Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter and with the words "You're not a girl, you're a firefighter" the book begins. She is the only female firefighter in the Austin, Texas fire house, one of the best. But when her estranged mother calls her for help, and an incident at an awards ceremony honoring her goes in the wrong direction, life as she knows is about to change. Her next challenge is moving in with her mother, leaving Texas and going to New England

Still hurt when her mother walked out on Cassie and her father, the reunion was a difficult one. There were further complications, as Cassie had a protective shield around her heart, and for her relationships were difficult. Living as an independent woman, wanting nothing to do with romance, she has also lived a life as a solo female, giving her all to being a firefighter, a person of strength and endurance. But Cassie was hurt on many levels, painfully so. Who could she trust, would she trust anyone, ever? She lived her life in the only way she could, protecting herself from any further pain, pushing herself to be the best.

After moving to be with her mother, she is hired at the firehouse in Lillian, where she was the "newbie" along with a "rookie" who, as it seemed were both out of their element. In the firehouse, where they never had a female firefighter before, she had much to contend with and quite a bit to prove. As for the "rookie," Owen, she had to show him the ropes. However, that was just the beginning.

So what are the things you save in a fire? Material things, some of which can't be replaced? Life is what you save, the memories that are always with you. The act of forgiveness, the act of love, all those things that bind you as a human being.

I read this book in one sitting, and it wasn't what I thought it would be, it was so much better. The writing was so on-point, it was both heartwarming, a bit humorous and at times quite serious. Yet through it all, it gave me pause to think about human frailties, the good, the bad and even the ugly. Highly recommended. My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful and poignant, everything I have come to expect from a Katherine Center novel. In THINGS YOU SAVE In A FIRE, Cassie is an impressive, award-winning firefighter - strong, confident, and completely shut down emotionally. Cassie hasn't been able to overcome the bitterness she feels over her mother leaving on her sixteenth birthday. So when her mother calls and asks for her help, Cassie doesn't want to oblige her, especially because her mother lives halfway across the country. But when Cassie's life in her hometown goes to hell, moving in with her mother suddenly seems more attractive. So Cassie starts her firefighting career over amid a group of men who cannot, or will not accept her as an equal while fending off her mother's efforts to reconcile with her. When outside circumstances force Cassie to confront her past, she is frightened and vulnerable and forced to grow. THING YOU SAVE IN A FIRE reminds up that the past is never dead; it isn't even past. I also recommend Center's earlier works HOW TO WALK AWAY and THE BRIGHT SIDE OF DISASTER.

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter, she is the best at it, and it’s her entire life. At a banquet to win an award, She is devastated to see the man who is presenting the plaque, and when he touches her ass , she publicly and rightfully clobbers him. Her career is uncertain, and her estranged mother, who walked out on her and her father ten years ago is begging Cassie to move to MA to help her with health issues. So Cassie moves to her mom’s house determined not to forgive her, and to show the sexist firemen they should not underestimate her.
But not everything goes according to her plan and Cassie learns how to let people into her life and open her heart to all its possibilities.

I loved everything about this book! I found Katherine Center last
July 2018 with Happiness for Beginners, another excellent book.
Since then I have read 5 of her books and intend to read the rest.
" Things you save in a fire," is good. Cassie has really been
hurt. The kind of hurt that can shut you down. All traces of feelings
and emotions, gone. A decade she has closed off a family member,
the one family member that meant the most. Now that member needs
her desperately. It's beautiful what she goes through to make her way
back home. This is a keeper! I will have it on my shelf next year~

A feel-good read about falling in love and learning how to forgive.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by Katherine Center, I loved it. A tough as nails female firefighter who was abandoned by her mother on her birthday and raised by her father. She has always had an invisible shield around her so as not to get too personal and close to anyone. After many years she hears from her mother who asks for her help. She moves in with her mother and learns many life lessons from her. This book is so much more than what I’ve said here but I don’t want to give anything way. Heartbreaking and on to heartwarming.

Center has mastered the art of writing about emotions without drowning in them and keeping the story moving at a snapping speed so that you can't put it down. She kept me up into the wee hours of the morning with this one.

While this book matches a lot of the features of a romance book, this is no ordinary romance, in that it has a lot more depth to it than just the love story. Center battles life's joys and sadness through her MCs with aplomb, and you could never accuse her of trivializing anything people go through with cliches or a Pollyanna perspective. She handles each thing with hope and respect, and gives us all hope that we can make our way through anything by the end..

How to Walk Away, I think, has a slight edge over this one, but this was still a great read.

