BOOK REVIEW
Playing with Fire left me in a state of complete awe and astonishment!! From the first chapter alone my heart was soo heavily invested and completely enthralled.
‘Fire symoblized beauty, fury and rebirth…too bad in my case, it symbolized nothing but my demise’
Each page clawed it’s way through my heart, layer by layer cracking it open to unveil the beauty that was lying underneath. It’s full of emotion, beauty and strength it’s unlike any novel LJ she has written before, it will punch you in the feels and wrap you in a layer of warmth. No barrier is left unturned as Grace faces her insecurities, so do you!!
Grace is the resilient and inspiring woman who has had every hardship thrown her way in life and just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse West St. Claire enters the picture. With his dark hair and smoldering green eyes he knocks his way into Grace’s life breaking every barrier she ever created. Playing With Fire is a raw, real and inspiring story of finding love in the places you least expect it!
It impossible not to fall in love with these characters. There is an intrinsic depth to each fasciate of the story. Throw in some angst, sarcasm and wit and you have the recipe for the journey that is Grace & West.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, the long nights I spent tied to my kindle, unable to put it down, begging for thrawl of sleep not to come!! I couldn’t put Playing With Fire down even if I tried.
=======SPOILERS AHEAD =========
That is the spoiler free part of the review over.....this is where I need to vent all the emotions I've been feeling in the past 3 days I've spent reading..... three days is generally long for me, it's more accurate to say, I tried to drag it out because I didn't want it to finish!!! That's the problem whenever a new LJ Shen novel comes out, I'm soo excited to read it, but then once I finish, it's the wait again for her next release! I'm officially an LJ Junkie.....but I wouldn't have it any other way.
This book broke me....I mean kick you in the crotch, spit on your neck, fantastic. Every time there was a denial of feelings, or jab about Grace's looks and circumstance, it felt like I was taking a jab straight to the gut!!
West is as good in the ring as he his sharp with his tongue!!
I love an angst ridden story....but these two, took slow burn to a whole new level, I was soo ready for it!! (My only critique about PWF is, I wouldn't have minded a little more of the steaminess between Grace & West) But that is the thing with this couple, their chemistry and connection is soo deep and real, every element adds to it in it's perfect rendition. The hours they spent ignoring each other in that food truck killed me!! But I secretly loved it at the same time!
This is such a strong and powerful story of hope and redemption despite the odds stacking against you!! LJ has a way of perfectly displaying the insecurities and desires we all share and wrapping them up in a way we can all relate.
Grace and West's character arch is soo profound and inspiring!! Both being broken shells finding themselves in each other and overcoming the demons they let plague their lives.
I had suspected it was a sibling West was holding dear the entire novel, but when the way she died was revealed!! My heart broke, I didn't see that coming from a mile away!! The amount of depth and profundity it added to their redemption arch was incredible (Yes, I'm saying this now...but when I read it the first time, I was livid!! I was ready throw West to the wind, that whole cafeteria scene had me screaming on the inside).
"Yet now that he'd finally confessed his love to me, the words felt like beautiful, empty bullet cases. He hurt me. Not once. Not twice."
One of my favourite parts of the entire novel is the hospital scene!! It is soo powerful in-itself, despite the amount of love and animosity between them Grace chooses herself and walks away.
"This time, I didn't look back, as I left both the love of my life and my old, insecure Grace behind"
It's the kind of book that shakes you to your core. Leaving behind a story and a message that will stick with you. Grace and West are a fixture of hope, courage and resilience in a world that is made to break you!
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