Just One of the Guys

Nearly six feet tall, newspaper editor Chastity “Chas” O'Neill can hold her own with her four firefighter brothers, whose bravery is legendary in their upstate New York hometown. But at age 31, she's tired of being one of the guys and ready to fall in love and add more babies to the family brood. Too bad firefighter Trevor Meade, whom she's adored since childhood, only thinks of her as a friend. By this point—about page 16—romance readers will know exactly where this is heading, but Higgins (Catch of the Day ) enlivens the journey with subplots including a handsome surgeon who falls for Chas, the unpredictable relationship between her divorced parents and attempts by an ambitious receptionist to undermine her position at the newspaper. There's also plenty of slapstick humor that ranges from amusingly ribald to uncomfortably coarse. Still, Higgins provides an amiable romp that ends with a satisfying lump in the throat. (Aug.)