Anna Weber is every inch the proper librarian old-fashioned, conservatively dressed right down to her tightly clipped flaming red hair. She’s just moved to a small Texas town, and is determined to spend time with her friend before she has to disappear. Relationships aren t easy for her. She knows too well what it means to be burned. And the last thing she ever wants to do is fall in love … love
Especially not with a fireman who’s hot enough to set the entire state of Texas on fire.
Cowboy can’t resist the fiery little librarian, and he’s determined to make her his. Beneath that prim-and-proper exterior is a woman he very much wants to know if she’d let him. She’ll test his patience. His control. Hell, his very sanity. And for the first time, Cowboy wonders if he’s found the one fire he can’t control…
Each book in the Tangled in Texas series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Series Order:
Book #1 Rules of Protection
Book #2 Playing With Fire
”more
This is the second novel in the Tangled in Texas series and since I absolutely adored the first, I had super high expectations for this one. The lovely Ms. Alison Bliss shot me an email last month and said she didn’t know if I would have the time to read Playing With Fire but she wanted to offer it to me. I mean, come on. I immediately said yes!! I had no idea what this one was even about but I knew that I had to read it. It’s by Bliss, so I knew it would be exceptional. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed. After Playing With Fire, I’m totally immersed in my love of what this amazing author can create. I’m a lifetime fan.
Enough of the slightly embarrassing gushing about Alison Bliss … let’s get down to business. I started reading and when I was like 3 pages in, I was already in love with Cowboy. I nearly burst into flames during a couple of scenes … “Next time we’ll try whipped cream … and a different body part.” … Sweet baby Jesus. Yes, there are other amazing characters involved in this book but Cowboy is my absolute favorite character in any romantic suspense novel. Ever. He’s crass and vulgar and I wouldn’t change him one iota. I enjoyed Anna as well … she’s very sweet and demure but also has this sassiness to her that makes her a woman I aspire to be. Experiencing the relationship ebb and flow between Anna and Cowboy pushed me to read faster and faster and then curse myself because I was blowing through an amazing book that I wanted to last for forever.
The story-line was everything that I had hoped it would be in Playing With Fire. You won’t find any spots that are wordy or slow … everything moves along at a wonderfully delicious pace that leaves you wanting more with the end of each sentence. Bliss also brought back all of the characters from the first book and it was nice being able to catch up with them and reminisce about the previous book. Absolutely nothing was forgotten and how Bliss can write so many characters with all of their distinct quirks and then bring them back into the fold with a new book just amazes me. It felt like I was hanging out with some old friends that I hadn’t seen in a while. It is so difficult to get that kind of feeling from fictional characters but Bliss really blew it out of the water.
I really don’t want to get into anything else with this one because I REALLY want everyone to read it and get that first read magic like I did. It is definitely one that I’ll read again and again. I’m already itching to get my hands on number three because I want to see what happens next. I just love everything about this book. I could go on for hours but you really need to read it and then let me know what you think about that ornery Cowboy!!
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *
Anna Weber has had a secret crush on a certain cowboy since they were teens, and back then he didn’t seem to take notice because he was too busy sowing his wild oats and living up to his well-known playboy reputation. She has thought of him often over the years, and continued to harbor her school girl crush, sometimes he even has a starring role in her dreams. And now that she has recently moved to his hometown, to be closer to her friends she wonders how long it will be before they run into each other, and if he’ll actually remember her, not that she’s out to catch his eye or anything. She is well aware of his reputation and long line of one night stands, and she has no interest in being added to the list. Not to mention she’s not really comfortable with catching any man’s eye, let alone have a physical encounter with one, and give them the opportunity to hurt her or see her scars. After being wounded as a child and having her body marked with permanent scars she tends to dress conservatively to ward off men affections, and to cover up the painful reminders of her broken childhood. Only problem is that her conservative ways didnt repel a certain cowboy like she hoped, he has taken notice and is actually quite fond of the prim and proper librarian, and isn’t willing to take no for answer. He wants one date with her, and he’s willing to do just about anything to get it…
Cowboy is a handsome firefighter that is quite use being showered with women’s affections, and has never had to worry about a shortage of women willing to take him home for the night. He’s has a “no strings attached” policy, and is quite proud of his track record thus far…that is until the sexy new librarian catches his eye, he wants a date, but she isn’t willing to give him one, and take the chance of being another notch under his belt, which leaves him thinking maybe he doesn’t quite measure up to her standards. She deserves to have someone who can give her more than one night, and he’s not so sure he’s capable of that, but there’s something about this auburn haired beauty that draws him in and has him wanting to change his wild ways…now he just has to find a way to prove to her that he can be the man she’s looking for…
This was my first experience with this authors work and I can say with complete certainty that it won’t be my last, I loved every minute of this book! It had the makings of a perfect romance story, it was packed with spine tingling mystery, feisty banter, and steamy scenes that left me blushing. Anna and Cowboy were perfectly matched, their chemistry was off the charts and helped to create some very hot and spicy encounters that left me fanning myself. This is definitely one of the most impressive first reads I have read in a while, I highly recommend you add this series to your reading list. Cowboy is sure to satisfy all your reading needs, and leave you with a smile on your face!