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Ice
On holiday leave from the service, Gabriel McQueen is sent into a brewing ice storm to make sure that his father’s distant neighbor, Lolly Helton, who has fallen out of contact, is safe and sound. It’s a trip that Gabriel would rather not make, given the bitter winter weather—and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly. Arriving at Lolly’s home, Gabriel spots strangers through the windows—one of them packing a weapon—and kicks into combat mode. But once Lolly is rescued, the heat—and the hunt—are on. Snowbound, unarmed, and literally under the gun, Gabriel and Lolly must depend on each other to endure the merciless forces of nature and evade the ruthless enemy out in the blackness of the silent night—and out for their blood.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2009
576 people are currently reading
1825 people want to read
About the author
Linda Howard
223 books7,171 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 753 reviews
November 7, 2020
Guaranteed great read with all of LH's trademark elements. The only shortcoming was that the book was a tad too short. Would have liked another 100 pages of Gabriel and Lolly. And a epilogue wouldn't have hurt!
I so wanted to know how Gabriel convinces Lolly to relocate with him, how she settles with him and his son in North Carolina and her mommy-bonding with Sam. The way Gabriel kept insisting on her not putting down roots in Portland before visiting him was rather cute.. Just when I got really invested in their romance, the book had to end. No sir, I'm not happy.
I so wanted to know how Gabriel convinces Lolly to relocate with him, how she settles with him and his son in North Carolina and her mommy-bonding with Sam. The way Gabriel kept insisting on her not putting down roots in Portland before visiting him was rather cute.. Just when I got really invested in their romance, the book had to end. No sir, I'm not happy.
December 27, 2023
Re-read (listened to) 12/26/23. Still as good as the first time!
Thirty-three year-old Gabriel is on leave, back home in Maine and excited to see his seven year-old son, Sam. There’s a huge ice storm on the way, so before he can relax his dad, the sheriff, sends him to check on Lolly, a girl he grew up with and sparred with continually through school. Back then he thought she was stuck-up, but they’re verbal matches were something he looked forward to and excited him. Little does he know the danger he’s about to step into or how protective he’d feel about Lolly.
Lolly is back home to pack up the family home and ready it for sale when she’s ambushed by a couple of sinister drug addicts who want whatever they can get from Lolly. Knowing she must escape or she won’t survive, Lolly makes a plan. Having Gabriel’s help is a relief she didn’t expect to feel. He teased her mercilessly throughout school when she was a painfully shy and awkward teenage. Together they must use their wits to outsmart the baddies, and survive the ice storm converging on Maine.
Ice was a short and thrilling story! I was completely hooked and couldn’t stop listening. I think Ms. Howard did a brilliant job fleshing out Gabriel and Lolly in a short amount of pages and without stalling the plot, which was suspenseful and exciting. I was really worried for Lolly in quite a few spots, but she was a resourceful and smart woman. Gabriel is a guy you would totally want by your side in the crisis they were faced with: strong, capable, and very protective. Their past as well as the intense situation made their romance believable and hot!
Thirty-three year-old Gabriel is on leave, back home in Maine and excited to see his seven year-old son, Sam. There’s a huge ice storm on the way, so before he can relax his dad, the sheriff, sends him to check on Lolly, a girl he grew up with and sparred with continually through school. Back then he thought she was stuck-up, but they’re verbal matches were something he looked forward to and excited him. Little does he know the danger he’s about to step into or how protective he’d feel about Lolly.
Lolly is back home to pack up the family home and ready it for sale when she’s ambushed by a couple of sinister drug addicts who want whatever they can get from Lolly. Knowing she must escape or she won’t survive, Lolly makes a plan. Having Gabriel’s help is a relief she didn’t expect to feel. He teased her mercilessly throughout school when she was a painfully shy and awkward teenage. Together they must use their wits to outsmart the baddies, and survive the ice storm converging on Maine.
Ice was a short and thrilling story! I was completely hooked and couldn’t stop listening. I think Ms. Howard did a brilliant job fleshing out Gabriel and Lolly in a short amount of pages and without stalling the plot, which was suspenseful and exciting. I was really worried for Lolly in quite a few spots, but she was a resourceful and smart woman. Gabriel is a guy you would totally want by your side in the crisis they were faced with: strong, capable, and very protective. Their past as well as the intense situation made their romance believable and hot!
March 4, 2011
Linda Howard--why so short? This book had some real potential, and utilized one of my favorite themes (trapped in the wilderness/cabin/braving the elements/stalked by crazies). But darn, it was over just as it was getting interesting...
I liked the hero, Army Sergeant home-on-leave, Gabriel McQueen. Gabe's a 33 year-old widower with a little 7 year-old son who is living with his parents in small-town Maine. Gabe has just arrived home for Christmas to visit them, when his Dad, the sheriff, alerts him that a big ice storm is on the way. Would he do him a favor and check on a neighbor who lives outside of town (on a mountain where cell phone reception is spotty). The sheriff wouldn't want Lorelei "Lolly" Helton to be stranded up there in her parent's summer home in case the storm brewing is a major one. Gabe reluctantly agrees, even though his relationship with Lolly has always been filled with animosity. Fifteen years ago the teenage Gabe was a thorn in Lolly's side, often teasing her mercilessly, and Lolly would respond with open hostility. They never got along. Now his Dad wants him to 'rescue' Lolly and bring her into town to stay with them until the storm blows over? Wonder what Lolly will think of that?
