Playing with Fire is an entertaining paranormal romance. There are many storylines, paranormal lore and mystery interspersed with the romance.

Cassandra Armstrong is a woman desperately seeking redemption for the sins of her family. Not exempt from her father's cruelty, she approached, Dante, aka the Immortal, the first phoenix shapeshifter, for help. Unbeknownst to Dante, he and Cassie share a special connection but he has no memory of her. Cassie and Dante learn not only to trust each other but navigate the new reality of their relationship which ultimately blossoms into love. On top for that, their enemies stalk their every move.

There were a few situations where the characters' reactions are a bit melodramatic and over the top. Unfortunately, for all his attributes, Dante can come off as being too hard and uncompassionate. However, that can be attributed to the shape-shifter aspect of his being. I liked Cassandra, and felt her genuine desire to right the wrongs caused by her father. How she didn't buckle under that guilt is a testament to her strength and resolve. All all, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to paranormal romance lovers.

As it is part of a series, and having not read any of its predecessors, I highly recommend proceeding with the reading order.

**I received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.****

Nothing burns hotter that the life-giving flames of the phoenix. Dante, aka the Immortal, lives in a world overflowing with betrayal, death and fire. With each rising he awakens confused; with only foggy memories and an unrelenting craving for the mysterious Cassie.

"She felt like the best dream he'd ever had.
And her voice...sex and pleasure...temptation. Lust.
Her voice drove him on as she whispered his name."

Cassie is no stranger to tough choices. Her entire life has been spent trying to undo the atrocities created by her father. Having been both a witness and an unwilling recipient of her father’s cruelty she refuses to allow anyone else to be victimized by the Genesis group. Especially, the man she has been in love with since she was child – too bad he cannot even seem to remember her name.

"She’d never been able to forget his kiss. He’d been the first man that she ever kissed. The first to make her feel like she belonged to someone. A someone who sometimes seemed to hate her."

Cynthia Eden has written another scorcher. Dante and Cassie’s passion burns up the pages in “Playing with Fire." Not sure where the Phoenix Fire series is headed, but I truly believe it will continue to feed my addiction for dangerously handsome and alluring man. Hopefully, she will provide us anxious reader with a story about Trace, Vaughn, or yet an unknown sexy male.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC. .I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I like almost all of Cynthia Eden's work. This is a reprint from 2014. I had not read it previously but enjoyed it, I did get a little tired of the chases and wanted to just yell get on with it already!! But overall an enjoyable book. I gave it a four.

Dante, the first of the phoenix shifters, is immortal. When he dies he comes back in a blaze, sometimes with his memories and sometimes without. He's been experimented on by Cassie's father who was trying to create the perfect weapons. Cassie's father experimented on her too, torturing her for years. She is enhanced and her path is intertwined with Dante's. Together they work to save others who have been part of the mad doctors experiment and shut down the labs. I loved this action-filled paranormal romance, reading it in one sitting. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Another hit in a series by a great author. This is the story of Cassie and Dante. Years ago, Cassie was experimented on by her father, who was trying to create a super army of paranormals. Dante, a phoenix, as also caged and experimented on. As a child, Cassie found him, and tried to help him escape. Years later, they meet up again, although each time he dies and comes back he has no memory until she helps him. Didn't like the beginning, as reading about a child being strapped down and cut and bled by her father in a lab was disturbing to say the least, but as the story progressed (and it is only briefly described) and Cassie and Dante are on the run, the story improved for me a lot. Hard to put it down, as there is plenty of action and (if you've read the other books in the series) a few familiar characters. Would highly recommend this book, and although the previous books in the series are not needed to enjoy this one, I suggest you give them a try as well. Good author, good book, good series.

I loved Dante and his alpha-ness, "he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Cassie yelped, totally not expecting that move. She shoved her hands against hi a** -um, a very nice a** - pushed herself up so she could see around her." Cassie, she's brave, has balls, and stand up for herself, "you left me hours ago - just walked out. Now you think you'll sleep with me?" She shook her head. "You aren't that irresistible, no matter what you think." I loved the primal urges Dante had, "when you call my name, it makes me want to eff you." He's possessive and protective, "Dante? Dante, what the hell are you doing? Put me down!" Red began to coat his vision. Another phoenix, a male, near his siren." I want Trace's book.

