Souls' Rescue

by Pat Cronin

Kelly McCoy is a firefighter and paramedic who's lived most of her adult life in New York. After 9-11, she relocates to Cincinnati, nursing a broken heart and looking for a new start. She takes one day at a time, trying not to let her losses overwhelm her. Talia Stoddard is an insurance wiz who's always been smart on the job, but unlucky in love. After years of being told that she's too big, too tall, too black, too lesbian, and not a very snappy dresser, Talia has resigned herself to a life alone with only her dear gay friend Jacob for a diversion. When Kelly and Talia's lives crash into one another, it's under the most stressful and threatening circumstances. Talia is in terrible danger, and it's up to Kelly to rescue her. In the horrendous situation they end up in, neither expects to find a friend, much less a soul mate. Will they rescue one another and heal the wounds of their pasts? Or will they both continue to believe that they're not worthy of the kind of love the other might offer? Souls' Rescue is the story of opening up to love, taking chances, and building a life that everyone dreams about, but few people ever find.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Firefighters, Lesbian Fiction

170 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2010

About the author

Pat Cronin grew up to become exactly what she said she'd be at the age of five. A paramedic/firefighter. She enjoys reading and writing Lesbian fiction, and has published numerous articles for on-line E-zines and short stories for anthologies.

see also: Patty Schramm

Reviews

[Eva Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a little unpolished. If it had been properly edited I would have given it 4 stars.

[Daisy Teragram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and compelling
I liked this book for the adventures and excitement, but not so much for the romance. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't really feel their chemistry. The plot was fascinating, about fires and rescues and dealing with medical issues. The book really needs editing/proofing. There were lots of errors of various kinds, from plot-related to punctuation mistakes to tense errors, etc. I found the book very exciting, and even traumatic at times. It's definitely a worthy read if you can get past the errors and some of the issues. The characters behaved and thought appropriately to their personalities, but those situations weren't always enjoyable to read about.

[Darla Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly McCoy is a fourth generation firefighter who relocated from New York City following the events of 9-11 to Cincinnati, Ohio. She meets Talia on the job when an accident threatens Talia's life.

Following the rescue, Kelly continues to follow Talia's recovery and the continued interaction leaves them open to explore the possibility of a deeper relationship.

The most poignant message in this story comes from Talia dealing with her body image and how that affects her self-esteem and what she believes are her limited choices in finding lasting love. Both her mother and her ex-girlfriend feed on Talia's lack of self-esteem which provides the fuel for conflict between Kelly and Talia in their fragile relationship.

I would like to have read a more raw exploration of Talia's body image and self-esteem. There was a lot more material to work with there and it would have added greater depth of emotion and conflict to the story.

The book contained more typos and grammatical errors than I generally read in a published work. For some, that would heavily affect a reader's ability to enjoy the story. For me, I just mentally fix the mistakes as I read and move on. But that's not a license to be sloppy.

I chose to read this book due to Melissa Grace's Challenge #1 on Facebook's Group, Lesbian Books, writers, readers. I'm happy with my selection.

Pat Cronin, I give you three and a half stars for Souls' Rescue. It was a fast read and a sweet story. Additional depth and improved copy would have easily brought it up to five stars for me.

[Pin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story with very believable details of firefighting/paramedic work. Worth reading.