I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It was heartwrenching at times, but so so relatable on all angles. I found myself feeling for firefighter Jason... as his situation was so difficult.

The book touches down on some rough emotions and topics.. but it's so important to address.

Will definitely read more by this author.

Wow! There’s sure a lot going on in this book and I’m pleased to say that Jessi Noelle handles it all well.

Let’s see… very early on in the novel, Firefighter Jason Merone is injured badly while at a fire. He’s trying to save a child with one of his colleagues when his hose drops pressure and he makes a mistake that has terrible results. Jason loses his friend and is badly burned.

Jason’s struggle is heartbreaking to read. It isn’t so much the injuries to his body as they scar on his soul. He is bearing the weight of great guilt, struggling to understand why he’s alive and his friend is dead. He’s fighting depression as his body fights to heal. The descriptions of Jason’s injuries, the treatment and the way his mind spiraled into depression was all really difficult to read. It was difficult to read because Jessi Noelle wrote it so authentically.

Jason’s struggle is just the beginning of the heaviness in this novel. When Jason’s new nurse arrives, Zoe Calder enters the story. Zoe is great at her job but she’s had her own struggles to deal with. She’s estranged from her family and lonely in spite of her roommate and best friend. It’s really as though these two souls were meant for each other. Each of them has been through their own challenges and I felt, from the beginning, as though they were truly meant to save one another.

When Jason’s colleague shows up and expresses how responsible he feels for the death of their friend and for Jason’s injuries… Jason realizes that things have taken a desperate turn. Jason lets Zoe know that his friend is in trouble… and thinking of making a permanent exit. This is when the connection between Jason and Zoe really begins to solidify.

As usual, I find myself not wanting to give away too many of the things that are revealed in this story. Early on something terrible happens to Zoe… the kind of thing that can really make your retreat from the world and just… give up. Together, Zoe and Jason find themselves working to help right things in Zoe’s life.

This is an unusual “romance” in that there’s a lot of trauma and heaviness in it. But the relationship between Jason and Zoe is wonderful. Yes, they have things to overcome, yes, there are moments when it feels like they won’t make it… but isn’t that life?

Thanks, Jessi! This book is a 4 from me – with a warning that the content may be very difficult for some people to read. Oh! and I read somewhere that Jessi was once a firefighter which explains how detailed and authentic the firefighting scenes were.

This was an addictive read. One of those books you keep turning the pages to, until finished.
Jason is a firefighter who is injured badly in the line of duty. Zoe is a transgender nurse that becomes his nurse at home.
They both have issues to get through and when they do; they become quite fond of each other.
There’s a lot more to this story though that keeps you hanging on the edge.
Rape, Murder, espionage, betrayal, police investigations. There’s everything in this book!

I’m not sure how to review this book; I found it horrific and brutal but also a triumph over adversity too!! I fell in love with all of the characters apart from the bad guys obviously. It had me captivated from the moment I started and I couldn’t put it down! I was on an emotional rollercoaster the entire time. It opened my eyes to the fact that there are still so many people who do not understand the issues faced by transgender people every day; sadly I was one of those people. However, I’m not now. There were some disturbingly brutal attacks which were difficult to read (including rape) and some antiquated ideals that were held by others. It made me look inside myself at times and question my own beliefs. I loved this book despite all of that and would recommend it for sure.

The "inferno" of the title is both the fire that devastates Jason's career as a firefighter, and the conflagration that is Zoe's life when dark forces from her past pursue her into her present. They are brought together professionally when she is assigned to nurse him after he leaves the hospital, but their deep connection animates the novel's emotional centerpiece.