Customer Reviews

Ice

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

 

 

Kaylie Fletcher's whole family disappeared during one of their many climbing expeditions. All died but no bodies were found. When a mysterious phone call wakes her up in the middle of the night claiming that her mother is alive, Kaylie has no idea if the call is a hoax or not. What she does know is that she must do anything and everything even based on a slim hope even if it means returning to Alaska. Alaska is the last place on earth Kaylie wants to be. She prefers civilization, diamonds and all the finer things of life and safety above all else. When she encounters Cort McClaine, the bush pilot, she knows he will be the death of her. He may be hot, but he represents exactly the kind of life she wants to put behind her. Cort McClaine has nothing but disdain for this groundie. He has had enough of women like her with their fine clothes, their sheltered lives and their put-downs. Both can't wait to be rid of the other's presence until suddenly a phone call from Kaylie's friend warns her off her intended destination. When Cort and Kaylie land, the scene they discover could not be more horrific. Terrified and in need of a place to stay, Kaylie has no choice but to rely on Cort's protection. Devastated by the scene, Cort wants to protect her and stop the murderous villain. In a race against time, weather and the unknown madman, Cort and Kaylie are drawn together with a passion as hot as their fear is deep. Can passion between two people so opposite turn to love? As the murderer's path becomes closer and closer, will Cort and Kaylie learn to trust each other with the secrets of their past? In a race riddled with danger, Cort and Kaylie must face their deepest fears or else, they might find themselves victims of this unknown murderer!

In ICE, three-time RITA Award finalist and Golden Heart Award winner Stephanie Rowe makes her entry into Romantic Suspense, and what an awesome entry! From the very first pages to the end, heart-stopping danger and passion grab the heart. Relentless weather and rugged terrain combine with the ruthless actions of an unknown killer whose malice sends shivers down the spine. Death lurks hidden in every corner, outside and in the heart. Against the horrors, Kaylie and Cort discover sexual passion that defies death with its intensity. Not only does ICE paint a picture of an extreme, unmerciful landscape and the ever-present danger of a mysterious killer in plot and description, but the reader feels the landscape and human threat in the very depths of the characters --- in their thoughts, their emotions and their actions. Kaylie is a woman haunted by her past, a woman determined to make a life for herself different than the adrenaline thrills loved by her family, and yet when faced with danger, she has an unfathomable courage in the face of the fear within her. Cort McClaine is a loner at home in the wilds of Alaska. Unlike Kaylie, adrenaline keeps Cort alive, sharpening his senses and his focus, at least until Kaylie enters the picture. Forced together for safety and expediency, danger and passion unlock their deepest fears, their deepest secrets. Only by trusting one another can they unlock the identity of the faceless danger tracking them.

In ICE, Stephanie Rowe handles the thorniest difficulties of the genre with a magnificent deftness and agility that leads the reader right into the core of the story. Sometimes in romantic suspense, a reader must gloss over disbelief of the hero and heroine's passionate encounters when danger threatens so. In ICE, Stephanie Rowe doesn't just make the reader believe, she uses the scenario to ramp up the intensity of the romance, leading the reader even deeper into the mind-chilling suspense and the urgency of her characters' drive to defy the odds against them. As Kaylie and Cort work together, passion transforms the other on even deeper riveting levels. The ending is perfect! Stephanie Rowe knows her characters so well that the ending plays to their deepest desires without sacrificing the true nature of her characters. A wonderful romance through and through!

COURTESY OF BOOK ILLUMINATIONS

During a family outing climbing an Alaskan mountain, disaster struck killing everyone except Kaylie Fletcher. She vowed never again. However, in the middle of the night Kaylie receives a call insisting her mother also survived. Although she thinks this is some sicko's joke, Kaylie needs to know the truth just in case.

She hires bush pilot Cort McClain to fly her in his Cessna to the cabin of her friend Sara. Cort is attracted to his customer, but avoids her like she has a contagious disease as her city ways and wardrobe is out of his ex-wife's lifestyle of the un-famous wannabes. She also wants Cort, but knows he is an adventurer thriving on adrenaline highs while she is the opposite at least since the tragedy. They soon find their respective best friends savagely murdered and the maniacal killer wants Kaylie next. She believes only Cort can keep her safe, but even he has doubts that thet will survive against a surreal vicious psychopath.

