Fire and Hail

The Carlisle Cops Series by Andrew Grey is set in a small town in Pennsylvania. There are currently five books in this series, and I was very fortunate to be given a chance to read all five books in it. If you've read my previous reviews, you'll know I'm a fan of Andrew Grey's. There is just something about his stories and his men that just makes my heart sigh in happiness every time I read one of his books.

Book 5, Fire and Hail, brought the heartbreak early. New police officer, Brock started his first day on the job by pulling over his ex-boyfriend, Vincent, for speeding and then being the person that rescued two young children from the trunk of a car in the next traffic stop. What he doesn't expect is that the driver of the car, and mother of the children, is Vincent's sister. Donald and Carter take the children into their home as an emergency placement, and work with Vincent so he can become temporary guardian of his niece and nephew. Brock hasn't forgiven Vincent for ending their relationship when they were younger, but for the sake of the kids, he's willing to overlook his feelings and do what's best for them. But spending the time together and with the children forces Vincent and Brock to acknowledge what went wrong previously and what they both want now.

Brock and Vincent were both great characters. Their relationship ended previously because Vincent couldn't come out to his parents and both men regretted the end of the relationship. They've both matured and are ready for a commitment but they both have baggage they need to deal with. And, in Brock's case, that baggage is going to tie into the many issues Vincent's sister faces. Honestly, I loved that the two men were able to work through their issues, accept where they went wrong, and move on. There was no throwing it in the other's face, no continuous sniping and snarking, no using it as a weapon. It happened, they worked through it, the end.

The author did a fantastic job, again, of showing the foster care system. He accurately portrayed the work of child service workers, caregivers and the process of working towards reunification. He gave insight into a system that can be confusing to those who have never experienced it and may question why it works the way it does.

And I admit, I'm a sucker for kids in a story. Sure, sometimes they don't really work into a story, but in this series, they are just the perfect additions. I love watching all these men creating their families and seeing that the kids have such a strong part in drawing these men together. I can't recommend this whole series enough! If you like books about hope, overcoming adversity, strength, friendship, love, and family, then this series is one you must read!

The narrator of this story was Randy Fuller and I thought he did a great job. This is a series with a lot of characters so he had his work cut out for him in creating different characters. He was well paced with no awkward pauses, easy to listen to, and his voice portrayed emotions in the storytelling. He allowed the story to be the focus of his storytelling and did a great job of bringing it to life!

Overall: 5
Performance: 5
Story: 5

Fire and Hail was a nice second-chance romance with solid characters and a good story. Though this is the fifth book in the Carlisle Cops series and there are some appearances of past leading characters, it can easily be a standalone. Rookie cop Brock pulls over his college-ex, Vinnie, for speeding in the opening scene. The unresolved tension is immediately apparent but nothing comes of it until the two are again thrust into each other’s life when Brock responds to another call involving Vinnie’s niece and nephew later that same day. Things are set into motion quickly from there but the pacing never felt rushed or details glazed over. The men dealing with the frightened children makes for a very sweet romance highlighting how loving Brock and Vinnie are for the reader as well as each other, and I couldn’t help but wish for them to have a happy ending. The romance is nicely paced, not rushing into things but fairly straight forward. There is some residual hurt from the previous relationship to work through and I liked how the characters approached that aspect. It felt honest, but not drawn out or overly dramatized because the couple talks rather openly about their feelings and what they want moving forward. This was a comfortable romance, low angst with just enough conflict to keep me engaged. There are a few different conflicts and subplots running the course of the story involving Brock’s police work, the children’s rescue and Vinnie fostering them, and even introducing an unsavory ex of Brock. The action scenes were handled smoothly and definitely peaked my interest by including some twists and unexpected connections.

