Moving Forward

by Shelley Shepard Gray

What does it take to be a firefighter? A lot! A lot of physical and mental strength, courage, commitment to saving others, and stamina. Also, focus, alertness, decisiveness, and the ability to follow orders.

Moving Forward introduces some current and potential firefighters and their families and friends. The protagonists are the very handsome (Mr. March for a charity calendar) and kind firefighter Greg, and the sweet owner of a plant/landscape shop Kristen. Greg is a former Major in the Marines, and he has lived through a lot of horrible events in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has PTDS, and he tries to keep it a secret. Kristen’s life is deeply affected by a congenital heart condition which means she has several secrets of her own. The two need to get beyond their pasts and secrets if they are going to share a life together. 

There is a side plot involving Jen, a new high school graduate. Her mother’s alcoholism, which developed after Jen’s father died, has curtailed Jen’s social life and future plans. She works for Kristen at the plant shop, but she develops a desire to become a firefighter. To accomplish this goal, however, she will need to establish some independence from her mom, engage in tough academic and physical training, learn how to drive, and spend a lot of time at the fire station doing grunt work. Fortunately, she has a supportive boyfriend and siblings.

Many of the characters in this book have painful backgrounds, but face life and the future with courage and moral standards. They have to learn to trust again and to share their secrets to develop meaningful relationships with others.

This appears to be a series that follows a group of firefighters focusing on individuals for the course of each book. The very nature of firefighting means teamwork so other members of the team are part of the plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance

Notes: Moving Forward is #2 in the Woodland Park Firefighter romance series, but I had no problem enjoying it and would like to read #1 in the series—Coming Home.

Publication:  August 22, 2023—Penguin Random House (Berkley)

Memorable Lines:

It was always like that. An adrenaline rush in the midst of extreme focus, the slight edge of panic without which he wouldn’t perform to the best of his ability, followed by the sense of satisfaction that came from seeing only smoking embers.

That was what she’d been doing with her life—with relationships—Kristen realized. It was time to stop being so worried about the bad thing that might happen and start concentrating on all the good things that could.

Two people knee-deep in a pool of attraction, and neither one anxious to swim into deeper waters or return to the shallow end.