Review: Flirting with Fire by Jane Porter

 

Flirting with Fire by Jane Porter

Publication Date: July 25th 2023 by Berkley 

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Forty-nine-year-old Margot Hughes doesn’t plan on getting back into the theatre scene. Living a gypsy sort of life for twenty-five years, traveling and performing and then having her plan of retiring and starting a family shattered has soured her on that life. She’s come back to her California to the coastal town of Cambria, close to her hometown intent on settling down. Only Margot hasn’t been able to find love and it seems her dream of having children has all but passed her by.

However, when Margot’s boss, Sally has a health scare and Sally’s production of Bare Foot in the Park is in danger of collapsing, Margot steps in as both director and female lead. Little does she know that superstar Max Russo will be her co-star.

After years in the business, Max’s career has taken off and he owes a dept of gratitude to Sally, one of his father’s past wives, for helping him through some rough years growing up. Without her support and love he wouldn’t be where he is now, so when he hears about her health scare and the issue with the play he doesn’t hesitate to come back and help.

There’s an instant mutual attraction between Margot and Max. Hours spent in rehearsal, brainstorming over dinner and sipping wine by the ocean have Margot and Max forming a bond of friendship and more.  Their chemistry is intense, but their ideas for the future are different. Margot wants a family and marriage. Max hasn’t had the best history with marriage and doesn’t want to repeat his father’s mistakes with raising children. Can they bridge the gap and make things work long-term?

Flirting with Fire was another mature romance from Jane Porter, the couple are both in their late forties, and I thoroughly enjoyed that! At this point in life most are past playing games romantically and I’m all for that. I appreciated how they tackled the issues, even though it was painful at times for them.

Loved the setting of Cambria, California, a place I’ve visited often over the years. Ms. Porter captured the essence of this gorgeous location: its quaint town with picturesque shops and restaurants and the breathtaking miles of Pacific Ocean coastline!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Love isn't just an act in this captivating and flirty romance by New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter.

Forty-nine-year-old Margot Hughes has lived and breathed theater for the past twenty-five years. After a devastating breakup with her playwright fiancé, she wants nothing to do with the industry. She has sworn off New York, theater, actors—all of it. She returns to her hometown on California’s central coast and takes a job in real estate, where she manages significant investment properties. But Margot’s suddenly thrown back into the theater world when Sally, her friend and boss, who had been restoring and funding Cambria’s historic theater, has a heart attack. Before she knows it, Margot is tapped to take over the troubled summer production of Barefoot in the Park.

But the play is no walk in the park—the leads and director have all quit, and Margot struggles to find new actors…until Max Russo arrives. Forty-five-year-old Max is a former soap opera star turned rugged cowboy on TV’s most popular western series. Max has a huge following and is the perfect hero to step up and save the play, provided Margot stars opposite him. Although adamant she would never return to theater, Margot enjoys the long hours of rehearsal with a professional like Max, who is charming, witty, and passionate. But when the curtains close, can Margot allow herself to fall for Max when he represents everything she left behind?