"falls like lightning" by shawn grady

Smokejumper Silas Kent ran away from love several years ago, and he never thought he'd see beautiful pilot Elle again. But when Silas is summoned to a huge fire in the Sierra Nevadas, he learns that Elle will be piloting his crew. The two reconnect, but they get separated when their plane goes down—and Silas soon discovers the crash was no accident. While fighting for his life and searching for Elle, Silas finally must face what really matters.

My take: If I had to sum up my feelings for this book in one word, it would be, "Meh." There's nothing particularly wrong with the book, but I just never engaged with the story, and I had a hard time forcing myself to finish the book. Never once did I doubt that Silas and Elle would find their happily ever after; I was also certain that justice would find the bad guys. Those facts on their own aren't enough to make me dislike the book (after all, I'm a huge fan of romantic comedies, and I never doubt that the hero and heroine will waltz off into the sunset together); I think my main issue was that Grady never made me care if Silas and Elle ended up together. My favorite character, by far, was Bo, one of the guys on Silas's crew. I wish Grady had spent more time with him and less with Silas.

I give Falls Like Lightning 2.5 out of 5 stars.

If you'd like to get a taste of the book, you can read the excerpt below: 
Falls Like Lightning

About the author: 
Shawn Grady has served for more than a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in Reno, NV, where he lives with his wife and three children. Named the "Most Promising Writer" at the 2008 Mt. Hermon Writers Conference, he is the author of Through the Fire. Visit his website at shawngradybooks.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from Bethany House Publishers through their book reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."