BOOK REVIEW- PLAYING WITH FIRE by Alix Nichols

He was supposed to look after her, not kiss her senseless...
Au pair Uma is all kinds of wrong for single dad Zach. Raised in a conservative Hindu family, Uma is his son's nanny, a twenty-three-year-old virgin, and a guileless ingenue to boot. Zach knows all of that.
Then why can't he rein in his lust for her?
If there is one man Uma should not be attracted to, it's the father of the adorable five-year-old in her charge. Once burned twice shy, Zach is the captain of a pro water polo team and a wealthy entrepreneur who can have any woman he wants. No strings attached. 
Small wonder he goes all out to shun Uma!
But when, with the help of a bottle of fine wine, Zach confesses all the dirty things he'd like to do to her, Uma astounds him by saying she wants that, too.
What's a man to do but oblige?
Besides, it's not like it's the end of the world. They're both sensible, level-headed adults. They'll just have a bit of fun and then go back to normal, as if nothing happened.
As if feelings weren't already getting in the way.  AMAZON 3.5 STARS

This book was kind of hard for me to rate because I had mixed feelings about it.  Let me say right off the bat that I have read other books by this author and liked them.  This one was a quick read but not my favorite of all of them. I did like both Uma and Zach and his friend Noah when he showed up. The friendship between Uma and Zach was definitely there, as was the closeness and caring that Uma had with Sam.  So was the challenge of their "forbidden" attraction;  they really liked each other first of all.  But for me, it felt like some of the spark was missing.

Another thing that might have thrown it off kilter for me was the unusual element of Zach and his water polo career.   I wasn't all that into that part (but that's probably just me) but I have to admit it was different.  And I did learn what the Eggbeater Kick was, something I hadn't heard before.


So I guess " A Mixed Bag" is the best way I can put it.
Oh but let me say I really liked the cover for this book and the title too.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest opinion of it.