Categories: paranormal books


Posted by Amy - November 20th, 2009 Comments 3

When Amy (who manages the paranormal blog) heard how excited her coworker Emily was to read the latest edition of Gena Showalter’s book PLAYING WITH FIRE, she begged Emily for a blog post about it! Here Emily shares why she loved this book and Gena’s writing…

by Emily M., eHarlequin.com team

Emily’s Favorite Belle Jamison quotes, in no particular order:

- “Anyone who objected could blow me.” On using her physical assets to keep her job.

- “That doesn’t make me rude, it makes me human.” On talking back to rude customers.

- “I did not want to go down in history with a lame-ass superhero name.” On being called Four Elements Girl.

- “So I’d tasered my boyfriend. Other girls have done worse. I felt bad, really, but I wasn’t going to beat myself up over it.” On tasering her boyfriend.

Although I’m happily employed on the Harlequin digital/internet team, in the past I have worked as a barista. This is one of the reasons I was so excited for the reissue of Playing with Fire, by Gena Showalter, featuring a very sassy coffee-slinger, Belle. She drinks a mocha spiked with a special formula and she gains control of the elements. When she’s sad, it starts to rain; when she’s angry (or aroused) she sets things on fire. The plot rides on conflicts within the paranormal control agencies—there’s a good agency and a bad one, and both are vying for Belle’s powers, though she’s confused as to who’s who at the beginning–most notably Rome Masters, the hunky guy she wakes up next to after the week-long bed-rest she has while becoming a super hero.

I think Gena’s characters are her strong point. I love her paranormal heroes and heroines: they’re wild, but grounded. The more surreal their circumstances are, the more down-to-earth they seem. I joked with a friend once: reading Gena makes me want to start wearing leather and saying what I really think. Belle is unapologetic for her feelings and experiences events in their most raw form—someone is mean, and regardless of why they’re being that way, she reacts, she doesn’t waver. Gena’s characters, particularly her female characters, are honest, and in their honesty they are strong.

And, to top it all off, her books are spicy, which is always fun.

If you like this book, I highly recommend the Lords of the Underworld series. One scene in this title, particularly, reminded me of a scene in The Darkest Whisper—where Gwendolyn is being held captive for experiments. Conversely, if you liked LoftheU, you’ll love this!

Playing with Fire is a reissue (with a hot new cover!), and is being followed by a new sequel Twice as Hot in February 2010.

Happy reading!

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