Customer Reviews

Winter Kissed (Silhouette Nocturne (Numbered))

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Michele Hauf and Vivi Anna both show just how warm the icy winter can be in WINTER KISSED!

Michele Hauf starts things off with A Kiss of Frost. Kate Wilson, a "snowflakologist", has been targeted for death and Vilhjalmur "Jal" Frosti is to be her assassin. Jal isn't used to questioning the directives of Old Man Winter but something about Kate stays his hand. Surely a woman who photographs snowflakes isn't a threat to the environment! But will Kate be the death of Jal? For everyone knows that loving a human is forbidden....

Wow, what an original story! Michele Hauf takes on the myths of Jack Frost and creates a powerful and memorable story. The vivid images of Frost, Snow, and Ice are personified by the gods of the same name but it is the juxtaposition of warmth and cold that resonates throughout this brilliant tale. The stark beauty of the ice and snow is easy to envision but Michele Hauf also portrays the harshness of the ice fairies in particular. Kudos to Michele Hauf for showing how romance can encompass both beauty and danger in the same package.

The second half of WINTER KISSED is Vivi Anna's Ice Bound. Dr. Darien Calder has been warned about Koori-Onna, the Ice Maiden, but he's unable to resist her allure. This legend has her own dark secret, however. Has Koori-Onna met her destiny with Darien?

Vivi Anna is one of my favorite authors and Ice Bound demonstrates why perfectly! The storyline is fast paced and filled with tension while the romance is sizzling hot despite the coolness of the winter scene. Ice Bound is the sort of story you simply can't put down, as readers will find themselves anxiously turning the pages to see what challenges Koori and Darien will face next! The smooth blend of action, romance, and mythology makes Ice Bound yet another phenomenal story by Vivi Anna that is a must read.

WINTER KISSED offers an intriguing duet of stories that is ideal for the winter months. If you're looking for something a little different but love paranormal romances, then WINTER KISSED is just what you've been looking for. Vivi Anna and Michele Hauf are at the top of their games and WINTER KISSED is highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Jack Frost is the hero of this totally original paranormal. As Hauf's fans will already have guessed, this Jack Frost doesn't limit himself to nipping noses and etching beautiful designs on windows. In Hauf's story, Jal Frosti doubles as Old Man Winter's assassin, knocking off eco-criminals with his icy touch.

Old Man Winter's latest target is Kate Wilson, a self-described "snowflakologist" in northern Minnesota. Kate's cozy cabin and remote existence suit her; she's happy to spend her days photographing snow and searching for two identical flakes.

Jal first catches sight of Kate as she's tripping off to the mailbox in a parka and pink lingerie. Good thing he's not attracted to mortals. In fact, even tender human emotions are alien to him.

But Jal is strangely drawn to Kate, and Kate finds the god's human form irresistible. Soon she's warming his body as well as his heart. The problem is, love is dangerous to the winter gods ... and Jal's got more than one mystery to unravel. Why has Old Man Winter marked Kate for death? What is the significance of her strange childhood fantasies? And what exactly does the Snow god hold against her? Hauf puts her own spin on familiar folklore and ties up all ends in this well-plotted novella.

"A Kiss of Frost" will please anyone who enjoys the television show Supernatural. It's as fast and fun as a toboggan ride; perfect fare for a cold winter's night.

I usually really enjoy Michelle Hauf, but I didn't even get to her story because the first one bored me so much. And it really didn't even have a happy ending. Who wants a romance without a happy ending?

Winter Kissed" by Michele Hauf. Old Man Winter is outraged with how the stupid humans are destroying the environment. He assigns his top assassin Vilhjalmur Frosti to kill environmental offenders. In Northern Minnesota the godly killer's current prey is Kate Wilson; the only problem is from the first moment he sees her, he needs her as lust heats up his ice cold body.

"Ice Bound" by Vivi Anna. In Hokkaido, Japan during a nasty snowstorm Ice Maiden Princess Koori-Onna saves the life of Dr. Darien Calder, which stuns the mortal because her infamous legend is to freeze the lost with a kiss. Instead he seems to thaw out her heart while trying to liberate her from her frozen incarceration

These two engaging romantic fantasies built from myths are fun to read, but the climax of the novella format feels faster than Olympic speed skating as each ending is rushed.

Harriet Klausner

I'm especially delighted with this seasonal offering from the Silhouette Nocturne line, and I'm even more ecstatic to see the two authors of this pair of novellas venturing into (pun intended) virgin territory by featuring beings from wintry legends, respectively a Nordic frost god and a Japanese Yuki-onna, or "snow woman". But as wintry and strange as these respective beings might be, they both ultimately have hearts under their icy exteriors and the power love helps to melt them in the best way imaginable.
This duo of novellas is just the perfect book to read on a cold wintry night, wrapped in a blanket and sipping hot chocolate.