Belle Jamison is alone except for her ailing father and her best friend. Her sole goal is maintaining her father's good health. It's tenuous at best. But the financial burden of the assisted living center and worry leads her to a perpetual state of anger and of making excuses for her failure to succeed at dead end jobs.

Rome likes working alone. He is desperate to provide his four year old daughter a resemblance of a normal life and for the most part he has. But if the company ever learns of her unusual abilities, they won't think twice before nabbing her.

Belle can't afford to lose another job, but now it's not just herself that's playing devil's advocate with her life, but a scientist. She is slipped a formula, created in a lab and, like a virus, it changes her DNA until she's not just a threat to any embittered customer, but a danger to the world.

Rome's orders are to neutralize Belle. However his definition adapts as she adjusts to her changes. His plan is to use Belle as a bribe; her for a normal life for his family.

The change leaves Belle weaker than a kitten with a full grown set of claws. Expecting death, instead she wakes to find herself in a different apartment. Faced with death or experimentation, Belle chooses the third option, and runs when Rome leaves her alone. In her weather riddled escape from Rome and Vincent, she catches a ride from Tanner, a young man with thoughts of grandeur.

Belle's powers are connected to her emotions, and right now, she is hot for Rome. The thought of having sex with him starts her burning; flames blossoming from her hands. Surely they'll combust if they ever consummate. Belle must learn how to control her erratic emotions or there's no chance of any life without causing a natural disaster. Being attracted to her beauty and her spitfire tongue is not part of his plan. Neither is being shackled by young Tanner, who according to his psychic ex-wife, will be influential in controlling Belle's powers.

It is a game of cat and mouse. How long before he tires of her and decides she's not worth the effort? Will Vincent of Observation and Application of Supernatural Sciences stop or will he use her father as leverage? Will they be able stay ahead of Vincent? The moments together and near elemental related disasters bond Belle to Rome. He falls in love with her. Is she still as expendable as he planned?

Gene Showalter reminds us as adults how events can be tossed on to us. Although the changes in Belle are extreme, and not just hormonal, they are just as earth shattering. I didn't like Belle Jamison's character. She reminded me too much of the dark rebellious years, when I was raising my sons. But the storyline, Ms. Showalter's talent with words, and keeping the action flowing with barely time to breath, kept me turning the pages. By the end of the book, I no longer felt like throttling Belle's character, and could understand where her motivation came from.