Playing with Fire

By: Gena Showalter

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Twenty-four-year-old barista Belle Jamison dreams of a better job and a decent love life - until a crazy scientist spikes her mocha latte! Suddenly, Belle can wield the four elements - earth, wind, fire, and water - with only a thought. Coffee too hot? No problem. Hair in need of a blow-dry? Done.

Gorgeous government agent Rome Masters has been sent to neutralize Belle. But he's not the only one after her. Together they must outrun the rogue agents on their trail and find a way to control her powers. There's just one problem: the sparks Belle and Rome generate are even hotter than the ones flying from her eyes. And with her future on the line, now is the worst possible time to fall in love!

©2009 Gena Showalter (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The versatile Showalter takes the nail-biting elements of her exciting paranormals and blends them with the wit and humor of her contemporary romances to make a delicious offering spiced with the best ingredients of both." ( Booklist)

i loved this

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

i woulld recommend this book if you like syfy and action.the books make you think that it is possble if you dont watch what you drink. a whole world of shit could and would happen

What other book might you compare Playing with Fire to and why?

jennifer estep elemental assasin sieres and jane yellow rock

Go for the Kindle version instead

What did you like best about Playing with Fire? What did you like least?

I read Playing with fire as an ebook first and loved it. the character was witty, sarcastic, and tough but i couldn't finish the audio book. it was still the same story but the inflections of the narrator seemed to change the main character into something altogether annoying.

Any additional comments?

Really read the ebook instead.

I loved Jessica Almasy!

I loved it! If you liked The Rabbit Chronicles you will like this, but if you want more of the Lords of the Underworld you may not. I personally like to mix it up and loved all 3 series! Listen to the preview!! If you find it to be entertaining you will enjoy the book!

The fact Jessica Almasy was the narrator was the entire reason I wanted to listen to this series, I absolutely loved her in Robyn Petermans Hot Damn series! I find her narration always keeps me sucked in and I really enjoyed her in this series!

5 STARS JESSICA AND GENA⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read this not underworld series

I love this book. It's sequel "Twice as Hot" is great too. I listened to both I really got into this author so I mistakenly bought the 4 books for 2 credits package on "Lords of the Underworld" by the same author. Be forewarned: These are nothing like what "Playing with Fire."

Boring...

I am into my 4th CD and still am waiting for something to happen. The two main characters are very swallow and the conversation is so 'not real'. Very disappointed. Save your cash or credits and pass on this one.

Don't do it.

Ok. So. I never expect Showalter's writing to be Pulitzer winning. Her proses leave much to be desired and sometime I want to give her a thesaurus. BUT her beefcake with a heart of gold stories are entertaining and I enjoy them. This is NOT an accurate depiction of Playing with Fire. Showalter has created the dumbest, most immature woman alive. I hope she doesn't identify with Belle. This book is slow moving and boring.

The Heroine Falls Short

Would you try another book from Gena Showalter and/or Jessica Almasy?

This is my first Gena Showalter book, and if this is indicative of the quality and depth of her stories, then I'll pass. The story seemed fun- I mean, what's not to like about a girl gaining power over the elements through her mocha latte? But, the story development quickly fell by the wayside as soon as our heroine met the romantic interest. The rest of the story revolved around getting in bed with him. I mean, who cares about having out-of-control powers or bad guys trying to kidnap you so that they can experiment on you when there's a good looking man around? Our heroine Belle Jamison sure doesn't.

I love quick-witted, sarcastic, strong heroines along the lines of any Molly Harper leading lady. But Gena Showalter pushed too much. Belle's sharp wit and remarks often came across as forced and cheesy at times. She was also self-absorbed, not matter how much she tried to convince us otherwise, and has absolutely no people skills. Instead of being sassy and fun, she just came across as annoying and shallow. I wasn't impressed with her and by the end of the story, I didn't really care about her and the struggles she was going through. Jessica Almasy's narration also didn't help things. Her pacing was a little too slow for my liking, and I think that her voice is better suited for teen stories. I had a hard time imagining Belle as an adult.

Overall, this book was just okay. I wouldn't say that it was a waste of a credit, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you absolutely love Gena Showalter.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

This book would've been so much better if any kind of actual romance, or relationship of any kind, had a chance to develop between them. Since the book is told from Belle's point of view, you spend the majority of the book listening to her inner dialogue. And the majority of that dialogue is devoted to her daydreams of having sex with Rome and how attractive he was. I can't recall any instances where she admired or even noted his personality unless she was complaining about him. And I really can't understand what Rome sees in Belle. She is either doubting and mistrusting him, or inadvertently trying to kill him.

So, if you're into 100% physical attraction romances, this is the book for you. But if you're looking for any kind of deeper connection, skip it.

Cheap writing

What would have made Playing with Fire better?

The writer shouldnt have tried so hard to be trendy...accidentally drinking a "latte" with that gave the main character magic abilities? C'mon...lame.

What do you think your next listen will be?

nothing corny like this

How could the performance have been better?

the narator shouldnt have sounded like an airhead valley girl.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

the cliche sparked disappointment

Any additional comments?

I couldnt get past chapter 3.

Truely a Disappointment

As much as I love a good G. Showalter book, this book really sucks! I bought both books in the series book 1 &2 and I can't even finish book 1. and the reason are:

Audio is horriable and I'm not sure if its the narrator J.Almasy even though I do think her voice is more for a young adult book than this or the fact the audio performance just plain sucked. Ms. Almasy voice was so low in some parts of the story that I would have to turn it up to full volume only to have my ears blown out the the next sentence, because her range change from a soft whisper to a full out yell.
Ms.Almasy voice is very childish, I had a hard time believeing she was of age to say some of the words in the book, I was almost embarssed to listen to her.

As for the storyline, it drown on and on, such a disappointment from Ms. Showalter, I couldn't even get into the story.

To me this book is not worth a credit, I was sorry I got them both..

How old is the author?

My sister recommeded this author. So I tried one when it went on a 4.95 sale. She writes like a child and throws in some "adult" scenes for some unknown reason. What is she 14 or 15 years old? I read a wide variety of genres, but this book fails no matter what genre you try to fit it into. There is MUCH better out there if you are looking for Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Adventure, or whatever.