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Ice & Angel #1
Redemption
Angel searches for freedom but instead finds pain and prison before finally reaching redemption.
344 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
15 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Susanne M. Beck
6 books29 followersSusanne M. Beck was a registered nurse and a published author. She was also a very popular online author under the pen name Sword'n'Quill.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 17, 2020
I was really crushed to hear that Susanne Beck past away last year. She was just rereleasing some of her books that were currently out of print, now with a new publisher. This book was first and I was really excited since I had wanted to read this series for a long time. I could not help but feel a bit melancholy reading this, but I can’t think of anyway better to honor an author than to keep reading their work. And I’m really glad I did because this was a great read!
Beck was very famous in fanfiction under Sword'n'Quill. I think most of her books are uber Xena/G which this series is. This is about a woman who was convicted of murder for killing her husband and what life is like in prison in the late 70’s. This book is violent and a little gritty at times, but it also has a great love story too.
Now since this is from a Xena fanfic, there are a few times you have to suspend disbelief a bit. A lot of the prison fight scenes were almost like watching an episode of Xena, so a little over the top. But it was hella entertaining anyway so I could care less.
This is really a love story more than a romance. It starts out slowly but it just builds and builds. It was surprising that Beck was able to write romance in a tough prison but it absolutely worked. This is a long book maybe 500 pages if not more so there is plenty of time for lots of action and the mains falling in love.
This is a trilogy and I will be reading more. I’m happy with how this book ended so I’m not in a rush to possibly change that, but I will be back for sure. This was a pretty epic love story so if you can handle prison violence, I would absolutely recommend this especially if you are a Xena fan.
Edit to add: You can still read the original fanfic version online I just don't know how it compares to the published version I read.
Beck was very famous in fanfiction under Sword'n'Quill. I think most of her books are uber Xena/G which this series is. This is about a woman who was convicted of murder for killing her husband and what life is like in prison in the late 70’s. This book is violent and a little gritty at times, but it also has a great love story too.
Now since this is from a Xena fanfic, there are a few times you have to suspend disbelief a bit. A lot of the prison fight scenes were almost like watching an episode of Xena, so a little over the top. But it was hella entertaining anyway so I could care less.
This is really a love story more than a romance. It starts out slowly but it just builds and builds. It was surprising that Beck was able to write romance in a tough prison but it absolutely worked. This is a long book maybe 500 pages if not more so there is plenty of time for lots of action and the mains falling in love.
This is a trilogy and I will be reading more. I’m happy with how this book ended so I’m not in a rush to possibly change that, but I will be back for sure. This was a pretty epic love story so if you can handle prison violence, I would absolutely recommend this especially if you are a Xena fan.
Edit to add: You can still read the original fanfic version online I just don't know how it compares to the published version I read.
June 8, 2017
Wow. So that just happened. This was a pretty amazing book. Gotta say it's setting is a first for me. I absolutely cannot wait to read book 2. So it's uber X/G and stays true to that. So much violence though. I normally shy away from that, but it was done in a way that was... Ugh, you just root for them. The pacing on this? At times you seem to be able to catch your breath in between scenes that are almost manic in their ferocity. Just wow. I hate that her novels seemed to be caught up in a publisher that went under. They're not easy to get. Thankfully this one is still online though.
November 30, 2017
This is a love story not a romance... and a really beautiful one. I stopped reading halfway through and I can't even remember why but I'm really sorry I did. Redemption has everything in it: powerful characters, tension, violence, love, suspense, tears, joy and angst.
Written from the first person point of view, this is Angel's journal/memoir. Angel is sent to prison after killing her husband with a baseball bat. As a new inmate her life and body is not her own and it's not long before she is attacked by an inmate wanting ownership of her. Corrine, the librarian, steps in and Angel is temporarily protected and also has a safe place in the library.
Ice is an assassin and with her army of Amazons is high on the list of most-feared inmates.
This is uber Xena fanfiction but because I haven't ever watched Xena I couldn't say whether the characterisation was accurate (aside from the physical description) or not.
