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A review by kaje_harper
Lights and Sirens by Lisa Henry
4.0
This book is independent of book 1 (a character appears in one small scene to connect them) and definitely can be read on its own. It took a little while for me to connect to Hayden and Matt - their initial antagonism and attraction seemed superficial. But as they began to interact, and the realities of their stressful jobs gained momentum, I became invested in them.
Hayden grew up in foster care, and worked really hard without much help to become a good paramedic. Since he keeps his background mostly hidden, his reactions to events sometimes puzzle Matt, who had a family he could count on. Hayden has little except his job to support his sense of who he is and why he matters. When the job gets rough, he has a hard time dealing with it.
Matt is a cop who lives with his Grandad in an old house he's gradually fixing up. He's training in a new rookie officer, and he generally likes his job. Falling for Hayden gives him someone to care about and share the good things in his life with, but the stress of their jobs can become a wedge between them. As life delivers blows, Matt's somewhat black-and-white world view may have to bend to Hayden's realities, but he may also find support he needs with Hayden.
I really liked some of the secondary characters in this book, particularly Grandad, and Hayden's main paramedic partner. I also appreciated that neither man was in the closet, and that homophobia really didn't play a big role in the story. This is about a cop and a paramedic falling for each other despite the difficulties of shift work, and the risks and pains of their high-stress jobs. That they are gay men matters in the slant and flavor that gives to the story. I hope that this will become the norm in society, that being out and open will be a basic option with only a few homophobic mutters to make things a little rougher. The focus is very much on the work they do, and on trying to support each other even when that's not easy.
Hayden grew up in foster care, and worked really hard without much help to become a good paramedic. Since he keeps his background mostly hidden, his reactions to events sometimes puzzle Matt, who had a family he could count on. Hayden has little except his job to support his sense of who he is and why he matters. When the job gets rough, he has a hard time dealing with it.
Matt is a cop who lives with his Grandad in an old house he's gradually fixing up. He's training in a new rookie officer, and he generally likes his job. Falling for Hayden gives him someone to care about and share the good things in his life with, but the stress of their jobs can become a wedge between them. As life delivers blows, Matt's somewhat black-and-white world view may have to bend to Hayden's realities, but he may also find support he needs with Hayden.
I really liked some of the secondary characters in this book, particularly Grandad, and Hayden's main paramedic partner. I also appreciated that neither man was in the closet, and that homophobia really didn't play a big role in the story. This is about a cop and a paramedic falling for each other despite the difficulties of shift work, and the risks and pains of their high-stress jobs. That they are gay men matters in the slant and flavor that gives to the story. I hope that this will become the norm in society, that being out and open will be a basic option with only a few homophobic mutters to make things a little rougher. The focus is very much on the work they do, and on trying to support each other even when that's not easy.