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Taking The Heat Berkley Sensation ISBN: 978-0425222003 May 2008 Liam O'Neil is trying to take care of his troubled seven-year-old son and cocky teenager, and work full time at the family-owned Bailey's Irish Pub.  Widowed three years ago, he's ready to date again (at the insistence of his brothers).  But his life is in flux, his future unclear, when he meets Sophie Taylor, a female in the Fire Department of New York.  A consummate firefighter who was rescued herself by the FDNY when she was ten, she loves her job and her "firefighter family."  Liam's as attracted to her as she to him, which is fun and flirty, until they both start to care about each other.  Yet she's the last person he can get involved with. His youngest is suffering from abandonment issues and depression, and needs stability.  Even when they become involved, both Liam and Sophie know their relationship is doomed. Or is it?

Dear Reader:

Welcome to my new May release, TAKING THE HEAT, from The Berkley Publishing Group.  This book was a real joy to write, as I got to investigate one of my favorite themes—how opposites attract.  I was fascinated by the relationship between Liam O’Neil, the solid, safe widower, and Sophie Tyler, a risk-taker by the very nature of her job as a New York City firefighter. From the moment they met, chemistry filled the air.  Yet, there was a sweetness about their interaction, too.  And a sense of inevitability—that they would get together, of course, but that her job would tear them apart. 

One other aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the creation of Mikey, Liam’s son.  The poor boy lost his mother three years ago and is still taking her picture out at night, with flashlight under the covers, to talk to her.  But sometimes Mikey has more sense than his father and sees the possibilities of a match-up between his dad and Sophie sooner than Liam does, and then later in the book, he roots for a reconciliation.  Also, meeting up with the O’Neil brothers—Patrick, Dylan and Aidan—and their sister Bailey, was a joy.  I love that whole family, as well as their spouses, and revisiting them was fun.  I hope readers think so, too.

Finally, I got to write about firefighters again—my favorite heroes and heroines.  I had to do more research on the difference between NYC smoke eaters and those in my own home town, and that information was helpful in creating the world of the FDNY.  It also did my feminist heart good to see Sophie hold her own on the line, as well as in the sometimes macho, sometimes teasing world of male firefighters.  I’ve got some pretty good action scenes, I think, and some wonderfully tender moments, too, among these heroes.

What do people think? Early reviews characterize the book as: “an emotion packed story …with angst and some hot sex…and a nice touch of humor,” (Romantic Times) “exciting and emotional,” (Fresh Fiction) and “a heartfelt romantic tale… a hot romance with two strong characters and a warm family that everyone would love to have.”  (Romance Reviews Today).

I hope this story gives the fans who read it as much pleasure as it gave me to write it.

Happy reading,
Kathryn Shay