The thrill in this super romantic suspense is the cat and mouse war between a deadly predator and a frightened heroine who wants to hide but has no choice as her adversary is coming for her. The romance between the pilot and the family survivor is more of a detractor from a strong tense tale enhanced by the Alaskan locale that adds a sense of stark lonely beauty just like Kaylie.

Harriet Klausner

What can I say it was amazing! Come from someone that doesn't know a thing about Alaska, Planes, are what a Bush Pilot is. I wasn't bored and never felt like I was missing something. Stephanie always writes as if I'm right there with the Characters. Kaylie & Corts relationship was perfect...HOT, SEXY, & just the right touch of danger.
If you are looking for a good read this is it & the added bonus is that there is a 2nd book in the Series!!!!

Kaylie Fletcher has got a major problem. She has to travel back to the one place she hates most in the world: The Alaskan icy mountains and she isn't happy about it. She does have reasons to pretty much hate the place because her entire family is gone after a disaster of a climbing expedition. But then she gets a mysterious call by someone telling her that her mother is alive and she can't do anything but come back to where she grew up and try to find some answers.

Cord McClaine is a bush pilot who gets caught right in the middle. All he was going to do is give a ride to the pretty Ms. Fletcher but next thing you know, two people close to both Cord and Kaylie are murdered and he can't do anything but try to help find the killer.

That is, if the killer doesn't find them first.

Ice a complete thrill ride from the beginning to end. There's great action and an awesome suspense that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Kaylie thinks Cord is too much of an adrenaline junkie and she always likes to play it safe but neither of them can resist their attraction to each other. The beginning romance between these two is great to read.

Stephanie Rowe's first romantic suspense book is a definite success and I'm so looking forward to reading more!

Fun read. Very action packed page turner. Some of the action was a little unbelieveable, but that's [art of the fun. Sexy hero, smart sassy heroine. What else do you need? Keep 'em coming Ms. Rowe!

When I first started to read this book, I was hooked from the word go!!! The characters really bring you in to who they are, and their fears. When Kaylie first learns about the tragedy ready to enfold her, she is somewhat scared, yet reserved. Doing these "death risks" is not her thing, as she has one memory that will last with her forever regarding climbing mountains in the winter! When Kaylie heads to Alaska to find out the truth about a phone call, she is introduced to Cort, the man who will fly Kaylie to her friend Sara's place. What follows is definite suspense and attraction on each Cort and Kaylie's part, which makes this book so great to read. Stephanie Rowe really knows how to hold your attention until she wants to tell you who the dangerous suspect is and why!!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading suspense books and romance intertwined with it all!

In ICE, Stephanie Rowe has really captured the beauty and harshness of Alaska and the fierce, independent nature of the people who call it home. Her hero Cort, is a native Alaskan, self-reliant, hard-core bush pilot. Kaylie, the heroine, has embraced her feminine, urban-living side after being raised by adrenaline seeking mountain climbers. Together, they are drawn into an intense hunt for her family and the person who murdered their mutual friends. Sparks of attraction fly from the moment they meet but both are haunted by ghosts from their pasts that invariably cause conflicts in the relationship. The terror of their situation accelerates the intensity of their attraction and accentuates their differences leaving the reader to wonder how they can every find their happily ever after. Rowe has masterfully captured everything from the challenges of flying and living in the unpredictable and dangerous Alaskan weather to her characters' emotions about their current situation and the pasts that still haunt them. This book really has it all! I found it very hard to put down. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I feared, cheered and cried for Cort and Kaylie. I finished the book anxious to find out what comes of all the richly interesting secondary characters, too. Rowe is definitely on my short list of "read everything they write" authors!

