77 of 83 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
I was hoping for a keeper but this is a throwaway, Nov 14 2009
By C M M "Loves to read" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ice: A Novel (Hardcover)
Linda Howard is on my short list of auto-buy authors and several of her older books are on my keeper shelf but this one won't make it!
The story is short and thin, the characters are flat and uninteresting. The only thing we really know about our hero is that he loves his son and can kill a man with his elbow. We find out a little more about the heroine but it's more disturbing; she grew up as the daughter of locally influential, well known people, but somehow she got through the first 18 years of her life without making a single friend. Her redeeming feature now seems to be that she can kill the villainess with a ball peen hammer and not suffer any guilt.
Quick sex in the shower and it's happily-ever-after for these two.
If, like me, your hand twitches to reach for any book with Linda Howard's name on it, here's my advice - wait for the paperback of this one and then buy it used, or better still, borrow it from your local library.
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Finished it in about an hour, Nov 14 2009
By Kathleen Haak "librarygirl01" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ice: A Novel (Hardcover)
It's never a good sign when you finish a $22.00 hardcover in about an hour, maybe a paperback but never a hardcover. Overall, I echo the thoughts of others - the book was too short and needed more character development. Burn was better than Ice. That's rather sad when you consider that Burn was a three star book. It's a shame that Linda Howard is now putting out this type of book. She's a better writer than this. Even at the Amazon price of $11.00 I'd recommend checking the library for this title.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable escape, but it is TOO SHORT. More time for more relationship development would have been nice., Nov 18 2009
By Jane - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ice: A Novel (Hardcover)
STORY BRIEF:
Gabriel is an army sergeant in the military police, based in North Carolina. He comes home to Maine just before Christmas. His father is sheriff and asks Gabriel to go to the Helton home outside of town. An ice storm is coming, and the sheriff is worried that Lolly may not know about the storm and may be stranded. There is no cell phone service near her home. Gabriel and Lolly attended high school together. Their high school relationship was antagonistic. He taunted her. She insulted him. Her father was mayor at the time. He thought of her as Miss Hoity-Toity Helton.
Lolly's family moved away years ago but kept the mountain-side home. Lolly recently came back to pack things up and arrange to sell it. A couple of meth addicts needing money, follow her home with plans to beat, rape and rob her. Meanwhile Gabriel is on his way to her home.
REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I love this author. She knows how to tell a good story with good characters. This was an enjoyable escape. The downside was that it was a "short story" - half the size of a normal book. It would have been nice to have more time for more relationship development. But as a short story it was good for suspense, action, conflicts, and some romantic development. There was one lovely sex scene.
Unfortunately I'm in the minority. I think many reviewers did not like this book because it was too short. I paid $9 which was a bit much, but it would be worthwhile to get from the library.
DATA:
Story length: 196 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one, three pages long. Setting: current day Wilson Creek, Maine. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Linda Howard books, see my 5 star review of "Burn" posted 7-11-09.