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Playing With Fire

by Tamara Morgan (Goodreads Author)

3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 · rating details · 21 ratings · 12 reviews

Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhuman abilities. Fiona's powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won't be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant...and she's hurt enough people already.

Including herself.

But when the man behind her conve...more

ebook, 81 pages

Published September 7th 2012 by Entangled Publishing (Ever After) (first published August 7th 2012)

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Oct 15, 2012 Alana ~ The Book Pimp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge, arc, ebooks, paranormal-romance, to-review, entangled-publishing, owned-books, passionate-book-divas

I received an eBook from Entangled Publishing in exchange for a free review. My thoughts are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I found this book to be a short, easy read. It was slightly spicy and is definitely not meant for kids. It had this intriguing X-Man thing going on... and I loved that aspect of it. The 'back-story' was well explained (I thought) without dwelling too much on it and deviating from the story. I have to admit, if I had been given the chance and mon...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, reading-romances-challenge-2012, review-on-blog, short-story-novella

3.5 of 5 Stars

With colorful characters and a superhero theme, Playing With Fire is a fun, quick novella to read. The story is centered around Fiona, a woman who has the ability to shoot fire. It takes a little bit to fully understand how she came into her powers and how all the characters fit into the story, but the result is an overall entertaining story.

At first, I was unsure as to how much I liked Fiona as a character. She had a very sexually active past, and some of the commentary about it w...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Megan (Book Brats) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Novellas have never been on my radar. I fancy myself a hardcore novels only reader who stays away from short stories, novellas, flash fiction, and so forth. I don’t quite know why. It’s kind of silly. But when I heard about PLAYING WITH FIRE, I immediately decided I had to have it. I didn’t know why, nor did I care. I loaded it onto my Kindle, settled myself in my favorite chair, and stormed through it in a little more than an hour.

PLAYING WITH FIRE definitely had an intriguing plot. Following F...more Novellas have never been on my radar. I fancy myself a hardcore novels only reader who stays away from short stories, novellas, flash fiction, and so forth. I don’t quite know why. It’s kind of silly. But when I heard about PLAYING WITH FIRE, I immediately decided I had to have it. I didn’t know why, nor did I care. I loaded it onto my Kindle, settled myself in my favorite chair, and stormed through it in a little more than an hour.

PLAYING WITH FIRE definitely had an intriguing plot. Following Fiona, a girl “cursed” if you would with the silly idea to inject herself with a drug that made her a dangerous pyrokinetic, and Ian, a scientist and one of the boys who tormented her as a teenager, it easily falls into Entangled’s new line of superhero novellas. Ian has been hunting the Fireball for years, and when he finds Fiona, he knows he’s found the woman responsible for bank robberies, murders, and arsons across town. Or has he?

What I really enjoyed about this novella was Fiona. Although she had a past as the easy girl in school, leading to a rather vulgar nickname, she has tried to reform herself. Or that might have just been the fact that she’s burned anyone who ever tried to have sex with her since that fateful day. She is a great heroine – equal parts sassy and street smart. I could totally sympathize with her fears and frustrations. I mean, I’m not a pyrokinetic of course, but being wary of men and their intentions? I totally understand that.

The world itself was pretty well thought out for being a simple novella, but I would have liked to know more about the drugs, the control of these newly empowered, the mechanics of how they work, etc. I enjoyed the brief forays into explanations. Maybe if the story had been full-length we could have learned more about this world with so much potential, but being a novella, we only had a hint. Likewise, the emotional connection between Fiona and Ian seemed too sudden, especially with a certain revelation that brought them together. It seemed more of a relationship of need versus desire. Fiona wanted sex. Ian gave her sex. This could have been more fleshed out in my opinion, creating a stronger story since it was a romance.

But the ending was what made the story for me. With the average level of writing, the conclusion wrenched up the tension and hooked me. By far the climax was my favorite part, complete with kidnappings, villains, freezing time, and cover ups. I would read more of Tamara Morgan’s stories just because of this climax. It had the tension I love.

There are pros and cons to this book. It could have used more romance, but at the expense of the world building and action? To be honest, I preferred what we had at the end of the day. This story is short and easy to read. But I would have preferred this one as a novel. There was so much going on with the world building and the relationships for only 81 pages.