Ice by Stephanie Rowe - originally published by Dorchester Publishing 2009 - released this week on Amazon.com slightly spruced up and seriously smokin' new cover....check it out:

You know how exciting it can be to forage in your closet or drawers and find a shirt or a sweater you completely forgot you had? Or putting on an old coat and finding $20 in the pocket? It's unexpected and a complete thrill. Buzz on Facebook this week had a favorite author of mine reporting she was re-releasing a previously published book I had read several years ago, complete with hot new cover. With all this impending winter weather, how could I not see this as a sign for this week's read?

Blasting with as much action packed adventure as freezing Arctic air, Ice takes the reader on a journey to the wilds of Alaska where Kaylie Fletcher ventures against her will and better judgement in the hopes that she can find her missing family. Cort McClaine gets hired to do a job - deliver a city slicker to her friend's home. The horror that awaits them upon their arrival also binds them together as they fight to discover the identity of a killer, find out if her missing family is alive and explore the electric sexual chemistry between them. Like oil and water, they appear to have nothing in common, but the surly bush pilot and the savvy, citified accountant have endured losses to the Alaskan wildnerness that left them with a resilience and will to survive - each in their own way. Once they start their new adventure, their wills are tested to the limits and resisting their mutual attraction becomes unavoidable.

Before the Kaylie's plane even lands, Rowe has the reader hooked! Compelling characters, well crafted storyline and snappy dialogue makes for a stellar page turning thriller. The sexual chemistry between Kaylie and Cort evolves as the deeper motivations of each becomes slowly revealed and makes for a very moving emotional journey and adds to the depth of the story as well. The descriptive scenes of the Alaskan wilderness are vivid and stirring, making the stark frozen setting both moving and beautiful. The author's writing style makes this tale - it is so appealling with it's realistic attention to detail, as well as it's sexy, edgy mystery!

Having been a great fan of Stephanie Rowe's paranormal romances, I was eager to check Ice out. More than pleasantly surprised, I became a fan of romantic suspense as a result. The action and adventure of a thriller gets all tangled up in a first rate romance and the combination is fabulous! Keep your eyes peeled for her follow up Chill and by all means, check out her Immortally Sexy series or her latest Soulfire series - available in print and e-book!

I give Ice five chocolate dipped strawberries and I'd like one of those sexy bush pilots from Twin Forks to keep me warm for a while!

This review was originally written for Guilty Indulgence Book Club.
[...]

Kaylie Fletcher never intended to set foot in Alaska again, not even after her best friend moved there. Unfortunately, her parents and brother have disappeared in a climbing expedition on Mount McKinley two weeks ago, but a disturbing call promises that her mother isn't dead after all. Cort McClaine is the bush pilot her best friend hired to meet her. Their clash is instantaneous- but Cort may be the only man who can keep Kaylie safe as danger stalks her....

Stephanie Rowe crafts a tale in which the terrain is as much a character as the hero and heroine. Alaska is portrayed as a pace of dark beauty, both dangerous and haunting. The vivid descriptions bring this land to life as one can almost feel the cold, the harshness, and yes, the sense of beauty.

The relationship between Cort and Kaylie is the core of the story, as Stephanie Rowe has written a heart wrenching tale of love in the midst of utter pain. Cort is everything Kaylie fears and resents, a man who thrives on adrenaline. Kaylie is the exact sort of woman Cort despises, a woman from the Lower 48 with diamonds in her ears. Both are haunted by their pasts and by their own misconceptions and Ms. Rowe does a fabulous job at showing both their emotional anguish and growth.

ICE is the sort of romantic suspense that focuses on the romance more so than the mystery. The villain is fairly obvious and the motivations quite shallow. Readers should note that there are some grisly scenes in ICE as the brutality of the villain is quite vicious.

I have mixed feelings about ICE as a whole. The emotional strength of the story is quite phenomenal as is the atmosphere created through the vivid imagery of Alaska. However, the beginning is a bit choppy and melodramatic at times- some of which makes sense as past histories are revealed but seems out of place initially. In addition, Stephanie Rowe hit on one of my personal pet peeves- sex in the stupidest of times. I suspect she intends the sex in the midst of danger to help break the barriers created by Kaylie's past but it's a writing device that I personally don't like and it therefore detracted from my own enjoyment of the storyline. All in all, ICE is an interesting read and one that will appeal to many.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES