What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ice Queen #5
Vacation with the Ice Queen
A Grumpy Ice Queen, a Sunshine Soul, and a Paradise island—What Could Go Wrong?
Dive into The Ice Queen Series for emotional thawing and super steamy scenes. (Oh and always a happy ever after, even for the iciest hearts!)
On Solara Island, a luxury retreat of turquoise waters and jungle serenity, cold and ruthless CEO Serena Frost is a fish out of water. Forced to take a wellness break after a public fallout, she’s determined to resist every calming, healing suggestion thrown her way.
Enter Lila Skye, the island’s radiant wellness coach and Serena’s polar opposite. Lila’s warm, optimistic approach clashes with Serena’s icy sarcasm, but Lila’s persistence starts to chip away at Serena’s frosty walls.
As beach yoga turns into unexpected vulnerability, sparks fly between the grumpy CEO and her sunny coach.
Can Lila’s warmth melt Serena’s defenses, or will the Ice Queen refuse to thaw?
Perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine, steamy ice queen romance, and tropical escapes!
Dive into The Ice Queen Series for emotional thawing and super steamy scenes. (Oh and always a happy ever after, even for the iciest hearts!)
On Solara Island, a luxury retreat of turquoise waters and jungle serenity, cold and ruthless CEO Serena Frost is a fish out of water. Forced to take a wellness break after a public fallout, she’s determined to resist every calming, healing suggestion thrown her way.
Enter Lila Skye, the island’s radiant wellness coach and Serena’s polar opposite. Lila’s warm, optimistic approach clashes with Serena’s icy sarcasm, but Lila’s persistence starts to chip away at Serena’s frosty walls.
As beach yoga turns into unexpected vulnerability, sparks fly between the grumpy CEO and her sunny coach.
Can Lila’s warmth melt Serena’s defenses, or will the Ice Queen refuse to thaw?
Perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine, steamy ice queen romance, and tropical escapes!
- GenresContemporary
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2025
35 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Emily Hayes
138 books230 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 23, 2025
Serena Frost is founder and CEO of Frost Innovations, a tech security company. Her surname is extremely apt, as by many she is considered the ‘Ice Queen of Tech’. After an information sharing deal with another company goes remarkably wrong, her board and her assistant Nicole gang up on her together to encourage her to go to a digitally isolated island wellness retreat. Serena thinks of this as a betrayal and a waste of time, because it has no quantifiable purpose or measurable outcome. One member of her board is scheming to cause problems, so Serena would prefer to be present to thwart him. However under duress she goes.
Lila is a wellness coach working for the resort on the private Solara Island in Fiji. She arrived as an attendee herself, a year previously, but with her previous qualifications and experience the resort asked her to stay as a member of staff. Lila lives her life with her heart, being always in the moment, completely aware of the life and wonder surrounding her. She arrived on the island after a relationship went drastically wrong, and the help from the staff and the natural beauty of the location kept her there.
Lila is assigned as Serena’s personal coach for her time on the island, with Lila expecting to find it difficult to get through the layers of Serena’s self protection.
This is well written, lots of thought went into it, and both characters consider everything thoroughly, even though often Serena’s true thoughts are hidden deeply.
I just want to make plain that this is an excellent book, and my following comments are me picking holes in it. Because this is so well written and considered, that makes the errors more visible. When I am reading this I hold it to a higher standard; errors that wouldn’t be remarked upon in other books, I take note of here. As well as a criticism, this is a positive point, it is implying that the writing standard is very high.
There are many minor continuity errors:
Several times the same sentences or phrases are repeated almost word-for-word throughout the story. Often seemingly deep philosophical statements, but repeated nearly word perfect from different disconnected characters.
The same (or a very similar) meal delivered from the resort kitchen, but each time the women reacting as if it’s the first time.
They are moved from one place to another within a scene, with no description of the move. For example, in one scene they are out on the terrace on a sofa, and when they start kissing, suddenly they are inside on a bed.
Serena makes herself Earl Grey tea, but then finds a pot of tea given earlier by Lila, and reacts as though she hadn’t made herself tea, which she never drinks.
At one point we see Lila specifically put her swimsuit into her bag that she brings, but later she was wearing it under her dress all the time.
In my opinion the first major sex scene was written separately from the rest of the scene, and the women are not in quite the same place mentally as they were previously; a moment of disconnect.
The majority of the main story seems to have been written in ‘modules’, then put together. This is done very well, the joints between sections have been smoothed over, but there remain indistinct shifts of tempo between sections, or placement of people or items, betraying the underlying construction.
The whole story is slow burn, somewhat over-long for the content, and some loose ends which we never see resolved.
Overall, the attention to detail in the women’s personal connection and their expanding romance is exquisite, there are wonderful descriptions of the island and other surroundings.
