Playing with Fire: A Bad Boy College Romance

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The sorrowful voice from my violin seems to sing of broken hearts and lost love, of dark forests and haunted hills. The sorrow turns to agitation. i actually liked Grace's character development when she finally had the confidence to face her fear and even though i can't connect with her character i still like that she cares deeply for her grandma.

I thought the ending a bit rushed in some way and also the revelations somewhat implausible for me. Playing with Fire is a romance with so much depth and brilliance. I truly bow down to L.J. Shen for giving me a truly sensational book.

All you fans of Leigh's AH heroes, do not fear. West St. Claire is the depiction of her usual heroes, only better! He is something else and you will love him and feel so much for him and Grace as well. She was such a breath of fresh air. I loved how she gave West as good as she got and that even though there was a lot of hiding due to her situation, she still showed so much strength and in the end she really was a phoenix rising from the ashes and it was beautiful to watch that whole journey! She takes it home along with the gifts for her husband and 3-year-old daughter, their long-awaited and much-loved child. She plays the waltz for the first time one afternoon and is frightened by what seems to be its evil influence. In the present day, Julia Ansdell, a professional musician, married and the mother of a very young girl, happens upon an old piece of music during a music-oriented visit to Italy. From that point on, her life and the lives of everyone around her seem to change. The music itself seems to carry a mystery and possible danger. Grace was the epitome of a spitfire full of sass and fiery spirit. A young woman rising from the ashes of who she used to be to become the woman she was born to be. I absolutely loved her determination and grit. West likewise was as battered and broken as they come reeling from a painful past. But together they made one another want to live life to the fullest again. Este libro, oh Dios, nada podría haberme preparado para la explosión de emociones que es este libro, han pasado meses desde que lo leí y todavía no puedo olvidarlo. ¡Con una prosa exquisita y personajes excepcionales, L.J. Shen nos regala una historia poderosa, única y emotiva, tan diferente a lo que ella ha escrito hasta el momento pero tan increíble, me dejó sin palabras!

i'm sorry but the whole sleeping with the OW while thinking of the heroine excuse is getting old. it's annoying af.The book lost me a little when the story shifted to tell Lorenzo's story. I am not always a fan of books with a dual story line. This is one of those cases where the two stories just don't fit together very well. I liked Lorenzo's story just as much as I did Julia's but the thread connecting the pieces was thin at best. Lorenzo is a Jewish musician living in Venice during World War II. The parts of the story that focused on Lorenzo really were often heartbreaking. The story alternates between Julia and Lorenzo but I was not happy with the flow of the book or the story line. It almost seems as though the author wanted to write a book of historical fiction but with a thriller tagged on. The ending was especially disappointing when we find out the real cause of the disturbances caused by Julia’s playing of the waltz at home. When I saw that Tess Gerritsen had a new stand alone novel being released, I jumped at the chance to read it. This ended up being a book that is really hard for me to rate. Tess Gerritsen definitely knows how to write and I liked a lot of things about this book. Unfortunately, there were some things that I didn't like about this book as well. I think that the experience of reading this book ended up being just okay for me.

This book was so bizarre. I don't even know how to respond. Do I castrate it for its numerous imperfections? Delight in its hilarity and romantic tension? Shake my head and give up attempting to understand it? Maybe all three? This one is difficult to rate properly because it has so much potential that could really shine under an editor. As events escalated, Julia knew no-one believed her – Rob was a different man, Aunt Val tried to help. But was what was happening something to do with Julia’s past? She knew she had to find answers before it was too late. Her escape to Venice suddenly found her in intense danger – what secret had “Incendio” unleashed? The ancient music seemed to have a life of its own – would she escape its clutches? Would her life ever be the same again? I absolutely LOVED Grace!!!!! She will forever be one of my favorite heroines. Her strength, determination and character development throughout this story was bold and beautiful. Her sass and banter with West was laugh out loud funny and addictive. Their sexual tension was off the charts, and the ease in which they became friends and eventually lovers was organic and natural. It just felt right from the first time they "really" saw each other outside of campus and work.

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. 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... Every teaser and snippet that has been released of Playing With Fire did NOT prepare me for this story and the emotions that follow it. The emotions that are forced upon you are so unexpected, I felt like I was in a whirlwind being hit in every direction with different emotions and in the end, I was an absolute mess. I know without a doubt this book and the characters will stay with me forever, there’s just no forgetting these two, they’ve etched their way deeply into my heart and I’m captivated by everything that is them.