The book opens with the crackle of fire. Hissing, spitting, devouring fire. The flames leap out of the broken windows of a two-story house while a woman watches. Who is she and why is she so drawn to the fire? Is it her house or is she the one who set it on fire? Or is there someone inside she is desperate to save? And who is the man hurtling towards her as she moves forward in a trance to subsume herself in the pyre?

Playing with Fire opens like no book you have read. Meet Felicia, the woman who has a special relationship with fire. And the man who would save her, whether she wants to be saved or not. He follows her into her alternate life as a librarian, making her aware of something special within her, something she cannot understand. His eyes are a luminous blue, glittering like a jewel and reminding her of ice and glaciers. At one level, he is normal, just another man who wishes to become a member at the library. He is Joshua Norton, a 32-year-old private investigator. And she tries to convince herself that his turning up at her library is just a coincidence.

Then he appears inexplicably outside her home too, bringing her a gift. A book with a nonsensical title: The Magic in You – How to control your healing powers. But is there something inside which will help her understand herself and her gift? Her nerves jangle in alarm each time she meets him. He transmits an unspoken message that both of them are special and meant for each other. She wants him, yet fears him. “Trust me, Felicia,” he says. But how can she? She can hardly trust herself or exercise any control over her fearsome powers which have brought hurt and humiliation in their wake.

Contrasts. Contradictions. Ice versus fire. The conflict builds. The little fire dragon inside her grows larger by the day and flaps its wings, ready to take off and incinerate the world. Unless… unless she learns the truths he has fathomed the hard way. They grow closer, sharing kisses and secrets they have never told before to man or woman, or even to themselves. What does the future hold for them? Is there hope or only devastation when fire and ice extinguish each another? Twists and turns, thrills and chills keep the plot racing ahead, as Felicia battles fear and foreboding in her quest for love. You must read the book to find out how it all plays out.

Devika’s language flows smooth as honey as she wafts you through regions of the mind and body that are unfamiliar and magical, creating fairytale worlds that are rich in the colours of the imagination. The descriptions of the dragon that cartwheels in joy, the blue-eyed Norse god, the sensation within her that tiptoes the fine line between ecstasy and pain, the voice within her that guides her to her destiny… you must read Playing with Fire to experience it all. Take a little flight into a fantasy world and come back refreshed and with your eyes opened to a hitherto unseen world where anything is possible.

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