Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
Nothing between Park Ranger Rob Hammond and disabled firefighter Scott McGregor has ever been easy. From their early romance and traumatic breakup to their reunion in Scott’s hospital room where Scott was recovering from injuries that killed most of his crew and cost him the profession he loved. Scott had hoped that with Rob’s reappearance, their romance and relationship was back on track. But with one ill advised phone call to Rob’s mother, Scott has derailed that hope even though he refuses to admit it.
Scott is also having problems with PTSD and his nightmares are getting worse. The stress and strain of operating Mountain Shadows and the problems that have been popping up recently aren’t helping either. Strange and horrifying things are happening around the campground and Scott aims to get at the causes even if he has to investigate it by himself..
Rob Hammond is faltering under the weight of the secrets he has been keeping and his efforts to become a wildland firefighter. He is just beginning to realize that Scott’s PTSD is worse than Scott had let on and Scott’s phone call to his mother brought up painful past problems that he had pushed aside. A run in with an old acquaintance and another call from home make Rob realize that he had some hard decisions to make and that they need to be made soon before everything he hopes to achieve goes up in flames.
When one man finally understands what he wants, the other person’s reality combusts. When you fight fire with fire, will both of them and their relationship be burned beyond compare?
What is a backburn? A backburn in firefighter terms means to create firebreak in path of brushfire: to prevent a brushfire from spreading by lighting another fire in its path
Reading this series is like walking towards a fire. With each new story acting like a new step forward, the reader and Harner’s characters get closer and closer to the flames. As the heat and the danger combine, it increases incrementally the treacherous nature of the situation these characters find themselves in as the story proceeds. Then it explodes in a ball of fire at the end in a way that will leave you dazed, a more than a little fearful and standing at a precipice with no where to go. And you will totally love it.
Scott and Rob, the troubled duo at the heart of this series are back and in worse shape than ever. Scott is living in denial about practically everything going on in his life. And that state of delusion has made Scott act ill-advisedly where his and Rob’s past is concerned. One phone call to Rob’s mother shatters Scott’s hopes about their future and Rob’s plans for them as well. Harner also brings in the realistic element of Scott’s PTSD and his continued avoidance of any treatment. When Scott breaks down when undergoing traumatic flashbacks to the fire that cost him everything, we are able to feel the weight of those memories and the pain they are still able to cause. Not only do we understand why Scott is acting so impudently but we can see the consequences coming even if he doesn’t. We can like this character even if we don’t like his actions.
Rob too has so many layers to his character. And like Scott, we also won’t like certain aspects of his past or his persona. But also like Scott, Harner provides us with enough personal details and back history that once we put his actions within context then that conduct starts to make sense. Rob grows more as a character here than he has in past stories. That growth will trigger decisions and events that we will not see coming, another marvelous element to these stories.
Fires and the devastation that comes with those who choose to become firefighters is a prevailing element here. We see the sacrifice that is called for when someone decides on becoming a firefighter and the pain and sorrow that will follow in its path. That Scott loves and misses his profession is clear. So is the ultimate sacrifice his crew made and the survivor guilt that is overwhelming the only man left alive by that fire. Harner’s vivid descriptions and emotional scenes bring Scott’s inability to deal with that fatal fire to life in breathtaking detail. That people choose to do this challenging, dangerous, and necessary profession makes me grateful and awed. In Scott McGregor we can see and feel the cost as well as the dedication needed to be such a firefighter. That’s thanks to Laura Harner as well.
The ending is emotionally devastating and will leave you hanging. This used to bother me. But in a series and in the hands of an author who does this cliffhanger so well, it works to keep us on the ledge and happy to be there. I can’t wait to see what happens next and so will you.
If you are new to the series, in fact the entire Pulp Friction 2014 interconnected stories, start at the beginning to get the most from these authors stories and characters. I have listed all the series and stories below. I consider Backburn and Fighting Fire (along with all the rest of the Pulp Friction 2014 group) to be one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014.
Cover art by Laura Harner
Book Details:
64 pages
Published May 13th 2014 by Hot Corner Press
ISBN139781937252816
edition languageEnglish
seriesFighting Fire #3, Pulp Friction 2014 #9
About Pulp Friction 2014: Laura Harner ~ Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ T.A. Webb The Pulp Friction 2014 Collection. Four authors. Four Series. Twenty books. One fiery finale. Spend a year with an eclectic group of strangers brought together through circumstances, as they are tested by life, and emerge as more than friends.
The strongest bonds are forged by fire, cooled in air, smoothed by water, grounded in earth. Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment. There will be five rounds and one final story written by all four authors.
Round One of Pulp Friction 2014:
Firestorm (Fighting Fire# 1) by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold# 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Where the Wind Blows# 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake# 1) by Tom Webb
Round Two of Pulp Friction 2014:
Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Where the Wind Blows #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by Tom Webb
Round Three of Pulp Friction 2014:
Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blow Hard (Where the Wind Blows #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by Tom Webb
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
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