To Protect and Serve, The Courage Series, by Staci Stallings

I really enjoyed this book (that I downloaded for free from Amazon to my Kindle app). My uncle is a firefighter and often I have wondered how his family handles his line of work. This book gave me a really in-depth look at how both a firefighter and his family can feel. Jeff is a very shy firefighter who has absolutely no interest in dancing or clubs. So when he is dragged there by his friends for their graduation celebration, he resigns himself to just endure the evening. Lisa's little sister is getting married and the bachelorette party is at a little club downtown. Lisa is so focused on her work that had they not come to pick her up, she would have missed it...and she is the maid of honour. Now, that would have been disastrous! Jeff and Lisa meet and, after a lot of second guessing themselves, start dating. When Jeff is in a particular heavy fire, something goes terribly wrong. And after that, nothing seems to go right. His past comes back to haunt him and the life he thought he might have with Lisa slips through his fingers. Working like dogs, Jeff and Lisa think if they can keep their brains occupied, their hearts will eventually get over the unrequited love. This book had me teary, smiling, and even chuckling out loud at times. I think Staci is a great author that can bring such realness to the book that it feels like you're right there in the thick of the action. Her life lessons are deep, though surprisingly simple. You say to yourself, "Duh" (as in 'I can't believe I have never looked at it that way') over and over. I will definitely read more of her work. To compare her to Dee Henderson or Irene Hannon is not a stretch; I can easily see her becoming one of top ten favourite authors if her next book is as good as this one! Definitely recommend.