Derek Severson has allowed his grief for his dead girlfriend to take over his life.  He left his career as a firefighter and his family back in Dallas and relocated on San Amaro Island to run his uncle’s bar, the Shell Shack.  He immersed himself in working sixteen hour days, never smiling and with only nominal interaction with customers.  All of this begins to change when his childhood friend, Macey Locke, swoops into town, determined to snap Derek out of his depression.

Macey has always loved Derek but he only sees her as a friend.   When Derek began a serious relationship with another woman, Macey ran away to work for the Peace Corps.  But now she is home and Derek needs her help.  It has been six months since Derek’s girlfriend, Julie, died in a fire but he hasn’t been able to forgive himself for not saving her.  Macey, little by little, drags Derek out of his self-exile to enjoy living again.  As Derek slowly learns to forgive himself, he becomes aware of the beauty and love Macey has brought back into his life.

Brilliantly written, PLAYING WITH FIRE is a story we can all relate to whether from our own life or a friend’s. You have to admire the gumption of heroine Macey as she rushes to pull her friend Derek from the depths of his despair even while her heart is breaking from unrequited love.  Delightful author Amy Knupp grabs her readers by the heart strings as this engaging love story unfolds before our eyes.

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