Heart of Ice

Dark Enchantment #2

by Louise Cooper

Tavia's marriage to a mysterious aristocrat kindles jealousy in her sister Jansie. Jealousy changes to concern when Tavia begins to have nightmares that her husband Silvan refuses to discuss. Mystery surrounds Silvan and danger closes in, leaving Jansie to save her sister and herself.

Also published as The Hounds of Winter.

Genres: Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Louise Cooper was born in Hertfordshire in 1952. She began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She hated school so much, in fact—spending most lessons clandestinely writing stories—that she persuaded her parents to let her abandon her education at the age of fifteen and has never regretted it.

She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.

Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.

Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.

Reviews

[Tara Brigden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the first books I ever read properly, I picked it up at the local Library in a clearance sale and thought it sounded pretty good from the synopsis. Honestly, once starting, I couldn't put it down! Gripped from day one a very detailed and descriptive read with twists and turns that left my (then) young mind guessing, older and more experienced readers will probably guess the twists and the turns but being so young when reading this I did not.

Worth a read, short and fun.

[Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the curse and the painting but not a fan of how Jansie was more interested in her feelings of lust than Tavia.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Jansie is devastated when her older sister Tavia marries Silvan, the young man that both girls love. Jansie knows she will have to live her life without him, but she can't help being jealous of Tavia and longing for her Silvan, even though she knows her feelings are wrong. When Silvan must travel away from home, on a journey that will last the entire winter, he invites Jansie to his remote estate to keep Tavia company while he is away. But an early snowfall delays Silvan's departure, and Tavia is haunted by terrible nightmares. Gilmer, who works for Silvan, tells Jansie about a local legend, the Hounds of Winter. Are the Hounds haunting Tavia? And why is Silvan acting so strange? Jansie must discover the truth, but will she be in time to save Tavia - and herself? I recommend this book to teens who enjoy stories with a mix of romance and the supernatural. It's spooky gothic read full of suspense and mystery.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mindless teen fiction.