Etched in Frost

Hallowed Harbingers #1

by L.R. Friedman

Jolie

I always believed ballet was the love of my life.
My fate.
Until that tragic day that rocked my world. Now my mom is gone, I’ve lost my spot at the Institute, and I’m left to pick up the pieces and start over on my own.
I should be grateful for this second chance at life, at my dream, but I can’t stop wondering how I survived the accident, obsessing over why I was the only one who walked away…and imagining those eyes—twin panes of shattered ice that have been haunting me ever since.


Jax

As a Frost, it’s my duty to bring winter to the world. And the most important creed we harbingers must follow: Never interfere with the affairs of mortals.
After getting benched last season, I’m already skating on thin ice when I finally find her.
My mate.
I’ll break the rules to make her mine, but I can’t risk banishment from the mortal world. Not when that would cut me off from her. Not when she’s finally within reach.
There’s just one problem…
She doesn’t believe I exist.


Etched in Frost is a contemporary Jack Frost reimagining with Swan Lake vibes. An angsty, fated mates shifter/mortal romance, this standalone includes some dark themes and content best suited for those over the age of 18.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Sports Romance, Fantasy Romance

Unknown Binding

About the author

Author L.R. Friedman loves curling up with a cup of coffee while diving into her fantasy and paranormal romance worlds. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

When she's not writing, you'll find her enjoying tacos, dark chocolate, and the occasional glass of whiskey.

The girl that grew up trying to find a magical realm hidden in her closet, L.R. Friedman hopes to transport readers to beautiful, sexy, dark and magical places through her stories.

Reviews

[Sophie (lambsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My soul is tied to someone who doesn’t know I exist.

First, I’ll help her believe. Then, I’ll make her mine.

Yes, I had to include 2 quotes at the beginning because I COULDN’T CHOOSE.

This fairytale retelling was magical and whimsical, tortured and heartbreaking. I’ve never read a Jack Frost retelling and now I need more lmao. I’ve also realized with this book that I like ballet in books too! Lauren put a glossary in the front with ballet terms in it and it was just a thoughtful thing to do and helped with visualization.

Dedication:
For all the times you felt invisible or wasted energy wishing the wrong people would take notice.
I’m here.
… And I see you.

I normally wouldn't include the dedication in a review but this one was really emotional for me so I needed to and I kinda like doing it so maybe I’ll think about doing it for future reviews too👀

“Eyes on us, Tempest,” he whispers. “Don’t you dare close them.”

This book was about healing, overcoming grief and pain, perseverance, and finding love when fate is stacked against you.

She’s a compulsion I can’t shake. An addiction I’m desperate to feed. A high I never want to come down from.

This was definitely emotional, with Jax being invisible to her, to his mate, and he could only watch from the sidelines. Reading Jolie’s struggle with the accident, with her loss, and her injury was painful but done really well. The friendship between Jolie and Lark was also great and I was seriously hoping for Jax to send some well-deserved ice to Blake. I can’t emphasize how much of a dick Blake was.

“Tell me to stop or spread that skirt and let me devour what’s mine,” he growls.

If you like:
⭐️Pierced & textured 🍆
⭐️Spicy spice
⭐️Jack Frost retelling
⭐️Ballerina FMC
⭐️Wolves and knots
⭐️Trauma and therapy healing

Spoiler quote but I had to

"Nothing like finding your mate only to watch her die in the same breath to put things in perspective.

Thank you to the author for this ARC!

If I have to steal a thousand tiny moments together, I will. I’ll hoard them away, filling my journal with everything I recall, etching our story into its pages.

[Berrin Nur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea where to start. The last fantasy book I had read last week was disappointing, so I had decided to read a cute rom-com, where I could be giggling and stuff. THIS BOOK!!! I was giggling and kicking my feet THE WHOLE TIME!!! Jax is by far the cutest ml I have ever read, and you can't change my mind. This book has healed me from my last book. Seeing Jax sacrifice everything, risk everything just to see her one more second was everything i needed, and I'm here for it. Getting an arc of this incredible feels also amazing, so thank you so so so much to one of my favourite author Lauren. Im proud to be in your initiatives list. I think I seriously have marked everything Jax has said/thought/did.

I can't wait to buy this book.

[Megs: Knee Wall Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down this book is magic.

L.R. really threw in all the emotions and vibes into it. And you can feel it in the pages.

You could feel the passion that Jolie has when she is dancing. As a non-dancer, I had no issue with understanding or visualizing what moves Jolie was doing in practice or on stage.

I loved learning about Jax and the rest of the Frosts. It is such a unique system.

Also everyone needs a friend like Lark. Because I feel she is the best one out there and went above and beyond. You'll understand when you read it.

[_CamillaJane_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ❄️❄️❄️

A magical story for anyone who longs to be truly seen and believed in by someone. I adored the originality, the sacrifice and a wonderfully hot yet frosty MMC who kept me hooked.

What I loved
• The author’s passion for ballet shines and is genuinely stunning to read.
• Such a fresh concept and absolutely perfect for the season.
• Elongated canines, knotting, piercings, weres. A little something for everyone.

What I loved a little less
• As much as I enjoyed the ballet side, it became a bit too central for me and I did skim a few moments.
• I wanted more depth from the side characters.
• The romance leans into insta love. Beautiful, but fast.

Overall it is a surprisingly..warm, heartfelt read.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️a perfect winter-y read❄️

When I started reading this, we had a cold front come through that night and I swear it set the mood for this book. I kind of loved it!

I also really love reading books with ballet. They’re always kind of dark and sad. I was in the mood for that so I loved reading this.

This had a little bit of everything. It’s magical. It’s spicy. And it deals with grief so a little heartbreaking too.
I loved how Jolie had so many people in her corner even when she thought she was alone. And I loved how adorable Jax was. The things he said were either super sweet or super 🔥!
This was such a great winter-y read! I loved this Jack Frost retelling. I would definitely recommend 🩵

❄️‘Dance may be the love of my life, but Jax is the love of my existence.’❄️

[öykü · Rating 4 out of 5]

ahhhhhh😭😭😭😭😭
küçük ben bir jack frost aşığıydı o yüzden kitabı okumak çooooooook eğlenceliydi ve hikayenin konusu çok şirindi

ve jax… senin romantikliğini yerim adam ve finale bayıldım her şey istediğim gibi oldu

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this! Dark Jack Frost x Swan Lake retelling. This gave insight into the high pressure demands of being a ballerina, as well as being high fantasy with the harbingers world building. I’m also now a BIG fan of FROSTY spice ❄️ HIGHLY recommend!

[Ashleigh Knoedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I mean I immediately signed up when I saw “Jack Frost retelling” and had such a good feeling about this one. And I’m so glad I wasn’t wrong! There was such a unique take on Jack and their growth and chemistry has me already wanting to re-read. This is one of those books that makes you want to experience it for the first time again and again. It had everything you want, world building, plot, amazing characters, magic and spice. It will also have you craving a mint chocolate chip milkshake!

Tropes:
❄️Modern Jack Frost retelling
🩰 Fated Mates
🐺 Forbidden Love
❄️ Dual POV
🩰 Ballerina FMC
🐺 Wolf Shifter MMC
❄️ Pierced, Knotted AND Textured
🩰 Mental Health Rep
🐺 Spicy

[Josmely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so beautiful 😭😭😭 From the beginning I became hooked on the characters and their story. These characters would sacrifice their happiness and dreams to make sure their love was happy. Even though the circumstances made it difficult for them to be together they made it happen.

I loved how it didn't matter how much time passed while being separated their love and connection only grew. I loved how they were both equally obsessed with one another. It was cute seeing them, especially her, rushing to get home just to be able to see and talk to him.

They helped each other heal and deal with their grief. I absolutely loved how supportive they both were of each other. Him of her dancing and her being able to appreciate what he does during the winter. They had such much chemistry idk how he managed to always stay cold. Their story was honestly so beautiful to me.

Her friend was probably the best character in this book though. The way she always had her back was amazing. Also her not even questioning the fact that her BFF has a boyfriend no one can see and actually believing her made me like her even more than I did. I would have liked to know what happened to her after the main character crossed over to the other side though. I felt like she was such a big part of her life I would have liked to see if she's able to see her like she did with Frost.

So basically I read this book in one sitting cause it was just that good. I definitely need to go and check out other books by this author.

[Taylor VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Etched in Frost is a contemporary Jack Frost reimagining with Swan Lake Vibes. An angsty, fated mates, shifter/mortal romance.”

Etched in Frost is the first fantasy book I’ve ever read. As someone who hasn’t experienced this genre before, I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to connect to a story line that isn’t “real world.” Oh my goodness, was I wrong! The book was amazing. Not only was the storyline something that sucked you in from the start, but I never wanted it to end. The book is told from the perspective of Jolie and Jax so that you are able to understand both the immortal and mortal views of the storyline. The book touches on the topics of mental illness, sports related injuries as well as death. There is also a little spice to the storyline, but that just adds to the greatness of the book. I don’t know if it’s even possible, but I’d love to read more about Jax and Jolie in a future book!

[Brittany |planted.library · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚠. 𝙹𝚊𝚡 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝.

When I say I loved this, I really mean that I 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 this!

I was beyond excited to receive an early reading copy of this one! It’s been on my radar since Lauren announced it, and it was everything I wanted in a Jack Frost retelling, mixed with forbidden love, knotty wolf shifter, and a dual POV.

𝐻𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝒻𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓁𝓊𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈, 𝒻𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝓈𝑜𝑜𝓃.

There was so many perfect little moments that just stuck with me, and the way the plot intertwined with the romance was so well done. And the ending oof had me in tears and just commending Lauren’s writing, she is a bloody genius when it comes her stories!

But phew, this was such a strong, 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 that left me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it was going to play out. The delicateness of ballet, and frost intertwined into such a beautiful, powerful love story, and I was eating it right up.

[ThEAnGrYrEaDeR55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very adorable albeit sad modern day Jack Frost (Jax Frost) story.

Jax dies too young and is saved by Fate (literally). He grows up to become a seasonal harbinger (winter obviously) and is supposedly the first immortal with a mortal mate. Or is he?

Turns out Jax met his mate once before and instead of her dying as she should have, he saved her (against the rules) and asked to have his memories erased. The pull was too strong and now he stalks his mortal mate while she thinks she's lost in her grief and stress (her story is tragic too) until she realizes her "ghost" is real.

Very cute, sad parts, obviously talks about death and fated mates but still managing to be a fluffy and really cute read. Some sexy times thrown in and it was a very enjoyable read.

[Caitlin O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first jack Frost retelling and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's a slow burn with some good spice but it also was such a sweet tale with some interesting worldbuilding. I wasn't sure I'd relate to the fmc because I'm not huge into ballet but that didn't matter, Jolie is a wonderful character that you can't help but love. Her roommate and her girlfriend were also a lot of fun and I loved their interactions. I was also nervous how it would end knowing what had to happen but I think Friedman handled it perfectly. I was sad, but not at all disappointed. The only bit I wanted more of was Larks reaction or maybe Lark getting some closure in the epilogue.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed reading this book! I related to the FMC because I work in the Dance Retail world, so I am familiar with Pointe and dance classes. Jax is a very sweet soul that will do anything he can for Jolie, and I just have to say that Lark is seriously the bestest best friend there ever was. The way she was so open and willing to learn about Jax and help Jolie through solstice. It literally gave me all the feels.

I will say that there were some strange elements to this, however, they were not strange in a bad way. It definitely all makes sense in the grand scheme of the plot, so IYKYK.

It ended just as I suspected that it would, and it did not disappoint.

[firebreathingb1tchqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I would like to give a huge shoutout and thank you to the author for the advance copy of this book! Thank you for your generosity and for trusting me with your work!

As someone who instantly fell in love with the idea of Jack Frost being a Guardian in the film Rise of the Guardians, I was ecstatic to receive and read this ARC about Jax Frost, all grown up! I adored this book. Both because I go absolutely feral over *Fated Mates* but also because this story was so lovely and easy to enjoy. The main characters were dynamic and beautifully written, which only heightened their story of tragedy, dreams, love and fate. I truly enjoyed the focus on the FMC, Jolie’s, mental health and her dedication to both her career aspirations and her future with her mate. Jax’s enduring commitment and sacrifice made the deep emotions seem to soar and spiral through me as I read this, and it was both soothing and emotionally gripping in turns. I was sad to reach the ending, but also so relieved and happy for the close to their story.

[Kelly | theliterarydruid · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.”

Jax Frost is my new personality.

Forget Jolie, I want the thick freaking straw!

Every book that I read from Lauren, I say “this is my favorite one so far!” And then she writes another, and the cycle goes on and on. Right now, this is my favorite book she has ever written.

