Hey everyone. I just want to say that I am so excited about being a part of this incredible blog tour today. I love the Hot In Chicago series and couldn't be more happy to not only share my review with you today, but also host an amazing giveaway. So be sure to scroll through the post and find the Rafflecoptor so you can get entered :)
We are excited to do a Fire Giveaway today for Kate Meader’s PLAYING WITH FIRE blog tour. The Fire Giveaway will include Flirting with Fire and Baby, It’s Cold Outside (which includes Kate Meader’s Rekindle the Flame, the prequel Hot in Chicago e-novella which will publish 11/30/15 for $1.99!) You can visit all sites on the blog tour to enter the Fire Giveaways – but keep in mind you can only win once! U.S. only.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
A HOT IN CHICAGO NOVEL
KATE MEADER
Pocket Books
September 29, 2015
ISBN 9781476785929
$7.99
“Meader packs the flawless second Hot in Chicago romance with superb
relationship development…and note-perfect dialogue…The secondary characters play their
parts beautifully, and Eli and Alexandra are a captivating couple…”
—Publishers Weekly starred review
“Thank you, Kate Meader, for creating a heroine who does not
fit the status quo! The idea of a plus-size female firefighter being described
as sexy and irresistible makes this book stand out. Meader also provides
readers with steamy sex scenes, colorful characters and riveting
dialogue. The themes of staying true to yourself and the impact of family
legacies make for an interesting story line. This tale is a real page-turner.”
—RT Book Reviews four and a half star “scorcher” TOP PICK
GOLD review
The scorching-hot Dempsey siblings continue to fight fire with fire…
Her heart’s in his line of fire…
Heating up reading lists and leisure time long after the
summer heat has cooled will be Kate Meader’s PLAYING WITH FIRE,
which tells the story of rookie firefighter Alex Dempsey. She may be the only
woman in Engine Company 6—and may have burned through thirty-four dates in the
last ten months—but she’s got everything under control. At least until she
rescues Eli Cooper, Chicago’s devastatingly handsome mayor, from a hotel blaze.
These two have clashed before—Eli’s a brilliant politician, used to the
spotlight, and Alex has no use for a man who can smooth-talk anyone into
anything, including his bed. But after their headline-grabbing encounter, Alex
is the one starting to sizzle…
...but first she’ll set his world aflame…
Eli Cooper has one goal: winning the next election, and
Alex, his sassy savior, may be the spark he needs to light up his sputtering
mayoral campaign. “Dating” the female firefighter who saved his life is
political gold, but her total lack of filter makes Eli incensed—and more than a
little hot and bothered. For the sake of ratings, their bickering will have to
wait until they get some privacy…
And once these two are alone together, there’ll be no way to
extinguish the flames in Kate Meader’s second sizzling installment in the Hot
in Chicago series, PLAYING WITH FIRE!
About the Author:
Kate Meader was raised on romance. An Irish girl, she
started with Catherine Cookson and Jilly Coooper novels, and spiced
it up withsome Mills & Boon. Now based in Chicago, she writes romances
of her own, where sexy contemporary alpha heroes and strong heroines match each
other quip for quip. When not immersed in tales of brooding mill owners,
oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose,
Kate lives on the web at katemeader.com, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Pinterest.
Watch this interview with Kate Meader!
Hot in Chicago buy links:
►Playing with Fire (9/29/15)
is second in the series.
►Rekindle
the Flame is the prequel e-novella which will publish 11/30/15 for
$1.99!
►Flirting with Fire (3/24/15)
is first in the series.
►Melting
Point (8/31/15) is the mm romance e-novella from the series.
Week 1, three Fire Giveaways per day
9/29: A Book Whore’s
Obsession
10/1: Talk Supe
10/2: Harlequin Junkie
Week 2, two Fire Giveaways per day
10/6: Cocktails & Books
10/7: Bookish Temptations
Week 3, one Fire Giveaway per day
10/12: The Lovely
Books Blog
10/13: Margie’s Must Reads
10/14: The Book Enthusiast
10/15: Short and
Sassy Book Blurbs
10/16: About That Story
Hey ya'll I am so excited to get to share my review of Playing With Fire with ya'll today. I absolutely fell in love with the hot in Chicago series back when Melting Point came out and couldn't be more happy to be able to share this tour with you today.
To start things off i just want to give a big thanks to Pocket Books for sending me out the lovely copies of not only PWF but Also Baby It's Cold Outside for review of Rekindle The Flame. Ya'll are so awesome, and I can't thank you enough.
They also art the ones who donated all the books for the giveaways, so be sure to send them a huge thank you :D
Ok so lets get on with this review.
As I said, I absolutely loved this book. Kate has an amazing writing style, and I am always pulled into her books from chapter one. Her characters voices really speak to you, and in this case Alex was no different.
