Playing With Fire – Susan May Warren – Montana Fire #2 – Published 5 July 2016

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Synopsis

She can’t forget the man she walked away from . . . 

Liza Beaumont knew she was playing with fire when she let smoke jumper Conner Young into her life. Just friends, she promised herself, but she couldn’t help but fall for the tall, blond firefighter who needed her. But loving him got her burned, and she’s not about to risk her heart again. 

His once chance to get her back . . . 

Conner Young knows he blew his one chance with Liza. His personal losses—and his profession—made him wary of offering any promises he couldn’t be sure he’d live to keep. So he let her walk away, but he never forgot the place she’d held in his heart. 

A race to find a missing girl . . . 

Until Liza is attacked in the mountains by a rogue grizzly. Her panicked phone call alerts Conner to everything he lost—and still wants. Now, with a teenage girl missing in the woods, and a predator on the loose, Conner and Liza must fight against time and the elements to save her. But when the old friendship ignites into fresh sparks, are they setting themselves up to get burned again? And when disaster happens, will their nightmares pull them apart, or will they find the courage to survive?

My thoughts

Once again, Susan May Warren delivers a book that is teeming with action, dangerous moments that leave you anxious for the characters’ survival, and romance that grips your heart (with a few toe-curling kisses thrown in for good measure).

Playing With Fire is the second book in the Montana Fire series, returning to the brave group of men and women smokejumpers who fight fires and save lives. It also colides rather nicely with characters and settings from Warren’s Christiansen Family series and the Deep Haven series. It was wonderful to reconnect with so many familiar and dearly loved faces.

Liza Beaumont, artist and resident of Deep Haven, knows to never to trust men – certainly not with her heart. A friendship with smokejumper Conner Young, showed her how true that was. But when a young girl is lost in the wilderness and Liza faces down a bear while attempting to rescue her, she reaches out to Conner. Is this their chance to reconnect and finally take a chance on love?


Playing With Fire starts with Liza in the current time period, looking for a lost camper. Then it jumps back three years to when she was living in Deep Haven and first met smokejumper Conner Young. A chunk of the book then focuses on this time as they form a beautiful friendship. I really loved this journey back in time. It’s so wonderful to see Liza and Conner’s connection, especially set against the familiar backdrop of Deep Haven and all my favourite residents. But time and distance slowly separate Liza and Conner, and, just when you think they might have a chance, Liza runs, scared about the future. The book then returns to the current time as Liza and Conner face the dangers of the Montana mountains as they search for the lost girl.

There was no shortage of breathless moments in this book, both from the suspense and the romance. It was wonderful to get a deeper look into the character of Liza, someone who has become a familiar face through many of the Deep Haven and Christiansen books. She has a heartbreaking story and it was fantastic to see her finally receive her own happy ending. Conner, too, is a character with many layers. I loved his readiness to help everyone around him, his inventiveness, and his love for Liza.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a complete story within itself, but readers can return to Connor and Liza’s story in Warren’s latest book, I’ll Be There. I can’t wait!!

More information

Category: Fiction

Genre: Christian suspense.

Themes:  Fire, relationships, friendship, smoke jumpers, relationships, mountains, bear attacks.

Published:  5 July 2016

Format: Paperback, ebook.

ISBN: 9781943935093

Find it on Goodreads