Before Aidan Flynn had swept into her life with the destructive force of a wildfire, Annabel Frost had thought she'd had all she needed from her life. A successful career, financial independence, emotional restraint. Things that were safe, secure, steady. Everything her childhood hadn't been.
Aidan represented none of that. Reckless and risky he'd been the red hot flame that melted the icy layers of her long-frozen heart. Having run from him once, Annabel should have learnt to leave trouble well enough alone.
But now Aidan is back, turning up the heat. And regardless of the danger of getting herself badly burned, Annabel can't seem to resist the temptation to play with this particular fire. "
Rating: 4/5
You can buy Playing with Fire as an eBook now.
I read the first book in this series from Kat Black a long while ago now, so when I found out there was a sequel, I certainly wanted to read it but couldn't remember every detail from the first book Melting Ms Frost. Nonetheless, it didn't seem to matter once I started reading as the important details from the first book are repeated in this so we know where we are with the characters, and why they are as they are in this book. It didn't take me long to get back into Aidan and Annabel's love story, and it was nice to read their relationship develop further and see how Annabel has changed towards the idea of having a relationship with Aidan after being distinctly frosty about it previously!
Annabel is still recovering from the vicious assault on her, but doesn't want to have to rely on Aidan to look after her. She's got her mother living at home with her, both afraid of how to move on with their lives and recover. Aidan, on the other hand, is keen to look after Annabel, show her he is ready to commit to her and be there for her, even if she isn't ready for that. Now that Aidan seems to be more of a permanent fixture in her life, is Annabel ready to finally let him in fully, and how will the pair manage to balance a relationship and their very hectic work lives as well? Will Aidan be able to melt the fire of Annabel once and for all, and tell her to let her guard down and let him in?
As I said, you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but it certainly helps to have the back story of these two. The pace of the book works really well, slow enough to really develop these characters and their burgeoning relationship at a believable pace, but not so slow that I ended up bored! Annabel is still a very independent woman, determined not to rely on anyone except herself in life, but Aidan wants to show her the error of her ways. She seemed to blow very hot and cold towards Aidan, which was quite frustrating at times and I really did feel sorry for Aidan being played about slightly, never quite knowing where he stands with her.
I really loved Aidan's character, however. He was a strong man, determined to get the woman he wanted and wasn't going to give up easily. He's a very successful business, having overcome a serious illness to be successful in a different field, and you can't help but admire him for that. There are quite a few sex scenes in the book between the pair, and Aidan certainly comes across very well in these, a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to ask for it! These scenes are really well written, not too gratuitous, but very sexy in their own way, Kat Black certainly knows how to write these scenes. As well as these, there are some beautiful scenes set in Ireland, and the writing was good and it was vivid - it certainly came alive in my mind as I was reading - the beautiful home Aidan owns, the beach, the local village - it all sounded picturesque! There's also a few chapters set in Monaco - this was a nice escape for the story and sounded so glamorous - everything from Annabel's clothing to the casinos were described brilliantly!
This was a really enjoyable eBook from start to finish, and it was definitely nice to catch up with Annabel and Aidan once more to see where they are at now. I loved the growth of these characters from beginning to end, and finished the book with a big smile on my face. Kat Black's writing is really easy to read, creating a wonderful world with her words, and she definitely brought the characters (and their actions!) to life on the page. I really enjoyed this second outing from Kat Black, and certainly look forward to more novels from her - I do hope this won't be the last we see of Annabel and Aidan! A great, steamy read!
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