Inferno

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: For a first novel, this was a real treat. The character development and story line were excellent. I especially liked the fine editing. So many novels of this genre leave a lot to be desired in that respect, but this was very carefully crafted. My only mistake was putting it down halfway through to go to bed. I was so engrossed in the story and the characters, I had a sleepless night. You better believe I read it to it's conclusion the next day. The author obviously did her homework on both firefighting techniques, burn treatment, and the psychological aspects of the job. Being the daughter of a firefighter myself, the story had a very visceral affect on me. This book had a little bit of everything...love story, overcoming tragedy, and even some past life mysticism. I heartily recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: For a first novel, this was a real treat. The character development and story line were excellent. I especially liked the fine editing. So many novels of this genre leave a lot to be desired in that respect, but this was very carefully crafted. My only mistake was putting it down halfway through to go to bed. I was so engrossed in the story and the characters, I had a sleepless night. You better believe I read it to it's conclusion the next day. The author obviously did her homework on both firefighting techniques, burn treatment, and the psychological aspects of the job. Being the daughter of a firefighter myself, the story had a very visceral affect on me. This book had a little bit of everything...love story, overcoming tragedy, and even some past life mysticism. I heartily recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Better Luck Next Time
Review: The story behind this book is good. However, the book itself is only mediocre. Dray is a firefighter with a disturbed past, but a stable present. Abby is struggling to survive, not quite homeless, but close. They meet, they feel an immediate attraction, they struggle with the attraction, then they give in to it. Simple, common, formula... On the plus side, the author seemed to accurately portray the life of a firefighter and medical care for severe burns. Her writing is not trite, nor is it difficult to follow. This was okay for a first book, but is far from a winner.

The basic plot was interrupted by flashbacks of a previous life (circa WWII) that added nothing to the story. Once the characters gave in to their feelings, the book should have ended. However, it dragged on for another 100 pages or so. As for editing, there were several obvious errors - these tend to be very distracting for me.


Recommended for a long flight or somewhere you expect to do a lot of waiting around, accompanied with a cold soft drink and a bag of pretzels.