AN IMPRESSIVELY POWERFUL, SEXY, ADDICTIVE story by Cynthia Eden! Even though this is the third book in Miss Eden's Phoenix Fire series, this is the first one in it that I have read and HOT DAMN AM I HOOKED! I D-E-V-O-U-R-E-D this book in a little over a day! It was HEART SMASHING GOOD with a hero who had a RED HOT obsession and a AMAZING WOMAN WHO WASN'T AWARE OF HER OWN POWERS. I LOVED Dante! He seemed so cold and had killer instincts that dictated he kill first but with Cassie, things start to shift and change. What started out as a white hot obsession turned into something much more powerful...love. And Cassie...she was extraordinary in my opinion, tough, sweet, caring and willing to do ANYTHING to save paranormals that her father tortured and experimented on...like I said, she is EXTRAORDINARY!

There was so much adrenaline pumping action that it was hard to keep still. And plenty of spell-binding lust and fabulous characters that I am now completely obsessed over. I am KICKING myself for not finding this series before now. Playing With Fire is THRILLING...TEMPTING....DARK AND WICKED! I am in stunned AWE!

Playing With Fire gets a HIGHLY ADDICTIVE AND CERTAINLY SEXY FIVE SHOOTING STARS!

4 - "Learn all my secrets." … "I offer them to you." Stars.

I am sad that we have reached the end of the Phoenix Fire Series. I have loved reading each and every one of these books, and Cynthia Eden is one of my absolute favorite authors, for books in this genre. I don’t think it is actually possible for her to write a bad book, no matter the subject.

"Maybe there are some things you’d rather not remember. There are sure things I’d prefer to forget."

Dante and Cassie first popped up in the second book in the series, and we were given a little taste of the fact that they had history, and not all of it was good. Although reluctantly for Cassie, they were on opposite sides of the battle lines initially, Scientist – Subject, but allegiances have now changed. Unfortunately, it is sometimes a little difficult trying to make a guy who potentially loses his memory every time he is reborn to remember that fact!

"I don’t know if I should help you or kill you."

GIF.

You really need to read the first two books in this series to really get the full benefit of this book; a lot has happened throughout the previous books and this really is the climax of the story as a whole, everything is tied up really well, all the questions are answered, and the epilogue is adorable, I would however have liked a little more on Ryder & Sabine in Playing with Fire.

I loved Dante, as much as I love Cain and Ryder (books 1 & 2), he is another uber alpha, not afraid to speak his mind, kill his enemies and protect his woman. He is also pretty hot (no pun intended) between the sheets too, which always makes for a stellar read!

"When I breathe in your scent, I ache.
When I kissed you, your taste had me maddened.
I look at you, and I think… mine.”

GIF.

I can’t recommend this series or its author highly enough, you are always given the a full HD reading experience when you pick up a Cynthia Eden book, and as always this one is no exception.

"Remember me...”
"...I already do. I always will."

GIF.
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

This is the third book in the Phoenix Fire series and just builds on all the previous books . Fans of this author will be delighted to read about these characters who have entertained and thrilled readers since Ms Eden first introduced them. A fabulous plot featuring distinctly creepy government types willing to turn a blind eye to cruel experimentation in order to obtain super soldiers . Paranormals held prisoner for years, tortured and even murdered in order to obtain genetic materials that can be twisted and used to make hybrids. But amongst all this evil and unnecessarily cruel torture one young woman who will stop at nothing to reverse the damage done to so many innocents.
Cassie grew up in her fathers laboratories and knows just what a monster he really was. No he wasn't a paranormal but the atrocities and tortures he inflicted all in the name of science stole his humanity. Dr Wyatt didn't care who he hurt and happily used his own children in his experiments but it was his constant torture of the Phoenix Dante that haunts Cassie today.
Oo I've loved this series and I urge you to read the rest of it but for now it's all about Cassie and Dante . The two main characters are just so appealing but all along there's this very macho Dante claiming " mine " and it just gave me goose bumps. It's not exactly the usual declaration of love that authors give us but more of an old school "me Tarzan you Jane" kind of vibe but it really works here. Dante is as old as dirt and has died and risen so many times that he relies on his instincts and to me that made sense. Cassie is so much more than she realises but no spoilers here so all I will say is her tenacity and determination to right what she sees as wrongs made her a very likeable heroine. She's a very brave woman who has made mistakes but she's prepared to sacrifice herself if that's what it takes .
Well Dante is a Phoenix so any comments I make about this being a hot romance will obviously be cringeworthy so I will refrain and say that this is well written and a fabulous addition to the series . Is it the end? I'm not really sure as yes the Phoenix story might be told but there's still vampires and werewolves within this world the author has created. There's a sweet little epilogue to satisfy romantics such as myself and I truly enjoyed this book. I happily recommend this and if you haven't read this authors work before then now is most certainly the time to discover just how good she is.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Good solid paranormal romance, there were no real new elements to this story at times I kinda felt I had read the story before at times. The story is well written and definitely entertaining.