Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Brock Ferguson knew he might run into his ex-boyfriend, Vincent Geraldini, when he took his first job as a police officer in Carlisle. Vincent’s attitude during a routine traffic stop reminds Brock why their relationship didn’t last.

 

What Brock doesn’t expect is finding two scared children in the trunk of a Corvette. He’s also surprised to learn the kids’ mother is Vincent’s sister. But his immediate concern is the safety of the two children, Abey and Penny, and he offers to comfort and care for them when their mother is taken into custody.

 

Vincent is also shocked to learn what his sister has done. For the sake of the kids, he and Brock bury the hatchet—and soon find they have much more in common than they realized. With Abey and Penny’s help, they grow closer, until the four of them start to feel like a family. But Vincent’s sister and her boyfriend—an equal-opportunity jerk—could tear down everything they’re trying to build.

 

Book Review

All the stories in the ‘Carlisle Cops’ series so far have been very moving, suspenseful, and ultimately heartwarming, and I am happy to report that this fifth book is no exception. It starts off with a surprise for rookie cop Brock, when he encounters one of his exes, Vinny, while on traffic duty. But then the real shock happens when he finds two kids in the trunk of a car – put there by their mother who wanted to have some fun with a friend’s new car. Can you imagine? I just about strangled her right then and there. But as events unfold, it gets worse, and all I could do was hang on for the ride and hope that Andrew Grey would manage things so that those kids get the safe home every child deserves.
 
Brock is a police officer in Carlisle, and he is the newest hire, so he gets traffic duty. It leads to him reconnecting with Vinny, a man he used to love, finding two children in distress, and more changes in his life than he would have thought possible. Brock is a very caring guy, and he wonders if being a cop is the right choice for him more than once. As he helps the kids adjust to a new environment, since they trust the “hero” who rescued them from a very scary situation, Brock begins to admit that he wants a family – but he has no idea how to go about it. I was shaking my head: the solution seemed so obvious, but Brock doesn’t want to “intrude” in Vinny’s life and thinks the children need Vinny more than him. Humph!

Vinny is a CPA, a man who likes rules and order in his life, and hasn’t spoken to his selfish sister in many years. From the moment he finds out what she’s done, he is determined to take care of the children, no matter what kind of upheaval that means in his life. I loved that about him. The kids may not know him, but that can easily be fixed. Vinny also wants to fix things with Brock, but he still feels guilty about his refusal to come out and the resulting breakup. For a quiet accountant he sure has his hands full managing everyone’s needs and emotions – including his own!
 
Determination and courage are a continuing theme in this series, and in this installment both men have to face their joint pasts, the people who used to be in their lives, and the question of what’s most important to them. As much as they may argue about the details, through it all the one thing they agree on is that the well-being of Vinny’s niece and nephew is at the top of their priority list. And what cute kids they are – also very realistically depicted regarding their fears, hopes, and dreams. But it takes a good long while for “the system” to decide who will end up with custody, and the suspense was almost killing me. Except then the next disaster happens, and things turn out to be very different – and much more dangerous – than everyone believed.
 
If you like stories about men who want a second chance at love and are prepared to face major changes to get what they want, if you enjoy reading about families that originate in disaster only to come together in love, and if you’re looking for a read that combines drama, suspense, emotion, and determination to do the right thing, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s a great and very worthy addition to this beautiful series.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/70669 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-January-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/fire-and-hail-by-andrew-grey-8051-b