Playing With Fire is the story of 'Nero' an arsonist and the deadly havoc he has wrought. After the reported death of the arsonist, one year later, Darcy Sampson receives a tip that the body found at the scene wasn't 'Nero.' Excited and determined to be the one to solve what she believes is the mystery of 'Nero." Darcy returns to her hometown in Virginia to track Michael Gannon, an arsonist investigator who refuses to believe that Nero is dead.

Soon after arriving at her family's restaurant/bar she overhears a conversation about several fires in the area. No one seems to think they are related, but Darcy has fires on her mind and tries to ask questions without drawing attention to herself. She needs to find Gannon and find out what he knows. But Nero is closer than they know. As Darcy and Gannon work together to prove they are on the right track, Nero has plans of his own involving Darcy and Gannon.

This was a fast afternoon read. I enjoy all of Mary Burton's books. They are entertaining with great characters. The stories are well written and keep the reader turning the pages.

Reporter Darcy Sampson and arson investigator Michael Gannon are on the hunt for the criminal known as Nero.
This was another great page turner from the talented Mary Burton. My only complaint is will there be a book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Books for providing a copy of this book for review.

Journalist Darcy Sampson receives a tip that the serial arsonist "Nero", thought to have died in one of his own fires a year ago, is still out there. Michael Gannon, the lead arson investigator on the Nero case, just happens to have retired to her hometown, so she heads there to undercover to try to get access to him, to help her with her story. When she arrives, she learns that fires eerily similar to the ones Nero is famous for setting have been burning down buildings in the area. Is Gannon actually Nero? Or is he an ally Darcy can work with to stop Nero from causing more damage, and possibly taking more lives? I enjoyed the story, but it was predictable and I was bothered throughout the book by things that made it obvious the story couldn't be taking place in "current times" --people smoking in restaurants, leaving notes (on paper!) for each other rather than sending text messages, etc., which presumably reflects the fact that this book was previously published as "The Arsonist".

I am a huge fan of Mary Burton and have read all of her books!
I am an avid reader living near London and I know that with Mary Burton I will experience an amazing fast paced, action packed mystery with a romance in twinned.
Darcy and Gannon's story is no exception and pure delight. I love that couple and the plot is really intriguing as ever.
I would without a doubt highly recommend this book and indeed any other books written by Mary Burton who is in my opinion a really talented author.

A must read!

Gannon is an ex-arson investigator; Darcy is a journalist looking for her big story. When she receives a tip suggesting the infamous arsonist Nero may not have died the previous year, she is determined to get to the truth. There is an instant attraction between the couple but conflict too. Their connection puts them on the arsonist's radar as he plots to bring them down.

I like how the setting and the action scenes intensify the suspense. I also enjoyed the developing relationship between the two investigators and how this made them vulnerable to the antagonist. Well-paced romantic suspense that keeps you absorbed until the end.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Wow wow wow what a book I loved it!!! Advanced warning don’t start this book unless you have the time to sit and read it in one go which I could have happily done if life hadn’t got in the way.

Darcy a reporter and Gannon an arsonist investigator pair up to help solve a series of arsonist attacks. Both Darcy and Gannon believe this to be the work of a previous arsonist Nero however many believe this to not be true as they were lead to believe that Nero had died in a fire of his own making the previous year ago.

Many believe this new arsonist to be a copycat however Darcy and Gannon are not convinced and believe that the original Nero is the one behind these fires. The unlikely pair team up and will stop at nothing to find out who is behind these attacks once and for all.

Nero is unsurprised and quick to realise that Gannon was onto him as this is exactly what he had been expecting and hoping for however Nero is mystified when he realises that Gannon the reporter hating investigator has teamed up with none other than a reporter herself in the form of Darcy. Nero is determined not to let this throw him off scent and alters his plan to try and bring both Darcy and Gannon down.

I loved every single word of this book it was one of those I couldn’t wait to get to the end as I just wanted to know more and to read on however when I finished I was gutted I had. I did work out who was behind the fires and who this Nero person was I picked it up just before the half way point however that didn’t stop me enjoying the rest of the book and I was really pleased to discover I had been right.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

An entertaining romantic suspense even if the suspense takes the back set. It kept me entertained and interested till the end. The characters are fleshed out and the story will well plotted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A fast-paced action-packed thriller. The main characters are fantastic. A recommended read.

