**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 went into this book really wanting to love it, but I think I expected something much more serious than what I found. It does have its serious side, but this one was more cutesy, sugary sweet contemporary romance than anything else. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, and a good balance of light and dark can make for a great story. For me, this one was just a little more sugar than I care for. The book is well-written if a little bit scattered at times, and maybe it’s just too much sweetness for my cynical self, but Things You Save in a Fire came in somewhere in the fair to middlin’ range for me. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression either.
This is the first Katherine Center book I have read but it won’t be my last. I was provided an advanced reader’s edition but all opinions are my own and not influenced by that fact.
Cassie doesn’t believe in love or even really emotions since traumatic events occurred on her 16th birthday. She thinks she’s in total control of her emotions but one unexpected blast from the past and she finds out differently. Suddenly, she begins to have to face the past and work toward forgiveness.
I absolutely loved this book. I started it on a Sunday night of a very busy week but stayed up late anyhow because I just had to know what happened. I highly recommend this book.
And I will be checking out the other Katherine Center books.
#thingsyousavebook
#tysiaf
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.
Loved loved loved this book! Wonderfully written … easy to ready. Compelling story that makes you want to do nothing but read this book. Believable characters and situations with some connections to her previous book (How to Walk Away). I didn’t want it to end!! I am eagerly awaiting her next novel.
Katherine Center has a way of writing what seems like a fun, quirky story that explores in-depth relationships. Cassie is a firefighter in Texas who is career oriented. The book opens with Cassie receiving a prestigious award for saving some children. The mayor is scheduled to give her the award. Something happened that the mayor could not attend. She walks toward the stage and finds the city councilman is presenting her the reward. She explodes and takes action. Something totally unexpected happens……
Cassie receives a phone call from her estranged mom who left Cassie and her Dad ten years ago and is living in Boston. She needs Cassie to come and stay with her for a year. Cassie ends up in Boston working for a fire department where she is the only woman.
This book explores relationships including forgiveness. A good easy read with good character exploration. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cassie Hanwell has spent her life making her dream of coming a firefighter true, she works at a firehouse in Texas and all seems to be going well in the world she has constructed for herself. When she learns that her mother is sick and needs her help Cassie just wants to ignore it and continue living her life. She has never really been close with her mother and she has never been able to come to terms with the choices her mother has made. After an incident at her firehouse leaves Cassie with few choices she decides that the best thing she can do is go help her mother out and work at a fire station near her. Cassie soon learns that this new firehouse is totally different from the one that she was working at. The other firefighters don’t believe women belong in the job and she is constantly trying to prove them wrong, it doesn’t help that there is a rookie who joined at the same time and the others seem to love him. When feelings start to develop between the rookie and herself Cassie pushes them aside. She has a past that keeps her from even dating men much less loving one. She has built a wall around herself that makes it hard for anyone to get through, including her own mother. Follow along in this tale of a woman who has been hurt by the past and who doesn’t know how to open herself up to the future. Does she stay closed off? Does she let the past dictate her future? Will she deal with all the feelings she has spent years hiding from? This was such an emotional read, Cassie touched my heart from the start and I just wanted her to come out the other side open to new beginnings. She is such a lovely character you can’t help but want her to be able to turn everything around and have the life she deserves not just the one she is living. I cried so much throughout this read but they were empathetic tears. This was story telling at its best and I look forward to picking up more books from this author.
Wow! What a wonderfully written story filled with love and loss, betral and forgiveness. The characters and storyline are well-developed, engaging, and interesting. It definitely held my interest and kept me flipping pages as quickly as I could.
I definitely feel my time was well-spent reading this book. It was my first by Ms. Center, but certainly not my last.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or remuneration.
#ARC #arcreview. #arcreview2019 #NewRelease #nowavailable #mustread #mustreadbook #bookstagram #bookstoread @stmartinspress #NetGalley
Cassie is a hotshot firefighter in Austin, Texas. One of the only female firefighters in a progressive firehouse, Cassie is at the top of her game. Until the night of the awards ceremony, where she attacks the presenter. Given a choice of being fired or reassigned, Cassie takes the reassignment. She is reassigned to a fire station outside of Boston, where she will be taking care of her estranged mother. Cassie is in for a huge change when she joins the department. Underfunded, with inadequate facilities and ripe with sexism, Cassie has her work cut out for her. She also has her work cut out for her in her personal life too. What will happen to Cassie? Can she overcome the odds stacked against her? Will she be able to put the past behind her and move on?
