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Wednesday 15 September 2010

PLAYING WITH FIRE by Katie MacAlister

The heat is on...

Despite her unique ability to protect herself by hiding in the shadows, May's on the run for breaking Otherworld law. And she's also in hiding from her demon boss, Magoth, who is absolutely determined to seduce her.

But then May meets Gabriel. The most gorgeously, broodingly, handsome piece of trouble you can imagine. Sparks fly - quite literally - when she discovers he's actually a shapeshifting dragon. And the passion that burns between them makes it look like he could be the one to take her out of the shadows for good.

That is, until Magoth orders May to steal one of Gabriel's treasures. And she really does have to decide if she's up to playing with fire...

This is the first book in the Silver Dragons trilogy, featuring May and Gabriel.

May is a doppleganger. She was made by her twin, Cyrene, at a moment of weakness. In order to give May life, Cyrene had to give up her common sense. Which means that May is constantly cleaning up whatever mess her twin leaves behind. Cyrene also managed to commit May to a life of servitude by the demon Magoth. Magoth enjoys making May steal things, and because of her ability to shadow walk, she's quite good at it. But when she accidentally takes an item too valuable to keep, and plans to return it, she crosses paths with a demon in the form of a dog, a pregnant Guardian, and a bunch of dragons.

That's when her life changes. A lot. Now that the Silver dragon Gabriel (who is desperate for a mate) has met her and she can withstand his fire, he claims her as his mate. May isn't as convinced as he is, but she certainly can't withstand his charming smile and hot-blooded looks. But her life has so much more going on at the moment, especially since she needs to help her twin get rid of a blackmailer by stealing something from another dragon. Something that gets her captured, imprisioned, and even sentenced to banishment in the Akasha.

However, with a little help from her twin and her new friends, she's able to get out of that sticky situation. Yet, the one thing she wants most she can't do--get herself out of her entanglement with Magoth. When the demon finds out about her association with the dragons, Magoth orders her to steal the one thing they've all been looking for: the phylactery. But if she gets her hands on the amulet, she has to give it to her demon master, which puts her in a very horrible and heartbreaking position.

Playing With Fire was a wonderful, intriguing book and a fantastic start to this trilogy. I instantly liked May, and the more I read, the more I enjoyed taking this adventure with her. There's a certain level of toughness about her that is softened by her innocence. And when she meets the alluring Gabriel, I really liked how it threw her into a foreign situation that had her fumbling. She'd always kept her distance from men because of her forced servitude to Magoth.

I'm always amazed by the intricate depth of Katie MacAlister's worldbuilding, as well as how she can take such dark subject matter and give it a lighthearted and even comical approach. She's also excellent at creating alpha males that know what they want and how to get it. She's quite the storyteller, and this book is quite a hot read.

This is paranormal romance at it's best. Can't wait to see where May ends up next...

Playing with Fire: Silver Dragons #1, July 2010, ISBN 978-034-099302-6, Hodder Paperbacks Paperback (A)

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