a thing.

This story hit a little close to home. Those that know me, know that I have a strained relationship with my young adult daughter. I’m waiting for her to forgive me and see that I am just a flawed human being doing the best I can. This book deals with illness, I have just come through an illness. I am a sucker for love (see above Saturday afternoon movies) especially if it involves a hot firefighter. It struck a chord, I might have cried. It has meat to it and a lot of heart. I really enjoyed and think that you will too.

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LibraryThing member Carolesrandomlife

This was fantastic! This book made me feel things. Lots of things. I was holding my breath because I was so worried about the characters. I was afraid to turn the page but couldn't put the book down. It was the kind of reading experience that turned me into such a big reader. If only every book was

able to grab me as this one did. I guess you could say that I enjoyed this book.

Cassie is a firefighter. At the start of the book, she works at a station in Texas but things soon get a little crazy and Cassie finds herself needing a new station. Cassie has also been asked by her mother to move in with her for the next year to help out since she is losing her sight. So Cassie finds herself moving to Boston to help a mother that she hasn't been close to since she was a teen and starting a job with a new crew at a firehouse that is very different than anything she is used to.

I loved watching Cassie work to navigate the unfamiliar fire station. She is the first woman to work at the facility and not everyone is thrilled to have her on board. She feels that constantly forced to prove her worth to the others on the crew. She is also having a difficult time connecting with her mother. Cassie really doesn't want to deal with all of the feelings that come into play when she thinks about what her mother has done.

When I started reading this book, I didn't expect that romance would come into play. But it did and I must say that I am happy that it was a part of the story. I loved The Rookie. Every scene that he shared with Cassie put a smile on my face. He really was such a nice guy and I thought that he was really good for Cassie. I loved their chemistry and the way they seemed to understand and open up to each other. It is a good thing that The Rookie is a fictional character because if he was real, I think that Cassie would have more than a little competition.

I loved the way this story was laid out. The pacing of the story was perfect. We learn things just as we need to. Most readers would be able to figure out some of the key points before the character is ready to share. I thought that this was very effective. I thought I knew what happened to Cassie so it was really powerful when it was finally confirmed. There were some pretty intense scenes and some really heartfelt moments and they were all beautifully done.

I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a wonderful story of learning to forgive, standing up for yourself, and putting everything on the line for those you care about. My only complaint would be that the ending was a little too happily ever after but I will take it. I plan to read much more of Katherine Center's work soon!

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press.

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LibraryThing member bookczuk

I only recently discovered this author with her novel How to Walk Away. She writes the type of book I usually think of as a sorbet, cleansing my literary palate between diverse courses and genres of books. But her books are more. There’s insight into situations, depth to characters, and

compassion and growth as well. And that makes a good read; it touched me, taught me, and made me think. Plus I learned more about firefighting than I have since my 3 year old son got a crush on Firetrucks. Center is a better teacher than even son’s favorite, Fireman Robby at the CFD (But he forever has my affection because he took my boy down the fire pole. And it’s only a guess, because it was before Firefighters calendars were a thing, but he probably had washboard abs.)

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LibraryThing member shelleyraec

I’d seen so much praise for Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center on various blogs well in advance of its publication date that I was eager to get my hands on a copy.

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Austin, Texas who loves her job, and has worked hard to earn the respect of her crew.

When a run in with a local councillor puts her career in jeopardy, Cassie reluctantly decides to move to small town Massachusetts, where she takes a position in a firehouse, and moves in with her estranged, ailing mother.

Things You Save In a Fire is a contemporary romance that also explores the themes of family, courage, forgiveness, and redemption. Center does an impressive job of balancing the romance and humour with the more serious elements of the story.

There is an emphasis on the complexities of relationships in Things You Save In a Fire, not only in the romance that develops between Cassie, and ‘rookie’ Owen, but also Cassie’s difficult relationship with her mother, and the relationships she needs to forge with her new colleagues in order to safely do her job.

