I enjoyed this book tremendously! I read my first Katherine Center earlier this year and was eager to read another. Wonderful character development and YAY for strong, independent women!  You go, girl!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I really, really enjoyed this book, even after I thought that I wouldn't. It is the story of Cassie, who gets herself nearly fired but negotiates a transfer to help take care of her mom. It's a move she doesn't want to make, but it's the right thing to do and keeps her employed. As a firefighter, you don't date your coworkers, but of course she develops a crush on one of them day 1. And she fights it and fights having a relationship with her estranged mom. 
The book started out somewhat slow, despite everything I said above. About halfway through, it picked up, and then it picked up some more. And here I am, up an hour past my bedtime to finish it.
This is the second Katherine Center books I've read, and she certainly has a way of sneaking up on you with the emotion. She also has a way of making you believe in the good parts of life.

Cassie and Owen are perfect together. Fire and ice. A great book about love, family and forgiveness. You can’t stop reading until the end.

Katherine Center writes a beautifully constructed romance. It’s smart, sweet at times, sad at others. A fast read and one that sucks you in.

Cassie Hanwell is a great firefighter. She loves her job in Austin, Texas and her friendly crew. Cassie's life is shaped by a series of events that occurred on her sixteenth birthday, including her mother leaving her and her father. Now she stays clearly in her comfort zone. That zone includes work, work, and more work. No relationships, no real attachments to anyone, a strong resistance to forgiving her mother, and definitely not love. But when her mom calls Cassie and asks her to move to Boston to help her--due to an illness--Cassie has to leave that comfort zone. Big time. She has to go live with her mother, whom she barely knows anymore. She has to leave behind her progressive Austin crew and work with a group of guys in Boston who are appalled at the thought of a "lady" on their crew. Except for one guy, the new rookie, who has no problem with Cassie. And Cassie doesn't mind being around him. At all. In fact she even likes it. But love isn't in Cassie's vocabulary, and even if it was, everyone knows firefighters don't date other firefighters. Right?

"I'd structured my life around routine, and safety, and order. Feelings were a lot of trouble. I avoided them as much as possible."

I really enjoyed Katherine Center's previous book, How to Walk Away, so I was excited to read this one. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much (though I enjoyed the little link between the two), but it is a cute read. I have to admit, there were times in this one when things seemed a little too saccharine for my cynical self. I know, I know, that's terrible, especially when things aren't always light and breezy for Cassie and friends in this book. I think it's something only sarcastic folks like myself will understand.

In fact, this book is a really interesting blend between dark and quite light and fluffy. Cassie has a dark past, as does the rookie, Owen, but a lot of the book is Cassie just repeating that she won't ever love anyone or date a firefighter. I think we all know where this is leading...

However, the book is really funny at times, and it's very easy to like Cassie. She's incredibly tough and brave, and she gives all the guys a run for their money. The book makes some great points on sexism, and I always enjoy a chance to watch a tough girl beat some boys at their own game. And I have to admit I enjoyed (okay, identified with) some of her anti-social tendencies.

"Human connection had its upsides, but it sure was a lot of work. The risk-reward ratio was low, at best."

There's also a good supporting cast from Cassie's mom and her mom's best friend. For me, this one picked up in the last fourth or so, when everything seemed to really come together. There's a moment when it all just clicks, and I found myself laughing and grinning a lot. That part made it all worth reading for me.

Overall, it took me some time to warm up to this book--much like it took Cassie a while to warm up to Massachusetts. But she's an engaging, tough character, and her story is one of resilience, even if there are a lot of really sweet, almost too-perfect moments too. You can pretty much tell how the story is going to play out, but it's a fun, cute read. 3.5 stars.

Cassie is one of the best firefighters at her firehouse in Austin, but a transfer to Boston ends up being the answer to more than one problem she's facing. Her new firehouse has never had a woman working there, and they basically take her on out of desperation. Cassie pushes herself and proves her worth at every turn. The only person there she doesn't have to prove herself to is Owen, the rookie who started on the same day. She and Owen spend lots of time together while she trains him, and Cassie tries her best to remember her Austin captain's instructions to not show feelings or date firefighters. A bad call changes everything. I loved how Cassie was both incredibly strong and vulnerable. This was a wonderful book, with realistic characters and a very good story.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great follow up to Center's book released last summer, it even included a reference to the main character! Even though I couldn't resonate with the main character, I was cheering her on to the end and lost sleep because I just wanted to keep reading one more chapter.

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.

