December '09 BotM: Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter

[Kathleen]

Please post comments and discussion here for the December '09 Book of the Month:

Playing With Fire (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, Book 1) by Gena Showalter

[Julia]

This is where the discussion is of Playing with Fire?Playing With Fire

This book was not for me. I gave up on it after reading 114 pages, seven chapters, that's over one quarter of the book. Belle annoyed me. Rome was too cryptic. Belle can’t keep a job, then, while a barrista, she drinks some latte with a secret formula in it that makes her a superhero. Every time Belle looks at Rome she wants to jump his bones. At one point she thinks, "Apparently the more time I spent with him, the lower my IQ dropped." (p.89) I felt the same way, reading the book.

But I’ve just picked up Shiver, Hunger Games and The Rabbi’s Cat books at the library and got Leviathan for Hanukah.

What do other people think of the book?

[Kathleen]

I haven't completed Playing With Fire, but tend to agree with your review. I had heard such promising things about Gena Showalter that I didn't have a problem with voting for this book over the book that I had nominated. If Playing With Fire is typical of her storytelling, I won't be seeking out any more of her novels. Belle is an extremely unlikeable heroine.

I should complete this book by this weekend and will post by own review at that time.

[Kathleen]

I finished Playing With Fire this weekend and have not altered my opinion of this book. The premise for the plot is sound for a paranormal romance. Young woman accidently finds herself with superpowers and has to learn to cope. I would have liked a little more on why Dr. Roberts dumped the formula in Belle Jamison's grande mocha latte, but assumed that the author would explore this action more fully in future books. The problem is that I didn't like Belle enough to empathsize with her predictament. I was actually hoping that Rome Masters, the hero, would get together with his ex-wife, Lexis Masters, who I considered a more likeable character. Also, I can't imagine the kind of role model that Belle would make for Rome's young daughter, Sunny. Belle whines a lot, never takes responsibility for her actions -- it is always someone else's fault, and was fired from a long list of past jobs just for lack of trying.

I am giving this book three stars and am probably being too generous.