Fast paced romantic thriller. Easy read - good storyline - relatable characters.

Could have used a little more wrap up and explored the characters grew from their experiences.

Playing With Fire is fast-paced and suspense-filled. The author did an excellent job with the two main characters, Darcy and Gannon. Both of them have detailed and eventful backgrounds which means that the reader comes to care about them from the moment they appear on the page. The duo have great chemistry from the get-go and it was fun to watch the beginning of their romance. Both have their own insecurities which made them more relatable. Darcy in particular had more than one problem to deal with and I was completely sucked into all the family drama that she had to cope with along with trying to investigate the Nero fires.
I enjoyed the action and suspense and it ratcheted up a lot as the story progressed. The suspense and sense of danger the fires created made the story quite exciting and one I couldn't put down. The story concluded in a way I wasn't expecting but loved. It left me with a tingly, nervous feeling imagining what might happen next!

This author never disappoints! Action and suspense from the first page! Wonderful characters that pull you in and keep your attention. Truly a book that I couldn't lay down til it was finished!

I absolutely devour anything that Mary Burton writes. She is an automatic go-to author for me to grab and read. She has definitely done it again!

Darcy is a reporter hungry for a story. She finds out Gannon a retired arson investigator is living in her hometown and she wants to know if there is more to the story of his last investigation than there seemed. Gannon is trying to live a quiet life and really dislikes reporters, so Darcy starts working at her family tavern and tries to get to know him. Her family dynamic is complicated and she wonders if the story if worth the strains of being home. The more time she spends with Gannon the more she likes him and their attraction is too much to resist. It turns out that what Gannon thought about his last case is true, the arsonist Nero is still alive and has followed him. Gannon isn’t too happy when he finds out Darcy is actually a reporter, but they band together when things escalate with fires in town. This was an enjoyable, but pretty short story.

Sadly, this didn't work out for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I felt that it was more focused on developing the romantic plot than the crime plot itself. I wished there was a balance of both, though, but the romance overwhelmed me.

I did not know that this book was a reissue or I would not have requested it. I read this book when it first came out. I really believe that if you are going to reissue an older book then you should please put reissue on the front cover for those of us who have been reading all of our lives

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #PlayingWithFire by #MaryBurton.

I didn’t realise when I requested this that it was a reprint of an existing book. The Arsonist. Which I have already read.

I can see why books are reissued to reach new audiences and Mary Burtons books are well worth a read, but I really think there should be clear indications that it is a reprint.

Another great romantic thriller from Mary Burton. What a fantastic book! I was totally hooked… I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It was full of tension, twists and turns and romance that kept me totally engrossed… I read it in one day as I just couldn’t put it down.

This was a new to me author that I finally got to reading. I loved the serial arsonist and the stories that followed. The romance aspect could have not been present and the book would have still been good. But I did like that we had multiple characters with multiple issues to overcome and also this overall story of arson.

This is my second book from Mary Burton that I have had the honor of reading in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you NetGalley)

This one Playing With Fire, was absolutely lit (wink wink). I definitely had a hard time putting it down, extremely fast paced, and packed full of details. It did not let me down! I was constantly left wondering who Nero was, and if they could catch him before the next fire was set. (It wasn't obvious, until it was, when it was supposed to be) I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

I have a feeling Mary Burton is going to be an auto-buy author for me! Her stories are fast paced, page turners, and have a little bit of spice to them! It's the best of all worlds in my opinion. I absolutely love thrillers/suspenseful books, and don't mind some spicy romance every now and then. And I find Mary Burton knows how to balance the two extremely well, enough to not take away from the original story at hand.

A Fiery four-star read. This was a great story, I loved the charactrs and the developments, it just lacked a little at parts, almost like the author took their time and wrote so well for 90% of the story, but then glossed over a couple of really important scenes, and that pulled it down. Darcy and Gannon are well done and pull you into the story, making you feel the heat. Nero will keep you guessing as well, I like how they played that storyline. Mary Burton is one of those authors you know will give you a gripping story and keep you guessing.