Through the Fire

Sharon has convinced me not to be surprised at the depth and kill of her writing. I have come to expect it and Through the fire is no exception.

Through the Fire is the third book in the six book series of the Vance and Montgomery families. The Vance family believes in public service. Lucia's father is the mayor of Colorado Springs and her brother is a detective on the town police force. Lucia is a firefighter. Rafael Wright's friend, Malik Williams is in the Vance Memorial hospital, the result of an accident. Rafe, the foreman of a Type 1 hotshot crew of forest firefighters is visiting him when a fire breaks out. Rafe rushes to help, and saves the life of one firefighter, Lucia Vance. The fire is the result of arson and it looks as if Lucia was set up to be hurt or killed. Her father is in a coma in the same hospital, the result of a gunshot wound. Family businesses are attacked by fires, all deliberetly set, and Lucia is trapped in one. Rafe manages to save her, but it looks as if someone is out to destroy the Vance and Montgmeery families. Lucia and Rafe join forces, trying to solve the mystery before it is too late.

Lucia Vance trusts her skill in fighting structural fires but not her skill in choosing a good man. So when Rafael Wright, who's at a hospital when a fire breaks out, pulls Lucia to safety, she's more afraid of her attraction to him than of the fire cutting off their escape. Taking refuge in the chapel, they calm two frightened children hiding there, and Lucia learns Rafe's a hotshot wildfire fighter, a bachelor, and a man guided by his faith. Rafe wants a family but hasn't found the right woman yet. While helping Lucia soothe the children, he learns she shares his faith and values. It doesn't hurt, either, that he's deeply attracted to her, and he can't help seeing the face of his future children in her. But how does he convince Lucia and her three over-protective brothers his intentions are honorable? And how does he convince Lucia the fires being set are death traps? For her. THROUGH THE FIRE is an inspiring, suspenseful love story between two people who count on their faith to guide them through danger to lasting love. The edge-of-your-seat fire scenes crackle with unforgettable reality, and Lucia and Rafe stole my heart. I didn't want to say goodbye to them. --- Karen G.

This is the third book in the Through the Crossroads Series, and I happened to catch this one first. You can bet I'm going to go find the first two. I've been a big fan of Sharon Mignerey's for years, and I've been checking all the time to see when she had a new book out, so I was excited to see this one. This is a bit of a departure from her earlier books, but I liked it a lot. She's known for telling a really intense story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and this one is no exception. Lucia Vance is a firefighter, and she's a target for murder as part of a vendetta against her family. The assistant fire chief is being blackmailed into doing the deed, and he's supposed to make sure she dies in a fire. He can't know that Rafe Wright is the man to save her life, which he does. Though Rafe and Lucia hit it off, her over protective brothers and the escalating threats against her keep them off balance until the climax. Do I need to tell you there was a fire? And that it was exciting? And that Rafe literally walks through fire to protect his woman? Loved this book, and I can't wait for another one.

Assistant Fire Chief Neil O'Brien has been very stupid. He's up to his Pulaski in gambling debt, and he's being blackmailed. His markers will be returned if he does one little favor-murder Lucia Vance, a rookie on his squad, and a member of the powerful Vance family. Lucia only wants to do something meaningful with her life. Well, that and avoid all contact with men. When O'Brien sets her up to die, Raphael "Rafe" Wright, the foreman for a Type I hotshot crew of forest rangers, saves her life. The attraction is strong, but Lucia declares she isn't interested. There's also the problem of her over-protective brothers. That's understandable, once we meet her ex-fiancé who is more interested in her family's connections than in her. When the jerk shows up, Rafe proves himself handy by letting her kiss him to prove a point. She used him-she's ashamed. But he didn't seem to mind. At all. Rafe, an orphan, is over-whelmed by Lucia's large, close family, but they discover they have important things in common, like their faith, which gives them the strength to face their difficult career choices. Rafe hears O'Brien order Lucia into a burning building when he should have been pulling the team out, and he rushes in to save her, but the roof collapses. Watching the team work together, refusing to leave one of their own Sharon Mignerey tells an intense story of intrigue mingled with love, family, and faith. You'll watch Lucia and Rafe struggle not only with family enemies, but also their own self-doubts, and you'll hold your breath until the last satisfying page. Through the Fire, an Inspirational Romantic Suspense, stands alone as a must-read or as the third book in a six-book continuity, Faith at the Crossroads.