As Gabe is making his way to fetch Lolly, Lolly is on her way back to her house to pick up a few things. A local store owner has warned her of the big storm coming, and has insisted Lolly stay with her in town until the storm passes. Lolly figures she has enough time to head up the mountain to grab a few things at home and head back before the storm starts. What she doesn't realize is that a couple of 'meth heads' in need of some quick cash have spotted her in her Mercedes SUV and decide to follow her home for a quick score. What happens next is Lolly facing some of her worst nightmares, and a battle to stay alive and elude two armed and unpredictable foes, all while braving the elements from a brutal storm. It helps that Gabe arrives at her house just in the nick of time, but will Gabe be able to save Lolly (and himself) from not only the meth heads, but from a killer storm?
Nicely plotted, expertly paced, and well-written--that's Linda Howard. I have no real complaints except that the story was too short. 213 pages was not enough to do justice to the characters of ordinary girl Lolly and hunky hero Gabe. They were both brave, determined, and likable, but a little bit more 'fleshing out' of the characters would've been appreciated. Somehow LH managed to sneek in a love scene (in the shower), which is hard to do when your characters have killers after them, so bravo to her! This book was crying out for an epilogue...but it was not to be. We're left to assume, and to use our imagination that their HFN will turn into a HEA. 4 stars
I liked the hero, Army Sergeant home-on-leave, Gabriel McQueen. Gabe's a 33 year-old widower with a little 7 year-old son who is living with his parents in small-town Maine. Gabe has just arrived home for Christmas to visit them, when his Dad, the sheriff, alerts him that a big ice storm is on the way. Would he do him a favor and check on a neighbor who lives outside of town (on a mountain where cell phone reception is spotty). The sheriff wouldn't want Lorelei "Lolly" Helton to be stranded up there in her parent's summer home in case the storm brewing is a major one. Gabe reluctantly agrees, even though his relationship with Lolly has always been filled with animosity. Fifteen years ago the teenage Gabe was a thorn in Lolly's side, often teasing her mercilessly, and Lolly would respond with open hostility. They never got along. Now his Dad wants him to 'rescue' Lolly and bring her into town to stay with them until the storm blows over? Wonder what Lolly will think of that?
As Gabe is making his way to fetch Lolly, Lolly is on her way back to her house to pick up a few things. A local store owner has warned her of the big storm coming, and has insisted Lolly stay with her in town until the storm passes. Lolly figures she has enough time to head up the mountain to grab a few things at home and head back before the storm starts. What she doesn't realize is that a couple of 'meth heads' in need of some quick cash have spotted her in her Mercedes SUV and decide to follow her home for a quick score. What happens next is Lolly facing some of her worst nightmares, and a battle to stay alive and elude two armed and unpredictable foes, all while braving the elements from a brutal storm. It helps that Gabe arrives at her house just in the nick of time, but will Gabe be able to save Lolly (and himself) from not only the meth heads, but from a killer storm?
Nicely plotted, expertly paced, and well-written--that's Linda Howard. I have no real complaints except that the story was too short. 213 pages was not enough to do justice to the characters of ordinary girl Lolly and hunky hero Gabe. They were both brave, determined, and likable, but a little bit more 'fleshing out' of the characters would've been appreciated. Somehow LH managed to sneek in a love scene (in the shower), which is hard to do when your characters have killers after them, so bravo to her! This book was crying out for an epilogue...but it was not to be. We're left to assume, and to use our imagination that their HFN will turn into a HEA. 4 stars
July 18, 2025
Ice is a short book and was given to me by a friend. I'd read other books by this writer, Linda Howard and I do like her books. She wrote two of my faves..Death Angel and All the Queen's men..so I wanted to try this.
It was a fun book. I usually do NOT like books like this It was entirely romance oriented with a bit of mystery but quite short.
I liked it in a way. You could feel the ice and snow all around you. The book had suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat.
It was, for me, not a love fest like with the above mentioned other books..particularly Death Angel..but then again it is a short one.
I was surprised by how short it was bub it was easy enough to read in one sitting so that's always
nice!
It was a fun book. I usually do NOT like books like this It was entirely romance oriented with a bit of mystery but quite short.
I liked it in a way. You could feel the ice and snow all around you. The book had suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat.
It was, for me, not a love fest like with the above mentioned other books..particularly Death Angel..but then again it is a short one.
I was surprised by how short it was bub it was easy enough to read in one sitting so that's always
nice!
February 9, 2019
You know the horror movie where the monster is shot BUT JUST WON’T DIE! Or worse, the stupid main characters THINK it's dead, but then there is a jump scare?
This pretty violent suspense/survival story accomplished two things for me. One I never want to go to Maine in the winter, and two, I need to sign up for the deadliest martial arts discipline. Probably krav maga.