VERDICT: More action than romance, PLAYING WITH FIRE isn’t your average superhero story, but with a tense conclusion that left me on the edge of my seat, it’s worth an hour of your time.
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Sep 24, 2012 Julie (Manga Maniac Cafe) rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I am a huge fan of superheroes, and when I saw that Entangled was publishing a series of novellas about super heroes, I had to read them. It was a little scary at first, because I was afraid I’d be disappointed, but Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan is a fun, action-packed introduction to the Holding out for a Hero anthology series. I loved this story, and it even featured one of my favorite tropes – the second chance. This read kept me entertained from the first page to the last, and...more 4.5 stars

I am a huge fan of superheroes, and when I saw that Entangled was publishing a series of novellas about super heroes, I had to read them. It was a little scary at first, because I was afraid I’d be disappointed, but Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan is a fun, action-packed introduction to the Holding out for a Hero anthology series. I loved this story, and it even featured one of my favorite tropes – the second chance. This read kept me entertained from the first page to the last, and I can hardly wait to read more of the anthology.

Fiona is a character I could immediately sympathize with. She has the ability to hurl fire balls, but it comes at a steep price. When her emotions get out of control, her powers do too. She’s afraid of getting close to anyone because she is terrified of hurting them, and her last, failed attempt at intimacy ended disastrously, with her lover being badly burned. To make this situation even worse, she didn’t even want the superhuman abilities to begin with. Her manipulative boyfriend coerced her into it, and now she’s resigned herself to a sad and solitary life.

Into her life steps Ian, her childhood friend and the boy who broke her heart. He was also responsible for her being bullied at school, so I did have a few issues warming up to him. To be fair, Ian tried to rectify his past mistakes, but there were times when I felt that he didn’t do enough. When it was his friend taunting Fiona, he quickly tried to put an end to the hurtful name calling, but when all Fiona wanted was for Ian to trust and believe her, he fell a little short. In the end, he does gallantly redeem himself, but of the two of them, Fiona is obviously the more heroic.

I enjoyed the world building, and am interested to see how other authors tackle a new world where superheroes , and super villains, could live next door.

If you are looking for a fast-paced read with gobs of action, romance, and danger, look no further. Playing with Fire was quickly gobbled up, followed by a “Please, sir, may I have some more?” plea from me.
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Sep 29, 2012 Meaghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Playing with Fire is a novella inside of the Holding Out for a Hero Anthology from Entangled Publishing. I was looking for something different and when I saw this novella I was excited to dive into this world.

While I do love my alpha male heroes, I have to admit that Ian was a breath of fresh air. He was a total geek and it was adorable. He would rather spend his days in his lab and had a Clark Kent feel to him, which was so cute. Fiona was an interesting character as well. She has not been deal...more

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Oct 03, 2012 R.E. Butler rated it 4 of 5 stars

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*

I'm a big fan of Tamara Morgan's writing. I love her Games of Love series. I have always found her writing to be a perfect blend of light romance, humor, and action to keep me glued to the pages. As a romance reader, my interests vary greatly within the genre, bt trend more towards paranormal than contemporary, so when I found out she was writing a book about superheroes, I was thrilled because it was like the best of both...more *I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*

I'm a big fan of Tamara Morgan's writing. I love her Games of Love series. I have always found her writing to be a perfect blend of light romance, humor, and action to keep me glued to the pages. As a romance reader, my interests vary greatly within the genre, bt trend more towards paranormal than contemporary, so when I found out she was writing a book about superheroes, I was thrilled because it was like the best of both worlds. A fav author of mine writing in a fav genre.

The book opens up with one of my favorite first-lines ever:
** I should have opted for the boob job. **
With a start like that, how could I not want to read it?

First the heroine. Fiona Nelson is a character that I believe many women will relate to. Labeled in high school with an unfortunate and slutty nickname thanks to her then-friend Ian, she spent a good portion of her teen years living up to it. She tried to fill the void in her heart with physical affection, but realized later in life, like many of us do, that it just doesn't work that way. Eight years before the story starts, Fiona is in a bad relationship with an older man, who offers to get her either a boob job or pay for her to take the experimental conversion serum to gain superpowers. When she takes the serum, she's labeled a Converted. When her power turns out to be dangerous she knows she will be labeled a Corrupted. Converted are required to register with the government (think X-Men and the mutant registration). Just what happens to the Corrupted when the government finds them isn't explored, but Fiona was frightened enough of being found out to imagine that it wouldn't be good. The government doesn't want the public to know that there are dangerous converts out there, but there are people that want to reveal that truth to the masses.

