23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story!, January 29, 2002
I have always been a fan of Gaelen Foley and have read all her books. I eagerly waited for two stories in one year and was not disappointed.
Personally, I liked this story better than, "Lord of Fire", and stayed up all night reading it. The hero and heroine are great together! Both parties were upfront with their feelings for each other, rather than pretending to be indifferent.
Damien is the tortured war hero who is named the ward of Miranda, his friend's niece. Even though he is attracted to her, he feels unowrthy of caring for someone while he is battling his own flashbacks and horrors of war. Miranda sees a person worth fighting for and helps Damien overcome his demons.
In addition to the interaction between the main characters, is a plot to kill the heroine. You also get introduced to a possible love interest for Jacinda (maybe??) as well as references to Lord Jack, the "black sheep," so to speak.
In addition, Foley's previous characters from, "The Duke," and "Lord of Fire" are included. Most of all, I loved the conclusion of the book, which wrapped the story up quite nicely! I certainly hope the future stories of the other Knight Brothers, Jacinda, and friend Lizzie are as satisfying as this one! Can't wait till next year!
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56 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely Not One of Her Better Books, February 7, 2002
LORD OF ICE is the follow-up to LORD OF FIRE, and features Lucien's acclaimed and admired brother, Damien, who is now the earl of Winterly. Due to a few twists of fate, Damien is saddled with a ward, Miranda Fitzhubert, whom he is naturally immediately attracted to, blah blah blah (I'm sure you can fill in the blanks).
I didn't like this book as much as LORD OF FIRE, mainly because it needed some more editing and the characters weren't very consistent or realistic (not that the characters in her other books are very realistic, but these were even less so).
The book starts off pretty well--interesting premise and all that--but I feel the author made several mistakes in making the story convincing as a romance. First of all, the whole ward/guardian thing puts the characters in a situation where they're bound to fall into more of a father/daughter type of relationship, as opposed to a relationship of equals. Add to this the characters' respective traits of neediness (Miranda) and dominance and protectiveness (Damien), and it's all but unavoidable. This would be fine if the book wasn't a romance, but it's hard to believe that the characters truly love each other (in a psychologically healthy way) when it is. Foley FURTHER exascerbates this problem by having Miranda--completely out of character--submit to Damien's authority, just as if he was, in fact, her father. Blech!
Secondly, Damien and Miranda should not have spent the majority of the book with the Knight family. In previous books, the family members have been largely to totally absent from the events of the story, which I think was a wise decision on Foley's part. In this book, however, it sometimes seems like Miranda spends more time with Knight Clan than with Damien. Furthermore, who in their right mind would want their family breathing down their neck while conducting a romance? If the Knights hadn't liked Miranda, then the situation could have been an interesting subplot, but Foley ignores this opportunity (not that I can't see why of course, since all Kights either have been or will be the protagonists of her books, and thus can't make any major faux pas), and Miranda's own need for a family almost makes it seem as if she loves Damien more for his family than for him.
Thirdly, the book was too long. It should have ended on page 379, but instead goes into a completely ludicrous tangent that has practically no bearing on the story and is patently ridiculous. If the author felt that she absolutely had to have it in the book, she should have inserted it more towards the middle.
Basically, this book could have used more editing and more thought. It has its good moments, but it also has extremely sappy scenes and a romance that I found basically unconvincing. But most of all, it has practically no spark of orginality whatsoever, and is certainly not one of her better books.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gaelen Foley does it again!, January 31, 2002
By A Customer
I knew I liked this author after reading The Duke, but this seals it. Fast paced and engaging, Lord of Ice really pulls you in. I couldn't put it down. As in all romance stories, you know that Damien and Miranda will end up together, but watching them get there is truly fun in this story. Ms. Foley ties her books and characters together well, and you will enjoy seeing Bel, Richard, Lucien and Alice again. If you haven't read her prior books, you won't miss a beat, though. But, you will want to read them! I also really enjoyed the epilogue - usually I am left hanging at the end of these novels, but this one gives a nice, satisfying ending. My only criticism is the graphic nature of some of the love scenes. I'm not offended, I'm just not sure they're needed and I have found myself leaning toward authors that are less explicit rather than more. Won't stop me from reading Ms. Foley's next, though....
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