Playing With Fire

by Kayla Perrin

Zienna Thomas has finally found a man with forever potential. Or so she thinks...

Nicholas Aubrey is charming, successful, easy on the eyes and tender in bed. Everything is great…until Nicholas introduces his longtime friend Wendell Creighton. Zienna already knows Wendell — every luscious inch of him. Once upon a time she'd thought Wendell was ‘the one', but though they burned up the sheets together, he balked at real commitment.

Now Wendell is back on the scene, eyeing Zienna like she's a cool drink on a blistering day…and she's feeling the heat, too. Soon, Zienna is part of a torrid triangle, wondering which to choose: sweet, soul-satisfying Nicholas, or scorching, sexy Wendell. But a wicked part of her wonders: can't I have both?

The thrill of keeping two lovers in the dark and in her bed is powerful stuff. But Zienna knows she's playing a dangerous game — just how dangerous remains to be seen, because when the truth comes out and the testosterone-fuelled rivalry threatens to explode, someone is going to get burned...

'Perrin is an author who belongs on your must-read list.' — Romance Reader at Heart.

Genres: Romance

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

This book was like an addiction. I actually tentatively opened this because one of the main things in this book seemed to be cheating. I am not a big fan of cheating.
Seriously, my concern was blown right out of the water because of the circumstances and the characters.
Zienna is finally happy in a relationship with Nicholas after trying to get over her ex for 4 years. Everything is going smoothly until Nicholas wants to introduce her to his best friend.....who ends up being Wendall....her ex. It turns out Wendall may have been lying to her when he was with her all those years ago....but he is back and he wants a second chance and Zienna can't help but be tempted by the man that broke her heart all those years ago.
Kayla Perrin has written a book that is clever, the storyline was unpredictable and the characters flawed but real. I could understand the actions and even though I am no way excusing them, I was glad at how the story turned out. In fact the twist at the end knocked my socks off.
If you don't mind a love triangle, a bit of angst and a little mystery I would suggest you pick up Playing with Fire. This steamy little number was well worth my time.

[Ranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, unbelievable addicting...I read this book in less 2 hours...I was intrigued from the very beginning of this capativing yet confusing, mind twisting, heart pounding love story.

I read love Zienna Thomas....she was strong, reliable and determine to find happiness, and true love, at all cost...(she was created with such delicate extraordinary details...I felt as if I knew her and her best friend, Alexis, personally)....At first, I was disgusted with Wendell and Zienna, for the ways the treated Zienna's boyfriend, Nicholas (lying and cheating)...but the ending of this book was so shocking and twisted, when we realized that Nicholas was a pysco, he put cameras in Zienna's apartment to watch her have sex with Wendell, illegal made a copy of her apartment key and then stabbed himself and tell the police that Wendell try to kill them...he also tried to kill Zienna in the hospital)....

"Jealousy make people do the unthinkable things". Finally at end of our story, Zienna got her fairytale ending with Wendell....definitely highly recommend!!!!!

[Deneé · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at Novel Reveries

“She was dancing in front of the fire, getting too close.” (loc. 1893)

I wanted to delve into this book, and I wanted to love this book the way I loved The Sisters of Theta Phi Kappa: A Novel, which I’ve read some years ago. I liked the action towards the end, but that’s probably about it.

“In four years she hadn’t seen this man, and now here he was like an apparition come to life.” (loc. 111)

The characters seemed too stiff and impersonal, with stoic and inhuman dialogues. The main character, Zienna was just unlikeable with her choices and decisions and ultimate neediness. As a reader it was hard to sympathize with any of her choices as she fails, every single time, to see the obvious character flaws in the men she’s involved with. It seems like she’s supposed to be drawn out as a strong independent woman, but I got nothing but the opposite from her thought-process and actions. This book made it seem that Nicholas and Wendell were the only men left in the universe.

“Sometimes we get so caught up in the fantasy of Mr. Right or Mrs. Right that we jump into relationships without thinking, and then we realize when we’re in them that they’re not exactly what we want.” (loc.1697)

Also, I know what type of genre this book belongs to, but the only thing that seems to go through every characters mind in this book is sex. All of the time. And apparently it comes up in every single conversation and seems to be the true root of all of Zienna’s problems. There wasn’t much steam in the romance department (maybe one to one and a half chapters worth,) but the book just discusses the subject a lot, along with other relationship problems such as control issues and lack of compassion. I don’t know, I guess I was initially excited to read this book because I wanted the same mystery and thrill as some of Kayla Perrin’s other works, but this definitely doesn’t nudge me away from any of her future works. Overall, I like how she develops her plots, and how they can sometimes take a shivering twist. I did like the action that eventually happened in this book, but it definitely wasn’t unsuspected as we come to know the characters, apparently better than Zienna, does. This book isn’t too long, and would make a nice simple comfort read as there’s no world building or over-complicated plot to shovel through. I would recommend this book to those who need a simple wind-down read that involves romance with a hint of suspense.

First Line: “‘Wow, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You’re blowing me off tonight– for a man?’” (loc. 10)

Last Line: “A kiss that told her she and her heart finally had a home.” (loc. 3056)

Galley provided by NetGalley via Harlequin MIRA

*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was initially intrigued by this story, with its protagonist caught between her current good-guy boyfriend and her former player boyfriend, who arrives back on the scene after dumping heroine four years earlier. Zienna and her best friend debate the merits of sticking with the nice guy vs. jumping back on the bad boy bandwagon, so much so that I wondered if the nice guy was actually going to get a hearing. Instead, though, Zienna's best friend is physically harmed when she gets her freak on with a wild guy, and ends up back with the dull boyfriend she ditched earlier (even after he admits that he actually cheated on her while they were together). In contrast, Zienna's nice guy turns out to be a psycho control freak, making player boyfriend seem like an upstanding guy in comparison. Talk about confusing ideology! Interesting, though, to see a heroine sleep with two different guys in the course of a romance...

[Charlotte Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was all a bit Meh for me.

One girl with a boyfriend, an ex shows up, there's a bit of friction.
Then she starts reminiscing about the ex. Sex with the boyfriend is boring and safe then against her better judgment she does it with the ex. Then she's caught up with guilt. The boyfriend finds out etc etc etc.

Nothing new or original and I'm afraid I got bored and started speed reading. The story in between with the friend was a little far fetched. The description was way over compensating for the lack of story. Promises of something new and exciting with Wendell. He was just the same as Nicholas but with more zest. A weird finish with no real plausible explanation as to why. Sorry, not for me.

[Jara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NLT



James 1:2‭-‬8 NCV
-

My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.

But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind. Such doubters are thinking two different things at the same time, and they cannot decide about anything they do. They should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think so many topics could’ve been fleshed out properly such as:

- What happed during the first month of Nick’s relationship with Zee? How did she get past him feeling insecure? How did she prove herself to him?

- More about Nick’s past relationships before Zee. What did Nick tell Zee about those relationships?

- More about the 4 years Wendell spent with Pam and his son. More about why his restaurant failed. Why did he pivot from not wanting to be a coach(this was mentioned briefly)?

- More about Zee’s life after her parents died. The wedge it drove in between her relationship with her sister.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. So this book made me angry only because of how stupid the main character is. Zienna drove me absolutely crazy because she was a selfish twit and reading the story in her perspective was absolutely infuriating. The story itself wasn’t that great, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading and it did have a good ending. I did like Alexis and Wendall’s character. I would have given 2 stars, but because it had a decent ending and wrapped up well I pushed it to 3 stars.

[Silvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellissimo libro! uno dei miei preferiti, il finale sorprendente... lo adoro, riesci ad immedesimarti nella situazione ed è difficile smettere di leggerlo!!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in 1 day! I loved it

