The Fire Within: America's Bravest (Harlequin Superromance No. 1018) [Paperback]

Kathryn Shay (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373710186
• ISBN-13: 978-0373710188
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathryn Shay is a lifelong writer. At fifteen, she penned her first 'romance,' a short story about a female newspaper reporter in New York City and her fight to make a name for herself in a world of male journalists - and with one hardheaded editor in particular. Looking back, Kathryn says she should have known then that writing was in her future. But as so often happens, fate sent her detouring down another path.

Fully intending to pursue her dream of big city lights and success in the literary world, Kathryn took every creative writing class available at the small private women's college she attended in upstate New York. Instead, other dreams took precedence. She met and subsequently married a wonderful guy who'd attended a neighboring school, then completed her practice teaching, a requirement for the education degree she never intended to use. But says Kathryn, "I fell in love with teaching the first day I was up in front of a class, and knew I was meant to do that."

Kathryn went on to build a successful career in the New York state school system, thoroughly enjoying her work with adolescents. But by the early 1990s, she'd again made room in her life for writing. It was then that she submitted her first manuscript to publishers and agents. Despite enduring two years of rejections, she persevered. And on a snowy December afternoon in 1994, Kathryn Shay sold her first book to Harlequin Superromance.

Since that first sale, Kathryn has written twenty-two books for Harlequin, ten mainstream contemporary romances for the Berkley Publishing Group, and two online novellas, which Berkley then published in traditional print format.

Kathryn has become known for her powerful characterizations - readers say they feel they know the people in her books - and her heart-wrenching, emotional writing (her favorite comments are that fans cried while reading her books or stayed up late to finish them). In testament to her skill, the author has had a one of her books serialized in the December 2003 COSMOPOLITAN magazine and has been quoted in PEOPLE and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. She has won five RT BookClub Magazine Reviewers Choice Awards, three Holt Medallions, two Desert Quill Awards, the Golden Leaf Award, and several online accolades.

Even in light of her writing success, that initial love of teaching never wavered for Kathryn. She finished out her teaching career in 2004, retiring from the same school where her career began. These days, she lives in upstate New York with her husband and two children. "My life is very full," she reports, "but very happy. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to pursue and achieve my dreams."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic treat, October 18, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fire Within: America's Bravest (Harlequin Superromance No. 1018) (Paperback)

On New Year's Eve in Rockford, New York, psychiatrists Dr. Reed Macauley and Dr. Delaney Shaw share a midnight kiss that leads to making love and ultimately falling asleep together. However, their bliss turns upside down when Reed suffers a posttraumatic stress disorder nightmare reliving a firefighting incident when he lost his crew. Though he clearly cares for Delaney, Reed ends their relationship before it can evolve because he believes she deserves a complete man even if she is the first person to get this close to him in years.

Five months later, Tony Leone dies while fighting a fire. Reed, who has avoided Delaney since their lovemaking, works closely with her to provide solace and other assistance to Tony's loved ones and other firefighters and their families. Delaney once again gets inside Reed's protective armor, but this time she refuses to allow him to push her out because she plans to remain at the side of the man she loves forever.

The latest "America's Bravest" tale seems quite apropos following the loss of so many intrepid emergency people in New York last month. The story line is filled with heartbreaking action, but it is the lead characters that turn this plot into an insightful read that provides perspicacity into what a firefighter and his or her family must go through every time the alarm rings. Kathryn Shay pays homage to America's Bravest with another powerful novel that returns heroic old friends for us to share in their passions and adventures.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage Under Fire, October 14, 2001

By 

Barbara O'Neill - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fire Within: America's Bravest (Harlequin Superromance No. 1018) (Paperback)

In the last month, I've found myself checking out books and authors I hadn't in the past. Based on comments from other readers, I decided to pick up "The Fire Within" by Kathryn Shay, Harlequin Supperomance #1018 October 2001, a continuation of her original America's Bravest trilogy. The timing of this release could not have been better for me.

Both the hero and the heroine--he a fire department psychologist, she a private psychologist specializing in adolescent behavior--battle private demons from the past (and their attraction to each other) while trying to deal with the present and helping the men and women of the Rockford Fire Department cope with the death of a fellow firefighter in the line of duty.

I found "The Fire Within" to be an excellent book. Very apropos for this time. With the events of past month, I found myself wanting to read stories like this. I believe that in the months to come, we will be seeing more with Firefighter/EMS/police heroes, because in *my* book they are the ultimate heroes. I'm not ashamed to say I cried when the story got to the point where the hero (suffering with PTSD) finally opens up to the first person ever--the heroine--and tells her what happened on that horrific day that changed his life forever. He'd been a real jerk to her for much of the previous story, but at his point, I understood and forgave him. His was a terrible burden to bear.

This is the first book I've read from this author, but I immediately found the rest of her books online and ordered them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Winner of the WordWeaving Award of Excellence, October 17, 2001

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fire Within: America's Bravest (Harlequin Superromance No. 1018) (Paperback)

Posttraumatic stress syndrome makes a living hell of Dr. Reed Macauley's life. To survive its devastating effects, Reed has spent eight years alone, distancing himself from emotional entanglements that might cause his symptoms to resurface. But refurbishing a house and pouring himself into work is no substitute for the needs of his heart. Once again the results of emotional encounters provide a sharp reminder when Reed gives into his heart one New Year's Eve. A beautiful night of passion with the incredible Dr. Delaney Shaw results in a horrendous flashback. Now he refuses to risk her safety and well-being by allowing her close again.

Delaney doesn't fear the symptoms of PTSS; she's trained for such events. Despite her best efforts, however, Reed continues to push her away. A frustrating situation indeed, exacerbated by the fact that he's the only man she's ever wanted to pursue something permanent with, and he's rejected her outright. Even as their jobs bring them into close proximity, even when he saves Delaney's life from food poisoning, Reed continues to push her away. Then a small accident, a trip on the stairs over a small box that contains precious gifts, and Delaney knows he loves her as much as she loves him. Now nothing, not the Red Devil nor the furies of hell, will make Delaney give up on this tortured man.

Author Kathryn Shay creates a deeply moving tale of struggle and survival in THE FIRE WITHIN. The torturous pain that results in PTSS is explored with probing and compassionate prose, providing the reader with information that never bogs the narrative, succinctly moving the plot through both painful and beautiful events. These are believable characters, with the foibles and strengths that make them sympathetic and memorable. Furthermore, the secondary plot likewise echoes the challenges faced by firefights following traumatic events, and includes a strong cast of characters.

Readers unfamiliar with the trauma of PTSS will find this novel enormously enlightening. Those who enjoy a tender, moving love story will be richly satisfied with this remarkable novel. For readers who require that extra edge and are willing to explore the deeply challenging issues of life, particularly now in the wake of the NY bombing, THE FIRE WITHIN will certainly light their fire. Very highly recommended.