Playing with Fire (Silver Dragons, Book 1): Katie MacAlister

To have Aisling Grey show up and turn out to be a dragon's mate was a rare enough turn of events. Dragon mates are special women and not born very often. When the doppelganger May Northcott appears in the backyard of Aisling's Greek villa, intent on returning something she stole from the mage next door, she had no plans to reveal herself to the Otherworld celebrities’ just steps away from her. Unfortunately for May, trouble collides in the form of her twin Cyrene and a handsome Newfoundland/demon named Efrijim. Unfortunately for May, that's only the tip of the Otherworldly iceberg.

For May Northcott, being a doppleganger has always meant bondage to the demon Magoth. Her abilities as a doppleganger make her the perfect thief and he uses her as such. Unfortunately for May, this does not go unnoticed by the rest of the Otherworld. After the blundered raid on the mage's house, and May's attempt to make it right, the Lau Dela (Otherworld ruling body) allows the mage to place a price on May's head. All bets are off now.

As if things couldn't get worse, May inadvertently downs a glass of the dragons favored brew, in front of Drake and Aisling, as well as Gabriel Tauhou, the wyvern of the silver dragons. Though May is unaware of the meaning it is not lost on anyone else present. Gabriel immediately moves to claim her, despite May's protestations. For May, above all else, is her bond to Magoth. He holds to the keys to her life and death. If he gives her a direct order she must follow it, even if it means stealing something very dear to the wyvern of the silver dragons, a man that she is quickly falling for. May must decide where her loyalties lie and whose neck is most important to save.

Playing with Fire goes in a new direction for the dragons. Though Aisling and Drake appear they are only peripheral characters. The story itself is about May Northcutt and her dragon Gabriel. I liked the idea of the doppleganger, which MacAlister has explored before in the first Aisling Grey book, with another set of twins. May's abilities and her creation were an interesting twist. I also enjoyed seeing Drake and Aisling from a different point of view, as well as getting a much more expanded view of Gabriel. I must say though, the humor in this one didn't seem quite as up to par as I've come to expect from Katie MacAlister. It was indeed funny but I didn't have the laugh out loud moments that I'm so used to with her. All in all though it was a very good start to a new series and I'm looking forward to the next book.
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Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Signet (May 6, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0451223780
ISBN-13: 978-0451223784