The writing is stunning. It’s beautiful and lyrical and so, so atmospheric. If you like wintry settings, please- this is for you. I could envision Jax and Jolie, out on her balcony, dancing in the cold breeze, snowflakes drifting around them.

The way that this story reaches out to people who long to be seen… the dedication alone had me already emotional.

“For all the times you felt invisible or wasted energy wishing the wrong people would take notice.

𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

…And I see you.”

😭😭 From the prologue to the epilogue, I was blown away by how much this story and these characters touched me. It’s more than just a steamy romance- which, don’t get me wrong, it’s a sloooow burn that heats up real good- but it’s such a romantic and beautiful love story. Jack Frost retelling with Swan Lake vibes, shifter romance (🪢 included 👀)- this was such a fun, whimsical, sexy story, and I loved every second of it. It does have some heavy themes throughout, so please check into TW if you need to. 🩵

Lauren, thank you for sending me this early copy to read. As always, I’m honored to be on your team and to read your beautiful words!
Xoxoxo

[Kacie Stevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really loved this little story! It’s different but in a good way. I loved the growth between Jax and Jolie and their story overall. 🥹❤️

[pauli · Rating 4 out of 5]

how was this so good omg

[Ashley | A Pair of Readers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will leave you hoping Jack Frost comes by this winter season. Seriously, make yourself a hot beverage and curl up. This one will give you all the cozy, romantic vibes you need for the wintry season. Finally, winter is getting some fun, spicy stories!

The story ran the full gambit of emotions from exploring Jolie's struggles to returning to ballet after a horrific accident/injury and death of her mother. You find yourself rooting for her to succeed and achieve her dreams when it comes to the future. And there is Jax. I loved, loved, loved Jax as a character. The sacrifices he was willing to make, the support he provided to Jolie, and his devotion make him a delicious MMC that you can't help but fall for.

I loved watching him protect Jolie, even though at first she doesn't believe in him and doesn't know he is there. Their relationship will have you giggling with delight and when that spice hits -- woo, watch out (I mentioned the piercing right? And the knot?)

I also loved this world -- learning about the Frosts and their power to bring in the winter season. I also loved that this world hinted at more, especially with the nod to Spring Blooms. L.R. provided everything needed in this book -- a strong FMC you can root for, a sexy and supportive MMC, and an enticing new world to sink into. I cannot wait for more of this world!

[Morgan Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldnt get into this. I couldn't connect with the story. But i loved the idea of the story

[Kimberly Pinzon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really into the idea of the this story. However, I couldn't get into it because there was not enough world building on Jax's side. The first half of the book focuses mostly on Jolie and I enjoyed that a lot more than the rest of the book. I almost kind of wish this had just been a ballet story. At any rate, we get a whole glossary of ballet terms, but no real explanation about Jax's worlds beyond this whole mate business. There were no real stakes in the book, and once Jax and Jolie finally started to get it on, the sex became repetitive.

And I just...there are two things that irked me about the book (but had no impact on the rating since I read plenty of books with things that irk me), being knotting - I just don't understand why people feel the need to introduce animal aspects into human copulation for no real reason - and mint chocolate chip semen. No other notes on that one.

I wish I had gotten more out of this book, but between all that and the characters having very little chemistry it was just blah.

[Michellelovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an awesome retelling. I loved it so much. I’m excited for what is next to come

[Ali Lussier · Rating 4 out of 5]

➸ 𝖇𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 ღ

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒆'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆. 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆.

𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘:
I adored this story! I'm the biggest sucker for retellings and I do believe this is my first Jack Frost one. Typically I'm not a huge fan of more feel good type romances (I know 😫) but, truly I enjoyed every moment of this.

I was completely drawn in by the world building and magic system. It was unique and automatically drew my interest.

Jax was an absolute gem. He was so loving, patient, supportive and understanding with Jolie. All he wanted was to make sure she had the life she always dreamed of even if it meant he'd be separated from his mate for however long. I loved that he was kind of a ghost (but not really), that he had to find ways to communicate with her and get her to believe in him before she could see him, feel him or hear him.