Fiona's power? Fire. Lots of it. And it flares with heavy emotions, especially lust. The serum that promised great things, turned her into a woman who is unable to touch or be touched. Her life is one of secrecy and loneliness as she hides her power, except for those times when it builds inside her and she must let it out, choosing isolated areas away from people where she can just let loose and then go back to her life. I found Fiona to be a sympathetic character, very deep and well-drawn. Her emotional state is tangible when she runs into Ian, the boy who broke her heart and gave her that awful nickname. Sometimes, time doesn't erase all things, because Fiona certainly remembers vividly what happened between them.

Ian Jones was nerdy and inexperienced in high school. As an adult, nature was very kind to him and now he's still nerdy, but incredible hot. And he still has a thing for Fiona. When fires are being set, tied to someone that the media has dubbed Fireball, Ian visits the crime scenes and collects evidence, hoping to prove that there are people out there that took the serum that became Corrupted. Ian is certain that Fireball is a Corrupted, responsible for one death and some serious fires including at a bank. When Fiona runs into his life again at a crime scene, he's certain that she is hiding the power to create fire and that she is not just a Converted but a Corrupted. But is the girl he remembers, the one he betrayed, Fireball or an innocent getting framed? Can he be objective or will he be blinded by his feelings?

Ian is a strong character, a scientist with an inquisitive mind. I really enjoyed his internal struggle as he tried to remain scientifically detached from Fiona while he tried to figure out whether she was Fireball or not. He proved to be the chivalrous, knight in shining armor more than once, which nowadays is a superpower all on its own.

A superhero needs a nemesis, and who better than the man who paid for Fiona's serum and then left her behind when he didn't like the power she received? Patrick Veller hides in plain sight under the name General Eagle, who stands up against the Corrupted, working in the spotlight under the guise of being a public watchdog. He rails against the "monsters" that Corrupted are, scaring the public with exaggerated stories. Fiona knows his secret, but he knows hers, too, and he's not above blackmail to get her to do what he wants.

Action-packed and unique, this novella-length story was hard for me to put down. I cheered for Fiona, swooned for Ian, and hated General Eagle. The ending was a surprise, and I really enjoyed the ride. I really hope that Tamara revisits this world again soon. If you like your light romances with good humor, some action, and a sprinkling of superheroes, this is one to read.(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Rhianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

A bit flawed but a comicbook fan is likely to devour it.

Ian Jones had a good reason for rejecting Fiona Nelson all those years ago. He was the teenaged geek and she was a hottie with a reputation. When their paths cross this time it's not long before he suspects that she underwent the costly converstion treatment that's gifted people with supernatural abilities. He's been studying the effects of the conversion serum and trying to track down a specific firestarting criminal nicknamed Fireball.

Fio...more A bit flawed but a comicbook fan is likely to devour it.

Ian Jones had a good reason for rejecting Fiona Nelson all those years ago. He was the teenaged geek and she was a hottie with a reputation. When their paths cross this time it's not long before he suspects that she underwent the costly converstion treatment that's gifted people with supernatural abilities. He's been studying the effects of the conversion serum and trying to track down a specific firestarting criminal nicknamed Fireball.

Fiona's conversion has left her bereft of human touch and forced to control her emotions lest she set her world ablaze. When the ex who paid for her conversion drops back into her life to blackmail her into helping his latest bid for power she'll have to face the past she's tried to let go and decide whether to fight back or become a martyr.

Conceptually, PLAYING WITH FIRE is very comic-book-ish in a totally great way and the shortness of the story delivers itself to that narrative very well. It's not a bad story or a bad romance, it just fell flat to me. I felt like I'd read it before. The whole hot-girl with a crush on the geek (as teenagers) thing kind of confused me and never really felt plausible. It actually made Fiona seem shallow as if she couldn't possibly imagine the geek would be the one who rejected her. Like he should have been thanking heaven he was that lucky. That she was still hanging onto that a decade later seemed even sillier. That aside, I did like them together as a couple.

