Firestorm, by Lisa T. Bergren, is an easy read with an intriguing plot.  Not knowing much about firefighting myself, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into some of what goes on during fire season.

Reyne Oldre “once led a team of courageous firefighters into a blaze that ended in unspeakable tragedy.  Now crippled by fear, she conducts fire research from a safe distance, determined not to risk that kind of pain again.  But when the flames of love begin to flicker between her and smoke jumper Logan McCabe, Reyne must face the fearsome storms from her past and battle the raging Firestorm that burns in her soul.”  (back cover)

I tend to be leery in approaching romance novels, even Christian romance, but Firestorm did not go over the top in the romance department.  While Reyne and Logan do kiss a lot, the closest it gets to being steamy is when the two of them acknowledge their physical attraction to one another, knowing that they need to guard themselves.  I found this a great approach…the author didn’t brush over or ignore an important aspect of earthly relationships (the physical)…but she dealt with it in a healthy way.

A couple critiques: Toward the beginning, Reyne came across as a bit of a feminist as she was quick to determine that some men were being sexist toward her.  (Personally, I didn’t see sexist anywhere in there.)  At the end of the book, it is mentioned a couple times that a deceased woman would always be there near her daughter.  Something else I tend to be leery about.  I don’t see in Scripture that deceased people look on the people of earth…or watch over them.  It just makes me a little uneasy when people speak of things as fact that we don’t know too much about, such as heaven.

While not the best novel I have read, Firestorm did have several great elements, such as surrender to God, trust in His plans, and love for both Him and others.  Pretty good read!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

-Bonnie