I’d consider Fire and Hail a lighter read in general. It deals with child endangerment, but it isn’t overly intense or specific in that area or in the police pursuit and apprehension scenes. The characters, Vinnie’s niece and nephew, and the romance between Brock and Vinnie are definitely the stars here, with the police element playing more of a secondary role. The audiobook features Randy Fuller as narrator and it paired well with the story. He had good diction, a comfortable rhythm, and read with emotion appropriate to the scene and characters, making this a nice, easy listen. I’d definitely recommend this to fans of the author or those looking for a second chance romance that isn’t angst-ridden.

*Reviewed audiobook for Alpha Book Club*

In the beginning I wondered if this story would just be a repeat of book two, Donald and Carter's story. Although it had similarities, it was a story of its own. I enjoyed that there was very little angst between the main characters, Brock and Vinny. There was plenty of drama in other parts of the plot. The beginning of Vinny's point of view was really slow, but once we got past the tediousness of his job, it was a page turner. I read this story very quickly. It was nice seeing past characters from the series, especially Donald, Carter and Alex. (Very sad that JD moved back south, with Fisher, I assume.)

I'm unsure why this book is called Fire and Hail when it takes place in the summer.

Reviewed by Meredith for Diverse Reader

I want to start out by saying I’ve read every book in Andrew Grey’s Carlisle Cops Series. I will say you can absolutely read them as standalones but I will also say that reading them in order will make the depth of these characters and the connection they have with each other much stronger.



In Fire and Hail we have MC’s Brock and Vinny. Brock is a cop for the police department. He works traffic right now and while on duty he encounters something many of us would never want to find. Two kids locked in the trunk of a car on a sweltering day. Two amazing and wonderful kids. Penny and Abey are so fabulous trust me! You’ll love them in an instant. They are also the kids of Brock’s ex’s sister.



Whenever kids are put into a story it adds a warmth to the story. Even though the reason Penny and Abey end up in Vinny and Brock’s life is horrific; I melted with the emotions they pull out of the two MC’s.



I absolutely LOVE this series and this newest addition is without a doubt a wonderful welcome. It’s so awesome to catch up with some characters from the series. I loved how Brock and Vinny’s “go to” friends were Donald and Carter. They are my most favorite couple in this series so it was a HUGE treat for me!



I hope there are more books in this series but if there isn’t then I’ll just be re-reading these for a long time!



Great read!

First, I have to say that I’m in love with this series and I really thought it would be impossible to top Donald and Carter’s story with little Alex; it was just as amazing, though. I loved Brock and Vinny although Vinny was a little harder for me to get to know in the beginning…. Let’s break it down…..

Brock is a new Carlisle police officer, we first see him doing traffic patrol when we start his story. It’s a pretty boring day even though he had to stop an ex that had broken his heart one summer in college. Cut to another call at the end of his shift, he sees the ex’s sister who has done something terrible…. Locked her kids in the trunk of her car while she takes a joyride in a fancy convertible with her friend. Obviously, she’s not mentally stable. Brock is the one who finds them first and they trust him, making it next to impossible for the softhearted Brock to leave them when they have to call Donald at protective services.

Turns out, Vinny hasn’t seen his nephew Abey since he was a tiny baby and has never met his niece Penny and as secretive and guarded as Vinny was when Brock knew him; he was completely different when it came to those kids. He done everything in his power to protect them from his sister and the dangerous people in her life, and there were quite a few, including one of Brock’s exes. I thought that that was a little far-fetched, who he ended up being to Abey and Penny and who he was to Brock…. Small world I guess….

As a mother myself, I couldn’t believe how selfish and self-centered the kids’ mother was and for that reason, I just couldn’t see her ever redeeming herself. The kids were much better off without her and Brock and Vinny loved them so much, even from the very beginning.

It was a long, tedious fight but everything worked out in the best way possible in the end and I loved getting to catch up with the rest of the crew, even seeing Terry and Red…. I was so happy for Terry!!! I’m so glad we, as readers got that.

Overall, this story was just another great addition to an already amazing series. I can’t wait to read more… perhaps the new guy that was briefly mentioned coming to work for Vinny? Ya just never know, but I’m really looking forward to finding out!
5 stars for me!

*I recieved this book in exchange for an honest review*