Thank you to netgalley.com for providing this ARC-ebook edition.  I had just finished Katherine Center's "How to Walk Away", which I very much enjoyed, so I was happy to be offered her latest novel about a female firefighter/paramedic, Cassie, who has to go above and beyond to prove that she's not only as good as, but probably better than her male counterparts.  To complicate matters, Cassie is called to leave the fire station in Austin where she's built up a reputation and seniority, and go live near Boston to help care for her estranged mother who is battling a form of eye cancer.  How Cassie comes to terms with her feelings of abandonment by her mother and her need for human contact is compellingly and realistically told by this gifted author.  Katherine Center has found the pulse on contemporary domestic fiction with enough emotion and humor without going over the top.  Her dialogs seem genuine with just a little bit of profanity to seem real without being off-putting and her romantic scenes are pretty tame but get the message across.  For those who've read "How to Walk Away", there's even a small reference to that story as, apparently, Cassie was the paramedic who responded to the victim, Maggie,  who was the protagonist in that story.  All in all, "Things You Save in a Fire" was an easy page-turner with a satisfying ending.

I read Things You Save in a Fire at just the right time and man did I love it. This is my first Katherine Center book, but I immediately went out to buy How to Walk Away. We are quite possibly looking at a new favorite author of mine.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Cassie is a successful firefighter from Austin, Texas who is alienated from her mother. When her mother gives her a call asking her to move to Massachusetts for a year she doesn’t want to go initially. What will happen when she takes a backward step in her career to move in with a mother she barely knows? She is now the newbie female firefighter in a station pretty set in their ways.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Katherine Center has a way of writing tragedy, depth, forgiveness, and romance and tying it all up with a neat little bow. I enjoyed Cassie’s character and her journey as a female working in a man’s world. The character growth is strong in this one. I appreciated the author's readiness to admit that we are flawed and far from perfect. I loved how Center incorporated life as a firefighter and used her husband for inspiration. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This one gets 4.5 stars from me!

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

"'Love makes people stupid,' I said at last, hoping to cut to the chase, 'and I'm not interested in being stupid.'"

That pretty much sums up Cassie Hanwell's view on love. And besides, she doesn't have time for it. She's too busy being a kickass firefighter - one of the few females around. There isn't anything, or anyone, she could love as much as she loves her job. She loves being a firefighter, she loves her crew, and she doesn't need anything else. But when life throws a few huge curveballs at her, and her estranged mother calls and asks for her help, she's forced to confront an emergency of her own, uproot her life, and move to Boston.

In Boston, having a "lady" on the crew is just about the worst thing they can imagine. Cassie has to start over and work on proving herself to everyone. All the men are ready to watch her fail, and sure she'll ruin their fun - except for the new rookie, who seems to like watching her prove them all wrong. Cassie is distracted from her job for the first time in her life - and by another fireman, no less! Determined to keep her eye on the prize and her heart out of the equation, Cassie keeps the rookie at arm's length, but her plan is foiled when the captain keeps throwing them together to practice skills. For female firefighters, there's one cardinal rule: don't date another firefighter. But is a crush worth jeopardizing her entire career over? She runs into burning buildings all the time, but having the courage to open up her heart is a whole different story. Is Cassie ready to finally let love in?

"'Choosing to love - despite all the ways that people let you down, and disappear, and break your heart. Knowing everything we know about how har life is and choosing to love anyway... That's not weakness. That's courage.'"

The high point for me definitely was Cassie. I loved her determination and bravery, but I also appreciated her vulnerability and how she tried to hide it. She's smart, brave, a hard worker, and completely unapologetic for the things she wants in life. She's definitely has had some trauma in the past, but she's found a way to push past it and build a life for herself. But the best part about Cassie was watching her character arc from the beginning of the story to the end. I loved watching her relationships grow and develop, especially with her mother. Katherine Center did a great job showing the emotional growth, as well as the strength and courage that must have taken for Cassie to open up to others. 

"It's a strange thing to know about yourself, but there it is: I'm at my very best when things are at their very worst."

This was my first book by Katherine Center, and I really enjoyed it! Reading a book from a female firefighter's perspective was so fun, and really illuminating to the challenges they must face. And the writing really made you feel ALL the feels. It was the perfect combination of drama, swoon, humor, badass, and tugs at the heart strings. There were definitely some cringeworthy moments, but overall I really loved the story. Ultimately, this is a book about forgiveness, trust, and having the courage to open up to others - even when you think you already have everything you need. 

Trigger warnings to insinuations of rape/sexual assault, terminal illness, sickness of a loved one, fires, discussion about death of a child.

