Quick Synopsis

Cassie Hanwell is a female firefighter in a progressive firehouse in Texas. She is cool under pressure when addressing other’s emergencies. But suddenly, Cassie has to face those of her own when her estranged mother asks her to move to the Boston suburbs.

Publisher’s Synopsis

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.

Book Review

I bought How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire simultaneously purely based upon bookstagrammers’ reviews. As I mentioned in my review of How to Walk Away, I generally steer clear of the romance genre, but I found these books to be much more than romance novels.

I definitely recommend reading this book after How to Walk Away since there is a encore chapter after the book that connects the two stories. It definitely motivated me to pick up Things You Save in a Fire right away.

Despite addressing sexism, trauma, and other critical and timely issues, this is overall a book full of hope and positivity. Katherine Center writes about the messy, hard parts of life with honesty, but in a way, that doesn’t leave you bummed out. Between these things and the characters who are well-developed, the book is a joy to read leaving you warm and fuzzy. I do find her books pretty predictable, which is not my favorite. There is also a blatant contradiction in her female leads trying to both be independent but falling into old female tropes. Other than that, her leads make all the decisions of a perfect person, which is a bit annoying. If you love Hallmark movies, you’ll love Katherine Center’s books.

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