Customer Reviews

Colder Than Ice

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What happens when two driven and independent professional women are forced to work together under circumstances neither can fully control? This is the situation archaeologist Allison Shaunessy and psychologist Michela DeGrasse find themselves in. Part of the problem from the beginning is that Allison craves control in her work life because she doesn't really have it in her personal life. She's been dating an oaf, and she hasn't yet figured out that he's a selfish jerk. She wants to focus on and run the expedition, but the sponsor who put up the money knows Michela and specifies that the psychologist be the one in charge. From the beginning, then, there's a rivalry that's not helped by the fact that seemingly straight Allison is drawn to Michela, who has, unfortunately, just lost her lover to a scheming colleague.

So with both women in their own little barely contained crises, they set off on an trek into a remote part of Antarctica to investigate what might be the remains of the long-lost 1895 Finlayson Expedition. As they prepare and then travel, they are beset with all sorts of obstacles - from the money issues at the outset - to seasickness, illness, frightening weather conditions, stupid, risk-taking behavior, and the threat of violent death.

Both Allison and Michaela are stubborn and wounded in their own ways, and neither is able to see that if they could just drop their guards and open up to one another honestly, they actually have a lot in common. That process makes for entertaining reading as do the twists and turns of the expedition, some of which are not expected. Ultimately, the book is more a romance than an adventure, but this cross-genre novel affords some thrills and more than a few chills. ~Lori L. Lake, reviewer for Midwest Book Review and author of the "Gun" series

This book is so good that once you start reading, you won't want to stop. Clear your calendar, grab a hot toddy, and curl up in your favorite spot... you're going to be mesmorized until the last page. My first Macpherson read, I'm now anxiously awaiting the arrival of 'And Those Who Trespass Against Us.'

Psychologist Dr. Michela DeGrasse and archaeologist Dr. Allison Shaunessy are two driven, professional women who are about to take the journey of their lives. Alli wrote her doctoral dissertation on the as-yet unsubstantiated arctic explorer Eric Finlayson. When glaciologist Sarah and her team discover a wooden structure hidden under the ice in Antarctica, one possibility is it's finally proof of the Finlayson expedition. Alli is surprised to get 40% of the cost of a new expedition from the museum she represents. Michela, researching team dynamics under harsh conditions for the Mars program, secures an additional 20% from her own organization. The psychologist gets the remaining funds from the Finlayson family themselves -- under two conditions. The first condition is that Michela head up the expedition herself. The second is that they bring the body of the explorer home for proper burial.

Strangers before the adventure, Alli concedes leadership to Michela so the expedition will be fully financed. The women learn to overcome their differences over the preparations, training, and actual journey itself. Michela has broken up with her cheating partner and has an uncharacteristic one-night-stand. Seemingly-straight Alli is having problems with her long-time boyfriend, and is struggling with newfound feelings for Michela. The other six explorers on their team range from supportive to destructive, making for a story with depth and dimensionality.

Not only do the women discover great things about the original Finlayson expedition, they also discover themselves. Finally, after many months of struggling, their Finlayson benefactor plays matchmaker in the most interesting of ways.

Great book... Don't miss!

Antarctica, is a cold, frozen and unforgiving continent. When an accidental discovery is made there Australian archaeologist Allison Shaunessy is eager to mount an expedition to the site and immediately sets out to obtain the necessary funding.

Michela DeGrasse, an American psychologist, learns of the expedition and of Allison's mission to secure funding. Viewing this expedition as the perfect setting to research how humans react and interact in extreme conditions she sets out to lend assistance when Allison's funding goal falls short. One of Michela's requests is made of the granddaughter of a previous explorer. She agrees to provide the remaining funds needed, with one major stipulation...Michela is to be in charge of the expedition. This fact does not set well with Allison and she is immediately resentful and antaganistic. Preparation gets underway and things do not go smoothly for the two women. Their continuous clashing begins to affect the expedition, and both women are forced to forge a somewhat amiable working relationship in order to stay.

Recovering from a bad breakup with her lover, Michela is understandably reluctant to acknowledge when she begins to experience "new feelings" for Allison. Allison, herself is totally confused by hers. She's been dating a man but has begun to find herself attracted to Michela. Will the two women be able to overcome the whole "oil and water" aspect and let theirself see where these feelings lead? Both wonder if all the trials and tribulations of romance are worthy of the effort. What happens to what could be a new love once the expedition is over? And when an intrusion comes from an unlikely source, how will both women react? How could this intrusion impact the relationship in a way that neither woman could ever have foreseen?