The hero and heroine pale in comparison to the completely vile, disgusting and entitled meth addicts villains of the piece.
This is pretty much a novella and as other reviewers mentioned there is a lack of depth of relationship between the two main characters. Lolly the heroine had a crush on the H in school, but felt he was too far above her so she was cold and distant. Now adults he has to rescue her from a coming ice storm as well as the unexpected two disgusting creeps that have trapped her.
Violent scene, for me at least, of attempted rape made me want to reach into the CD player and kick the guy where it counted. Repeatedly.
I can’t say I enjoyed it as Linda Howard has the criminals monologue on how much they hate “the bitch" and she has to pay simply because she ran away.
A begrudging 3 stars.
This pretty violent suspense/survival story accomplished two things for me. One I never want to go to Maine in the winter, and two, I need to sign up for the deadliest martial arts discipline. Probably krav maga.
The hero and heroine pale in comparison to the completely vile, disgusting and entitled meth addicts villains of the piece.
This is pretty much a novella and as other reviewers mentioned there is a lack of depth of relationship between the two main characters. Lolly the heroine had a crush on the H in school, but felt he was too far above her so she was cold and distant. Now adults he has to rescue her from a coming ice storm as well as the unexpected two disgusting creeps that have trapped her.
Violent scene, for me at least, of attempted rape made me want to reach into the CD player and kick the guy where it counted. Repeatedly.
I can’t say I enjoyed it as Linda Howard has the criminals monologue on how much they hate “the bitch" and she has to pay simply because she ran away.
A begrudging 3 stars.
June 9, 2016
I wanted to like this book. But, it was predictable and pedantic. The view switches from person to person in the story (both the protagonists and the antagonist) and while I enjoy that, Howard spent time going back over events from the other pov. It wasn't necessary and just became something to slow the story down. And the 'romance'-no. Just no.
The narrator was fine but not great.
The narrator was fine but not great.
June 25, 2020
3.5 stars.🌟🌟🌟
A fast read....with an intense and dynamic situation at the core of this short story....it was definitely a case of less romance and more danger ....the author really did bring the scenes that were set during the "Ice Storm" to life very successfully in my opinion!!!
I must say that Linda Howard is just so good at these romantic suspenses that are set out in the wilderness....think "Prey" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
or "Up Close and Dangerous" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show........ both of which I really loved and do recommend reading.
A fast read....with an intense and dynamic situation at the core of this short story....it was definitely a case of less romance and more danger ....the author really did bring the scenes that were set during the "Ice Storm" to life very successfully in my opinion!!!
I must say that Linda Howard is just so good at these romantic suspenses that are set out in the wilderness....think "Prey" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
or "Up Close and Dangerous" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show........ both of which I really loved and do recommend reading.
December 21, 2009
I must preface this by saying that I love Linda Howard's books. I love them with the type of devotion and affection one normally saves for your favorite band from your youth (Prince!) or your favorite article of clothing (red leather peacoat!) or a new discovery that has transformed your life (Spanx!).
So in that vein, it pains me very much to say how much I didn't love this book. This isn't a huge surprise because I also disliked Up Close and Dangerous which also had the H&H running around in snow, trying to survive both a murderer and the elements. I just don't like the couple-on-the-run-in-the-wilderness/bad weather stories.
But you want to know what I disliked even more? Crazy, rapist/murdering meth heads (who defy laws of physics, biology and Mother Nature)who manage to continue to hunt the H&H with Terminator like abilities.
I think I read this book in like 2 hours because I was flipping passages so fast.
A dud for me.
So in that vein, it pains me very much to say how much I didn't love this book. This isn't a huge surprise because I also disliked Up Close and Dangerous which also had the H&H running around in snow, trying to survive both a murderer and the elements. I just don't like the couple-on-the-run-in-the-wilderness/bad weather stories.
But you want to know what I disliked even more? Crazy, rapist/murdering meth heads (who defy laws of physics, biology and Mother Nature)who manage to continue to hunt the H&H with Terminator like abilities.
I think I read this book in like 2 hours because I was flipping passages so fast.
A dud for me.
April 28, 2020
Audiobook
Gabriel is sent to check on a neighbor (Lolly) who recently returned to the area. He finds Lolly in her home being held up by two strangers. Lolly and Gabriel embark on a mission to evade and stay alive. Running through the woods during a horrific snow storm while being chase by two people trying to kill them.
The story occurs over the course of one day. For me this is too fast for a romance. It makes for good action, but this whirlwind prevents me from connecting.
Gabriel is sent to check on a neighbor (Lolly) who recently returned to the area. He finds Lolly in her home being held up by two strangers. Lolly and Gabriel embark on a mission to evade and stay alive. Running through the woods during a horrific snow storm while being chase by two people trying to kill them.
The story occurs over the course of one day. For me this is too fast for a romance. It makes for good action, but this whirlwind prevents me from connecting.
January 28, 2012
★★★★✩ Narrated by Fred Sanders, who did a fine job on this short novel. His reading was just a tiny bit flat at the beginning; however, I'm glad I gave him a chance as he improved quickly (or, more likely, I got used to his voice!). He did differentiate the voices well and did a nice job on the Maine accents.
Warning: This stops at a HFN (happy for now) ending. Which makes sense, since they really were together for such a short time. However, isn't that what epilogues are for? Yes, an epilogue would have been nice.
Warning: This stops at a HFN (happy for now) ending. Which makes sense, since they really were together for such a short time. However, isn't that what epilogues are for? Yes, an epilogue would have been nice.
July 4, 2022
I read this book at night and it spooked me to no end.
I love Linda Howard’s books. They are well written with clever plots and matured characters.
When heroine Lolly’s life was invaded by danger in the form of two meth addicts, it was chilling. Chilling because one moment everything was safe and normal in her life and next she was fighting for it from those two crazies and the other villain in the story-Ice. I never thought Ice as a component of natural disaster. So this book was a new experience and informative. It also packed a punch. There were moments which were spooky and creepy. At one point I was chanting ‘die die die��!!!
I just wish there was more of Gabriel and Lolly. Loved them together.
And an epilogue was badly needed.
Safe and recommended.
I love Linda Howard’s books. They are well written with clever plots and matured characters.
When heroine Lolly’s life was invaded by danger in the form of two meth addicts, it was chilling. Chilling because one moment everything was safe and normal in her life and next she was fighting for it from those two crazies and the other villain in the story-Ice. I never thought Ice as a component of natural disaster. So this book was a new experience and informative. It also packed a punch. There were moments which were spooky and creepy. At one point I was chanting ‘die die die��!!!
I just wish there was more of Gabriel and Lolly. Loved them together.
And an epilogue was badly needed.
Safe and recommended.
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March 20, 2022
I'm in a big book slump. I've been re-reading a ton, partly because I don't have any new releases to be excited about, but also because nothing sounds good🙃 so to stop myself from re-reading another book I forced myself to pick a random page of my TBR and read something on it and here we are.
This book featured high school enemies who haven't spoken or seen each other in 15 years thrown together and forced to survive an ice storm on a mountain in Maine. I love an enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity (also the H is a single dad) so this had some elements I enjoy and it was short so I thought that might be good for my book slump. To be honest I definitely would've DNF'd this if it wasn't so short lol. Besides the perilous ice storm, there was also a homicidal, emaciated, but indestructible Terminator-like meth head couple that the military man H couldn't take down to save his life (literally). There was a lot of craziness packed into these ~200 pages, but ultimately I just didn't connect with the writing style and the plot was wrapped up super abruptly without any real feeling about how these two would get on in the real world. No epilogue either, this thing needed a HEA at the very least hah.
I tend to avoid what I would call 'old school' romance, it just generally doesn't work for me and that was definitely part of the reason I didn't like this one. For example:
The internalized misogyny 😂 I can't. 'Gee, if only my clothes could've been cuter while I ran for my life in an ice storm away from meth heads that were trying to rape, rob, and kill me so this man (that I literally already had sex with 5 minutes ago) would think I was hot.' Nevermind that the clothes she had on were layered so much because she didn't have anything waterproof and she almost got hypothermia and/or frostbite anyway, she should really be concerned that they didn't show off her banging figure in the dark cold as fuck storm...#logic.
Another thing about 'old school' romance is that as a natural consequence of time the word choices feel too like prim and proper (h saying 'kick in the pants', H referring to the meth head home invaders as 'jerks') and it's just hard for me to take some of it seriously. Not a real detractor rating-wise, but just like enjoyment-wise.
Anyway I'm probably off to go re-read something 😎 #itried
This book featured high school enemies who haven't spoken or seen each other in 15 years thrown together and forced to survive an ice storm on a mountain in Maine. I love an enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity (also the H is a single dad) so this had some elements I enjoy and it was short so I thought that might be good for my book slump. To be honest I definitely would've DNF'd this if it wasn't so short lol. Besides the perilous ice storm, there was also a homicidal, emaciated, but indestructible Terminator-like meth head couple that the military man H couldn't take down to save his life (literally). There was a lot of craziness packed into these ~200 pages, but ultimately I just didn't connect with the writing style and the plot was wrapped up super abruptly without any real feeling about how these two would get on in the real world. No epilogue either, this thing needed a HEA at the very least hah.
I tend to avoid what I would call 'old school' romance, it just generally doesn't work for me and that was definitely part of the reason I didn't like this one. For example:
"It hadn't bothered her before, but she suddenly realized how lumpy she looked in all those clothes, layer upon layer. How mortifying, no matter how necessary it had been. She wanted to look good for Gabriel, and wasn't that a kick in the pants? She'd never cared very much what anyone thought of her appearance, much less Gabriel, but now ... now she wished she had the blue sweater that her friends said made her blue eyes shine, and those really expensive snug jeans that made her butt look fantastic. She touched her wet hair. She could really use a hair dryer too."
The internalized misogyny 😂 I can't. 'Gee, if only my clothes could've been cuter while I ran for my life in an ice storm away from meth heads that were trying to rape, rob, and kill me so this man (that I literally already had sex with 5 minutes ago) would think I was hot.' Nevermind that the clothes she had on were layered so much because she didn't have anything waterproof and she almost got hypothermia and/or frostbite anyway, she should really be concerned that they didn't show off her banging figure in the dark cold as fuck storm...#logic.
