Playing with Fire: A Bad Boy College Romance

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Pros: The title says it all: Fire. Magic. Romance. Comedy. This book contains lots of great one liners, unexpected occurrences, and a very sexy hero. I never guessed what came next. Partially because I had no idea what was going on...but even that was enjoyable. Light, fluffy, fun writing. Creative characters - I particularly loved Perky.

In a break from her mystery novels, Gerritsen offers up a unique story that blends music with history to produce a chilling narrative that will touch readers at their core. While on a trip to Italy, violinist Julia Ansdell finds a unique and unpublished piece that piques her interest, in Incendio waltz. Upon her return to Boston, she begins to unravel its mysteries by playing it, or at least trying to do so. Each time she begins, the haunting dissonant tones seem to evoke disturbing results in Julia's three-year-old daughter, Lily. Convinced the piece brings about sociopathic tendencies in the toddler, Julia tries to determine its history, while battling with her husband and medical professionals, none of whom can understand why Julia blames Lily's behaviours on a piece of music. In a parallel narrative, Gerritsen tells the story of Lorenzo, also an accomplished violinist, who is living in Italy in the years before the Second World War. As Mussolini holds a firm grip on the country, he begins to mirror the efforts of his fascist counterpart and commences a vilification of the Jews. Lorenzo is torn from the life he knew and the woman he loved all because of this directive. Sent to an internment camp, he is chosen to serenade those who are kept as prisoners, a small ray of hope in a life that remains dreary. As Julia uncovers this, she also learns more about the Incendio, which is telling in its history. Gerritsen pulls on the reader's heart strings in this shorter novel that tells a story more important than any Rizzoli and Isles mystery could hope to accomplish. MAGNIFICENT! It was heartfelt and breathtakingly emotional and one of the best stories she has ever written! Here was where their interests aligned. Alberto's thiry-five-year-old daughter, Eloisa, was unmarried as well. Neither beautiful nor homely, she had no suitors in sight, and unless

The story comes across as raw and authentic. Some have made comments about Theo having a huge ego, but I don’t think a small guy in a big guy’s league could have survived, let alone thrived, without thinking and living large. Is there some repetition that only serves to inflate an already large ego even more? Yes. But that was the life he was living at the time, so I get why those repeated references are there. It serves to build higher the mountain from which our hero falls. I seem to be alone among many reviewers who loved this book but it just didn’t work for me. The writing was great with some beautiful descriptive passages of Venice and the author is obviously extremely talented. I would like to read one of her previous books at some time to get another taste of her writing. I don't know if the content and what these two go through is making me particularly emotional but this book cut deep! Their broken pieces and tattered hearts and bruised souls will reach right out to you.

The title of this book delivers. It has everything from magic, to romance, to comedy, and the body count. The best part is the comedy. I laughed and kept laughing. There were so many funny moments. Although, my favorite was when Bailey was in hospital (the first time). She was doped up on pain medications and thought she was having hallucinations. The conversation she was having with her hallucinations was hilarious. I have to agree with Bailey that it is a crime that Quinn wears clothing.Pause your whole life for this book! If you're not already in love with L.J.'s writing this is the one that will make you fall hard! Playing with Fire is about Redemption, forgiveness, self love and finding the one person who sees your flaws and accepts them wholly. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishing, Bantam Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Playing With Fire by Tess Gerritsen for review. I unreservedly apologise for taking so long to read this. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. No one can ever say that Shen pulls her punches. Playing With Fire is an explosive one-two combo of perfection and pure excellence! Grace and West were absolutely incredible. Two damaged people hiding from themselves and their pasts who find one another and the strength to face their fears and traumas.

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine. Seeing as West St. Claire is so popular, keeping most of his peers at arm’s length was something of a conundrum. The chip he carries on his shoulder threw me off-kilter too, but I liked how he wiggled his way into Grace’s life and helped her step out of her comfort zone. What I found disturbing were his inner-thoughts, and it wasn’t until I got well into the read that I discovered why he felt as he did. Together Grace and West’s chemistry was completely explosive. From the banter, to the snide remarks, to the kind gestures, to the acceptance and love completely of one another. It was truly beautiful to watch the journey of self discovery, acceptance, and life they went through together and separately. Well, sometimes I get curious about these big, bestselling authors. I knew that Tess Gerritsen is a big name, and the blurb for this book sounded right up my alley: music, antique shops, history, a possible diabolical/supernatural element, and "acts of surprising violence."She gave us beautiful, unique characters with heartbreaking pasts and troubled presents. Grace is an incredible woman, her strength shines bright in this book and her story, the way she battles is one of the many reasons I love her, she’s without a doubt my absolute favourite heroine this author has ever blessed us with. West is Something else. He’s an alphahole that doesn’t give a shit but buried deep is a loveable alphahole just waiting to come out. I love his strength and fierceness. The way in which West regarded Grace and everything that surrounded and challenged her was jaw-dropping. Yes, he was hot and cold with her - but only because that is what she thought she wanted, and what he knew. When he let his guard down and they both allowed their vulnerabilities to show, it was simply all-consuming and beautiful. These two broken souls became one. They completed the other. They healed each other, and they both showed the resilience and power of the human spirit.

Grace Shaw, is this young girl whose life takes a 180 degrees turn after her house burns down to the ground and now she is left with a burn mark on her face. From being one of the most beautiful girls in her town to the girl who everyone pities, Grace slowly finds herself losing her identity. The confident girl who use to be the star of the plays in her school is replaced with the girl who hides from the light under the shade of her cap. Enters West St. Claire, the quiet man who is known for his underground fights. He slams into Grace's life and tries to refire her flame.

Mr. Money Mustache

In it, you will meet Bailey and Sam. These two were a wild adventure with a dash of perfection. It didn't seem to matter what the stakes were for Bailey. She was determined to do things anyways. As for Sam, he was just Mr. Perfect basically. Perfect for bantering and such. The plot is quite unique alternating between past and present times and in some way the story reminded me of one of my favorite books, Letters from the Lost by Iona Grey, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... This book was really multi-faceted in so many ways. It touches on a deep parental concern/nightmare, a marriage on the brink, friendship, musical talent, medical breakthroughs, an international mix, and an arc into a historical time period of tragedy. Now that covers a lot of ground. Normally, I am not too crazy about alternating timelines, as the constant shifts can make for choppy reading, but in this case, everything made sense and came together in the end. The chapters are marked as “Julia “or “Lorenzo”, so we can follow the two stories more easily.