I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Cold as Ice
by
Anne Stuart
romantic suspense in a paperback edition that was published by MIRA Books on October 24, 2006 and has 360 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Reckless, Breathless, Black Ice, Ice Blue, Shameless, Ice Storm, Ruthless, Fire and Ice
Second in the Ice romance-suspense series revolving around operatives working for the Committee, a super top-secret agency beholden to no one and intent on protecting the world.
In 2007, Cold as Ice won the All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll for Best Romantic Suspense.
My Take
Intriguing, couldn’t-put-it-down story, although I still had a difficult time understanding why Peter fell in love with Genevieve other than it was in the storyline. Stuart is just not writing it so I feel it. Nor is Peter as cold as Bastien was in Black Ice. And I can already see the difference in the Committee’s operatives…they’re just so much nicer than when Thomason was running things!
Stuart did create a nice bit of tension and an interesting bit of depth without using a great amount of detail. The initial sex scene between Peter and Genny was interesting in demonstrating how Peter used sex as a weapon. He certainly did employ the psychological aspects well.
The Story
Peter Jensen is tasked with taking out Harry Van Dorn, a charming and charitable billionaire…on the surface. Van Dorn has plans to disrupt the world through his Rule of Seven, and the Committee is charged with ensuring his plans fail.
Unfortunately for Genevieve Spenser, her little stop for Harry to approve the sale of his oil wells has just signed her death warrant.
The Characters
Peter Madsen, a.k.a., Peter Jensen, a.k.a., the Iceman, is one of the best closers in the agency, probably the world. His best weapons are lying, killing, and sex. And he’s fallen for practically virginal…
…Genevieve Spenser, a lawyer who has been sent to Harry to get him to sign some papers before taking off on her six-week vacation in Costa Rica.
Isobel Lambert is the current head of the Committee after taking over from Harry Thomason in Black Ice. A much better choice as she has more heart.
Harry Van Dorn is a vicious psychopath with a penchant for children under 11. The surface is kind, gorgeous, and charming. Beneath that surface…well, he doesn’t need to buy anyone off, he simply tortures them to death.
The Cover and Title
The cover is gorgeous with a hint of menace in the stormy sky with its fringe of icicles framing the huge yacht as it approaches Harry’s private island.
The title refers to a man who is as Cold as Ice, Peter; I do like the use of an icicle for the I in the “Ice”.