Colder Than Ice is a terrific tale of two women finding love amidst the harshest of conditions. It's a fantastic story filled with drama, suspense, intrigue and romance allowing the reader to emerge themselves deeply into the story to the point they feel they are experiencing the atmosphere and action at the same time as the characters. It is simply a book that must be read!

This book is not bad, but it frequently left me wanting something more developed through the reading of it. I felt like I often had to work in order to help the author along in believing the characterizations, and character motivations, and for escapist fiction this is just too much for me, particularly when I've purchased the book. The characters were stubborn and set in their ways, no doubt. I infer this by the intense and often illogical or--at the least--hard to understand actions and reactions. There wasn't much consistent internal dialogue to sell this to me, and I found myself getting annoyed with the protaginists all too much until a piece of mental gymnastics allowed me to sell them to myself. Like I said, it took too much work. I shouldn't have to convince myself to like the main characters. In addition, if you're going to disclaim Australian, then be Australian. A few phrases that are easy to figure out in context don't warrant such a statement, in my opinion. Also the "villain" of the piece was a bit too one-dimensionally cartoonish for me as well. Not that some people aren't just naturally this way.

However, now that I've harped on what I didn't like, let me mention what I did like. I was looking for a romance set in harsh conditions a la High Intensity, and Antarctica did successfully provide some interesting challenges and a good backdrop for the story. Clearly a lot of research went into this. The mystery and wonder of discovery were interesting bits, and managed to convey some true emotion. I think I saw the plot twist coming from the first page, but it didn't take away from my entertainment or the suspense, because I wasn't sure until my suspicions were confirmed much later. I also liked how it everything wasn't suddenly all rosy and happily every after, but required some additional, even frustrating work on the parts of the characters.

The action lagged at moments. The prose was a tad uninspiring and the editing a bit loose, but all in all the book was fine, and if you're looking for a quick read with some interesting action bits and some "trapped together, isolated in a snowstorm" scenes (and who doesn't like those?), and you can get past the flaws that bugged me (or you think those same things won't bug you). The supporting characters and the Antarctic stuff are what set it apart and convinced me to give it that extra star (though I'd put it at 2 1/2 rather than 3, I'll let that extra mark go).

Unlike many lesbian-themed books, Helen doesn't rush the story. She takes time to develop the characters and get the reader engaged in their lives and perspectives. She moves the romance along at a slow, realistic pace while keeping the reader looking forward to the next development.

This is Helen MacPherson's second novel and, like And Those Who Trespass Against Us, it features interesting characters and an engaging story. Dr. Allison Shaunessy, an archaeologist from Australia, wants to launch an expedition into Antarctica to find the possible remains of the Finlayson Expedition. She is trying to prove that Finlayson was actually the first explorer to reach that continent, but she's having trouble raising the money to cover the costs. Enter Dr. Michela DeGrasse, a psychologist with the International Space Research Institute, who is working on psychological studies for the first Mars mission and would like to go on the expedition to study how the team interacts under adverse circumstances. Michela manages to find the descendent of Finlayson, who is willing to fund the project, if she heads it. The rest of the story unfolds as these two strong-willed women get to know each other and try to find a way to work together, while struggling with a physical attraction that surprises both of them. They do find Finlayson and a surprise they hadn't counted on. And they discover something about themselves, too. This is a really good read.

i bought this book based on the high ratings here on amazon and was really disappointed...the plot has holes so big you could drive a dog-team through them...the main characters are not particularly likeable, much less believable. Do yourself a favour and give it a miss.

Here is my idea of a well written engaging book, populated by believable characters struggling through realistic situations, making decisions and choices that reflect those we ourselves might choose or make in circumstances that conspire and challenge us.

I thoroughly enjoyed this absorbing, page-turning action-adventure, and the characters who took me on a journey of discovery into the depths of Antarctica, where personalities clashed and emotions smoldered just beneath the surface.

Macphersons' well-written prose evokes a sense of place immediately, while her ability to bring us right into the characters lives and personalities, from the get go, has you turning the pages to find out what's going to happen next.

Add this one to your 'must read' list.

This was the first book I read by the author. It is a good story and I like how the author details the events of the expedition. I was disappointed at the romance of the story. The characters were not detailed very much and the romance between them was lacking in details both physically and mentally. The book did not describe any passion between the two main characters. What little bit of description of their relationship was very weak. One of the main characters was heterosexual and was attracted to and fell in love with a woman so I would think there could have been more details of their physical contact and relationship. This was more of an adventure than a romance. Not a good read if looking for a romance to enjoy.

Don't start this story on a work night. This is a great adventure story worth the time to read, Be careful because you won't want to do anything else until you have finished the whole book!