Another thing about 'old school' romance is that as a natural consequence of time the word choices feel too like prim and proper (h saying 'kick in the pants', H referring to the meth head home invaders as 'jerks') and it's just hard for me to take some of it seriously. Not a real detractor rating-wise, but just like enjoyment-wise.
Anyway I'm probably off to go re-read something 😎 #itried
July 7, 2021
Ice by Linda Howard has all the trademarks of her novels. The romance and the suspense in equal measures keep the adrenaline pumping, however, this did end too soon for my liking. The atmospheric effects with the snowstorm and ice added a layer of thrill in addition to the dangers posed by meth addicts.
The story moves forward thru Gabe and Lorelei and occasionally thru the antagonists which did cause a galloping heart. Teenage Gabe and Lolly never did get along so when Gabe's father requests him to head up the mountain to check on Lolly, he’s none too happy. The time he should use to spend with his son is being wasted to save someone he’s not much keen on but as he arrives and gets trapped by the ice and storm and realizes that the situation at Lolly’s home is not something that can be avoided he takes charge and the rescue mission becomes one of survival not just against the crazy villains but also the weather which was getting worse by the minute. And of course, the villain just refuses to be defeated just like in the old horror movies.
I loved the intense chemistry between the leads and can also understand that the focus of the story was all about escape so the abrupt end does fit in line with the story but I still wanted more details about the characters and an epilogue.
Entertainment quickie 4 stars 🌧️ 🌧️ 🌧️ 🌧️
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, and Twitter.
The story moves forward thru Gabe and Lorelei and occasionally thru the antagonists which did cause a galloping heart. Teenage Gabe and Lolly never did get along so when Gabe's father requests him to head up the mountain to check on Lolly, he’s none too happy. The time he should use to spend with his son is being wasted to save someone he’s not much keen on but as he arrives and gets trapped by the ice and storm and realizes that the situation at Lolly’s home is not something that can be avoided he takes charge and the rescue mission becomes one of survival not just against the crazy villains but also the weather which was getting worse by the minute. And of course, the villain just refuses to be defeated just like in the old horror movies.
I loved the intense chemistry between the leads and can also understand that the focus of the story was all about escape so the abrupt end does fit in line with the story but I still wanted more details about the characters and an epilogue.
Entertainment quickie 4 stars 🌧️ 🌧️ 🌧️ 🌧️
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, and Twitter.
August 28, 2016
Torn between a 3 and 4 star rating. It was a decent story and well written but I felt it needed more. More development to explain a few things. The ending was an HFN (Happily For Now) ending, instead of my HEA (Happily Ever After). Very disappointed in that. An added epilogue could have provided my HEA but there wasn't one.
September 26, 2019
This thriller/romance was short and sweet. Well, not exactly sweet. The plot was tightly woven, character background blended seamlessly with the story line. There was not a lot of extraneous description or subplots.
The menace the reader feels is as much from Mother Nature as the human antagonists, because she is so much more unpredictable.While the conclusion was predictable, you really didn't care. The ride from beginning to end while exactly not blow your hair back, kept me turning those pages.
The menace the reader feels is as much from Mother Nature as the human antagonists, because she is so much more unpredictable.While the conclusion was predictable, you really didn't care. The ride from beginning to end while exactly not blow your hair back, kept me turning those pages.
December 20, 2020
Very quick, well done suspense with a happy for now ending.
September 26, 2010
Enjoyable escape, but it is TOO SHORT. More time for more relationship development would have been nice.
STORY BRIEF:
Gabriel is an army sergeant in the military police, based in North Carolina. He comes home to Maine just before Christmas. His father is sheriff and asks Gabriel to go to the Helton home outside of town. An ice storm is coming, and the sheriff is worried that Lolly may not know about the storm and may be stranded. There is no cell phone service near her home. Gabriel and Lolly attended high school together. Their high school relationship was antagonistic. He taunted her. She insulted him. Her father was mayor at the time. He thought of her as Miss Hoity-Toity Helton.
Lolly’s family moved away years ago but kept the mountain-side home. Lolly recently came back to pack things up and arrange to sell it. A couple of meth addicts needing money, follow her home with plans to beat, rape and rob her. Meanwhile Gabriel is on his way to her home.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author. She knows how to tell a good story with good characters. This was an enjoyable escape. The downside was that it was a “short story” - half the size of a normal book. It would have been nice to have more time for more relationship development. But as a short story it was good for suspense, action, conflicts, and some romantic development. There was one lovely sex scene.
Unfortunately I’m in the minority. I think many reviewers did not like this book because it was too short. I paid $9 which was a bit much, but it would be worthwhile to get from the library.
DATA:
Story length: 196 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one, three pages long. Setting: current day Wilson Creek, Maine. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Linda Howard books, see my 5 star review of “Burn” posted 7-11-09.
