Playing with Fire

by Renee Graziano, Christina Delaine (Reader)

Reign Grazi is no stranger to dangerous men. Her whole life, they've been there. Grandfathers, uncles, cousins…she knows the difference between people who made the rules and those who broke them. But she has no idea why someone might want her dead.

Nick Fattelli is handsome, sophisticated, and…an assassin. He doesn't know who hired him to take out Reign, but after they meet and sparks fly, he vows to protect her. Unless it's really him they are after…
Thus begins PLAYING WITH FIRE, a sexy thriller by Renee Graziano, star of VH1's hit show Mob Wives.
The author knows this lifestyle firsthand: She is the daughter of one of the most famous mobsters of our day, with an ex-husband now in witness protection, and a trail of "connected" boyfriends a mile long.

Genres: Fiction

6 pages, Audio CD

First published February 1, 2014

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the winners for this book I was so excited when I got it in the mail Tuesday I finished it tonight.I loved it I couldn't put it down it was a great read especially with a glass of wine. I love every detail and every description of each character.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

PLAYING WITH FIRE is the debut novel by VH1's Mob Wives star Renee Graziano and gives the reader an inside look at what it's like to be a mob princess with a price on her head.

Fashion designer Reign Grazi knows dangerous men; she's been around them her entire life. And when she meets elegant yet understated Nick Fattelli, she spots his edge of danger immediately, and she isn't interested in resisting him. Nick definitely wants to get close to Reign, but not just because he wants her in bed. He has no clue who hired him to kill her, but she doesn't seem like the kind of woman someone wants dead, even if she is part of an organized crime family.

Nick wants to know who wants Reign dead and why. He also wants to know why he's so intrigued by this particular woman. Reign knows she should go for someone safe, someone like her former lover Sal who adores her. But she can't quite stay away from her bad boy hit man Nicky. As she and Nick get to know one another, they both find themselves falling harder for each other, even though they know they're not good for one another. Can Nick keep Reign alive long enough to figure out who wants her dead?

PLAYING WITH FIRE is the debut novel by Renee Graziano, star of the VH1 reality show Mob Wives. I will admit that I had a really difficult time putting aside my opinion of Ms. Graziano's TV character and reviewing this book solely on its merit. PLAYING WITH FIRE almost looked semi-autobiographical, with the similar names and cast of characters in both the book and her real life, further blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Regardless, there were things about this story that I liked and things that were cringe-worthy for me. The sometimes cheesy ("He represented danger, and she had the golden ticket for that ride.") and sometimes sleazy writing just had me rolling my eyes. Additionally, there were random sentences thrown in that gave me whiplash on occasion, trying to figure out what direction Ms. Graziano was going to go.

That said, I did like the suspense of wondering who wanted Reign dead and why. The information unfolds slowly yet methodically, keeping the suspense up throughout the story. Ms. Graziano hit her stride midway through this book and I wound up somewhat enjoying the story as it unfolded. While I didn't really enjoy Reign's snotty attitude or lack of enthusiasm and thought she went about her day mainlining Prozac, Nick was better written and had a decent amount of depth to him. Their chemistry in the bedroom was lukewarm, but as a crime-fighting duo, they have potential.

Overall, PLAYING WITH FIRE wasn't a horrible read for me, and I think that with a little more developmental bitch slaps and a little less on-page arrogance, Ms. Graziano could have a decent future ahead of her as an author.

[Lorri Vagnone-tamburro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book on Thursday night and finished it this morning, Saturday. I couldn't put it down. It is one of those books that keeps you guessing and trying to figure out who did it? I highly recommend this book whether or not you are a fan of the Mob Wives. I wish more authors would write like this. It was nice to enjoy a book that kept my attention and had a great balance of sex and excitement.

[Jacqueline Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book the first day because I am a fan of Mobwives. I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised with the quality of the book, not that I didn't expect it to be good. I just didn't expect to love it so much!! Hopefully the author comes out with another book soon. Can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve

[Melody Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a HOT book! Hope there is a sequel!! Good job Renee!!

