Katie MacAlister always writes just lovely romances. There’s that feeling of warmth and sweetness, without becoming saccharin, in her stories and ‘Playing with Fire’ carries on that tradition; with a sense of playfulness, intrigue and, of course, just a little steam.

However, the heat in this book seems to be focused on Gabriels uncontrollable desire for May. While the intense passionate moments are fun, Gabriel forever saying that May deserves more, and next time they’re going to have foreplay, got old pretty fast.  But that sense of niceness in the story does come out again in the steamy moments.  We’ve got one delightful scene where Gabriel’s dragon appetite has been sated, so May innocently suggests that she has never performed oral and would love to try (all done without me wanting to groan), but then Gabriel is off again.

I’ve made the mistake of reading Ms MacAlister’s books all out of order, which left me a little confused about events. Although this is the first  the ‘Silver Dragons’ series, it does carry on from events that occurred in the Aisling Grey series, however, it’s not necessary to have read the previous series to find Playing with Fire amusing. There is a little backstory missing, but it doesn’t interfere with the overall plot in this new series.

One thing I have found interesting with the few Katie MacAlister books I’ve read, her secondary characters seem to be invested with the better humour, and get the best lines. Playing with Fire doesn’t seem to alter from this formula.

“This is just like the wacky movie with the Blackadder guy, where they were all racing to find a treasure,” Jim said, its voice following us as we hurried down the hall. “Only with dragons, an ex-virgin doppelganger, and a really attractive Newfie. Bet people would pay big bucks to see this!”

Jim, the demon in a dogs body, makes me think of ‘the tramp’ from Disney’s “the lady and the tramp”, that loveable, cheeky, mongrel attitude. Even with the odd gratuitous crotch sniffing references, he’s still just a terribly fun character, who has some wonderful lines.

My other pet character in this story is Cyrene, naiad and twin to our heroine May. Cyrene is just a delightful ‘ditz’, who lives very much ‘in the now’, but that ditzy outlook just creates a wonderful light heartedness that blends well with the action and drama that is happening in the rest of the story.

Cyrene patted me on the arm. “Don’t get me wrong – I admire you, I really do. I remember in the old days, when Zeus was always flitting around in swan form, trying to seduce the sisterhood. Have you ever had a swan hump your leg? It’s not the least bit alluring, let me tell you!”

I normally hate giving away the ending... but be warned... if you don’t like cliff hangers, have book two in the series ready.

If you’re already a fan of Katie MacAlister then you will find this enjoyable, if you haven’t yet discovered her, this is great fun, but a better introduction might be the ‘Dark Ones’ or ‘Aisling Grey’ series.

Overall, Playing with Fire is a fun, light-hearted story (and the Kiwi in me would like to thank Ms MacAlister for the New Zealand reference, being one of the many people who live outside of America, there is always a little thrill when my home country is mentioned).  Its a little light on plot and character development, but it really is just supposed to be a light read, and it accomplishes that. It’s a book to make a dreary train trip to work pass quickly and put a smile on your face (without getting yourself so engrossed that you miss your stop!).