STORY BRIEF:
Gabriel is an army sergeant in the military police, based in North Carolina. He comes home to Maine just before Christmas. His father is sheriff and asks Gabriel to go to the Helton home outside of town. An ice storm is coming, and the sheriff is worried that Lolly may not know about the storm and may be stranded. There is no cell phone service near her home. Gabriel and Lolly attended high school together. Their high school relationship was antagonistic. He taunted her. She insulted him. Her father was mayor at the time. He thought of her as Miss Hoity-Toity Helton.
Lolly’s family moved away years ago but kept the mountain-side home. Lolly recently came back to pack things up and arrange to sell it. A couple of meth addicts needing money, follow her home with plans to beat, rape and rob her. Meanwhile Gabriel is on his way to her home.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author. She knows how to tell a good story with good characters. This was an enjoyable escape. The downside was that it was a “short story” - half the size of a normal book. It would have been nice to have more time for more relationship development. But as a short story it was good for suspense, action, conflicts, and some romantic development. There was one lovely sex scene.
Unfortunately I’m in the minority. I think many reviewers did not like this book because it was too short. I paid $9 which was a bit much, but it would be worthwhile to get from the library.
DATA:
Story length: 196 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one, three pages long. Setting: current day Wilson Creek, Maine. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Linda Howard books, see my 5 star review of “Burn” posted 7-11-09.
February 5, 2022
Ice
4 Stars
Growing up in a small Maine town, Gabriel McQueen and Lolly Helton couldn’t stand the sight of one another. Now, at home on leave for Christmas, Gabriel is sent out on a stormy evening to convince Lolly to come into town take shelter. Lolly would be only to happy to oblige, however, two desperate strangers have taken her hostage in a home invasion and it will take all of Gabriel’s wits and Lolly’s courage to survive.
Ice is one of Howard’s earlier and shorter works, but what it lacks in page numbers it more than makes up for with the action.
Gabriel and Lolly’s character development is actually quite good given the relatively short format. There is sufficient detail on their time as children and teens to get a good feel for their love/hate relationship and once they get together as adults, the chemistry between them is tangible.
The villains in the story are certainly diabolical enough and there are some very intense and frightening moments, especially during the initial home invasion. The action scenes are well written and exciting, and the climax and resolution are satisfying.
All in all, a thoroughly entertaining read and my only small nitpick is that the book is in dire need of an epilogue.
4 Stars
Growing up in a small Maine town, Gabriel McQueen and Lolly Helton couldn’t stand the sight of one another. Now, at home on leave for Christmas, Gabriel is sent out on a stormy evening to convince Lolly to come into town take shelter. Lolly would be only to happy to oblige, however, two desperate strangers have taken her hostage in a home invasion and it will take all of Gabriel’s wits and Lolly’s courage to survive.
Ice is one of Howard’s earlier and shorter works, but what it lacks in page numbers it more than makes up for with the action.
Gabriel and Lolly’s character development is actually quite good given the relatively short format. There is sufficient detail on their time as children and teens to get a good feel for their love/hate relationship and once they get together as adults, the chemistry between them is tangible.
The villains in the story are certainly diabolical enough and there are some very intense and frightening moments, especially during the initial home invasion. The action scenes are well written and exciting, and the climax and resolution are satisfying.
All in all, a thoroughly entertaining read and my only small nitpick is that the book is in dire need of an epilogue.
May 19, 2015
It was a short but enjoyable story with a potential to became a full length book. However, I hated Lorelei being called Lolly.
Linda Howard is good in writing chilling suspense. This story was quite grabbing and the ice storm made the proper atmosphere.
The romance part was so small I would rather call the whole story a suspense with a dash of romance affair. Romance is minor and that's okay because the setting is like one night and one day and it will be strange if the characters get involve in something more so quickly.
The whole story reminded me a bit about Mean Streak, but mostly because of the winter setting, not the plot.
Linda Howard is good in writing chilling suspense. This story was quite grabbing and the ice storm made the proper atmosphere.
The romance part was so small I would rather call the whole story a suspense with a dash of romance affair. Romance is minor and that's okay because the setting is like one night and one day and it will be strange if the characters get involve in something more so quickly.
The whole story reminded me a bit about Mean Streak, but mostly because of the winter setting, not the plot.
January 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this Romance/mystery.
Gabriel is the sheriff’s son and Gabriel returns home to Wilson Creek, excited to see his 7 year old son Sam. You can tell that Gabriel is well liked because when he walks into the sheriffs office there are three older women who work there and they giggle and fawn all over him. But as soon as his dad walks in his dad elicits his help which is not the norm so Gabriel knows that something serious is going down. And the serious thing that is going down is an ice storm. His father wants him to go up and to the mountain area and make sure that a woman named Lolly is safe.
While Gabriel goes to visit his son for a short period of time before he leaves to check on Lolly, the reader is introduced to Niki and Darwin. Immediately it’s obvious they’re up to no good. They’re both meth addicts and they see Lolly who’s going into the store owned by Mr. & Mrs. Richards. The meth addicts focus their attention on what looks to be like a rich Lolly. From this point it’s fairly predictable as to much of what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t all go down the way you think it will.
