After the Fire

Hidden Cove Series, Volume 1

By: Kathryn Shay

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Kathryn Shay spent five years riding fire trucks with a large city fire department, eating in their firehouses and interviewing hundreds of America's Bravest. Listen to the novels that resulted from her intense relationship with firefighters!

Three firefighters from the Malvaso family are trapped in a burning building and almost lose their lives. After they are rescued, they decide to change the way they've been living. Mitch, the eldest, wants to make some decisions about his dysfunctional marriage and spend more time with his kids. Jenn decides to have a baby - with her best friend, Grady. And Zach, the bad boy of the group, vows to make up for his past sins and become a better man.

©2010 Kathryn Shay (P)2013 Kathryn Shay

Great Book

After a devastating fire, Mitch, Jenn, and Zach Malvaso vow to change their lives for the better. Mitch decides that he either has to make a serious commitment to making his marriage work or call it quits, Jenn decides she wants a baby, and Zach wants his wife back.
Megan Hale moved to Hidden Cove to escape the demons chasing after her. After her husband died in the line of duty and her father only a short time later, Megan knew that she had to leave the big city scene. She has finally found peace in the little town that is just like family. Her attraction to Mitch is as unexpected as it is complicated. Vowing never to be the 'other woman', Megan is adamant about not admitting her feelings for Mitch, and he feels the same way. This book is overcoming the trials of life and falling in love when you least expect it.
Although the story revolves mostly around Mitch and Megan, Shay has subplots with the other siblings that grab the reader and don't let go. I can't wait until her next book in this series comes out. I never understood exactly how much a firefighter risked until I read this book. The things that a firefighter has to know, along with the risks they take for strangers is humbling.
The emotion in this book is so overwhelming at times that I felt like crying. This is a well written book that I would highly recommend!

Jeffrey Kafer was outstanding with the delivery of the story.

Not what I expected but good

I hoped for more suspense and less romance but it was still a good story. Not sure I will continue with the series. Character were likeable and development was good. Plot was plausible. Bubblegum for the brain.

My dirty secret

I’m a male firefighter, in my early 40’s the type of guy that would be described by others as "a big lug of a bloke", you all know the type, and I’m writing to you today to confess my guilty secret, a secret that not even my wife knows.

As a little background before I get into it, I first Joined Audible to download some Scott Sigler books and the likes, and all went well, I thought it was a great audio book store, then one late night my wife asked to use my account to buy a book using one of my credits, I figured it was no big deal, I’m sure plenty of couples do it, and it all seemed very innocent.

Until

A month or so later and I had another credit to use, and I was looking through the “based on your purchases you might like this” pile, and saw “After the fire”, now if I'm being completely honest, I didn't really read the blurb I saw something about a big factory fire, PTSD, blah, blah, blah, and I just figured, I’m a firefighter, its about firefighters I have a credit to burn lets give it a go, what could possibly go wrong...

Anyhow, I digress

Fast forward a few weeks from “after the fire” I have now downloaded book 4 “Americas Bravest” and I know if any of the guys at the station ever find out I listen to “housewife smut” I’d never hear the end of it.

But I’m addicted and I can’t give it up...

I need to go back and get some zombie books to get my head back on straight

Romance, hardship, firefighters @ work

Totally loved the story and the narration. Will immediately listen to all the other books of the series.

I story I will listen to again and again and agai

eggplant storyline. great character development just enough to keep you on the edge not too much sex with was wonderful.

great book

the narrator was very good and the story line diverse enough to keep you hanging on and not get tangled up in itself. good read!!

"His Lashes Were Girl Thick"

Where does After the Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good start to a series, but I have hundreds yet to listen. Must use new 1.25x speed to get the action the author intended. This is a romance story make no mistake about 3 firefighters in a family.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Actually, Grady was my fave, simply hot! Who wouldn't want a friend like Grady so you could stick your nose in his chest when sad.

Which character – as performed by Jeffrey Kafer – was your favorite?

This was my 1st buy by J.K. as I liked the sample, but I didn't listen to this story until 2 years later, and such a shame as I missed this talented reader. He does a good female voice which is hard to do. Check out his K-9/ romance series reads.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Actually, it a good book, but no I didn't listen to it all at once.

Sort of bland-average? mediocre?

I've enjoyed "fire fighter as hero" many times and when this was offered as an Audible Daily
Deal I snapped it up. Wanted to like it-and did...just...Liked It. Not love, or couldn't stop listening to it but......liked it.

The family has family problems..no biggies but mediocre problems. The primary characters have divorce issues, loss issues, and Stupid Strong Women issues. This was a real annoyance to me thru out the book.

Yeah the bitch is the bitch wife of course, the victim wife is typical and the strong sister is totally a wack job. She does not the ++++ what she wants from the man!

The publisher touts this as a well researched (like riding in the fire truck) novel. But, sigh, it's really a bunch of sob stories, winey wives strong men and dumb teens.

For a rainy day when you want to paint your toenails, text and fix english muffins, this is a good background murmur. You won't miss anything and if you do, you won't care.

Don't spend more than $5.00 on it. it's one of the2-3 star books that end up on sale. But..why bother?

More story than romance and that’s good

Listen closely as this story jumps in time, sometime confusingly so..however, the story of these siblings is a good one.. I’m married to a firefighter and the facts are very close. It’s not easy knowing your fire fighter may not come home someday... the closeness they feel is real... Jeffery does a great job here, Kathryn is new to me, but does a great story...

4.5 Stars

Any additional comments?

This audiobook surprised me. I purchased it because it was on sale and it looked interesting, but other than that I had no idea what it was about. It centered around three siblings who work for the fire department; Mitch, Jenn and Zach. After almost dying in a disastrous fire, they decided to make drastic changes in their lives.

Mitch, who has been living in a dead marriage, decides he needs to be happy again. Jenn decides she wants to have a baby, and Zach decides to be a better man. Of the three stories, I liked Jenn’s the best. Her and Grady’s story was agonizing at times, and beautiful at others; I loved every minute of it. I’m glad Mitch’s story went as it did; had he turned out to be a cheating bastard, I would have hated him. I’m still not really sure I liked the whole relationship he had with Megan while he was married, even though nothing happened. It was still an emotional relationship; however Mitch’s wife was such an evil troll, you really can’t feel sorry for her. Zach’s story doesn’t feel finished and reading the next books blurb proves it isn’t. However, I didn’t feel bad for him considering all he did.

The authenticity and emotions of the characters stand out the most to me; along with the imagery Shay depicted, in fighting fires and rescuing people, this read as a real life drama brought to life, and immersed me in a world I didn’t want to come out of....Sara