West, oh boy, West owns my heart. I’m sorry, but HE IS MY TOP HERO. He had so many layers and depth. Like most of her heroes, he is broken, but he is a bit more surly than the average Shen alpha. And although this demeanor may by similar to previous heroes, he is NOTHING like them. His complexity and layers are many, and the transformation to open his heart had me falling for him. West shows a woman how a man should court a woman and love her fully. anyways. 2.5 weeks later after when Grace and West are already getting to know one another through work and somewhat emotionally connecting, he sleeps with this random OW, Melanie I was in love with West St. Claire. Madly. Wholly. Obsessively, even. He was the most complex man I’d ever met—sweet, caring, kind, responsible. But also violent, aggressive, offhanded, and cruel." 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. And then there is West St. Claire...goodness gracious this beautifully broken and flawed man. One who experienced death and destruction, but with Grace learned to love again. West was a phenomenal character!

Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen | Goodreads

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 and West's love story is one of a kind, they stole my heart in the sweetest way possible. LJ nailed the small-town romance. What trope can this woman not write? The writing was bang on, the plot was FANTASTIC and the ending gosh! The sweetest way to kill me. West and Gracie are here to steal hearts y’all.The story really hooked me from the very beginning and I thought that I was well on my way to a 4 or 5 star rating. I absolutely love music so when I started reading and realized that music was going to be a part of the story, I knew that I was in for a treat. One of the main characters in the book, Julia, is a violinist. Julia collects music and at the beginning of the story she acquires a piece of music while on a trip to Rome that ends up playing an important role in the story. Playing With Fire by L.J. Shen made my heart and soul burn so brightly and sweetly. The writing dragged me down to the most beautiful emotional hell and took me to the heaven of angst. One of my favourite L.J. Shen story ever. i'm sorry but the whole sleeping with the OW while thinking of the heroine excuse is getting old. it's annoying af. I got up and scooped her up, giving people something to look at and talk about for years in this godforsaken town, pressing a dirty kiss to her lips and almost breaking her jaw in the process.

Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen - Goodreads Editions of Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen - Goodreads

Fire symbolized beauty, fury, and rebirth, she explained. Too bad in my case, it symbolized nothing but my demise." 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. L.J. Shen decided to play with my heart in Playing With Fire. And I am surrendering without fight. Because there is no way to escape the lethal emotions in this small town romance. It was a breathtaking mix of intense feels. My heart has been taken over by this angsty, inspiring and unique romance. She wrote about some truly unique, inspiring and riveting things here. MAGNIFICENT! It was heartfelt and breathtakingly emotional and one of the best stories she has ever written! Grace and West are a dream, a goal, and an ideal. Their paths are chaotic, crumbled, and filled with shadows but when they merge and become one- it is breathtaking.

Shen has delivered the unexpected and in my book, easily one of the best novels she has written so far. Putting her unique stamp on a trope I love, each of the protagonists’ emotional journeys is a tale in itself. And the title that conveys layers of meaning would consequently show its perfection. Among other things that grabbed my attention was the well-designed book cover, setting the tone to this gritty story. can 100% confirm there's no chocolate bar, chisels, and fivesome in this book - we all do NOT need to go therapy. phew. 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. I LOVED this book! It was definitely one of my favorite stories of Leigh's and I didn't know I needed it until I read it. West and Grace are two beautiful people each going through their own traumas and the aftermath of a tragedy. They are both closed off in their own way because of what happened, they are letting their lives pass them by until the moment they become friends and their walls start crumbling. And their banter and chemistry was so phenomenal!!! I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing - Ballantine via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Playing With Fire Book | PDF - Scribd Playing With Fire Book | PDF - Scribd

What words can I say to fully articulate well to show my emotion of what L.J. Shen’s word to do to me each time I open one of her books? 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. The story opens with violinist Julia Ansdell purchasing an old music book from an antique shop in Rome. Inside the book, she discovers a loose sheet of paper that has a handwritten waltz by someone named L. Todesco. after Grace Shaw's (h) accident when she was 16 which scarred her physically, she became invisible and hid in her own shell for the next 5 years until she meets West St. Claire (H) - Sheridan University's "bad boy" who runs and fights in an undergroung fighting rink.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. Julia doesn't understand what is happening to her daughter, but she thinks she knows what's causing it. She is terrified for Lily, and for herself, but what scares her more is that no one believes her. This is historical fiction at its best, it's a fiction story set in the past but with some historical facts and figures to keep the reader educated and interested.

Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change - Yumpu [PDF] Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change - Yumpu

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...He basically dragged Mel up the stairs, blood dribbling down his chin, slammed her against the empty elevator bank, and screwed her senseless... Mel told her it was insane and carnal and hot as Hades. But that he didn't even look at her face as he gave her two orgasms... Mel said he kept touching her hair while pounding into her and that he kept talking about Texas." Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley.) i didn't hate it but i also didn't love it, mostly, i just didn't feel anything. but that's probably a me thing i don't know. 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. 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.