The plot has a nice twist that's not totally unpredictable but enjoyable. The world building was just right as far as a superhero-type one is concerned. I liked the sort of cliched source of the conversion serum and honestly, if Morgan wrote more novellas in this world, I'd probably read them.

As a novella it's a nice afternoon filler read for readers who love comicbook type stories and superheroes. If you're not big on the superhero thing I can't imagine this one would really entertain.

***Review copy received via publisher.(less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own-kindle, read-in-2012, for-review-read

Fiona's life went downhill when she was labelled a slut at school thanks to her close friend Ian and she spent the rest of her teens trying to live up to her reputation. But since she agreed to take the conversion serum and ended up with a rather uncontrollable power to create fire human contact has been impossible. Any strong kind of emotion causes her power to flare doing damage to anyone or anything around her so although she has tried to learn to control the ability she has had to become a l...more Fiona's life went downhill when she was labelled a slut at school thanks to her close friend Ian and she spent the rest of her teens trying to live up to her reputation. But since she agreed to take the conversion serum and ended up with a rather uncontrollable power to create fire human contact has been impossible. Any strong kind of emotion causes her power to flare doing damage to anyone or anything around her so although she has tried to learn to control the ability she has had to become a loner just to keep others safe. When someone with similar abilities starts making random attacks in her area Fiona is under suspicion but the person who will either condemn her or prove her innocence is none other than the boy who broke her heart and ruined her life all those years ago. Ian has always regretted the way he treated Fiona but how can he prove it to her?

I can never resist a story about humans with supernatural abilities so I couldn't wait to read Playing with Fire. This was my first story by Tamara Morgan but it won't be the last and I'm wondering if this is going to be the first instalment to a new series. If it is I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more stories. As a novella with around 80 pages this is a quick read and doesn't allow the author much time for world building but she has still managed to give a bit of history around why people took the conversion serum and the effects it had on them. It was a really interesting idea and definitely has scope for lots more set in this world.

I liked Fiona's character but I have to admit I found myself a little frustrated at how she acted up to the reputation she has had since she was a teenager. I did feel sorry for her though, especially the way she has always been used by the men in her life and that she is now living quite a lonely and solitary existence. Ian was a bit of a geek at school and that trait has carried over into his adulthood but he has matured a lot and is much more confident than he used to be. I actually have quite a soft spot for nerds so it wasn't difficult to develop a bit of a crush on him, particularly when he was so protective of Fiona. The romance does feel a little rushed but it can be hard to achieve the right balance when writing a novella and considering the world building that takes place Playing with Fire was still an enjoyable read.

If you like stories about superheroes or characters with X-Men type abilities and are looking for a quick fun read then you can't go far wrong with this one. I'm hoping that this does indeed turn into a series and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for longer books in future if it does that allow a bit more time for character development and a slow build of the relationship. I'll definitely keep my eye out for more by Tamara Morgan in the future though.(less)

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Dec 18, 2012 Tori [Book Faery] rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, read-in-2012, reviewed

See this review in it's entirety at:
http://www.book-faery.blogspot.com

I like novellas, I really do. What I don't always like about them is the fact that the romance sometimes does not work very well. For me, such was the case in PLAYING WITH FIRE.

I did not understand the attraction between Fiona and Ian. They supposedly have a rough high school past, but Fiona just finds him so delicious that, despite those harsh memories, she practically turns into a puddle of goo internally when they run into...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Alexia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was able to read this book early on and I loved it! And, I just want to say, I love geeky heroes. (I'll take an Ian please.) I thought Tamara did something interesting with this superhero book regarding Ian's work--something you'll just have to read the novella for yourself to find out.

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Jan 02, 2013 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, paranormal

Ian is a hot nerd, I'm in love.

Ms Morgan, please keep writing stories from this world!

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Sep 23, 2012 Jenny (hades2) (Chocolate Chunky Munkie) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books-arc

Review to follow shortly.

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About Tamara Morgan

Tamara Morgan is a contemporary romance author of humorous, heartfelt stories with flawed heroes and heroines designed to get your hackles up and make your heart melt. Her long-lived affinity for romance novels survived a B.A. degree in English Literature, after which time she discovered it was much more fun to create stories than analyze the life out of them.

Whether building Victorian dollhouses,...more

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