*All quotations taken from an ARC and are subject to change prior to publication.

Things You Save In A Fire releases on August 13, 2019.

“Maybe all happiness could ever hope to be was a tiny interruption from sorrow.”

This book surprised me.

This is a love story, maybe a little saccharin at times, but one that offers a hard look at courage and forgiveness from different perspectives.
 
Cassie Hanwell is a young, strong firefighter in Austin, Texas. She has had to be especially tough on the job - because she is a woman. Her heart has become tough, because her past has taught her that, ‘love is for the weak’. Cassie has been hurt, and she refuses to let anyone hurt her again. Cassie is great at her job - firefighting is her life. Cassie saves people, but who will save her?

Out of the blue, her mother calls and asks for her help. Problem is she lives in the Boston area; problem is Cassie has not seen her mother in ten years. Cassie wants to say no. Problem is Cassie has no other choice.

Hired on by a Boston area fire department that has done things the same way for over a 100 years, Cassie finds she is not the only new hire. A true blue rookie has been hired and Cassie has the job of training him. Although Cassie knows all the rules of firefighting, number one being, ‘never date a firefighter,’ the Rookie has a strange affect on her. At the firehouse, Cassie faces sexism, which is nothing new, but now she is being threatened as well. She can’t let all these distractions endanger her career, or soften her.

There is an ease in Cassie’s narration. She’s a strong, independent woman; she has to be. But she is also sarcastic, witty, and hiding a lot of herself from the world. Although Cassie has the courage to run into a burning building, does she have the courage it takes to forgive? Katherine Center pens some poignant pearls of wisdom about the power of love and forgiveness. 

My husband was a volunteer firefighter near the Austin area, so reading about firefighters and their work was a fun connection for me. I’m glad this wasn’t just a cute romance. It had truths that made me stop and give pause; examine my own life. 

Save the date!  Publish date: August, 13, 2019

Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin’sPress for this ARC for review.

I’m not sure I’ve ever related to a character more than I ever have than with Cassie. A badass firefighter who follows her instincts (for better or for worse) somehow always has the right crew behind her back. I couldn’t put this one done, folks. Even getting carsick driving down a mountain, I’d read a page, take  a breather, then hop right back in. 

I’m not going to critique the realism of this, and while I don’t think it’s perfect (there’s a few relationships that seem unrealistic), it’s the feeling you get at the end that matters. My heart was warm, my eyes were filled with tears, and I needed to know more about Cassie’s life. 

I appreciate the multiple angles Katherine Center took to share the relationships in the main characters life, particularly with her mother and fellow crew members. I wanted to know more from her dad and friends back in Texas, but here’s to hoping there’s a spin-off! (Unlikely but a girl can dream...) with plenty of cringe-worthy moments, coupled with “phew!” or “f*ck yeah!” exclamations, this book gives you plenty to think about and love when you yourself get put in tough situations that require a hard choice.

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.

 

 

My Thoughts: Things You Save in a Fire grabbed me right away. Cassie had fought her whole life to achieve her goals and to leave behind the pain of her mother’s abandonment. Something else happened to her just after her mother left, something that would leave deep scars. Something that would come back to haunt her just when she had earned an award of valor. On the heels of the award and the haunting memories of the past, her mother pleads with her to come help her with some medical issues.

An emotional storm pushed Cassie toward Boston, despite her resistance. Will she find a way to reconnect with her mother? Can she finally put the past behind her?

I thoroughly enjoyed Cassie’s challenges and her willingness to move forward. 5 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

I first read Katherine Center with her novel, How to Walk Away, and I absolutely adored it. I instantly knew I would read whatever she wrote next, as she knows exactly how to connect the reader with her characters while displaying how resilient we are as humans through recovery and connection. The same can be said for her second novel, Things You Save in a Fire.

I was immediately drawn to Cassie. She's a female firefighter with grit and determination and passion for what she does. She knows her priorities and what is important to her, and she absolutely dedicates herself to it to become the best. I really loved how we got to explore Cassie's weaknesses in building relationships and embracing forgiveness. We also explored the good guy/bad guy theme where not everything is as it seems. We are all human. We make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that we are bad people.

There were a few eye roll worth scenes and the entire story wrapped up a little too nicely and conveniently, which is why I docked my rating by a star. Overall though, I absolutely loved this. It was a super quick read, and the messages the author was trying to convey are so important in understanding relationships and connections with others. Also, I really loved that we got to have a very small scene reappear in this novel from How to Walk Away. Looking forward to more from this author!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2594916763

Katherine Center has charmed me! This is my first Katherine Center book and, though I don't read too many romance novels, I thought I would like it as a light read.  I had no idea I would fall into this story so completely and fall head over heels in love with the main characters, Cassie and Owen.  

