Search - Seeing Red

I wracked my brain to come up with enough superlative adjectives to thoroughly describe my love for SEEING RED. I even relented and consulted my trusty thesaurus for the task, but in the end, I decided that "I loved, loved, loved this book" would have to be endorsement enough.

Ms. Shalvis has always been on my list as a queen of romantic suspense. With SEEING RED, the honorary title of queen was just upped to "oh supreme divine one." The characters in the book are so real, the scenes so vivid, and the dialogue so heartfelt and witty that I guarantee that once you pick up this book, you won't be able to put it down until the last word is read.

SEEING RED revolves around Summer Abrams and Joe Walker. Friends from childhood, their strong bond was held together by the glue of not-so-normal adolescent feelings. Summer loved Joe because of the emotions he wore on his sleeve, for the way he survived his father's beatings, and the way the two of them could talk about anything, anywhere, anytime, without worrying about what she could say and how she could say it. In turn, Joe loved Summer for her sense of purpose, for her never-failing smile and joy of life, for her strong family connections and ability to see who for who he was and love him anyway. But with Joe dubbed the fat-boy loser of the high school, and Summer in love with Danny the jock, their friendship was tested to the limit in a warehouse fire that took the life of Summer's father.

Twelve years later, fire is once again threatening to destroy the lives of Summer and her family. Called home by her mother, Summer "Red" Abrams returns to Ocean Beach, California, to discover that the warehouse that her father died in has once again burned down. Whether accident or arson, no one seems to know, but Joe Walker, now Fire Marshal of Ocean Beach, intends to find out.

As Summer brings up feelings in Joe that he thought had long since passed him by, and Red realizes that Joe isn't the same insecure, beaten-down boy that she left behind all those years ago, someone is trying to make sure that Summer leaves Ocean Beach-the quicker the better.

As more fires consume places where Summer has memories, and threatens her very life, Joe and Red are drawn deeper and deeper into a problem that could very well kill them both.

Ms. Shalvis has written an excellent story, full of powerful emotion and believable characters. SEEING RED will have you cheering for both Summer and Joe, as they come to terms with the fact that the past, present, and future may well be all bound together in a cord that can't be broken. As the two of them, along with Summer's family and Joe's coworker, Kenny, attempt to figure out what happened in that warehouse fire all those years ago, and who is intent on burning down buildings in the here and now, love and passion war with the necessity of keeping everyone safe.

SEEING RED is definitely not a book to be missed, and I promise that you won't be disappointed once you start reading.

It seems I've the dissenting view of Shalvis' Seeing Red....


It wasn't a bad book, mind you...It just wasn't so good That I'm desperate (or interested at all, really) in getting the rest of her titles

The story for the most part was pretty good though it did have a few inconsistencies, But the Hero.... he was great! all hot firefighting goodness! and what I really liked about him? He worked out daily, but hated it! How often do we see that perspective from a hero?! He's the main reason I kept going, really. :)

My issue was with the heroine. While her attitude is (mostly) understandable, I just couldn't like her... nor any of her relatives. Maybe if JS had delved more deeply into their family dynamics, I'd have been able to at least drum up some interest, but really they all annoyed me to no end. Halfway through the story, I almost put the book down but forced myself to finish it. While in the last few pages the heroine wasn't as bad (or as selfish as she was through the rest of the book) she didn't really redeem herself, at least not to me.... So if you're new to the author (as I was) I'd suggest not starting here.

I really enjoyed this book. It is about a fire marshall and a woman that comes home after being gone a long time and a renewal of a childhood friendship as well as a mystery about an arsonist. I highly recommend it.

This was my first read for this author and I was not disappointed. It was a very good, well written book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely read more of her writings.

As a teenager, Summer Abrams narrowly escaped death in a fire at a warehouse owned by her family; her father was not as fortunate and lost his life. Summer left town as quickly as she could after she recovered, never to return. Her best friend was Joe Walker; he had always loved Summer and wanted more than just friendship with her. When a second fire occurs in the same warehouse some twelve years later, Summer's mother asks her to come home to help her deal with the aftermath, leaving Summer to do some soul-searching. Joe still loves Summer, a fact that he cannot ignore once he sees her again. When the two of them team up in an attempt to solve the mystery of the fires, new flames are kindled. Joe is reluctant to trust Summer with his heart, out of fear that she will once again break it by leaving. Summer is equally reluctant to offer herself to completely to Joe.