Book Review : Playing With Fire (Guarded Hearts #1) by Ashley Piscitelli

Playing With Fire (Guarded Hearts #1)

Author: Ashley Piscitelli

Published: July 15th 2013

Source: Author

ebook

Goodreads Summary:

Madison Stevens has had a shitty life, her mother died at the age four and her father has always blamed her for it. She went through the foster system and is now attending college. Her boyfriend Chris is not willing to share Madison with anyone, not even her friends. 

Her first day at college she meets Carter James, who makes her want everything she never thought she could have. She knows that she should ignore her feelings for Carter, but it's not as easy as it sounds.

As Carter and Madison begin to fall in love, they face many obstacles. Their biggest one is Chris who is not going to let her go easily.

Playing with Fire will be the first book in a three book series. It is about the obstacles that stand in your way on the path to love. It tests the characters strength and commitment to each other on every level from old boyfriend/girlfriends, to insecurities, and throws a little violence and scheming into the mix.

"Chris was like fire. It was pretty to look at but if you got too close you got burnt, and if it wasn’t controlled it would destroy everything in its path. Doing what I was about to do with Carter was dangerous, but what can I say I never had parents to warn me not to play with fire."

**Playing With Fire is for mature audiences only—strong language, and explicit sexual content are apparent.**

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My Review:

Playing with Fire was a very pleasant surprise to me. Ashley Piscitelli gave us an amazing debut novel. I was not sure what to expect from this book. This story brings us on an emotional journey. I have to admit that I had a hard time reading some of the scenes, they were so raw. You could feel every emotion that Madison was going through.

In Playing with Fire we follow Madison who at the age of 4, lost her mom in a tragic accident. Her world starts to crumble from that moment on. Her father blames her for her mother's death and he becomes an alcoholic. After the state takes her away from him, she goes from one foster home to another and gets abused in the process. In High school she meets Chris who becomes her boyfriend. With time she realises that he does not care for her like she thought. Chris becomes verbally and physically abusive towards Madison. Her Salvation comes when she meets Carter on her first day of University.

Madison was a very well developed character. We could see her grow throughout the book and we could feel her pain and sense her fear. What Chris did to her was horrible! My heart was breaking for her. He did not only leave her with physical scars, but emotional ones as well. You could see that Carter's love saved her from this personal battle that she was fighting. He made her understand that she was worthy of love. I loved that Madison did a complete transformation. She was a fragile human being at the beginning, but turned out to find the confidence to fight back by the end of the book.

Carter was like the sun after the rain. He was there at the right moment to catch Madison. His love was perfect for her. He made her feel and experience things for the first time. He gave her what she deserved, which was someone who would take care of her unconditionally. All his little gestures put back together the pieces of Madison's heart and soul.

Chris is just despicable! That's how I can describe him best. I was livid and I was just reading the book! The things he says and does to Madison are just cruel!

This story ended with a HUGE cliffhanger. I was like... Nooooooo!!! Where is the rest? I was not expecting it to end at that exact location. I look forward to Breaking Through the Wall, which is going to answer some unanswered questions and we get to follow Jason' story. Awesome work by Ashley Piscitelli!

Casting

The way I see Madison

The way I see Carter

My Rating:

I give Playing with Fire 4 intense and emotional stars. 

About the Author:

I love reading romance books! I feel like being able to lose yourself in a book in one of the more exciting aspects. The books I love to read and write will be ones that make you feel for the characters. You should have an opinion on every character in a book. Whether you love them, hate them, or think they are up to something. 

I live in Philadelphia Pennsylvania with my husband, two kids, and two dogs. On top of starting a writing career I am a full time student, and a full time mom. I love spending time with my kids, although I have to hide the computer from them when I am writing! I love being active and being able to do any activity outdoors. 

I have always thought as an author the most important critic is your reader, so I would love to hear from you. If you read the book and loved it or hated it, tell me. As long as it is in a constructive way I will always answer and interact with you. I want fans to feel free to tell me what they want for the characters in the story and what they want to see happen.I cannot wait till my first book is published and I can start this amazing journey!

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