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Title: Ice Storm (Ice Series, Book 4)
Author: Anne Stuart
Genre: Romance (Romantic Suspense)
After diving head first into the paranormal romance genre and loving every minute of it, I wanted to see if my psyche had been corrupted so much that regular people romance wouldn't do it for me anymore. This book caught my eye a while back, so I decided to give it a whirl. Although the lives of these characters are far from "normal" at the very least I know they will stay and play in this *realm*, so as far as I'm concerned it meets the criteria.
Synopsis:
Isobel Lambert is the cool sophisticated head of a British mercenary organization called "The Committee." As such, she has been in the company of some of the deadliest people in the world. Void of emotion and desire, she has earned the name "Ice Queen" and wears it like a badge of honor. Forever changed by a traumatic event from her past, Isobel is now an ageless, souless, woman with ice filling the space where her heart once resided.
Serafin is an assassin and has earned the distinction of "The Most Dangerous Man in the World." He has made a deal with The Committee to be brought in and debriefed in exchange for his safe passage into England and a handsome reward for his intel.
Isobel, with a new face recognizes Serafin as the man she shot and left for dead seventeen years ago. They both have reasons for wanting revenge. Will he recognize her? Will she be able to maintain her disguise and ice cold veneer long enough to accomplish her mission?
The Good:
- This book works itself up to a slow brew, though it never reaches a boiling point. I actually kinda like that.
- Although it's classified as a romance novel, at least it tries to have a real story of suspense and intrigue. In the end it kinda felt like I experienced something similar to "Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Lite" but with a couple of mild sex scenes tossed in and definitely not the focus of the novel. This novel was more about building tension between the two characters and less about sealing the deal.
- I like the whole "antihero" thing. Kinda like a good/bad/good guy if that makes any sense. It makes the guy lead a little more interesting.
- If you liked the foreplay physical knockdown/dragouts between the male and female leads in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you should like this too. (Although Jane Smith was waaaaaay more badass.)
- Serafin actually uses the phrase "torn up bed." That's just ace in my book. =)
- The end was sufficiently satisfying, if rushed a tad.
The Bad:
- This book came dangerously close to making me wait too long to start caring about the characters. Another few pages or so and I would have struggled to pick it back up in the beginning.
- Isobel Lambert is supposed to be the Ice Queen, the Iron Maiden according to her. She's so cold and ruthless and there is nothing that can ruffle her feathers. She's the baddest badass that badassery has ever seen....she's stone col..okay..you get it. The thing is, we only know this as the reader because she keeps telling us so. I kicked more ass on the way to my fridge than she did in the first 250 or so pages of the book. The book was 347pp total.
- Building on the last point, I never really got the impression that Isobel hated Serafin as much as she kept saying she did. She had a valid reason to hate him, but never sold it to me as a reader. Perhaps that was the point because it is a romance novel, but I just found myself kinda not taking any of that stuff seriously, and basically just waiting for them to kiss and get it over with.
- Isobel comes off as looking kinda soft as a mercenary IMO. Her whole "Ice/Bitch/Cruella" declarations wore thin after a while. I ended up liking Serafin way more than I liked her, but that's always the case so I can't really hold that against this book I suppose.
- Medically, Isobel was officially diagnosed as being sexually frigid, no doubt due to a certain traumatic event from her past. Is that not the most OBVIOUS medical disorder EVER given the title? I really should have saw that coming.
Worth Noting:
- This is apparently the 4th book in what is unofficially known as the author's "Ice" series. There are established characters that read like I should know who they are already, but sufficient information is presented to allow for easy assimilation into the story. I hate reading books out of order, but at least this one didn't make me feel completely left out of the backstory. The only thing I sacrificed is knowing that the couples from the previous books do eventually overcome whatever it was they had to overcome and got together...but all romance novels pretty much end that way, so that's not much of a spoiler.
- The Verdict: I liked this book, but it isn't one that will remain with me over time. Even so I can safely say that I am still able to enjoy nonparanormal romances since this one kept my interest though it is dialed way down from the action/romance/erotica intensity I've been consuming as of late.
- I plan to read the other novels in the "Ice" series.
Bonus Material:
An "Ice Storm" reenactment by
abstract_truth :
::Isobel thinking to herself::
"I hate him. How dare he do this to meeeee!!!! Where's my knife??!! I'll kill him now! I'll...."
::moan::
::shudder::
::ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz::
Girl, you gotta watch out for those aftershocks!
And you call yourself a secret agent?
Overall Rating: Solid B
Song Dedication: Since this novel didn't really grip me the way others have, no songs jumped right out at me while reading, so I've picked a few of songs based on their titles that fit into the book's theme:
"Rewind" - Paulo Nutini
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" - The Temptations
"Against All Odds" - Phil Collins
Quote: "So you haven't responded to gentle, adoring men, Isobel?" ... "So let's see if you like violence." (Given the context of this statement in this novel, I'm a bit disturbed at how erotic I found this to be. I may be needing that shrink afterall :-o.)