**INDIE NEXT PICK FOR AUGUST****AN AUGUST 2019 LIBRARYREADS SELECTION****BOOK OF THE MONTH PICK FOR JULY****AN AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK FOR AUGUST**“Center gives readers a sharp and witty exploration of love and forgiveness that is at once insightful, entertaining, and thoroughly addictive.”— KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW“An appealing heroine, a compelling love story, a tearjerking twist, and a thoroughly … appealing heroine, a compelling love story, a tearjerking twist, and a thoroughly absorbing story. Another winner from Center.”
— BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW
“A spirited, independent heroine meets a smoking-hot fireman in Center’s smart romance… If you enjoyed ‘The Kiss Quotient,’ by Helen Hoang, read Things You Save in a Fire”’
– THE WASHINGTON POST
From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new novel 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.
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I shouldn’t have laughed at the opening scene, but I did. A lot. Not right away–but, most likely, at the single most inappropriate time. Then my husband asked me what I was laughing at. I told him. He laughed, too. The next time I left the room, I came back to find my husband reading my book.
Katherine Center creates a crusty heroine who is so prickly, it simply underscores her vulnerability. At times laugh-out-loud funny and at other times heartbreaking, Things You Save in a Fire is a simply beautiful book.
Although this isn’t my standard fare for reading material, I was drawn to the book by the description. I am glad I gave it a chance. It has a strong-willed protagonist who is flawed -aren’t we all?
The writing is strong, well-balanced and has humor sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed watching Cassie grown, develop, and find her way.
On the fast track in the Austin fire department, an episode at her awards banquet changes the course of her life. She has to regroup, relocated, and drive on to save her professional career.
She lands in New England living in her mother’s house. She learns about life and relationships. Give this book a chance – it’s not a mushy romance. It’s a stretching of someone that has closed themselves off to relationships outside of the work concept.
I highly recommend this book.
I was given an opportunity to read and review an advanced e-copy of this book by Netgalley. I am not required to leave a positive review.
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.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center.
This re-read reminds me how very much I adore Katherine Center. Her characters are well-developed and the emotional journey is exactly what I need. Things You Save in a Fire is something special.
Cassie is tough as nails and has no problems proving her worth in a male dominated field. She’s a paramedic firefighter and determined to be the best. When she is up for an award and is met with extremely trying circumstances, her actions are the catalyst for facing termination or a public apology and penance. She opts to request a transfer instead and help her mom for a short time. She’s met with more barriers than she bargains for in a small town in Massachusetts.
I love this book more the second time around. When I’m in a reading slump, I can count on it to give me that joy for reading again. The same can be said for How to Walk Away and Happiness for Beginners. Love them!
Nice read.
Multiple events conspire together to cause Cassie Hanwell to move away from the city in which she’s just received an award for her service as a firefighter to a new city where, she’s told, they don’t even think women should be firefighters. But Cassie has taught herself how to overcome almost anything–but keeping emotions and feelings at bay and always following a schedule and a plan. This method serves her well, but also poorly, in her new life. A very strained relationship with her sick mother and a crush on the rookie at her new fire station both lead to changes she could never have expected.
This book was a fun read for me, and I think it is interesting that it isn’t quite as much of a pure romance as I thought it would be. The romance is a key factor, but it’s not the only factor. Other important elements include recovering from past trauma (or lack thereof), mother-daughter relationship (focusing on abandonment of the daughter), surviving in a not-entirely-friendly workplace, and most of all, forgiveness.
I really liked the fact that the book had that last angle in it, because I think it’s something that many people don’t really take the time and effort to try to do. The book may have taken a fairly simplistic approach, but for what it was, I appreciated it.
There are a lot of tropes wrapped up in Cassie, but at the same time, she had some traits that I really connected with. For example, I watched as she pushed another character away, and then was truly disappointed that the other character left. She wanted this person to push harder to reach her, help her, get her to open up, whatever, even while at the same time knowing that she would never let that person in. I am like that as well, especially with my husband, though with his help, I’ve identified it and am working on it.
One thing that bugged me throughout the book was Cassie’s mother. I had a really hard time sympathizing with her, for reasons that I won’t explain, because it would broach spoiler territory. But in the end, I decided that I didn’t have to agree with Cassie’s assessment of her mother or the situation. It wasn’t my mother, so I just let it be.
The ending had a few wrap-ups that were a little strange to me, but I enjoyed the book overall. I recommend it to fans of romance, especially those where the romance isn’t quite so in-your-face.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review!
Katherine Center does an amazing job of telling a delightful and funny romantic story while also bringing forth some powerful life lessons. I both enjoy and am entertained by her books and learn things about myself in the process. I really enjoyed this story and felt it was true to life as a firefighter.
This is the first book that I have read by author Katherine Center and let me tell you, OMG, I just LOVED it! It pulled at my heartstrings the way that each of the characters learned about themselves and grew throughout the story. And the characters weren’t the only ones learning. The author made me think about life, she made me think about love, she made me think about forgiveness. Since reading this book, I have a newfound understanding of the definition of the term ALL THE FEELS. I laughed, I cried, I was happy, I was sad, I was angry, and when I was finished, I smiled. Then I sat and reflected for a VERY long time. The next day, I was back thinking about the lessons learned yet again. This is a book that I will not soon forget. Yes, this book is going to stick with me, probably forever.
I listened to this book and found myself laughing out loud often. Needed this right now!
Just finished this book, can’t remember who recommended it, but I’m grateful and I’m going to recommend it to my book club. It’s a lovely story of love and forgiveness and overcoming tragedy. Well done!!
Great story – can’t wait to read more from this author!!!
I just love Katherine Center. This is the 3rd book I’ve read by her and i plan on reading them all. This story is your classic, stubborn female in a man’s world. But, of course nothing goes as planned and every one becomes a better person in the end.
Fast-paced, funny, well-written, and emotional. I love a strong heroine and the Rookie totally stole my heart. Gorgeous!
This is a story about second chances and forgiveness. I really enjoyed this book and its characters
Awesome book
“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.”
“Forgiveness is about a mind-set of letting go.” She thought for a second, then said, “It’s about acknowledging to yourself that someone hurt you, and accepting that.” Done, I thought. “Then it’s 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. Flawed, I thought. Okay. Check. “And then there’s a third part,” she went on, “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.”
Wow!!! I loved this book and all the nuggets of wisdom and truth. I highlighted a lot! Cassie’s world came crashing down at the tender, vulnerable age of 16. Her mom walked out and the very same night she endured a horrific, unspeakable act. She has closed herself off from love and getting close to anyone completely. She has never forgiven her mom and through circumstances with her job and her mother’s health, Cassie finds herself suddenly living with her mom. Cassie has to learn to forgive, to look at situations from all sides and not just her own and to decide if she can open her heart to let love in. I loved the way the author brings Cassie full circle and helps others in the process.
Forgiveness is the theme.
I found it way over the top, too syrupy to romantic by far. I’ve read three others by Katherine Center which I really liked, so I may give her another try.
Omg, this book! I am not a romance reader and definitely not a romantic! But, this book..this beautiful book had me ugly sobbing. sad tears first…then half crying, half laughing—like, if I’d been in public people would have had me put in a straight jacket & padded room—what I’ll call the crazy cry. This is a book that I should have found sappy and annoying, but instead I found a book that spoke to my very soul!
First I have read by this author. Loved the characters.