[Brittany Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down!

Great read. Definitely would recommend this to anyone. Hoping another book comes out. Attention grabbing & adventurous. 2 thumbs up.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I literally gave this book 3 stars mainly because it was written by Renee Graziano and I loved the Mob Wives. RIP to Ann and her family. The story line itself was impressive because I didn't think Renee could produce such a thing. lol But if you're a fan of the Mobwives, you should enjoy this book. If not, you probably won't have a love for the characters as much as us fans.

[Alyssa Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. Full of suspense and a good plot; no one would’ve thought what happened was actually happened in the end. Would love to check out the associated TV series one day. A new author on my shelves!

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad book at all. I liked the plot and couldn't guess who the bad guy was until the very end.

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not stop reading! Some parts were slow towards the end but you just have to push through. The writing was smooth and easy to follow.

[Danni Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally Just Sex . Plot is weak .

[Aaliyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 2.5 or maybe 2.75

[Richelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars.
As soon as the episode aired where Renee Graziano revealed that she was writing a book, I immediately went online to find out more about it, and ended up ordering it right then and there. I only bought it and read it because I like Renne... I love the show "Mob Wives"!
anyways about the book...
It was cute, very sexy love scenes.. I really hope her son AJ doesn't read it lol..
I found it to be the typical hot boy meets hot girl and they have crazy chemistry and crazy hot sex... but this book also had some sweet action.. which was one of the best parts!
I loved the action...everyone getting shot at, and then trying to figure out who did it!
I was surprised to find out who was responsible..and loved how business was taken care of! lol
I really liked the ending... cute way to end a cute book... I enjoyed it.. but in my opinion nothing to write home about...!
quick read.. I found some of the sentences a little hard to understand, some words were out of place which made me have to go back and re read the sentence to understand what she
meant by it... The word succinct was way over used..

overall cute story, cute end.. really fast read..
sexy love scenes.. worth a read if you are a fan of Renee Graziano!!
I'm glad I read it! and was really surprised with how it turned out for a first time author !

[sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mob Wives and I was so excited when this book came out because I love Renee. This book had a great storyline that just wasn't put together well. I give her a lot of respect and credit for putting a book out there. I wound up listening to the book on Audible after it being on my TBR shelf for a few years. It was good, but like I said, the writing wasn’t perfect and the story line was good but blasé. Loved the characters and the relationships in the story though. Overall, good book, it just wasn’t my favorite read.

[Susan Mejias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a 'Mob Wives' fan, I had to read this! I did enjoy it and read through it quickly. It seemed a little dramatic, but coming from renee Graziano I wouldn't expect any less. The only issue I had was the dialogue. It really didn't seem natural and there was way too much talking going on during foreplay, sex, and gunfire. I'm no mob wife, but WHO DOES THAT!?! No one talks that much at those times!

[Rebecca Sue Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than I could have ever expected!

I bought the book because I am a huge fan of Mob Wives and wanted to support Renee! Yes it can be a bit graphic at times, but that was clearly stated on the show. What I didn't expect was a terrific mystery story line with a twist ending! Fabulous work! Congratulations Ms. Graziano!

[Andrea Bolton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summer fluff. A lot of sex, mystery and interesting characters.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was made out to be a real hot and steamy read but itnwas the farest thing from it. Very predictable as to the ending midway through the book. Very disappointed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

A terrible read. Could barely get through it. Attempts to be sexy but comes off annoying with how obvious the scenes are

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book. Written solely by a television star (Watch the show why I wanted to read)

[Irina Kapetanakis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth it

It was an ok book but nothing I would recommend to anyone. I like mob books but this one wasn't interesting.

[Christina Mages · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I loved this book. I miss Renee on mob wives

[Shamyra Begin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I do that to myself?? Not a good read at all.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

predictable but good

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read. I enjoyed the story, as I am morbidly fascinated with all things mafia, and I followed Mob Wives , when it was on the air.