5-STAR REVIEW: BROTHERS IN SERVICE by Lindy Bell

Beyond the Badge: Book 2
Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Best friends, more like brothers, Riley Sullivan, Jeremy Ennis, and Cade Marshall have always been there for each other-through thick and thin-no matter what. Sometimes though, life just gets in the way and that bond is tested far beyond what could ever be imagined.

Everything is coming together just as Riley Sullivan had dreamed. He couldn’t be happier until his first run as a rookie fire department paramedic upends it all, causing him to question the dream he holds dear. His professional uncertainty spills over into the rest of his life, creating a domino effect from which Riley staggers to recover.

Jeremy Ennis, a popular two-year veteran with the fire department, is fighting demons he refuses to discuss with anyone, even those closest to him. Those demons, and his fear, whether rational or irrational, ultimately place him in a life or death situation where he needs to focus all of his resources, but will it be enough for his survival.

Cade Marshall is the proud next link in his family’s distinguished legacy of police service. Unfortunately for Cade, he is paired with a nothing’s by the book partner who challenges Cade’s love of his job and his very desire to serve.

Riley, Jeremy, and Cade each have a unique story, but their individual stories are indelibly linked in a bond that will be tried and tested to the limits of its endurance. Is their bond strong enough to help them weather, together, the storms each face individually and will it ultimately provide them with renewed faith in themselves and-each other?

Are you dreaming of a time and place when communities were made of friends who grew up together, where the city limits held within itself neighbors full of kindness, and where local heroes are known to just about everyone? Welcome to Abernathy, Texas! Lindy Bell brings you right into the midst of this place and time with her newest novel, Brothers In Service: Through Thick & Thin. 

If you enjoyed Brotherhood by Fire, you will notice a few of those characters reappear. It is set in a small town, after all! This story stands alone and follows the tale of three young men who have been like brothers since middle school. Now they are grown up, serving their community together. They seem to know everything about each other, except one has not disclosed a premonition told to him with such foreboding that he is certain the other two will soon continue without him.

Abernathy is growing, and Station Five is manned by ten firefighters. These men are full of valor and commitment, which shows in response to calls well described by the author, who has spent a great deal of time amongst firefighters to write with such detail. But the true soul of the station—and the book itself—is the camaraderie among the firefighters. They suit up and respond to emergencies shoulder to shoulder, but they also spend hours on alert, cooking, cleaning, and ribbing each other like brothers. Jeremy is the seasoned firefighter joined by rookie and high school buddy Riley. Riley was the leader of their friend trio for over a decade, all the way back to their football years. Now, he will humbly let Jeremy take the reins as he determines if he is cut out for the physical and emotional rigor of the job.  

Jeremy and Riley may not share the station with their third brother in service, but Cade serves his community by following in his relatives’ footsteps as a police officer. Cade has a humbling of a different kind at his station. His partner, Bart Crawford, is the antithesis of Cade. Crawford’s reputation is known city-wide as a sarcastic brute. Cade is often at the receiving end of Crawford’s rancor, yet he pushes forward, knowing that when he puts on his uniform, he represents all officers, so he works with professionalism and respect.  

Following the work lives of this trio is only part of this well-told story. As the three set out to begin their adult lives, conflicts arise, life-changing decisions must be made, and each tries to find and hold on to love. However, a looming event may not only sever one couple’s bond but cut short one character’s life and forever change the two who remain.  

At the book’s conclusion, you will want to refer to the discussion questions with a book group or as a satisfactory farewell to the time you spent with Riley, Jeremy, and Cade.

A rumored event looms as three young first responders experience their decade-long friendship in a deeper way when each finds his life’s passion in Brothers In Service: Through Thick & Thin.

Brothers In Service: Through Thick Thin is the next novel in the Beyond the Badge series. It follows on the heels of Lindy’s debut novel, Brotherhood by Fire, which avidly reflects her admiration and love of the fire service. Brothers In Service is the story of three best friends, two firefighters and a police officer, who share a powerful fraternal bond,. Brotherhood by Fire powerfully demonstrates the dedication and humbleness of first responders and fueled the desire to convey the importance of the legendary fire service brotherhood and create cancer awareness and its growing effect on the fire service.

Lindy’s first book, Jane Austen Celebrates~Holidays & Occasions Regency Style, is a showcase Regency Era holidays and their impact on modern holiday celebration traditions. A member of the Friends of Jane Austen, Lindy has spoken to a variety of groups and taught Continuing and Adult Professional Education courses at Southern Methodist University (SMU).

A graduate of Abilene Christian University, Lindy currently lives in Plano, TX, focusing on writing fulltime as well as conducting written and in person book reviews. As hobbies, Lindy enjoys supporting Plano Fire Rescue, writing, reading an engaging novel and cross stitching.