Review: Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

 

Playing with fire was not the book I expected but definitely the book I needed. With this new standalone, L.J. Shen has given us an emotionally character driven story that will hit you straight in the feels.

Everyone has scars, some are visible and some are hidden, mental or emotional wounds that no one can see. Both our Hero West and our heroine Grace are damaged and scarred and together they learn how to heal themselves and move forward. L.J. Shen shows with this story that romance heroines don't have to look perfect to be beautiful and reinforced my love of damaged characters.

This book feels different from some of LJ Shen's more recent stories which definitely have a flared for the showy and dramatic. This story is raw and real and feels very down to earth. This is a new adult story but it definitely has high school feels. I'm not sure if that's because Grace lives at home, or because West is part of the popular crowd and is known at their college, but it feels small and intimate.

This book reinforced my enjoyment of L.J. Shen's writing with lots of humor and snark and great lines, I highlighted a lot while reading this book which is a sign I thoroughly enjoyed the writing.

I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily give my review.

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