Playing With Fire - Tamara Morgan 4.5 stars

I am a huge fan of superheroes, and when I saw that Entangled was publishing a series of novellas about super heroes, I had to read them. It was a little scary at first, because I was afraid I’d be disappointed, but Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan is a fun, action-packed introduction to the Holding out for a Hero anthology series. I loved this story, and it even featured one of my favorite tropes – the second chance. This read kept me entertained from the first page to the last, and I can hardly wait to read more of the anthology.

Fiona is a character I could immediately sympathize with. She has the ability to hurl fire balls, but it comes at a steep price. When her emotions get out of control, her powers do too. She’s afraid of getting close to anyone because she is terrified of hurting them, and her last, failed attempt at intimacy ended disastrously, with her lover being badly burned. To make this situation even worse, she didn’t even want the superhuman abilities to begin with. Her manipulative boyfriend coerced her into it, and now she’s resigned herself to a sad and solitary life.

Into her life steps Ian, her childhood friend and the boy who broke her heart. He was also responsible for her being bullied at school, so I did have a few issues warming up to him. To be fair, Ian tried to rectify his past mistakes, but there were times when I felt that he didn’t do enough. When it was his friend taunting Fiona, he quickly tried to put an end to the hurtful name calling, but when all Fiona wanted was for Ian to trust and believe her, he fell a little short. In the end, he does gallantly redeem himself, but of the two of them, Fiona is obviously the more heroic.

I enjoyed the world building, and am interested to see how other authors tackle a new world where superheroes , and super villains, could live next door.

If you are looking for a fast-paced read with gobs of action, romance, and danger, look no further. Playing with Fire was quickly gobbled up, followed by a “Please, sir, may I have some more?” plea from me.