I have to read the rest of the series now.
Blayne Cooper's Hard Times is also set to a prison background and is also a good read, albeit much shorter.
Written from the first person point of view, this is Angel's journal/memoir. Angel is sent to prison after killing her husband with a baseball bat. As a new inmate her life and body is not her own and it's not long before she is attacked by an inmate wanting ownership of her. Corrine, the librarian, steps in and Angel is temporarily protected and also has a safe place in the library.
Ice is an assassin and with her army of Amazons is high on the list of most-feared inmates.
This is uber Xena fanfiction but because I haven't ever watched Xena I couldn't say whether the characterisation was accurate (aside from the physical description) or not.
I have to read the rest of the series now.
Blayne Cooper's Hard Times is also set to a prison background and is also a good read, albeit much shorter.
September 1, 2024
This was intense, witty, very very well-written. Set in the 70's in a women's jail, with strong female main characters and unforgettable side ones. Reading this and the dynamics in the world it's set in was fascinating to me since I work in a modern day female custody facility - no way in today's world will either inmates, guards or warden get away with the things that the characters in this book got away with. This world sucked me in, though. The feelings in this book are profound, made more effective by the first person POV of Angel who is fascinating, self-deprecating, and self-aware. Can't wait to delve into the next book in the series!
August 5, 2019
After recently reading my first lesfic inmate novel i knew I had to search for more novels of its ilk. Got referred to this book and I am so glad i took it up.
Captivating backdrop, plot, characters, suspense and conclusion.
Personally, i didn't like the fight first before thinking persona Angel presented of Ice but I guess readers will make their conclusion of it themselves.
Look forward to what the author has more in stock for these characters. I so wish at the end of it, all the amazons as well as Corrinne can form together outside the bog and build a formidable family.
Captivating backdrop, plot, characters, suspense and conclusion.
Personally, i didn't like the fight first before thinking persona Angel presented of Ice but I guess readers will make their conclusion of it themselves.
Look forward to what the author has more in stock for these characters. I so wish at the end of it, all the amazons as well as Corrinne can form together outside the bog and build a formidable family.
October 9, 2010
This Series is Part of my all time top 10 Novels. A Must Read. Prepare yourself for a healthy block of time. You will not want to put the book down or stop until the series is completed!
December 25, 2015
Ok the cover might be off putting and unappealing but it's definitely worth your time and isn't as dark as the cover suggests. Sure there's violence, etc. but quite acceptable.
For those that are fans of the xena concept, tall dark and deadly with the small blond sidekick the only thing i'd like to say is that these characters remind me the most of them. The writer didn't discount or downplay the darkside of tall dark and deadly like other xena fanfic stories tend to be.
Try it out... at least make sure you've read the first chapter before you decide it's not your thing. The writing style might seem boring and off putting but when you get further in the story you'll appreciate it and won't want it any other way.
Have reread it many times and definitely worth your money.
For those that are fans of the xena concept, tall dark and deadly with the small blond sidekick the only thing i'd like to say is that these characters remind me the most of them. The writer didn't discount or downplay the darkside of tall dark and deadly like other xena fanfic stories tend to be.
Try it out... at least make sure you've read the first chapter before you decide it's not your thing. The writing style might seem boring and off putting but when you get further in the story you'll appreciate it and won't want it any other way.
Have reread it many times and definitely worth your money.
April 28, 2020
I had to take a minute to figure out what I wanted to say about this book. Whoa... just whoa. The kind of whoa that falls out of your mouth in a whisper when something astronomically huge unfolds right before your eyes turning your brain to mush and all you can manage is... whoa.
First, may the author R.I.P. I learned she had passed away last spring. Second, I read in some reviews that this story started as a Xena fanfiction. I watched Xena as a little girl and I loved her. A woman in armour who kicked ass, yeah, I loved her. This was my first story with a prison setting, and the reviews said if you liked OITNB then you'll love Redemption. OITNB is not even on the same level as Redemption! Ice and Angel stole my heart, broke it, mended it, broke it again only for it to be picked up again. These women and the women following hardened criminal, Ice, the Amazons, were a family who had each other's backs. I was captivated from the beginning, and just when I thought I knew where the story was going... BAM! Something or someone new came along.