I really love books about strong women and this is one of the good ones! I LOVED the title, premise, and cover which is why I entered, and overall it lived up to my standards!! I think it ill be a big hit soon :)

This poignant, beautiful, thought-provoking, emotionally- intelligent and timely novel had me laughing and tearing up in equal measures. Indomitable Cassie and goodhearted Owen can’t help but capture your heart and your imagination as surely as they did mine. Whenever I pick up a book by Katherine Center, I know I will invariably find a story full of wit, laugh-out -loud humor and personal insight, written in a melodious, flowing style that pulls me so far in that I forget my surroundings. In Things You Save in a Fire, Cassie is a dedicated firefighter who has turned her back on love after a traumatic experience in her youth. She is all about “control” and routine. When her past comes back to haunt her, Cassie is forced to learn that only by relinquishing her anger, and finding some redeeming aspect from her suffering, can she release herself from the emotional prison she has trapped herself in. My sincerest thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an uncorrected digital galley of this truly inspiring, timely novel, by such a talented and inspiring author. I would have given it six stars out of five - it was such an enjoyable, heartwarming read!

WOW! I've found a new author to read in Katherine Center. Her writing is funny and breathtakingly honest. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and finding a new author to follow.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure how to feel about this one. It was a very light and fluffy chick lit book, with a very superficially wraught trauma subplot that seemed very out of place and resolved too quickly, as if the book was trying to fake some gravitas. Which is a shame, because the light and fluffy love story would’ve been enough if that’s what you had been looking for

Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley, I was able to read an ARC for review. There is a trigger warning for this book, but as a sexual assault survivor I was able to get through it. It helped because Cassie was so strong and was a survivor, not a victim and the scene at the beginning was so satisfying. As a fan of firefighter romances I enjoyed how Katherine Center protrayed the position of female firefighters and all the obstacles that she faces. The romance was enjoyable and their journey was satisfying. HIGHLY RECOMMEND this and makes want to read her previous book How To Walk Away right now.

Cassie is a 26 year old firefighter based out of Austin, TX. After an "interpersonal conflict" she is forced to relocate to Rockport and live with her estranged mother (*gasp*). This book explores Cassie's relationship with her mother as well as her tough new assignment at a firestation that doesn't look too kindly on female firefighters. But Cassie is hellbent on proving herself and doesn't mean to fall in love in the process....

I was excited to read this book as I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I have never read Katherine Center's books before, and I was pleasantly surprised to be pulled in by Cassie's character right away. I was rooting for her the entire journey. It's such a sweet love story while also hitting on some harder topics in the process. Overall I would recommend this book! I can't wait to read more from this author.

Early this summer I read How to Walk Away by Katherine Center and loved it. When I saw that she had a new book coming out I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I am so glad. This book read like Chicago Fire. There was action, romance and strong characters.




This is the story of Cassie who at 16 had a few traumatic events that left her close off to love. After a crazy encounter, she finds herself at a crossroad. She will need to move to Massachusetts to live with her mom who can’t see from one eye. She joins a new firehouse that doesn’t welcome women.

This is a story of practicing forgiveness. We get to see it when it comes to her relationship with her mom and even a stalker. I

I love the romance in this story. It didn’t overpower the book. It felt natural that she would fall in love with the rookie.

My feels: I absolutely loved this book and I am going to rave about it to anyone who listens. This is one of my favorite books of the year. This was a feel good story. The epilogue was epic. I love the small cameo of the How to Walk Away character. I will be buying a physical copy of this book.

I will publish a review on publication date in 2019 on What to Read Next Blog.

I absolutely love Katherine Center’s writing. This book is about a strong young woman, the only female firefighter in her Austin, Texas firehouse. After an “incident” she transfers to Boston to take care of her mother, she finally learns how to forgive and to love. The only problem that I had with this book: I wanted more!
I highly recommend it!

It was OK. I did not enjoy it nearly as much as How to Walk Away. I felt like the romance development between the two characters was underdevloped and she overcame her past trauma with very little effort. She just decided "I'm going to forgive today." I did fly through the book, but it just doesn't compare to Center's previous work.

Cassie has worked hard to become the best fire fighter she can be. She doesn't do relationships or love and she is completely alright with her choices. She finds herself in the "hot seat" with her current fire house and is told she either apologizes or she will be let go. She refuses to apologize and so is sent to a small town fire house who most there do not believe a woman can be a firefighter.
Cassie is determined to prove she can and is the best female fire fighter they will ever see.
What she doesn't count on is meeting the rookie who started at the same fire house the same day Cassie did.

Cassie has had walls up where relationships are concerned since high school. Will she be able to trust this rookie with her life if need be? Can she trust any of the guys at her new fire house?