PLAYING WITH FIRE (Hot in Chicago #2) by Kate Meader-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 29, 2015

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

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REVIEW: PLAYING WITH FIRE is the second full length installment in Kate Meader’s contemporary, adult Hot in Chicago romance series focusing on the Dempsey family-a family of firefighting foster siblings who have seen their fare share of heartbreak and pain. This is female firefighter and only Dempsey daughter Alexandra Dempsey, and sexy Chicago Mayor Eli Cooper’s storyline. PLAYING WITH FIRE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for cohesion, backstory and family history I recommend reading the series in order.

Told from dual third person perspectives PLAYING WITH FIRE follows the antagonist relationship between Alexandra and Eli. For months Eli and Alex have been the bane of one another’s existence since Alex and her brother’s off hours antics find themselves the targets of paparazzi, media and you tube videos that find the Chicago Fire Department on the receiving end of harassment and lawsuits. The Dempsey family of foster siblings has a rocky relationship with the political elite of Chicago and adding Eli’s less than vague misogynistic insults directed at Alex, we have a volatile situation between our leading couple.

As the lone female firefighter at Engine Co. 6, Alex has presumably had her fair share of issues and problems with the other men, but Mayor Cooper is determined to throw Alex off of her pedestal by making her an offer she can’t refuse-Alex must pretend to be Eli’s girlfriend until the mayoral elections, and in return Eli will keep Chicago’s richest businessman from keeping true to a promise to sue Alex for a botched rescue that destroyed his $400,000 car. The only problem is the sexual energy and chemistry between Alex and Eli is off the charts, and the faux relationship between our couple will be anything but fake.

Eli and Alex have butted heads throughout the series and PLAYING WITH FIRE sees the misogynistic Eli brought to his knees by the loud-mouthed, alpha female who calls to his heart. But Alex ‘s feminist ideals are very radical in the face of main stream feminism-as the only female firefighter she has been targeted by the media and the men with whom she works, and in this Alex would over react and take comments and conversation out of context deeming them an attack against herself and woman as a whole. There were times Alex’s feminist beliefs were a little over the top as she was quick to jump, accuse and berate Eli Cooper for some perceived insult meant as a compliment or conversational starter. Romance storylines are not necessarily a platform for espousing radical feminism, or at the very least, presenting the heroine as a ball-busting b*tch of epic proportions-coming back from a less than positive characterization makes it difficult for some readers to find sympathy for the character in question. But we mustn’t forget Eli Cooper-as an arrogant and cocky politician, our hero knows how to play the audience, and Alexandra was a very captive audience. The $ex scenes are erotic, intense and seductive.

All of the Dempsey foster siblings play secondary and supporting roles including Luke Almeida and the love of his life Kinsey Taylor ( FLIRTING WITH FIRE #1), and Gage Simpson and Brady Smith ( MELTING POINT 1.5). Mayor Eli Cooper is a former military buddy of Brady Smith, and with it comes a life long friendship of kindred spirits. Eli’s family history is revealed a little at a time. Beck Rivera and Darcy Cochrane (Rekindle the Flame .5) play a larger role than in previous storylines.

PLAYING WITH FIRE looks at heartbreak and betrayal; family and love; secrets from the past and letting go. The premise is fast paced, sexy, engaging and clever; the characters are inspiring, impassioned and intense; the romance is playful, lighthearted and provocative. Alex and Eli’s road to a happily ever after was not always smooth but Eli was determined to win Alexandra’s heart anyway he could-Eli is a man who can grovel with the best. PLAYING WITH FIRE

Copy supplied by  Netgalley

Reviewed by Sand