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

After mending a broken heart for several years, Zienna has finally moved on and the perfect guys for her, Nicholas. Nicholas is charming, kind, successful, and good-looking, truly everything she could want wrapped up into one delicious package. Even though Zienna is happy, she can’t help but compare her vanilla sex life with Nicholas to the smoking hot relationship she had with Wendell. Wendell had been perfect for her, or so she thought, she’d fallen head over heels for him, and the sexual chemistry between the two of them had been intense. Nicholas makes her happy, but she fantasizes about the aggressive sexual relationship she had with Wendell.
Nicholas asks Zienna to come to his new restaurant a try a couple of dishes that he’s planning to put on the new menu. When she agrees, she finds out that he has a surprise guest in town that Nicholas wants her to meet. Imagine Zienna’s surprise when she finds out that Nicholas’ surprise guest is her ex, Wendell. Not only are Wendell and Nicholas best friends, but Wendell is going to be managing Nicholas’ new restaurant.
Immediately the attraction between Zienna and Wendell is evident and before long, Zienna finds herself caught in between two very fantastic men. How can she possibly choose between the both of them? Deciding to sample both of them, Zienna finds herself in the middle of a triangle that very quickly turns dangerous.
This was a first author read for me, even though I had heard of Kayla Perrin. A big fan of the former Spice line from Harlequin, I decided to give her a try. Honestly, I really was not impressed with this story. The writing, in my opinion was very average, nothing spectacular. The plot has been done before, and in my experience better.
The story was mostly about Zienna and her being caught between Wendell and Nicholas. However, it seemed like for over half of the book, Zienna was either on the phone with her best friend Alexis, going over to her house, getting a massage, getting manicure and pedicure, etc. etc. Honestly, I felt like this story was about her friendship with Alexis more than her dilemma with her two men. I am all about loyalty, and bff’s, but I found myself skimming over the parts with Alexis because after a while, it just became extremely redundant.
There was not a lot of build up or back story about Zienna in the beginning, and I found it awkward that the author started throwing personal information about Zienna into the story half-way through. She had been through quite a tragedy, something that certainly deserved to have some light shed on it prior to when it was placed in the story.
Overall, I was not impressed with this. NetGalley classifies this story as erotica, but I would definitely not place it in that category as the sex was mediocre at best, and like everything else, awkwardly placed, and redundant. Two stars.
***Provided to me via NetGalley***

[Book Reading Gals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: N/A

Author: Kayla Perrin

Genre: Romance

Blurb: It's time to play the players.

Zienna Thomas has finally found a man with forever potential: Nicholas Aubry is charming, successful, easy on the eyes and tender in bed. Everything is great…until Nicholas introduces his longtime friend Wendell Creighton. Zienna already knows Wendell—every luscious inch of him. Once upon a time she'd thought Wendell was The One, but though they burned up the sheets together, he balked at a real commitment.

Now Wendell is back on the scene, eyeing Zienna as if she's a cool drink on a blistering day…and she's feeling the heat, too. Soon Zienna is part of a torrid triangle, wondering which to choose: sweet, soul-satisfying Nicholas or scorching, sexy Wendell. But a wicked part of her wonders, Can't I have both?

The naughty thrill of keeping two lovers in the dark and in her bed is powerful stuff. But Zienna knows she's playing a dangerous game—just how dangerous remains to be seen, because when the truth comes out and the testosterone-fueled rivalry threatens to explode, someone is goingto get burned….

Thoughts: Zienna had finally found a way to move on after having her heart broken. And finally found another guy that might be able to fill the cold ache in her heart. But when her boyfriend asks her to meet his best friend, Zienna is not expecting that man to be the one who broke her heart years ago! But the worst part is that the sparks between them are even stronger than ever. Will they be able to resist their attraction to each other? And will Zienna be able to forgive him when she finds out the true reason he left her?

I can tell you straight off that this book will not be for everyone. Not only is the book based around a love triangle with Zienna having feelings for both men, she does sleep with both men in the novel within a short period of time. She continues to carry on an affair, while technically still in a relationship with the other guy. While I thought the author did an excellent job portraying Zienna's feelings and emotions and describing how she is drawn to both men for different reasons, some people may be turned off by that. While I wish she had broken things off with Nicholas - and been honest about her doubts - life is not always so cut and dried. And the author does an excellent job representing that in this book. And the ending is so shocking - it definitely catches you off guard. The way things unfold is just totally unexpected. Not really in who she winds up with, but in the way things finally occur.

Overall, if you're looking for a stereotypical romance, this may not be what you're looking for. But if you're looking for something a little different, something dealing with relationship struggles on more of a everyday level, you should give this one a try.

Rate: B+

Review by: Sarah

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[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started to read Playing With fire thinking that was a light and fun reading about a love triangle. But it wasn't what I found.

The book tell us Zienna's story. She is a woman in the thirties and she dates Nicholas, an amazing chef who is crazy about her. Every day the couple are getting more serious. But everything changes when Nicholas take Zienna to meet her best friend. The guy, Wendell, is her old boyfriend who dumped her because didn't want a commitment.

Then starts a mess, because she starts to feel atracted for Wendell and he is atracted to her too. and Nicholas starts to act in a strange way.

The book ahd everything to be amazing but I didn't feel connected with the characters. Zienna, in the beggining, looked like a strong woman. But strong is something she isn't. Actually she is annoying and very messy.