I can't speak highly enough about this story and I'm ecstatic that it's a three-part series!
Seriously, read this book, you won't be disappointed.
First, may the author R.I.P. I learned she had passed away last spring. Second, I read in some reviews that this story started as a Xena fanfiction. I watched Xena as a little girl and I loved her. A woman in armour who kicked ass, yeah, I loved her. This was my first story with a prison setting, and the reviews said if you liked OITNB then you'll love Redemption. OITNB is not even on the same level as Redemption! Ice and Angel stole my heart, broke it, mended it, broke it again only for it to be picked up again. These women and the women following hardened criminal, Ice, the Amazons, were a family who had each other's backs. I was captivated from the beginning, and just when I thought I knew where the story was going... BAM! Something or someone new came along.
I can't speak highly enough about this story and I'm ecstatic that it's a three-part series!
Seriously, read this book, you won't be disappointed.
August 22, 2014
I read this book a veeeery long time ago when it was available as xena fanfiction and to this day I remember it which it's saying something since I go through books like most people go through clothes (can't remember the saying exactly so you'll have to forgive me, but it was something along those lines). I just stumbled across this here and got all warm and fuzzy remembering it.. Definitely worth a read, would recommend it if this type of book is your cup of tea :)
June 21, 2023
So first, this is my review for the whole Ice and Angel trilogy, because I read all three novels back to back (and IMO, you should too).
So. Just, wow.
I honestly don't know what to write here. This series left me speechless. I've never read anything quite like these books, where the love between the leads is so intense and palpable, not just on a romantic level, but for each other's entire personhood. This isn't just a story of a love affair - it's an epic of trust, friendship, acceptance, and found family that simply amazed me. It is without a doubt worth reading, even if you are straight.
Both of the leads were incredible, both as characters and as people. Ice and Angel's growth as both individuals and as partners was amazing to see. As Ice described it, Angel taught her to feel and love, and being with Ice taught Angel how to accept her partner's past as a part of the woman she loves. Ice and Angel would both go to the ends of the earth for the other, and you can tell. Their love was never born and will never die, exactly like it was described in the first book. Just, spectacular.
Normally I prefer when novels with two leads have both their perspectives within, but the first person story-within-a-story structure really shined here, because of the connection Angel has with Ice. The side characters were really well executed too, and you couldn't help but feel almost as connected to them as the leads - I really want a Corrine in my life now, though preferably with slightly less arsenic.
All in all, this book touched something deep within me. RIP Susanne M. Beck - your characters will live on in my heart, just like Ice and Angel's love for each other.
So. Just, wow.
I honestly don't know what to write here. This series left me speechless. I've never read anything quite like these books, where the love between the leads is so intense and palpable, not just on a romantic level, but for each other's entire personhood. This isn't just a story of a love affair - it's an epic of trust, friendship, acceptance, and found family that simply amazed me. It is without a doubt worth reading, even if you are straight.
Both of the leads were incredible, both as characters and as people. Ice and Angel's growth as both individuals and as partners was amazing to see. As Ice described it, Angel taught her to feel and love, and being with Ice taught Angel how to accept her partner's past as a part of the woman she loves. Ice and Angel would both go to the ends of the earth for the other, and you can tell. Their love was never born and will never die, exactly like it was described in the first book. Just, spectacular.
Normally I prefer when novels with two leads have both their perspectives within, but the first person story-within-a-story structure really shined here, because of the connection Angel has with Ice. The side characters were really well executed too, and you couldn't help but feel almost as connected to them as the leads - I really want a Corrine in my life now, though preferably with slightly less arsenic.
All in all, this book touched something deep within me. RIP Susanne M. Beck - your characters will live on in my heart, just like Ice and Angel's love for each other.