And Jolie was such a determined, strong willed woman. She was battling depression after an accident and being let go from her ballet dreams and yet she never gave up. She fought to claw herself out of the trenches and make her dreams reality despite the set backs. I adored her friendships with Delilah and Lark - always will love good female friendships in books! 💙

Beautiful story telling, beautiful ending. Jolie and Jax's love was so freaking perfect. I loved them both and how hard they fought for each other during the times they were forced apart.

𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘:
💙 ᴡᴏʟꜰ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴍᴍᴄ x ʙᴀʟʟᴇʀɪɴᴀ ꜰᴍᴄ
❄️ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡ/ ᴘᴀʀᴀɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ
💙 ᴋɴᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ & ᴘᴇᴇɴ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢ
❄️ ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ꜰʀᴏꜱᴛ ʀᴇɪᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴡ/ ꜱᴡᴀɴ ʟᴀᴋᴇ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ
💙 ꜱʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ
❄️ ꜰᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
💙 ꜰᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴀᴛᴇꜱ

𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘:
⭐: 𝟒/𝟓
🌶️: 𝟑/𝟓

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨
📖: Etched in Frost
❄️: Available now in print & in KU!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

Jolie was a rising star on the ballet stage until tragedy struck. A year later, she’s still healing emotionally and physically but begins to restart her dancing career.

Unbeknownst to her, Jax, an immortal harbinger, has watched from a distance and loved her since he laid eyes on her. If only she knew he existed…

Tropes:
☃️ Modern Jack Frost reimagining
💗 Fated Mates
🚫 Forbidden love
🩰 Ballerina FMC
🐺 Wolf shifter MMC
🥶 Would freeze the world for her
❤️‍🩹 Mental health rep
🌶️ Spicy & special 🍆
🦢 Swan Lake vibes

Lauren never fails to create stories that bring the laughs, heartache, and swoon. Jolie and Jax are absolutely precious and I loved watching their relationship take shape slowly. Both must learn to let go of their pasts to forge their futures on their own merit and with each other.

This story beautifully portrays themes of loss, renewal, and sacrifice. Jolie and Jax’s love is one that grows with each season and ultimately, beyond time and life itself.

Etched in Frost is a richly emotional contemporary shifter romance with Jack Frost/Swan Lake vibes and characters that will burrow deep inside your heart.

Huge thanks to the author for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.

[lauren ⋆☽˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐💫

❄️ fated mates
❄️ low stakes
❄️ jack frost retelling
❄️ insta-lust
❄️ 🪢 & wolf shifter
❄️ icy peen with a piercing lol
❄️ slow plot
❄️ a bit of OM drama

I wanted to like this book way more than I did. The synopsis and tropes forced me to read it right away, but it just fell a bit flat.

the story was cute but quite slow. extremely low stakes and nothing really happens. the two MCs don't even really begin to interact until the 30% mark. the romance felt a lil rushed--i knew it was gonna be insta-lust because of the whole fated mates thing, but the relationship between them was just a tad too quick imo. and then it skips over a lot of their interactions (multiple spicy scenes were set up and I was like, okay here we go 👀 shit bout to get freaky, and then it just time jumps right before they do anything. very rude behavior) at the end of the book and instead we just get a lot of dance recital scenes that i didn't care about lol.

I also didn't like that once she ended her dancing career at like 32, she gives up and is like, okay make me a harbinger! instead of living her entire life that Jax risked everything to give her.

overall, cute premise and "content warnings" made me want to read it, but just a bit too boring and slow for my taste. I do own the bookcove edition tho and it goes CRAZYYYY

[Amber | Mermaid_mama_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ - I really liked it!

A Jack Frost reimagining with Swan Lake vibes?? Awesome combo and really unique!

Fated mates but forbidden to be together, Jax is an immortal harbinger of Winter and Jolie is a mortal ballerina recovering from a traumatic accident.

I loved the characters. Jolie’s personal growth, working through the trauma she experienced from an accident, and her passion for ballet was inspiring. Jax’s love and devotion for Jolie was beautiful to read and he was so confident and a bit bossy in the bedroom 😏 which I enjoyed!🔥 The spicy scenes did knot disappoint (see what I did there? 😉).

It took me a while to feel the emotions between the two main characters and I did find myself wanting to skim some parts to get to dialogue. With that said, it was still a fun read. Especially the last 30% when the spice picked up.