I enjoyed the romance between Cassie and Owen, it’s inevitable from the moment they meet, but there are good reasons for Cassie to be wary of their attraction. Owen is perhaps a little too good to be true, but I was willing to embrace the fantasy.

Cassie’s resentment of her mother is tangled up with a traumatic incident she experienced on the same night her mother left the family, their relationship therefore is a complicated one. That her mother is ill adds another layer of strain to their interaction, and I liked the way the author navigated the issues between them.

Not unexpectedly, Cassie has to prove herself to her fellow firefighters who aren’t really sure that a woman is capable of the job. For the most part, the crew are welcoming if somewhat bemused, and it was very entertaining to see her repeatedly exceed their expectations, but it soon becomes clear that at least one of them deeply resents her presence.

Perhaps the most important relationship in Things You Save In a Fire is the one Cassie has with herself. She shut down emotionally at sixteen, fought to become hard, tough and strong, and struggles to relax the control she clings to. I appreciated the growth shown by her character as the story unfolded.

“Choosing to love—despite all the ways that people let you down, and disappear, and break your heart. Knowing everything we know about how hard life is and choosing to love anyway … That’s not weakness. That’s courage.”

Warm, witty, and casually subversive I really enjoyed Things You Save In a Fire, and ?I hope to read more of her work.

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LibraryThing member cdyankeefan

I love Katherine’s books. Her protagonists are women facing challenges on a number of fronts. In her latest Cassie is a female firefighter undergoing major transitions including caring for an ill mother and integrating into a formerly all male fire fighter cre. Cassie ha does all her challenges

with as much strength as she can muster. Katherine’s characters are real flawed individuals trying to get along as best as they can. Katherine uses humor so well its hard to imagine a character who doesnt make you laugh at one point. Put this on your must read list now

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LibraryThing member ozzer

This novel explores feminism and forgiveness from the perspective of a strong female firefighter. Most of the secondary characters seem to lack nuance. However the protagonist is well realized. The story is well constructed but the writing often tends to be a little preachy and cringe-worthy. And

the ending seems too pat and happy to be believed.

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LibraryThing member JeanneFelfe

I received an ARC copy of this book directly from the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing.

As soon as it arrived, I read the description. It sounded so intriguing I couldn't wait to start reading. I absolutely loved this story of a female firefighter in a man's world. Like the heroine, I am also

not a girlie-girl, so I could totally relate to her.

This isn't a fast-moving novel, but instead is one to be savored and enjoyed. I highly recommend it.

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LibraryThing member GRgenius

Once I started this one, I couldn't put it down. It's not that it was action packed, or edge of your seat, but it was so relatable, putting it aside was out of the question. I was so rooting for our leading lady when "the incident" happened. I mean, I know, what happened was unprofessional as heck

and "image is everything" but he deserved that and FAR worse. The fallout though...just wow. I couldn't believe they were asking that of her, and yet I could...which make me OH SO SAD for the world, but my respect for her grew ten fold. Now, as for those rules of caution when changing stations, my mind was blown. In today's world...still?! That's insane! I couldn't fathom having to change pretty much everything about yourself in order to me yourself to a certain degree. In the end, I was stunned by some things that happened, shell shocked by others, and warmed to my soul still by other moments that I'm glad I was there for. It reminds us that progress has been made in areas formerly forbidden, but there's always room for growth. Oh and more importantly still, love is most definitely the right answer, every time. ♥

**copy received for review; opinions are my own

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LibraryThing member Susan.Macura

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Texas who must move to Massachusetts for family reasons, despite having a rocky relationship with her mother who now needs her aid. She finds herself in a firehouse that is not as accepting as her former house, but she does meet one firefighter, the newbie, who is

loyal to her right from the beginning. While much of the tale is predictable, the actual descriptions of firefighting and medical rescues are credible, lending the tale much more weight. It was a nice, light read that provided a great deal of satisfaction at the end.

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