Cassie has had a tough life.  Her mother left he and her father on Cassie's 16th birthday and another terrible thing happened to Cassie that very same day.  These two events hardened her heart and changed everything she believed.  She focused everything into working hard and succeeding at being a female firefighter - and she was very good at it! Owen, the rookie, was adorable.

There are several messages in this book - courage, forgiveness, and healing being among them.  I found the writing swept me up in the story and held me there with its charm and warmth.  There was also a little humor in the book, and I enjoyed reading about the firefighters' pranks. I will look for more of Center's books since I enjoyed this so much.

Thanks to Katherine Center and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

When I last mentioned I was reading this book to friends, I mentioned that I was breezing through it.  I was enjoying Cassie and her fierceness as a minority in the field of firefighters.  Did you know that nationwide, only about 4% of firefighters are women?  The obstacles that she had to overcome in that field are tremendous.  I love a strong fierce female protagonist so you can bet on it that I adored Cassie.  The thing is, she was fierce at her job.  She would run towards a fire instead of away like most people.  Unfortunately the same didn’t go for the rest of her life.  She was a superhero yet human in so many ways.  Center shows us humanity and it’s struggles and in doing so she breaks us apart and slowly puts us back together.  I can’t remember the last time I had to walk away from a book for my mental health.  I can’t really go into details as I don’t want to ruin the plot but tread lightly and hold onto your hearts.  Like a storm, everything is calm and quiet and then 💥!!!

This is a story of the power of forgiveness, courage, and love and anything less than 5 stars would be an injustice to the story.

This was a really good story. I learned a lot about brotherhood and sisterhood of  first responders.. Of course there was male, female interaction which made the book even more enjoyable.  The female in the book had to overcome terrible things from her childhood. As an adult fitting into a male dominated field brought many challenges.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this delightful ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

There are some books that just warm you up from the inside and nestle close to you, and this was one of them. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center is a lighthearted romance with an adorable heroine that kept me laughing from page to page with her antics. I was taken in from the very beginning of Chapter One, and I read this in two days. 

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in a progressive Austin fire station, and she couldn't be happier. A job she loves, a crew she fits in well with, great friends, no romantic entanglements (of her own choice), and she's about to be honored for her heroism. There's nothing that could ruin this for Cassie. 

Except for maybe Heath Thompson.

Turns out punching a city councilman on stage is not the best way to boost your career. 
In order to salvage her career, Cassie transfers to a fire station in Boston, and it is the polar opposite of her experience in Austin. She's joined a boys' club, and it doesn't matter that she's the best firefighter around...she'll have to prove her value and capability to the new crew. Which would be easier if the new rookie wasn't so darn distracting. Rule #1: Don't date a fellow firefighter. 

I loved every single minute and detail of this novel. Told from Cassie's hilarious perspective, you get to experience this story from the viewpoint of a badass female firefighter. 

One of my favorite things about this novel was Cassie's positive attitude throughout. She's not out to prove that a female can do it better. She's out to prove that she is just as good, that she can handle her own, and that she can be relied on to watch her crew's back. (Though, let's be honest...she's knows she's the best.) She exhibits creativity and problem-solving skills in a way that respects the differences between men and women, without tearing either gender down, while showing just how strong, tough, and capable women are.

Her unexpected romantic reaction to the handsome rookie is adorably told. The perfect summer romance read!

I first read a book by Katherine Center a year ago and that was thanks to Book of the Month. That book was How To Walk Away, which easily skyrocketed onto my huge list of favorite books. So, once I saw Things You Save In A Fire on Netgalley, I had to have it. I was fearing I would get declined, but to my surprise I got an approval, which made my day. I’ve been saving this arc for a few months now and just finally and excitedly got to it. Things You Save In A Fire just made Katherine Center a favorite author of mine and an auto buy author. She proves to write a rom-com while throwing important lessons into her novels. If I could give this book more then 5 stars I would. 
I for one, loved seeing Cassie as a female firefighter with a tough past, which makes her extremely guarded and to push down all her emotions so she won’t feel-until an incident and her estranged mother’s health makes her move across country. She has to defy odds and prove herself while not falling in love with the rookie. This book had me laughing, squealing, and shed a few tears, which this whole combination made my dog look up at me to where he thought I was crazy.