FLASH OF FIRE is book number 4 in M. L. Buchman's Firehawks series. The Firehawk series focuses on the badass firefighters of Mount Hood Aviation. There are loose ties to Buchman's Night Stalkers series about a Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the best of the best in helicopter aviation fliers. Each of Buchman's books can be savored as a stand-alone with a single couple getting their Happily Ever After, but some of the most enjoyable parts for me are reading about the characters that I already know and love from previous books in both series.

Robin Harrow is a headstrong former National Guard helicopter pilot. After several Afghan tours, she's not ready to squish herself back into the constricting box of civilian life as a waitress at her family's truck stop. She signs up for a one year stint with Mount Hood Aviation, not expecting to take over as the lead pilot for one of the most elite firefighting teams in the world while their normal lead in the cockpit is grounded by maternity leave. Robin is a prickly loner, and I adore her strength of character. Mickey Hamilton is a hotshot MHA pilot who loves flying and firefighting, and has been a big ladies man, playing the huge field that is open to him as a hot guy in a macho job. But when Robin Harrow shows up on his runway, Mickey quickly figures out where his attentions now lie. I love how Mickey slowly slides into love, as he coaxes Robin into opening up and reaching her full potential.

One of the best things in FLASH OF FIRE is watching Robin grow. She's been a loner for much of her life. She\'s now figuring out that having close girlfriends is rewarding, and comes to the realization that maybe even she, a Harrow woman, can find love: a deep and abiding love that fulfills the heart's desire she previously couldn't allow herself to acknowledge. Robin fights hard against her fate, but Mickey convinces her that they are better as individuals when they are together as a team.

The elite firefighters of MHA can "innocently" fly into places even the CIA can't, and their undercover role for the government brings the knuckle biting panache of the military angle into play. As the fire season progresses, the tension level in the book just keeps jumping. We start out with the high stakes of massive wildfires in the U.S. and progress up to the tension-filled job facing Robin, Mickey, and their team as their assignment pits them not only against a massive wildfire in North Korea but against the PRRK government as well. As always, Buchman does a superb job of balancing technical details and the nitty gritty of fighting fire with the more tender emotions growing between our couple. FLASH OF FIRE makes my pulse pound doubly, from the danger and intrigue as well as from the sexy escapades. Once again, Buchman delivers a masterpiece of military action and romance.