Gabriel is the sheriff’s son and Gabriel returns home to Wilson Creek, excited to see his 7 year old son Sam. You can tell that Gabriel is well liked because when he walks into the sheriffs office there are three older women who work there and they giggle and fawn all over him. But as soon as his dad walks in his dad elicits his help which is not the norm so Gabriel knows that something serious is going down. And the serious thing that is going down is an ice storm. His father wants him to go up and to the mountain area and make sure that a woman named Lolly is safe.
While Gabriel goes to visit his son for a short period of time before he leaves to check on Lolly, the reader is introduced to Niki and Darwin. Immediately it’s obvious they’re up to no good. They’re both meth addicts and they see Lolly who’s going into the store owned by Mr. & Mrs. Richards. The meth addicts focus their attention on what looks to be like a rich Lolly. From this point it’s fairly predictable as to much of what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t all go down the way you think it will.
February 13, 2022
This must be the third or fourth time I have read or listened to this story. There is something comforting about a good Linda Howard book. Objectively, I suppose this is a three star story but I like it more than that.
March 3, 2015
Well, obviously I had a few issues. Perhaps if the book was a little longer and had taken place over a few days, I could've suspended belief. Turns out this is just an overnight thing, after which Lolly is considering rearranging her entire world for the strong M.P. Did I mention he's a widow with a young son? No? He is.
Gabriel's father sends him up to Lolly's remote mountain cabin, minutes after he rolls into town on leave to see his son, to make sure she's aware of the coming ice storm and is safe. Why one of his deputies couldn't handle this duty is lost on me, but perhaps Harlan is moonlighting as a matchmaker. Anyway, Gabriel arrives to find Lolly in serious trouble. The bad guys were creepy as all get out, something Linda Howard is good at, and the action scenes were okay, but I wanted to warm up to the characters first. I felt like I knew their life circumstances, but not "them" or what made them tick. It made it hard to connect. The boinking felt like a cheap one-night stand. Lolly and Gabriel knew each other in school, but that was a long time ago and they despised each other. It makes it difficult to believe in "true love" when they've only been together for a few hours and most of that time they were running from meth-heads.
I was hoping this would be an intense race for survival as Gabriel and Lolly made their escape from a couple of drugged out killers, but it turned out to be mediocre at best. I wanted a race across the frozen tundra, cozy time in a warm cave between the couple, getting to know each other again before they did the deed. I wanted them to save each other, maybe from a bear who was angry because they interrupted his sleep.
I wanted so much more! I wanted a bitch fight between Lolly and Nicky. I wanted Lolly to deliver a knee (or two) to Darwin's groin. Darwin deserved a thousand miserable deaths. Hey, there's another idea for the bear...
Run, Darwin. Run!
That would've been a great ending for Darwin. Mid-winter snack for Smokey.
I do love Linda Howard's work and this is an example of her earlier novels, so take that into consideration. She's a fabulous author and still holds my heart for several of the best romance novels I've read to date! Just not this one.
Gabriel's father sends him up to Lolly's remote mountain cabin, minutes after he rolls into town on leave to see his son, to make sure she's aware of the coming ice storm and is safe. Why one of his deputies couldn't handle this duty is lost on me, but perhaps Harlan is moonlighting as a matchmaker. Anyway, Gabriel arrives to find Lolly in serious trouble. The bad guys were creepy as all get out, something Linda Howard is good at, and the action scenes were okay, but I wanted to warm up to the characters first. I felt like I knew their life circumstances, but not "them" or what made them tick. It made it hard to connect. The boinking felt like a cheap one-night stand. Lolly and Gabriel knew each other in school, but that was a long time ago and they despised each other. It makes it difficult to believe in "true love" when they've only been together for a few hours and most of that time they were running from meth-heads.
I was hoping this would be an intense race for survival as Gabriel and Lolly made their escape from a couple of drugged out killers, but it turned out to be mediocre at best. I wanted a race across the frozen tundra, cozy time in a warm cave between the couple, getting to know each other again before they did the deed. I wanted them to save each other, maybe from a bear who was angry because they interrupted his sleep.
I wanted so much more! I wanted a bitch fight between Lolly and Nicky. I wanted Lolly to deliver a knee (or two) to Darwin's groin. Darwin deserved a thousand miserable deaths. Hey, there's another idea for the bear...
Run, Darwin. Run!
That would've been a great ending for Darwin. Mid-winter snack for Smokey.
I do love Linda Howard's work and this is an example of her earlier novels, so take that into consideration. She's a fabulous author and still holds my heart for several of the best romance novels I've read to date! Just not this one.
January 28, 2014
Audio update: 3 stars for story, but 4.5 stars for audio narration by Fred Sanders. This is not a long book, and with the ice-cold survival theme, somewhat similar to Up Close and Dangerous and Prey, also by Linda Howard.
PLOT: It's almost Christmas. A deadly ice storm strikes small town Maine. The local sheriff sends his son Gabriel to warn Lollie about the storm, because she's alone at her mountainside home, not responding to phone calls. Gabe goes dutifully but reluctantly, because he was NOT on friendly terms with snobby Lollie, aka "Lollipop" in high school. But high school was 15 years ago, and they've both had a secret yen for the other, methinks.
