The Fireproof Girl

Loretta Lost

Sophie Shields Book 1 · ThunderWords

About this eBook

I'm Sophie Shields. At least, that's one of my names...

My whole life has been running. Surviving.

I've only known love once, and it was so fierce that it nearly destroyed me.

He became a part of me.

In this brutal, violent world, he was my only safe place.

But I was afraid. And I lost him. Since then, I've been a shell of a woman. Going through the motions, barely existing.

I thought it was better that way.

Until everything came crashing down. And I realized... I would tear down heaven and earth to get back what I've lost.

I will risk facing the monsters who nearly destroyed me when I was a child, in order to seize justice. No more hiding.

I will risk death, dismemberment, or any sort of pain, if it means making this right...

I know that I'm damaged, and I know that I broke the purest, most beautiful thing I've ever had.

But I'm ready to fight. I'm ready to heal.

I'll do whatever it takes to mend my mistakes, if it isn't too late...

This is a dark romantic suspense and psychological thriller of 80,000 words, featuring a main character with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Trigger warnings for abuse, self-harm, CSA, pregnancy-related issues.

Award winner in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Contest

Finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Ratings and reviews

The Fireproof Girl was a wonderful read. I saw a lot of other reviews describing it as a "one sitting" read and something "they couldn't put down," which isn't usually the way I get through a book, but that's how it went down for this one. The first grips of tension start at the very beginning of the book and persist through out, rising and falling at times but never disappearing completely. It's maintained with a steady pace, and no part of the story seems like it was rushed through, nor does it ever lag in place like those stories that don't really know where they're going. It's a fantastic book and you should definitely give it a try, especially since there seems to be a lot more on the way! You don't want to not have read it by the time everyone else is talking about it. ::Spoilers Below:: Sophie Shields is a pretty complex character, introducing herself at the very start with both the grandeur of secret identities and a mysterious past, but countering that with very human and relatable thoughts and quirks. The first road bump in her story, besides the anxiousness over her brother Cole's lack of communication that serves as momentum even before that, is a surprise proposal from her boyfriend, Zack. While you might guess that something profound would be the main focus of the story, it quickly takes a backseat to much more exciting elements (thought it's neither forgotten nor swept under the rug). A paper reveals that her brother has been murdered, and she quickly flies across the country, breaking several rules set fourth by her employer to do so, in order to find out what happened to him and punish those responsible. It's not long though before her quick mind (and a few hints from the universe) give her reason to suspect her brother isn't dead at all, and put her efforts into finding him rather than his killer. On her way to find them she accidentally kicks a few hornets nests that she thought had been buried long ago, and their buzzing follows her on lead after lead and false hope to delirium. Throughout the book there is a subtle supernatural element, the nuanced kind that the skeptical reader can doubt or explain away, and the more believing can attribute to forces beyond our knowledge that guide us through life. It hits the very, very delicate sweet point where it can offer both of these things without declaring one or the other to be definitive, leading up to the reader and scoring this author a major props from those of us that love that genre. It's very comparable to the supernatural elements in Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. I've read some works by this author before and liked them as well. This new work surpasses them in my opinion, and I look forward to seeing them keep it up with the rest of the books in this series.

Sophie Shields is actually a CIA Agent. She can do things with a computer that most people have never heard of. Few people know what she really does. Sophie was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the system ... neglected and abused. Until she met Cole Hunter, she was totally alone in this world. Cole became her friend, her brother, her protector and partner in crime. Cole served time in prison for killing a man. This man was foster father to both Sophie and Cole. He was abusive and he wasn't above sneaking into Sophie's room at night. This man also liked to create pain ... with the end of a smoking cigarette. One night when he attacked Sophie, Cole jumped into the fray and accidentally killed him. Even though it was in defense of Sophie, he spent some time behind bars. Finding out that her current boyfriend of sorts was not giving her the letters from Cole for quite awhile because of his jealousy .. and then finding out that Cole had been murdered...sets Sophie off. She will go to the ends of earth to find out who and why. But then ... is he really dead? If not, where is he? This is a low-grade mystery, mostly written to introduce these characters and explain their backgrounds. This was an okay read for me ... not terribly exciting. There are 2 more books following this one and hopefully, there is more substance to be found. The ending was a cliffhanger to introduce the next book, The Bulletproof Boy, I'm assuming is about Cole. I wish to thank the author / Loretta Lost / and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I literally started reading this book at 7 am and read straight through ALL day... it's now almost 5pm. I could not stop reading... like those times I get my favorite chips and I start and can't stop until the whole bag is devoured. It was like that, knowing I need to stop and take a shower, eat... clean my house... but I just could not clicking from page to page.. I think this is the best book Loretta Lost has written.... Sophie and Cole are such well written characters, I cried with them and felt every ounce of their pain and their love. Keep some tissues handy.... some of the scenes are so emotional that I was a wreck. Loretta has such a way with words that felt every emotion, often sobbing my eyes out over the things Sophie has endured. Sophie and Cole met in a foster home.... and the earth literally moved when they met... When something happens to Cole, Sophie starts investigating ... I am not going to reveal too much for fear of spoiling the story, just know that the twists and turns literally kept me reading until I finished. While Clarity and Eternity were bite size snacks that were easy to gobble up, The Fireproof Girl is like a full gourmet meal with each chapter like another course that you think you just can't eat... your so full.... then you get a little taste and you can't help finishing the plate. I have to end this review now.... Bullet Proof Boy is patiently waiting for me!!! A+++++

About the author

Loretta Lost writes for the same reason that you read: to experience all the love and excitement that can often be lacking from real life. She finds it therapeutic to explore her issues through the eyes of a different person. She hopes to have a family someday, but until then, her characters will do nicely. 

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