My review of Flirting with Fire by Piper Rayne

Madison Kelly was picked on in high school and called "Fattie Maddie" but one night she had a chance to spend some time with her high school crush, Mauro Bianco, the high school quarterback. Since then she has gone on with her life and stayed away from most relationships. When her best friend Lauren bids on Mauro at a charity auction for Madison, Madison wonders if she will finally get her chance.

Mauro Bianco is a firefighter who reluctantly agrees to do the auction and is not really impressed with the drunk girl who won him. He agrees to a date but nothing prepares him for Madison whom he labels right away.

As tensions mount between Mauro and Madison they soon find themselves after the same property and decide to become partners instead. Will their business partnership turn into more and will Mauro ever remember who Madison is?

This was such a great book filled with lots of laughs and serious moments to keep the book in a perfect balance!

I loved Madison and could relate to not fitting in with the "in-crowd". I loved her spunk but I hated how she put herself down all of the time and struggled with how she viewed herself. I loved her friendship with Lauren and Vanessa and three were definitely awesome together and strong! I really liked what Madison did as a career and that she had great thoughts about everything.

Mauro was much more difficult as I hated how he was in high school and also when he first meets Madison again and especially on their date! He was a jerk but I could slowly see him shifting as he actually got to know her and understand more about her, inside and out. I was surprised he didn't see what everyone else saw when it came to his deceased buddy's, Hunter, wife Cailin.

There were so may intense moments between Mauro and Madison and just as you think something is going to happen, something interferes and it doesn't. Madison was understandably worried about her heart and I loved as Mauro began to realize how he felt.

You knew something bad was going to happen after the conversation between Madison and Reed and I'm glad it was nowhere near what I thought it was going to be. Although it was pretty bad in a different way!

The characters in this book were great and I can't wait for more with Luca and Cristian.

4.5 Stars