When Gabe arrives, he realizes there's more than one kind of deadly ICE at work. Now they must get friendly fast, joining forces against murderous meth-heads. Nicky and Darwin are hyper-energized and armed for bear.
Fast paced and absorbing, but *most* of the story is spent outside in the storm, surviving hypothermia and crazed killers. They needed more time to fall in love.
ICE needed an epilogue at least. I wanted time for normal relating and romancing once Gabe and Lolly got away from the psychos and out of the frozen cold.
Brrrr!! I felt frozen just reading it. Honestly.
But seriously...narrator Fred Sanders added a lot to the story.
April 11, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Synopsis of this book sounds interesting.
Sadly it didn't have the depth that Linda Howard usually has in her novels.
The romance and passion were non-existent. Thriller part lukewarm!
I was also annoyed how the story jumps back and forth between character perspectives to repeat timelines. As a result, the flow of the story became jerky and redundant. LH is usually very good with multiple perspectives and it can be very interesting tool if something new is being brought to the story. However, in this one the action was predictable the first time around and no new light was shed with the re-telling. Quite frankly it felt like author could not come up with new ideas, directions, nor did she bother to flesh out this story and instead she used fillers to get to the end.
They should have named it "Thin Ice" instead!
Synopsis of this book sounds interesting.
Sadly it didn't have the depth that Linda Howard usually has in her novels.
The romance and passion were non-existent. Thriller part lukewarm!
I was also annoyed how the story jumps back and forth between character perspectives to repeat timelines. As a result, the flow of the story became jerky and redundant. LH is usually very good with multiple perspectives and it can be very interesting tool if something new is being brought to the story. However, in this one the action was predictable the first time around and no new light was shed with the re-telling. Quite frankly it felt like author could not come up with new ideas, directions, nor did she bother to flesh out this story and instead she used fillers to get to the end.
They should have named it "Thin Ice" instead!
November 1, 2015
I just discovered that my library has lots of recently released Linda Howard books and that got me started on a Linda Howard kick. I really enjoy her romantic suspense books - she always writes a great blend of both with very sexy love scenes.
Ice is a Holiday romantic suspense novella where the hero rescues the heroine from a home invasion. I enjoyed it well enough, even though two things annoyed me: the villains who kept coming back even in impossible circumstances and the many times the word 'ice' was mentioned in the book (must have been at least a hundred.)
The ending was HFN (happy for now) which made sense as this was a novella and the action is set pretty much within two days.
Fred Sanders did a good job with the narration. I would listen to another book by him.
Ice is a Holiday romantic suspense novella where the hero rescues the heroine from a home invasion. I enjoyed it well enough, even though two things annoyed me: the villains who kept coming back even in impossible circumstances and the many times the word 'ice' was mentioned in the book (must have been at least a hundred.)
The ending was HFN (happy for now) which made sense as this was a novella and the action is set pretty much within two days.
Fred Sanders did a good job with the narration. I would listen to another book by him.
August 23, 2016
I like the length of this story for Linda Howard. It was just enough and not too much. Don't get me wrong, her full-length novels are great and all. But the level of intensity in this book would be difficult to maintain in a full-length story. And Linda Howard does intense very well.
April 3, 2017
As some of the other reviewers have mentioned, this was a novella rather than a full book. And if you’ve read PREY then you can probably go ahead and skip ICE because they’re really similar (although ICE was published first). The funny thing is, though, I actually liked ICE better than PREY specifically because it’s shorter. The same issues I had with PREY are present in ICE but they were much less annoying in this super-short book.
To what issues am I referring? The excruciatingly detailed second-by-second description of the hero and heroine struggling against the elements….followed by them suddenly behaving as if they’ve got all the energy in the world. It just doesn’t jive. Waaaaaaaaay too much time was spent describing how exhausted the hapless couple were as they struggled through the ice and wind to get to safety, and then after a 2-minute cat nap and a shower they’re both back to 100%? Say what now?
To what issues am I referring? The excruciatingly detailed second-by-second description of the hero and heroine struggling against the elements….followed by them suddenly behaving as if they’ve got all the energy in the world. It just doesn’t jive. Waaaaaaaaay too much time was spent describing how exhausted the hapless couple were as they struggled through the ice and wind to get to safety, and then after a 2-minute cat nap and a shower they’re both back to 100%? Say what now?
March 13, 2018
With most of Linda Howard books dealing with instant lust, I liked the fact that the protagonists knew each other well enough and there is a little bit of crush involved from the heroine's end. I loved the premise of the story and the ending was good too but the total absence of any other character, except for the meth addicts gives an isolated feel to the story. Given the fact that this is a rescue mission book, that is to be expected but I came away feeling that something was missing in this story.
February 1, 2023
3.5 ⭐
I this short story.
It was pleasant as a quick winter read. I still enjoy the author's style, but the too fast to fall in love element is only ok because of the book's length. The passion aftermath seems on point. There is a post-story missing.
I this short story.
It was pleasant as a quick winter read. I still enjoy the author's style, but the too fast to fall in love element is only ok because of the book's length. The passion aftermath seems on point. There is a post-story missing.
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