Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductivenessjust like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar.
With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything, It's a place where anything can happenand the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the barand into Romeo's lifeit does.
There's something about highpowered, downtothe earth Taryn Williams that captures Romeo's attention like no other woman has.
Yet unanswered questions from his past seem to hold him back from real commitment, For Romeo to move forward in love, he'll have to learn some devastating truthsand James "Piano Man" Burdett is there to teach him.
And with Taryn's help, Romeo just may accept that like music, life sometimes needs to be improvised.
. . I love the fact that the strength of the love you have with your soulmate can help you deal with any obstacles thrown your way.
It shows that forgiveness and second chances are also possible, you just have to be open to all the universe has in store for you and your life.
Copy Provided by Netgalley and Kensington Books for an honest review
I wanted to like this book more than i did, however i don't know if it is just being English, but i really struggled with the speech from the South.
It just sounded weird when reading it and i ended up speed reading the book, I also have no idea where the title matches up with the book,
I liked the story line, however the big reveal was something that i had already guessed, and Romeo seemed like a very likeable character.
There were too many points of view trying to round out the story, it would have been better in my opinion if it had been just two points of view max.
It was an ok read, it just did nothing for me until the end where we got more action and even then the timeline suddenly sped up.
copy courtesy of Netgalley
Stand alone with HEA
Clean romance
I was on the fence about this book.
There were things I really liked about it, I enjoyed the musical history and the characters like Piano Man and Odeta, The old guys in the barJenkins and crew were fun, some of the characters reminded me of some people I know, I didn't really connect with the romance between Romeo and Taryn, The story didn't really flow for me, There were a couple of things going on that made the romance secondary, It was an ok read for me, February,By Deborah A. Fortner
CONCEPT
The concept of this story was man finding out the truth about his past while trying to build a relationship with the woman who captures his heart.
STORY
Romeo Marshall is the owner of the Playground Jazz and Blues Bar, One night a stranger walks in and Romeo discovers the stranger is a musician and gives him a job playing the piano at the bar.
Unbeknownst to Romeo, the musician is very familiar with Romeo and his past, Taryn Williams is the woman holding Romeos attention and he wants to pursue a relationship with her.
This couple embark on a journey to discovery and could either destroy Romeo or make him a better man.
CHARACTERS
In reading this story it was a challenge to understand the characters in the book.
Romeo came across as a well put together guy who could have any woman but he had issues, that I dont feel were clearly stated in the book.
Readers will find that Romeo apparently has a drinking problem that is triggered when he uncovers the identity of James Burdett piano man.
The story really does not focus on Romeo and Taryns relationship but the relationship of James and Romeos mother and best friend.
Romeo and Taryns relationship took a turn after Romeo finds out the truth, However, readers will get a brief summary on Romeos recovery and determination to make his relationship with Taryn work.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue was fine however there was not a smooth transition to the next scenes that may leave the reader confused with the flow of the story.
STRUCTURE
The structure of this story was not as smooth as other storylines from Ms.
Fletcher. The story focused more on Piano Man, with his memories and regrets, The story really did not delve deeply into Taryn and Romeos budding relationship as that Romeo needed to learn of his past.
There were areas in the story that were not clearly stated and could leave readers confused on the focus.
OVERALL
I struggled to finish Playing with Fire as that there were passages where it was not a smooth transition to the next scene.
The author stated Romeo had a drinking problem but it was never really clearly identified, in other words no scene was solely devoted to a drinking binge.
I did not see where this story focused on Romeo and Taryn but did shed light on James Piano Man Burdetts relationship with Romeos mom.
I felt it took too long for Romeo to discover the truth and the spiral turn he took could have been more clearly developed.
I generally love Ms. FletcherMellos books and just was not excited with this one, Overall, Playing with Fire was an okay read,
That Romeo Marshall has a story to tell and demons to wrestle with, I love how this storyline eased the biological father of Romeo into the storyline and eased him in to admitting who he was on his terms.
Watching Romeo deal with his demons takes a strong woman, Taryn is just the one not only to catch his eyes but win his heart, That Odetta from another storyline is a woman after my own heart, Aleta could be everyone's best friend, Malcom is the number one sponsor and best friend of the villiage, Loved, loved this story line, It was a long story to get the message across but it was so worth it, Wow! Soulstirring story! Love the heart and soul of this reminder of the devastating effects when a man forsakes his family for his dream/career.
My heart broke for Romeo, Although he has a successful business and lovingsupportive friends, he would have given
anything to know and have his father in his life.
