Title: Things You Save in a Fire
Author: Katherine Center
Published: 2019
Call #: FIC/Center
Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Austin, Texas, and is extremely independent woman. Relationships of any kind are merely a distraction to her, and for good reason. Cassie's past has taught her that love, even in its varying forms, is nothing but trouble.
The story begins with Cassie about to receive the Austin Fire Department's Valor Award, the first female to ever with this award. When the Mayor announces a surprise guest will be giving Cassie the award, Cassie is shocked when she not only recognizes the surprise guest, but that it's the last person in the world she ever expected to see again. Thankfully, the shock wears off quickly and Cassie takes matters into her own hands.
As if the situation at the awards banquet isn't enough, Cassie also has to deal with her estranged mother. She's been calling Cassie non-stop, but Cassie has been ignoring the calls. Finally, Cassie contacts her mother and is shocked when her mother tells her she's got some health issues asks her to move to Massachusetts to live with her for a year. Cassie quickly answers no, until the fallout from the awards banquet stalls her career in Austin and she's forced to find work elsewhere. Suddenly Massachusetts doesn't seem so bad after all.
Cassie's reputation as a stellar firefighter helps her get a job a the Lillian Fire Department. What she finds is that the LFD doesn't exactly want her so much as they need her. Women are not welcome at the firehouse. Cassie sets out to change that and prove that she can hang with the boys, even if it means following some self-imposed strict rules.
Cassie has survived her past by burying it deep and closing herself off to people. What Cassie doesn't count on is the feelings that begin to surface as she gets to know her new firehouse and her mother again.
Katherine Center writes about the messy parts of life with honesty and great character development. I loved everything about this book--from the humorous moments to the heartbreaking ones. Highly recommended for readers of women's fiction.
Jill B
Popular Materials Manager