Socksmith Men’s Novelty Crew Socks
I am going to start this review with a complaint. 95% of the book takes places in a fictitious town of Lillian, Massachusetts. Lillian is located south of Rockport/Gloucester. Which would put it in the Manchester-by-the-Sea/Ipswich area. That is not the Boston area. Boston is an hour drive from there. How do I know? I grew up in that area and lived there until 5 years ago. Where I grew up was 20 mins from Boston and Rockport is 20-30 mins from there. That is not the Boston area. That is considered the North Shore/Cape Anne area. So it irked me when I read that. It was the only thing that I didn’t care for in the book.
The primary plotline of Things You Save in a Fire is forgiveness and healing. When Cassie is introduced, she had shut herself off from everything. She didn’t trust because of events that happened 10 years earlier. Cassie despised her mother and had little to do with her. She didn’t have any close relationships outside of work. After the incident and moving to Rockport, I could see her walls coming down. She started to forgive her mother for leaving. She began to come to terms with her rape. Everything came to a head when Owen was injured in the fire, and DeStasio put the blame on her. That scene with DeStasio was one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have read in a while. The details she went into broke my heart in smithereens. But talking about it helped her heal. And in a way, helped her forgive.
I liked the storyline with the rookie and Cassie. I laughed at her first reaction to seeing him the first time. I felt awful about her panicking when she realized that she like liked him. I cried when she told him (in not so many words) what happened to her. I cheered when she decided to throw caution to the wind and pursue a relationship with him. I will say that I thought it was odd that Owen was only known as “the rookie” for about 75% of the book.
The other plotline that caught my attention was the relationship between Cassie and her mother. Cassie was traumatized by her mother leaving on her 16th birthday. In the 10 years since she left, she had little contact with her. I didn’t blame Cassie for flat out saying no to her when Diana called after the incident. But with her father intervening and being forced to transfer, she had to go. Cassie was forced to face her mother. She was forced to start caring. She was also forced to listen to why Diana left. What Cassie believed happened and what she found out is two different things. Towards the middle of the book, it was revealed why Diana wanted Cassie to come to Massachusetts. I didn’t blame Cassie for her reaction.
I loved that Cassie was a firefighter. There are very few female firefighters. The author did a fantastic job of portraying what Cassie had to do to make the men of the Lillian station respect her. She also did a great job of detailing the harassment that Cassie had to deal with.
I will say that I was surprised when I realized that Cassie was the firefighter from How to Walk Away. That one sentence made me go “No way” when I realized it was her.
The end of Things You Save in a Fire was sad and happy at the same time. I was thrilled that Owen and Cassie got their HEA. I loved Cassie’s mindset at the end of the book. I LOVED IT!!! She did get the best revenge.
I had read Katherine Center’s How to Walk Away and liked it very much and was excited to read Things You Save in a Fire.
I loved this book! My heart immediately went out to Cassie, a strong and talented “superhero” firefighter who is deeply broken. Unable to love. Unable to forgive. She learns her mother, who left the family on Cassie’s 16th birthday, is ill and agrees to move in with her temporarily to help while still harboring unyielding anger and resentment. Cassie takes a leave from her job in Austin and secures a position at a firehouse near her mother’s quaint home in a small coastal town north of Boston, where she has to find a way to gain acceptance as its first female firefighter. On her first day, she is also joined by Owen, a rookie from a family of firefighters who, at first glance, sends her heart aflutter revealing that she might actually have the capacity to love. Cassie has a choice, she can continue to keep up the wall she has built around her or she can learn to let people in. This excellent book will make you smile one minute and cry the next. You won’t want to put it down.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Ms. Center for this ARC.
This story is phenomenal. I read it in one day unable to tear myself away from the reckoning of one woman’s life. Katherine Center opens her brilliantly told novel of courage, strength, and vulnerability by up-ending the life and career of her protagonist, Cassie Hanwell, firefighter extraordinaire who’s heart has been shattered by one night in her youth.