Nevertheless, James Burdett didn't escape unscathed either, He paid a heavy price as well, Smooth, mellow, grown folks love, like Hennessy Pure White, I'd give itand/if I could, The plot was interesting enough, but Mello seems to force "romance" into as many chapters as can unnaturally fit.
It seems that there is nothing her characters experience that a good romp in the hay cannot cure.
:
The protagonist, Romeo Marshall, seemsdimensional and underdeveloped, There is so much more to his story that could have enhanced the book, However, he gets everything he ever wanted in the end the girl, the son, the success, I felt the most intriguing character was Piano Man, He entered like a ghost, dropped some pearls of wisdom, then vanished just as quickly, I wish his story had developed a little more, What had he been up to for the thirty years while Romeo was growing up Did he experience any guilt, shame, or regret after revealing himself to Romeo "It's not easy.
I live one day at a time, But love can be powerful motivator for change, I stopped drinking because not only do I love my wan and the future I know we can have together, but I also love myself as well.
"
Full review to be posted during the week of release, This book is more than a romance between Romeo Marshall and Taryn Williams, Most of the action takes place at The Playground Jazz amp Blues Bar, owned by Romeo, It's about life choices and how they impact others lives,
It csn drsg in some parts, but it's a good book, A Well written story with real characters who have to learn to forgive in order to move their lives to the next level.
Romero Marshall was a man with child hood dreams because of his experience as a child, Enter Piano man into his life at the right time, Their struggles were real. This was a great story that had me at go, Romeo and Taryn had a relationship that was filed with realistic ups and downs, I loved that one could relate to them, Also Romeo and Piano Man was touching and I cried when the truth was revealed, This is another great book by a great author, My first read by this author and I Loved it, . A real love story all around, The big reveal may have been too easy to discover, but the story was endearing enough so that nothing was ruined.
Parts of this story really WRECKED me, but that's a good thing, A very good novel. Loved the secrets that were revealed, Glad Piano Man and Romeo connected and Romeo and Taryn found happiness, Title: Playing With Fire
Author: Deborah Fletcher Mello
Publisher: Dafina
ed By: Arlena Dean
Rating:
"Playing With Fire" by Deborah Fletcher Mello
Book Description.
"Romeo Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductivenessjust like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar.
With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything, It's a place where anything can happenand the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the barand into Romeo's lifeit does.
There's something about highpowered, downtothe earth Taryn Williams that captures Romeo's attention like no other woman has.
Yet unanswered questions from his past seem to hold him back from real commitment, For Romeo to move forward in love, he'll have to learn some devastating truthsand James "Piano Man" Burdett is there to teach him.
And with Taryn's help, Romeo just may accept that like music, life sometimes needs to be improvised.
. . "
What I liked about this novel, . .
"Playing With Fire" was one very interesting story featuring Romeo Marshall who had it all, but really did he Romeo had grown up not knowing his father.
What will come of Romeo when he meets 'Piano Man' and finds the secret that had been held from him by his mother What changes did this cause in his life Will the love of Romeo, Taryn be able to help him through this tough time or will it be his friend Malcolm that will be able to help guide him back on the straight and narrow path To get the answers to these questions and so much more you will have to pick up "Playing With Fire" to see how well this author brings it all out to the reader.
I found this story to be a very interesting and a captivating read as this author is able to give the reader a well written story of what true love and forgiveness really is.
The characters are all simply off the chart good, well developed, defined, well portrayed and believable all helping to give us a well rounded story that will grab your attention and keep up till the end.
Would I recommend YES!
Searching for answers to his pass Romeo never expected to meet someone like Taryn.
Taryn is everything he has ever looked for, But is he worthy of her, This story is a sultry and complex read, It draws you in and keeps you intrigued, Received an ARC of Playing with Fire by Deborah Fletcher Mello for my honest viewpoint, Ugh this makes me sad, I really tried, got halfway through, but this is not for me, All of the romance happens off page one almost first date and suddenly theyre together and madly in love And what we do so is soooo slow.
But I cant force myself through another book, On to the next. First, I want to start off by saying that I love this cover, If I hadn't read from this author before, I would have automatically picked this book up, based on the cover alone.
But I have read from this author, and I know I can always count on Deborah Fletcher Mello to provide readers will a great story, where her characters have heart and soul.
I loved Romeo and Taryn together and just like any couple, these two went through some struggles.
Everyone isn't perfect and some people have a battle within themselves that they must fight, I was rooting for Romeo and Taryn throughout the book and really thought the ending was perfect.
If you're looking for a wellwritten book, which includes characters with real emotions and a gripping story line, then look no further because Playing With Fire is a must read!.
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Deborah Fletcher Mello