Playing With Fire - Book Review

By Kate Meader

Synopsis

As the only female firefighter at Engine Co. 6, Alexandra Dempsey gets it from all sides: the male coworkers who think she can’t do the job, the wives and girlfriends who see her as a threat to their firefighter men, and her overprotective foster brothers who want to shelter their baby sister at all costs. So when she single-handedly saves the life of Eli Cooper, Chicago’s devastatingly handsome mayor, she assumes the respect she’s longed for will finally come her way. But it seems Mr. Mayor has other ideas…

Eli Cooper’s mayoral ratings are plummeting, his chances at reelection dead in the water. When a sexy, curvaceous firefighter gives him the kiss of life, she does more than bring him back to the land of the living–she also breathes vitality into his campaign. Riding the wave of their feel-good story might prop up Eli’s flagging political fortunes, but the sizzling attraction between them can go nowhere; he’s her boss, and there are rules that must be obeyed. But you know what they say about rules: they’re made to be broken…

Review

PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first book I’ve read from Kate Meader and I found it quite enjoyable. It did take me a few days to finish, but I think that had more to do with the fact it was a paperback instead of a Kindle version.

The banter and sexual tension between Eli and Alex was the best part of this story. And there was a lot of banter and sexual tension. While he has experienced great tragedy throughout his life, Eli still had a privileged upbringing, which shows in the way he speaks and in how he thinks a woman should behave. While he likes Alex’s spunk, he thinks she’s unrefined and wants to tame her. Some of the things he would say to—and about—Alex rubbed me up the wrong way, but overall I liked him.

“You crossed a line in there, Dempsey. Ran your mouth off when all I required was that you wear your dress uniform and a sweet-as-sugar smile.”
“Like the good little woman. God, you’re such a throwback I bet all your selfies are sepia toned.”

Alex is a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, so much so that it turns a lot of people off. She’s not had much luck in the dating scene because men are intimidated by her strength, which I liked, but I also liked the vulnerability she showed when the situation called for it.

PLAYING WITH FIRE is told in dual POVs, and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. That being said, I did have trouble understanding the Dempsey family tree for a while, so I would have spent less time confused if I’d read the previous books in this series.