
Playing with Fire
A forbidden romance set in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Paola Santana(Author)
P.S. So Bookish (Publisher)
Published on 1. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
334 pages
978-1-0684670-0-4 (ISBN)
Description
A slow-burn, spicy holiday romance for fans of Ana Huang, Elena Armas, and Jenny Han - morally grey, multicultural, and utterly unputdownable.
Sometimes love is like fire... get too close, and you're bound to get burned.
When Paige Lancaster lands in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she's desperate to escape the unfolding family drama back in the UK. The last thing she needs is another complication.
Marcelo is moody, arrogant, and maddeningly magnetic-a walking red flag with a dark past that taints everything he touches. To make things worse, he's not just anyone-he's her best friend's cousin and the brother of one of Paige's exes. And that ex? Now that she's in Brazil, he's determined to pick up where their almost-romance left off.
As sparks turn to flames, loyalties are tested. With hearts, family ties, and friendships on the line, someone is bound to get scorched.
Paige knows she's playing with fire. But the attraction is becoming an obsession-and she might not be able to run away from this one.
Tropes:
Forbidden romance, grumpy/sunshine, brothers love triangle, forced proximity, found family, female friendship
Spice level:
3/5 chillies
Trigger warnings:
Playing with Fire is an adult novel featuring open-door spicy scenes and moments of tension involving consent. While it is romance, the story explores relationships in a broader sense, focusing on complex family and friendship dynamics. It also explores sensitive themes such as historical family trauma, unwanted advances, infidelity, grief, mental health, and displacement.
Awards & Cetifications:
Human Authored certified by the Society of Authors
Contender for the Romantic Novelists' Joan Hessayon Award 2026
Sometimes love is like fire... get too close, and you're bound to get burned.
When Paige Lancaster lands in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she's desperate to escape the unfolding family drama back in the UK. The last thing she needs is another complication.
Marcelo is moody, arrogant, and maddeningly magnetic-a walking red flag with a dark past that taints everything he touches. To make things worse, he's not just anyone-he's her best friend's cousin and the brother of one of Paige's exes. And that ex? Now that she's in Brazil, he's determined to pick up where their almost-romance left off.
As sparks turn to flames, loyalties are tested. With hearts, family ties, and friendships on the line, someone is bound to get scorched.
Paige knows she's playing with fire. But the attraction is becoming an obsession-and she might not be able to run away from this one.
Tropes:
Forbidden romance, grumpy/sunshine, brothers love triangle, forced proximity, found family, female friendship
Spice level:
3/5 chillies
Trigger warnings:
Playing with Fire is an adult novel featuring open-door spicy scenes and moments of tension involving consent. While it is romance, the story explores relationships in a broader sense, focusing on complex family and friendship dynamics. It also explores sensitive themes such as historical family trauma, unwanted advances, infidelity, grief, mental health, and displacement.
Awards & Cetifications:
Human Authored certified by the Society of Authors
Contender for the Romantic Novelists' Joan Hessayon Award 2026
Reviews / Votes
Five Stars - "Fast-paced, intensely passionate, and impossible to put down. The chemistry between the main characters is intense. Can't wait for part 2!!!" Pen Name, Amazon ReviewerFive Stars - "Absolutely fantastic ! couldn't put it down... can't wait for the next one!!" Sarah, Amazon Reviewer
Five Stars - "Gripping, exiting, funny, spicy, and at times sad!!! I couldn't put it down." Ana Paola, Amazon Reviewer
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Paola Santana Books
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
401 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0684670-0-4 (9781068467004)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Paola Santana is a Brazilian-born author who swapped the sunshine of her homeland for the charm of Liverpool, England. She writes romance that takes you on a roller coaster ride: slow burns that smoulder for chapters, characters who carry their wounds like armour, fierce FMCs that take no prisoners, and plots that twist just when you think you've got them figured out. Her stories are steeped in Brazilian soul, messy human emotion, and enough spice to raise your heart rate. Her debut novel 'Playing with Fire' has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon Award 2026. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her talking about books on her social channels - @paolasantanabooks. Author website: https://www.paolasantanabooks.com