Let me just tell you. I freaking LOVED Alex. Can I seriously be her when I grow up? hehe. She has just enough sarcastic, and funny to her that I instantly bonded with her character (Can you bond with a fictional character? I'm going to go with a yes?) But besides the funny and stuff Alex is a kick butt fire fighter. And let me just say that a book about a woman in a job that is usually dominated by the male specimen was nice change. I wouldn't really call me a feminist but I'm always up for the anti-damsel in distress. I like a girl who can take care of herself, and in this case, can go into flaming buildings and take care of others. Like the handsome Mayor Eli. Who by the way I kinda am in love with (Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I say this to all my book boyfriends. I can't help it. I love them all ;) )
Alex is just one of those heroins you really want to see do well in her job. You know there will be obstacles in her way, but you root for her anyway. I like having someone to cheer for (After all I have no cheering going on outside of my books for the next 8 days until hockey kicks off, although I do love me some football. Go Noles! lol)
Anyways, I just really like her character. She doesn't have the normal girlfriend relationship with other woman, and so when she finally starts talking to a friend and confiding her feelings we really get to see what is going on in her head concerning a particular hot mayor. I like how she isn't your typical female character. Let's face it. There are a lot of books with strong empowered women in them these days (You go girls!) but to be completely honest they are a lot of power house business woman and come from a sizable amount of money or make a sizable amount. So the designer labels and stuff come out a lot. But with Alex she has more of the regular working class feel to her. She goes through dates like I do caramel lattes and is a little rough around the proverbial edges. And as her and Eli start their "relationship" she becomes a bit more refined. Well as well as a kick butt hard working firefighter can. I liked seeing this change in her. I like that we get to see both sides of her, and see how she slowly changes. And I don't mean that in bad way (I do NOT think a woman has to change for a man. let that be clear, that is not what I'm saying. No one yell at me please) All I'm saying is that I like how her doing this thing with Eli makes her multi dimensional and we get to see a couple new sides to her. Plus her whole thing with Eli just makes me happy. He's a character I was interested in learning about from the first page he was introduced on.
Really, Eli intrigued me. He's this hot mayor up for re-election and he's going to this crazy beautiful spunky, maybe a little brash firefighter to boost his campaign after she saves his butt. The poor man has woman throwing themselves at him (My favorite would be a particular brazen attempt to flirt through a coffee cup. You will see when you read) but things like that are what draw me into Kate's books. She writes a steamy romance, but she also has a way of making me laugh most of the time too. And it isn't from just one particular thing. Yes she has great character development, and the banter is usually interesting. But just everything together is what makes it so great. You really get a feel for how these characters think. How they process things, and even how their fictional minds work a bit. And she does it through humor mixed with the serious, and the hot and sizzling (I seriously feel like every time I use any reference to heat or fire I'm making some bad pun about it being a firefighter book. I swear it's not intentional)
Ok time to get more focused. Sorry if I go a bit out of my normal writing style. I really liked this one, and I feel like breaking it down my normal way doesn't really do this book justice. So many of my opinions are tied to other parts so I'm just winging this one and praying it makes sense hehe.
So I know I have made this book seem like one big happy romance, and while there is a good amount of that I want to talk about the other stuff too. Like the fact that Eli and Alex actually kinda fight non stop while their fake dating arrangement is going on. Don't get me wrong, the bickering is probably some of my favorite parts. Those two really make me laugh most of the time, and the sexual tension undercurrent of those arguments makes the whole thing more interesting. I love characters like these two though. They make things interesting (I think I've just used that word like 4 times, ugh) and keep you wondering when all that tension is going to break. And oh boy does it ever ;)
Oh I want to add that I love Kate's idea of a firefighting family too. The Dempsey are one of those families that you kinda fall for on their own. Not just because they are a band of H.O.T.T but because they are all really strong and amazing people. They remind me a lot of the Montgomery's from Kristen Proby's With Me In Seattle series. I already can't wait to see the next books in the series as we get to meet each sibling from their own perspective. I use to not be big into these series that involved the same group of people but each book was about a different person from it. After a few good authors doing this though (Thank you Kristen, Christina Lauren, and Jay Crownover) I found a love for it, and I can honestly say I am excited when I find books like these now.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that I really did enjoy this book. It has a healthy balance, of bicker, sizzle, fun, and flirty to it. I think it is my favorite from the series so far, and I can't suggest to you enough to go out and pick up a copy of not only PWF but also the other books in the series. I haven't read one I haven't loved, and I think you will feel the same way :)
I give Playing With Fire: *****5 Stars*****
Hey ya'll I am so excited to get to share my review of Playing With Fire with ya'll today. I absolutely fell in love with the hot in Chicago series back when Melting Point came out and couldn't be more happy to be able to share this tour with you today.
To start things off i just want to give a big thanks to Pocket Books for sending me out the lovely copies of not only PWF but Also Baby It's Cold Outside for review of Rekindle The Flame. Ya'll are so awesome, and I can't thank you enough.
