"Fascinating Fire Fighting Family"

Three of the Malvaso family are firefighters. When they get caught in a warehouse fire and almost get killed they decide to reevaluate their lives.

The eldest, forty-three year old Mitch, has been unhappily married to Cynthia for more years than he cares to count. She comes from an old wealthy family and does not understand his desire to remain a firefighter. They have nothing in common except their son and daughter. The children have been the only thing holding their rocky marriage together.

Zack had it all with a beautiful wife, Angel, and two wonderful sons but carelessly neglected his family and was a womanizer until Angel gave up and divorced him. After the fire, he realizes the terrible and unforgivable mistakes he has made and wants to get back with Angel and be a better father.

Jenny is thirty-six years old, unmarried, living next to her childhood friend, Grady. After the fire, she realizes that her body time-clock is ticking and knows that what she really wants is a child and she wants Grady to be the father but will best friend Grady agree?

Detective Megan Hall is new in town and wants to start a program for needy children of slain police officers and firefighters. She has some property that she wants to donate to the cause and solicits Mitch's help to get it off the ground. They hope to make it a community project. The project throws Megan and Mitch together and they have to fight the attraction they feel for each other.

Each story in AFTER THE FIRE is intriguing and could have easily stood alone as a single title. It is interesting to see how the three Malvaso's solve their problems and make their lives better after a near disaster. Kathryn Shay is a talented author and manages to hold the reader's interest throughout the novel. Her pacing is always good and the handsome Malvaso brothers are daring, brave and loving. Grady and Jenny are enjoyable characters as well and are quite concerned that they are going to ruin their relationship if they become romantically involved.

The reader learns a little about the dangers of fighting fires and sees the courage of the smoke eating heroes. AFTER THE FIRE is a fascinating first book in the firefighter trilogy by Kathryn Shay. This reviewer will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted October 25, 2003

Read an Excerpt

Summary

Detective Megan Hale has come to Hidden Cove to begin a new life. What she's leaving behind are painful memories—of her father and husband, both policeman killed in the line of duty. What lies ahead for Megan is a dream—to start a summer camp for the orphaned children of firefighters and police officers.

Firefighter Mitch Malvaso vowed to change his life after escaping an inferno—by promising to be a better husband in a marriage-gone-bad. Instead, he finds his newfound peace in Megan's selfless plan, and a deep respect that turns to unspoken love. As they work together on the camp and cross paths in their respective roles as police officer and firefighter, the attraction between them grows; so does the fear that theirs is a love never meant to be—unless they can find the courage to face the past and embrace a passionate future of endless possibilities.