From there Center takes readers on a hard fought journey of discovery through Cassie’s evolving world view. The themes of feminism, sexism, strength, power, vulnerability, and the many shapes of love this author weaves through her story make it especially enthralling. The story uses tropes within the romance genre in a completely unique and refreshing way to give us a tale of hope but more to give us a piece of women’s fiction that women can be especially proud of and admire. The colorful cast of secondary characters break down well established barriers and continually circles around a primary theme of forgiveness and the power it has to reinvent your thoughts, your life, but most importantly your heart.
I find it of the utmost importance to really convey how important this heroine is in women’s fiction as she’s a guiding light on how you can be broken down and resurrected if you open yourself up to the possibility. Cassie Hanwell is inspirational through her entire journey. She makes you feel so deeply to really think about everything that is not only happening in her life but in yours as well and become resolute in her bravery. That theme of forgiveness shines through many characters int the story but it’s never so bright as it is with Cassie. The power of that complex act stands out the most and creates a brilliant focus for readers.
This book isn’t just about romance. It’s about women. It’s a tribute to courage and the strength of vulnerability. And the power of forgiveness and the many different forms of courage. It’s about the choices we make out of the love and how we rebound in the aftermath of those choices, no matter how long it might take.
Katherine Center moved me with her evocative novel. I’m excited about it, so grateful to have to read this story and met this character. I can’t wait to dive into more of her work.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. This review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
Cassie is a workaholic Austin, Texas firefighter/EMT with an excellent record at the job, a woman able to focus all of her energy to the job, to advancing through schooling into the next step at the job. Life is all job. No personal life at all. She lives alone, visits occasionally with her school teacher father, and feels that all of her isolationism dates back to her 16th birthday when her mother abandoned her and she was molested on her first – her only – date. No hugs for her, no romance. Just work. And the guys at the station treat her just like she wants – like one of the guys. Now 26, she feels finally settled into a life she can enjoy, without all the angst of her younger years. But for a week she has been dodging calls from her estranged mother. And the date raper is introduced at the awards ceremony to present her with the medal of valor, the highest award in the fire hierarchy. As he does so, he cups her butt. She just can’t take it. She has to flatten him. And Cassie always gives her best effort. He is in the hospital, and she is looking for another job instead of receiving that raise and the accompanying advancement to Lieutenant that her captain had planned for her.
Things can only get more complicated. Her mother Diane needs Cassie to move to Rockport, Massachusetts to help her as she recovers from eye surgery – only a year or less. Her Austin Captain is able to assure her a job as the first female fireman/EMT in the firehouse of the nearby small town of Lillian. Breaking the glass ceiling is never easy, but it looks like a move to the Atlantic coastline is in her cards… And Cassie always gives her best effort.
This was an excellent novel – holding your interest and finding surprises all the way through. I am pleased to recommend it to friends and family.
This book is amazing and I loved it! Cassie is such an interesting character. She’s a firefighter and what happens at an event honoring her for her heroics on the job, sets the changes for her life in motion. How she reconnects with her mother, takes on a new job, meets the rookie. All of it is so good. The epilogue is great, too!
I read How to Walk Away last year and fell in love with Katherine Center’s writing. She writes beautiful, thought-provoking, life-afferming stories and Things You Save in a Fire is no exception. This is a novel about letting go of past hurts, forgiveness, new beginnings, and finding love when you least expect it. The book was so good, I finished it one evening. The one thing I wasn’t crazy about is the insta-love between Cassie and the rookie but overall it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. I’ll be recommending Things You Save in a Fire to all my friends.
Cassie, a female firefighter, has barely talked to her mother, Diana, since her mother abandoned their family ten years ago on Cassie’s 16th birthday. Now that the tables are turned and her mom needs help during a health crisis, will Cassie be willing to uproot her entire life and move across the country for her?
“This was exactly what I’d feared. She wanted to bond. But I didn’t bond. With anyone.”
I read and enjoyed the author’s previous book, How to Walk Away (4 stars), but this story of love, courage, and forgiveness kept me engrossed from beginning to end, moving me in unexpected ways. I found it equal parts endearing and amusing, and it often made me giggle in delight. Sure, Cassie is one tough cookie, but will her barriers crumble while under the heated gaze of Owen, a sizzling hot firefighter who enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies in his spare time? Don’t miss this scorching hot, yet heartwarming, love story to find out!
“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.”
Location: Texas (Austin) and Massachusetts (Lillian and Rockport)
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center is a sweet story of family, forgiveness, and finding love when you stop looking. Its also an excellent reminder that our memories, especially memories of a painful event, can often be colored more by our emotions than fact.
As the story begins, Cassie Hanwell is living the dream. She loves her job with fire and rescue and has carved out a comfortable and rewarding life for herself. She has no idea trouble at work and a phone call from her estranged mother is about to change everything.
The series of events that unfold next force her to release control, let others in, learn what the word ‘forgiveness’ really means, and ultimately find happiness she never believed could really happen for her.
I enjoyed the story, and the lessons on memory, love, and forgiveness are things we would all do well to remember. But what I may have enjoyed most was the way the story was written. Author Katherine Center has a unique writing style that makes me feel as if I’m having a conversation with a close friend. Maybe we’ve just sat down for coffee and she mentions a person or event I’m not familiar with. When I ask, she says “oh, let me tell you what happened!!”. And the story begins.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an easy read with heart. I look forward to reading more from Katherine Center and have just ordered two more of her books, How To Walk Away, and The Lost Husband. (The movie of The Lost Husband is currently in production starring Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb.)
This was a very powerful book. Not just a romance but a life lesson on forgiveness. Forgiving yourself along with others and how it impacts your life. Loved the characters. Cassie is a very strong female firefighter with a complicated life. All of the firefighters are very realistic and The Rookie is adorable. Cassie’s mom and the next door neighbor are hilarious. Really wonderful read full of romance, humor, angst, sadness and a HEA ending. Will be looking for more of Ms. Center’s work.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
I had heard alot about this book and decided I wanted to read it for myself. I was not dissapointed. It is a very well written story about Cassie Hanwell a female firefighter who deals with lifes problems head on. She moves to another firehouse to be close to her estranged mother when she is asked to help her. Being a female at this house is hard but she digs in and perseveres . she meets a rookie called Owen Callahan and has an attraction between them. But dating another firefighter is not a good idea so she has to work out her feelings. The storyline in this book is really good. It has a bit of everything romance, drama coming to peace with the past and moving on with your future. The characters are very believable some likable some not so much but together they make a wonderful read.
I loved, loved, loved this book! “Things You Save in a Fire” is a beautifully written story of courage, hope, forgiveness, and learning to love against all odds. I was hooked from the very first page and I could not put the book down until it was finished the same day. Cassie (main character) is simply amazing. She’s a kick-ass, tough-as-nails uber-awesome firefighter who makes the tough decision to leave everything she’s built in Texas to move to Massachusetts to care for her estranged mother. What I appreciated most about Cassie is her unwavering sense of duty, loyalty, and hilarious snark. I lost count how many times I laughed out loud reading this book.
Cassie’s journey of forgiveness and healing was both heartwarming and inspirational. I gained such a greater appreciation for the power of empathy and connecting with others. And… The Rookie. The relationship between Cassie and The Rookie had my heart melting. It was such an authentic and sweet story of falling in love and fighting for what you want.
Katherine Center’s writing gave me so many feels in this book. I laughed. I cried. I was angry. I worried. “Things You Save in a Fire” was the first book I read from this author, but it won’t be my last. Katherine Center is a true master storyteller and a powerhouse in this genre. If you’re a fan of Nicholas Sparks’ “The Last Song” or Jodi Picoult’s “Change of Heart”, then you MUST read this book.
Katherine Center is one of my new favorite authors! While I’m a hopeless romantic, I’m also pretty cynical. I don’t like romances that are overly cheesy or too unrealistic. And Center’s books have all the ingredients to potentially leave me cringing or rolling my eyes, but I never do. Things You Save in a Fire is sweet and pure and unputdownable! Owen may have moved up into my top five favorite male leads. I stayed up reading into the wee hours of the morning to finish this one. I smiled. I cried. I swooned. Five glowing stars from me!
This was a great read. Pour Cassie’s personal life is stuck after a tragic day ten years ago. She can’t seem to get over what happened that day so she closes herself off to everything that has to do with any kind of love. A call from her mother and a confrontation changes things for Cassie both personally and professionally. I cried, laughed and got angry reading this book, that’s how much emotion you get from this book. I loved it and I am so happy to have the epilogue at the end of the book.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*