They also art the ones who donated all the books for the giveaways, so be sure to send them a huge thank you :D
Ok so lets get on with this review.
As I said, I absolutely loved this book. Kate has an amazing writing style, and I am always pulled into her books from chapter one. Her characters voices really speak to you, and in this case Alex was no different.
Let me just tell you. I freaking LOVED Alex. Can I seriously be her when I grow up? hehe. She has just enough sarcastic, and funny to her that I instantly bonded with her character (Can you bond with a fictional character? I'm going to go with a yes?) But besides the funny and stuff Alex is a kick butt fire fighter. And let me just say that a book about a woman in a job that is usually dominated by the male specimen was nice change. I wouldn't really call me a feminist but I'm always up for the anti-damsel in distress. I like a girl who can take care of herself, and in this case, can go into flaming buildings and take care of others. Like the handsome Mayor Eli. Who by the way I kinda am in love with (Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I say this to all my book boyfriends. I can't help it. I love them all ;) )
Alex is just one of those heroins you really want to see do well in her job. You know there will be obstacles in her way, but you root for her anyway. I like having someone to cheer for (After all I have no cheering going on outside of my books for the next 8 days until hockey kicks off, although I do love me some football. Go Noles! lol)
Anyways, I just really like her character. She doesn't have the normal girlfriend relationship with other woman, and so when she finally starts talking to a friend and confiding her feelings we really get to see what is going on in her head concerning a particular hot mayor. I like how she isn't your typical female character. Let's face it. There are a lot of books with strong empowered women in them these days (You go girls!) but to be completely honest they are a lot of power house business woman and come from a sizable amount of money or make a sizable amount. So the designer labels and stuff come out a lot. But with Alex she has more of the regular working class feel to her. She goes through dates like I do caramel lattes and is a little rough around the proverbial edges. And as her and Eli start their "relationship" she becomes a bit more refined. Well as well as a kick butt hard working firefighter can. I liked seeing this change in her. I like that we get to see both sides of her, and see how she slowly changes. And I don't mean that in bad way (I do NOT think a woman has to change for a man. let that be clear, that is not what I'm saying. No one yell at me please) All I'm saying is that I like how her doing this thing with Eli makes her multi dimensional and we get to see a couple new sides to her. Plus her whole thing with Eli just makes me happy. He's a character I was interested in learning about from the first page he was introduced on.
Really, Eli intrigued me. He's this hot mayor up for re-election and he's going to this crazy beautiful spunky, maybe a little brash firefighter to boost his campaign after she saves his butt. The poor man has woman throwing themselves at him (My favorite would be a particular brazen attempt to flirt through a coffee cup. You will see when you read) but things like that are what draw me into Kate's books. She writes a steamy romance, but she also has a way of making me laugh most of the time too. And it isn't from just one particular thing. Yes she has great character development, and the banter is usually interesting. But just everything together is what makes it so great. You really get a feel for how these characters think. How they process things, and even how their fictional minds work a bit. And she does it through humor mixed with the serious, and the hot and sizzling (I seriously feel like every time I use any reference to heat or fire I'm making some bad pun about it being a firefighter book. I swear it's not intentional)
Ok time to get more focused. Sorry if I go a bit out of my normal writing style. I really liked this one, and I feel like breaking it down my normal way doesn't really do this book justice. So many of my opinions are tied to other parts so I'm just winging this one and praying it makes sense hehe.
So I know I have made this book seem like one big happy romance, and while there is a good amount of that I want to talk about the other stuff too. Like the fact that Eli and Alex actually kinda fight non stop while their fake dating arrangement is going on. Don't get me wrong, the bickering is probably some of my favorite parts. Those two really make me laugh most of the time, and the sexual tension undercurrent of those arguments makes the whole thing more interesting. I love characters like these two though. They make things interesting (I think I've just used that word like 4 times, ugh) and keep you wondering when all that tension is going to break. And oh boy does it ever ;)
Oh I want to add that I love Kate's idea of a firefighting family too. The Dempsey are one of those families that you kinda fall for on their own. Not just because they are a band of H.O.T.T but because they are all really strong and amazing people. They remind me a lot of the Montgomery's from Kristen Proby's With Me In Seattle series. I already can't wait to see the next books in the series as we get to meet each sibling from their own perspective. I use to not be big into these series that involved the same group of people but each book was about a different person from it. After a few good authors doing this though (Thank you Kristen, Christina Lauren, and Jay Crownover) I found a love for it, and I can honestly say I am excited when I find books like these now.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that I really did enjoy this book. It has a healthy balance, of bicker, sizzle, fun, and flirty to it. I think it is my favorite from the series so far, and I can't suggest to you enough to go out and pick up a copy of not only PWF but also the other books in the series. I haven't read one I haven't loved, and I think you will feel the same way :)
I give Playing With Fire: *****5 Stars*****