Lila is a wellness coach working for the resort on the private Solara Island in Fiji. She arrived as an attendee herself, a year previously, but with her previous qualifications and experience the resort asked her to stay as a member of staff. Lila lives her life with her heart, being always in the moment, completely aware of the life and wonder surrounding her. She arrived on the island after a relationship went drastically wrong, and the help from the staff and the natural beauty of the location kept her there.
Lila is assigned as Serena’s personal coach for her time on the island, with Lila expecting to find it difficult to get through the layers of Serena’s self protection.
This is well written, lots of thought went into it, and both characters consider everything thoroughly, even though often Serena’s true thoughts are hidden deeply.
I just want to make plain that this is an excellent book, and my following comments are me picking holes in it. Because this is so well written and considered, that makes the errors more visible. When I am reading this I hold it to a higher standard; errors that wouldn’t be remarked upon in other books, I take note of here. As well as a criticism, this is a positive point, it is implying that the writing standard is very high.
There are many minor continuity errors:
Several times the same sentences or phrases are repeated almost word-for-word throughout the story. Often seemingly deep philosophical statements, but repeated nearly word perfect from different disconnected characters.
The same (or a very similar) meal delivered from the resort kitchen, but each time the women reacting as if it’s the first time.
They are moved from one place to another within a scene, with no description of the move. For example, in one scene they are out on the terrace on a sofa, and when they start kissing, suddenly they are inside on a bed.
Serena makes herself Earl Grey tea, but then finds a pot of tea given earlier by Lila, and reacts as though she hadn’t made herself tea, which she never drinks.
At one point we see Lila specifically put her swimsuit into her bag that she brings, but later she was wearing it under her dress all the time.
In my opinion the first major sex scene was written separately from the rest of the scene, and the women are not in quite the same place mentally as they were previously; a moment of disconnect.
The majority of the main story seems to have been written in ‘modules’, then put together. This is done very well, the joints between sections have been smoothed over, but there remain indistinct shifts of tempo between sections, or placement of people or items, betraying the underlying construction.
The whole story is slow burn, somewhat over-long for the content, and some loose ends which we never see resolved.
Overall, the attention to detail in the women’s personal connection and their expanding romance is exquisite, there are wonderful descriptions of the island and other surroundings.
April 19, 2025
Two so very different women set on a crash course of life manage to beat the odds.
Emily Hayes has penned a beautiful story of control vs emotion where both become winners. The story and setting are beautiful, the journey at times is difficult, at times too easy. For me, it was a bit repetitive which led to my mind wondering. Since I have enjoyed every book Ms. Hayes has written I stuck with it. By the end her writing skills proved worthy again.
Emily Hayes has penned a beautiful story of control vs emotion where both become winners. The story and setting are beautiful, the journey at times is difficult, at times too easy. For me, it was a bit repetitive which led to my mind wondering. Since I have enjoyed every book Ms. Hayes has written I stuck with it. By the end her writing skills proved worthy again.
April 24, 2025
Fantastic
Very we!! written Emily. I truly enjoyed the whole book. But what happened with Walters trying trying to take over when Serena got back. Obviously he didn't win. I'm happy for I think it was Amelia.
Very we!! written Emily. I truly enjoyed the whole book. But what happened with Walters trying trying to take over when Serena got back. Obviously he didn't win. I'm happy for I think it was Amelia.
July 21, 2025
ice queen
High powered CEO forced to take retreat unwillingly meets wellness facilitator and sparks fly quickly but hard to let go and many upsets and downsides leads eventually go their happy ever after
Loved this book 🌹🌈
High powered CEO forced to take retreat unwillingly meets wellness facilitator and sparks fly quickly but hard to let go and many upsets and downsides leads eventually go their happy ever after
Loved this book 🌹🌈
April 15, 2025
Good
Another good book by Emily Hayes. I find though that these ice queens are less ice than the CEO series but still highly recommend.
Another good book by Emily Hayes. I find though that these ice queens are less ice than the CEO series but still highly recommend.
April 18, 2025
amazing story
This is the first ff story where I took notes of some of the words of wisdom. Emily Hayes has such a way with words describing life
She is my new favorite author
This is the first ff story where I took notes of some of the words of wisdom. Emily Hayes has such a way with words describing life
She is my new favorite author
April 29, 2025
Just wow
The way this book came together is truly beautiful, the mindful Ness is a wonder to behold Emily you have outdone yourself love love this book i
The way this book came together is truly beautiful, the mindful Ness is a wonder to behold Emily you have outdone yourself love love this book i
September 30, 2025
lovely story
I really liked this one. What might happen kept me very interested and both characters were fully formed and loveable.
I really liked this one. What might happen kept me very interested and both characters were fully formed and loveable.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews