Three years ago Liam O'Neil ''s wife Kitty died leaving him to raise their young sons by himself; though he gets help from his caring beloved family. In New York he meets firefighter Sophie Tyler at his family owned Bailey ''s Irish Pub, and to his amazement and shock he is attracted to the beautiful strawberry blonde, Sophie reciprocates his allure.
However, with 9/11 still fresh after another anniversary, Liam fears dating Sophie because he rationalizes his sons could not cope with her dangerous occupation if something tragic should happen to her. Sophie has her own 9/11 memory that interferes with her seeing any man. Yet they begin seeing each other until a deadly serial arsonist sets booby-trapped fires to kill firefighters; Liam and Sophie begin to reconsider their relationship.
This is an enjoyable second chance at love romantic suspense thriller. The story line is action-packed in terms of the arsonist subplot and filled with angst re the relationship between Liam and Sophie. Although TAKING THE HEAT stands alone, with the O ''Neil family playing major roles, reading the previous tales (see CLOSE TO YOU and SOMEONE TO BELIEVE) enhances the experience. Once again Kathryn Shay pays homage to the brave firefighters.