Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Pages: 243
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Dr. Phoenix Reid isn't who she seems...Everyone knows a phoenix rises from the ashes. What they don't talk about are the people she drags with her into the fire.I thought one hot night with Max Hallowell was harmless. I never expected it would force me to face my past or bring back the man who swore he'd never let me go. Now Max wants to help me. Wants to save me. But if I let him, he'll be destroyed. I can already smell the flames. A woman with a secret past. A man determined to protect her. A dangerous passion that could cost them both everything.---Playing with Fire is the first in a new series of standalone novels featuring the New Hope characters Lexi Ryan fans have come to love. While you wait for Nix and Max's story, explore Love Unbound, the collection of books set in Lexi's New Hope world.
I’m going to be honest. Β I wasn’t sure what to expect from Max and Nix’s story, but it sure wasn’t to find Nix was a much different woman than I thought or that I would like Max much better now that he wasn’t with Hannah.
PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first book in the Mended Hearts series, but it’s connected to several other series (listed below). Β You can read this as a stand alone, but if you want to truly understand the dynamics between Nix, Max and the rest of their friends in New Hope you need to read the other books first.
I wasn’t really sure if there was ever going to come a point where I liked Max. Β So much had happened in the other stories that I wasn’t sure if I could really trust him. Β But seeing him a few years removed from Hannah’s story, I found I did like him. Β I was glad to see him happily raising his daughter and trying to be the best man possible for her. Β And I loved how he was that guy that wanted to ride in on his white horse, especially with Nix.
Nix was always a hard character to read and we finally discover why. Β Considering everything she had been through, it was amazing she was still able to get out of bed in the morning. Β The fact that should could endeared me to her more. Β Made me understand why she kept people at arms length, even if it killed her to do so. Β But it also made me hope that Max, Liz, and the rest of the New Hope crew would finally get the good doctor to open up and finally give herself to all of them.
I really enjoyed the storyline regarding Nix’s background. Β It was creepy and fed into every notion I had about the life she used to live, while keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
Another great book by Lexi Ryan. Β She never fails to deliver a book that packs a bunch, not only with some pretty hot sexy times but also with the emotions her characters also spill onto you. Β If you haven’t been introduced to the residents of New Hope, you must definitely need to.
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Love Unbound: Splintered Hearts
Unbreak MeΒ (Maggieβs story)
Stolen Wishes: A Wish I May Prequel NovellaΒ (Will and Callyβs prequel)
Wish I MayΒ (Will and Callyβs novel)
Or read them together in the omnibus edition,Β Splintered Hearts: The New Hope Trilogy
Love Unbound: Here and Now
Lost in MeΒ (Hannaβs story begins)
Fall to YouΒ (Hannaβs story continues)
All for ThisΒ (Hannaβs story concludes)
Or read them together in the omnibus edition,Β Here and Now: The Complete Series
Love Unbound: Reckless and Real
Something WildΒ (Liz and Samβs story begins)
Something RecklessΒ (Liz and Samβs story continues)
Something RealΒ (Liz and Samβs story concludes)
Β
Love Unbound: Mended Hearts
Playing with FireΒ (Nixβs story, comingΒ July 7, 2015)
About the Author
New York TimesΒ andΒ USA TodayΒ bestselling romance author Lexi Ryanβs novels have been described as intense, emotional, and wickedly sexy. A former college professor, she now writes full-time from her home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a neurotic dog. Find her on Facebook or Twitter to chat about books, TV, and her childrenβs latest antics.
WebsiteΒ |Β FacebookΒ |Β Twitter | Newsletter
Shannon
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