The guys are annoying too. The flaws they had were unexplicable and they way they acted were unforgivable.

Everything in the book were about sex and the characters doesn't knew the diference between love and sex. I didn't found tension between anybory, everything very empty.

The thing I likes was the way the writer writes. Her narrative is good but I feel like a waste in the middle of not strong characters. The book is small and is a fast read. I think a lot of people could like the book. He just doesn't suited for me.

[Lila Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

My view

I have mix feelings about this book. I like the way the book started and the relationship between Zienna and Nicholas, but had trouble with the way they ended up. Zienna had trouble sorting her feelings, but the reader understand her reasons. The problem was understanding what was happening with Nicholas when the author did not provide any hints.

The love scenes were related to the story and not overboard. As well as the scenes bridging the gaps between events. The relationships between the characters were well developed and the settings framed perfectly. It was easy to understand the dynamics of their daily lives in Chicago.

Overall, the story presents a good mix of romance, friendships and suspense. Zennia’s past with Wendell takes central stage for most of the middle of the story and his background story is compelling. The ending of the book is a little far fetched, but it was a different way to bring the book to its conclusion.

What I liked the most

I liked the friendship between Alexis and Zienna.

I wanted more of

I wanted more hints into Nicholas past and bad attitude before the big reveal.

Who should read it

Anyone looking for a romance novel with some suspense.

Rate

3.5 out of 5

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an outstanding novel. I felt so much of what the characters were feeling in this novel. Nicholas so insecure he'd go to great lengths to control Zienna. Wendell wanting to right a wrong from 4 years ago once he laid eyes on Zienna again. Alexis leaving her relationship with Elliott only to meet someone crazed and set on destroying her. The novel was well written. The reason for the 4.5 star rating is because there were a few grammatical errors but overall it was a book that I found myself reading late into the night. It will catch you from the beginning and leave you rooting for the love connections and realizing that sometimes a relationship can be built on so many lies. What we try to hide usually comes out because we can only pretend for so long. I found myself mad at times and feeling sorry at other times for Zee, Nic and Wendell as well as Alexis! Hats off to Kayla Perrin. Look forward to more great novels in the future! Don't sleep on this one, you will really enjoy it, I did!

[Tracee - LN · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this copy from Netgalley*

Zienna is a successful thirty something looking for the one. She wants a relationship like her deceased parents shared but hadn't had any luck until her friend Alexis introduced her to Nicholas. Nicholas, a successful chef and restaurant owner, appears steady, faithful, and ready for commitment. All is going well for Nicholas and Zienna until Wendell, a former professional football player and the one who broke Zienna's heart, makes his way back into town and threatens Zienna's relationship.

I liked this book. It started off slow to me but once I got into it, I didn't want to stop reading. Although the plot isn't exactly original, I like how this contemporary romance is for grown folks. Sex scenes were tastefully written with just enough umph. I also enjoyed the friendship between Zienna and her best friend Alexis. The author showed the realness and changes we all go through in friendships.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a departure for me. Love triangles are difficult to become emotionally invested in. The author did a really good job of illustrating the heroine's thoughts and feelings and including the reader in her angst. Life doesn't always follow plan, and this book does a great job of driving home that point. The ending, while satisfying, was unexpected. Getting there from here was quite a feat of plotting. The pacing was good, the characters well drawn, the sex passionate, ans the settings well drawn. Not a typical romance, but quite good in it's own way.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

[Harlequin Books]

"Perrin creates three compelling characters, which makes the heroine's choice in this love triangle difficult. The revelations here are fast-paced and juicy - crafting this into a page-turner. And the 180-degree personality turn of one of the trio is well plotted, leading to an exciting conclusion." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 1/2 stars

[Burgundy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this book I really did. I read halfway through and got bored with it. It was just boring and didnt keep my attention at all. I found myself reading it and then putting it up to read something else. Nicholas and zienna acted like some immature teenagers who were in their first relationship. And where did alexis and brock fit in this story.

[Josie]

I thought I would give this a go even though I wasn't sure about the premise, but unfortunately I found the writing a bit stilted, with more telling than showing, and as I skimmed ahead, it went in an even odder direction than I suspected.

[Julie Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very intriguing. Little scary how Nicholas her boyfriend turns out but glad she found love with Wendell.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good. wish there was a second one.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book! I recommend it!

[Ashaki Dada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me on my heels!