Expired Hope

 About the Book: 

She battled every fire she ever faced.
He’s risking everything for the chance to belong.

Veteran and therapist Natalie Atkinson watched her Army career explode in her face. All she ever wanted was to help people carry their burdens. Seeking a new future in Last Chance County doesn’t start so well when she’s the one being rescued from a client’s burning house. To make matters worse, now she’s stuck evaluating the truck and rescue squads for the fire department. When the chief overhears why she left her last job, she’s determined to prove to him and her boss that she’s still the right therapist to assess his crew.

No matter if success takes everything she’s got.

Fire Chief Macon James is the right man for the job. He doesn’t need a therapist interfering with the running of his crew or putting his position in jeopardy when a counselor is what tore his family apart. He’s got to get his firefighters to be a team, and he can do it without Natalie’s help. After an explosion destroys her car, it quickly becomes clear she might need him as much as everyone thinks he needs her. If these two stubborn hearts will surrender, they could have everything they want.

Or it could all go down in flames.

My Review: 

Fire Chief Macon James sure stepped into a mess when he is hired to lead this discordant company of the fire station of Last Chance County to serve the community. To top it all off, he is under scrutiny to determine whether he will stay or go. The final obstacle to being sworn in as the new fire chief is therapist Natalie Atkinson. She must evaluate all of the team, including him, to assess whether he can lead them or not. Given his prior experience, this is not an easy thing for him. 

Both Macon and Natalie have painful pasts and at first you wonder if they will be able to trust one another and find some common ground. But, as threats escalate against Natalie, Macon finds himself wanting to protect her and desires to have more of a relationship with her. Watching them let down their guard  and share their fears with each other makes you see that they are going to be a dynamic couple. 

If you enjoy romantic suspense with a thread of faith throughout the story, you should read this book. It is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. 

I was given a complimentary copy of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.