Read of you like:
❄️forbidden love (immortal x mortal)
❄️wolf shifter harbinger x ballerina
❄️fated mates
❄️trauma/healing
❄️delicious spice (explicit)
❄️golden retriever MMC with a bossy side
❄️top tier BFF 🩵 (loved Lark so much)

I received an advanced reader copy and this is my honest review. Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this beautiful story!

[Samantha Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful to have received an ARC for this book.

“For all the times you felt invisible or wasted energy wishing the wrong people would take notice. I’m here. … And I see you.”

Etched in Frost by L.R Friedman is a contemporary Jack Frost reimagining with Swan Lake vibes. It has all the tropes we know and love, and some I’ve not yet explored but surprisingly enjoyed.
Fated mates, shifter/mortal romance, want but can’t have.

Jolie is an extremely talented ballerina whose life was put on hold after a tragic accident, resulting in the death of her mother.

Jax is a harbinger whose first and foremost duty is to bring winter to the world.

They’re destined for each other but face so many hurdles, the most obvious and complicated being that Jax is invisible to Jolie, and they can only communicate through the cold, through a ouija board and other unconventional ways 😅
The overall vibes of the story were very whimsical but tragic at the same time.

I’m so glad L.R Friednman provided a glossary of ballet terms in the book 🙏🏻 as someone who’s never been exposed to the ballet world, I had no issue understanding the moves and performances Jolie was doing.
We were also provided with a Spotify playlist! The dedication.

(This standalone includes some dark themes and content best suited for those over the age of 18)

Overall very enjoyable! I highly recommend however, please remember to check trigger warnings.

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still in absolute awe of this story LR has created. ❄️Etched in Frost❄️ is a contemp Jack Frost reimagining with Swan Lake vibes, and it is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. I mean that with all my heart. This book had my emotion pouring out of me. Everything from pure joy, to heartwrenching sadness, to genuine contentment.

Jolie is a dedicated ballet dancer with big aspirations to further her career. Even facing severe tragedy and loss, she doesn't let that stop her dreams. It was incredible to watch her grow and heal throughout the story. While she does a lot of the work herself, there is a certain Frost harbinger who helps guide her along the way.

Jax is stuck between his responsibilities as a Frost and making his true mate believe he exists. He is selfless, loyal, and completely devoted to Jolie. Their journey was one of fairytales and epic love. They both sacrifice so much for each other while encouraging growth and positivity in the others' lives.

The ending had me in tears that were a mix of joy and resolute sadness, but it was all-consuming, and I wouldn't have changed a single thing.

[Lumie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to L.R. Friedman for the ARC.

Plot 3.75/5
Characters 3.75/5
Ending 4/5
Interest 4/5

Overall 3.75/5

-I loved the premise of this book. A contemporary fantasy retelling with ballet? How intriguing. As for the execution, it was more of a romance than a fantasy book. Which is fine but not exactly what I was expecting. I knew there would be romance. As a whole, the plot was still interesting and I followed through, and I enjoyed it.

-The characters were nice. They both had their own little backstory and for a stand-alone, it’s nice to have. I love the fact that she’s a ballerina trying to become a soloist even though as she ages, she’s fully aware that her chances are slimming. The characters were cute together but I wished for a little bit more of a slowburn. She believed in this immortal guy being her mate a little too early on. He should have groveled more but then that’s just my preferences talking. I also really liked that they had a history before officially meeting.

-I’m not quite sure how I feel about the ending. There are things that still confuse but not necessarily in the intriguing open ending type. I’m glad that everything wrapped itself nicely but I would have liked to see more of the time passing with tiny chapters talking about feelings and emotions. But then again, that’s just me.

[ciin_leest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything and more that I needed this moment. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, it felt magical and the parts about ballet were just written to perfection. With every book Friedman writes I think it can't get any better than the last one, but she just keep on proving that she can do better with every book! 

This book is a mix between a Jack Frost retelling, with swan lake fibes and a shifter romance. Bring in the fated mates, the slowburn and a sprinkle of forbidden love and you'll get yourself a perfect fit with this book. And boy did I loved every second of it. 

Friedman has a way of writing that sucks you into the book, you will feel every emotion the characters feel, it will feel if you dance on the stage with Jolie and make the world frosty with Jax. The spicy scenes were just chef's kiss! The slowburn way to it was worth it so much when the spice hit the roof. 

I can't wait to dive back into this series when the next book comes out! 

Thank you L. R. Friedman for this ARC to read and review.