March 13, 2022
I know many people love this novel and consider it a cult classic. I am not among them. I thought it was written in a stilted style that made it unpleasant to read. And the storyline was absurdly over the top. If you enjoy women's prison stories, watch Orange Is the New Black instead (the tv series is better than Piper's memoir).
January 6, 2023
5 stars! One of my favorite lesfic books I have ever read! I truly started it and could not put it down. There is action, romance, emotional moments, characters you will love and all of it happening within a prison. I full on cried at the end and I can not wait to continue the journey with Angel and Ice in the next 2 books.
April 23, 2019
One of the best Uber fanfiction I read!
May 12, 2021
Normally I do not care for books written in the first person but this one is well done. A lot to ponder with this book, I will read the next 2 books, just not back to back.
December 20, 2021
This book was good, really good. I mean, a romance novel set in prison, that’s a dream come true for me. Ice was fantastic. Her character just had so much depth and I loved her so much. I also found all the secondary characters to be really well written, and I cared about quite a few of them. The story also flowed really well. I admit, when I saw the length, I was a little worried about how I would feel about it mostly taking place in the same place, but that wasn’t an issue. I don’t think I was ever bored or felt like any of the parts dragged at all. There was only one thing keeping me from giving this book a five star, and that, unfortunately, was angel. I didn’t hate her or anything, but neither did I like her very much. I started off thinking she was OK, but I cared less and less about her as the book went on, which sort of made me care less about the romance as I started thinking that ice could do way better. I think the main reason I didn’t like her was because I couldn’t figure out why everyone thought she was so great. I don’t know, she just really didn’t do it for me. But, that really did not detract much for my overall enjoyment, and this is definitely a book that I will remember.
June 23, 2019
Oh Sue Beck!
This is one of my all time favorite books and is my second time reading it. It always makes my heart skip and the butterflies take flight. I read it a long time ago as fan fiction and fell in love with it. I pulled the book out to read it after hearing about Sue's death. She definitely left behind greats works. ♡
This is one of my all time favorite books and is my second time reading it. It always makes my heart skip and the butterflies take flight. I read it a long time ago as fan fiction and fell in love with it. I pulled the book out to read it after hearing about Sue's death. She definitely left behind greats works. ♡
December 22, 2015
I really, REALLY hate this cover.
This story, o maybe just like say "the story of Stephen King" is more than good. But, still is the 'Shawshank Redemption' of Stephen, with a female characters and little twist like a romance.
This story, o maybe just like say "the story of Stephen King" is more than good. But, still is the 'Shawshank Redemption' of Stephen, with a female characters and little twist like a romance.
September 10, 2019
Very, Very Moving.
Reading Redemption is really hard. I assume most people have no idea what goes on behind prison walls. It is a brutal world. These woman may be murderers and robbers, but they are human being.
Reading Redemption is really hard. I assume most people have no idea what goes on behind prison walls. It is a brutal world. These woman may be murderers and robbers, but they are human being.
September 22, 2019
Brilliant!
Thank you, Susanne, for sharing this wonderful tale of hope, love and Redemption with us. You may not be with us any longer but your words will touch the lives of those who read your work forever . If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and start now.
Thank you, Susanne, for sharing this wonderful tale of hope, love and Redemption with us. You may not be with us any longer but your words will touch the lives of those who read your work forever . If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and start now.
December 16, 2019
4.5 wonderful read
The book was well written and flowed easily. The characters were well developed. Had not heard of this author and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the story.
The book was well written and flowed easily. The characters were well developed. Had not heard of this author and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the story.
September 10, 2016
Úplně mi to nesedlo. Postavy se chovaly někdy dost debilně a měla jsem problém si k nim udělat vztah... bylo mi v podstatě jedno, co s nimi bude a to je asi špatně.
February 10, 2023
Beautiful and brutal. Life inside a prison was definitely bleak, but friends and love made it bearable for Angel. Worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews