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
Ice Queen
by
Joey W. Hill
erotica in eBook edition that was published by Taboo on March 22, 2006 and has 319 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Unlaced, Unrestrained, Holding the Cards
Third in the Nature of Desire erotica series and revolving around Dominants and submissives. The couple focus is on Mistress Marguerite and Tyler Winterman. Be warned, this is really heavy stuff.
My Take
I gotta say, the whole pain thing makes me clench up and wonder. I know that each of us has our own needs and kinks. And I’m really grateful that whole pain thing is NOT mine!
I do love the sound of Marguerite’s tea shop with its rituals and choices. And it’s only in a book that such a shop can be so successful! That said, I did enjoy the trip through the different ways of serving tea, the pointers about the proper teapot, and how such a variety of possibilities can affect the flavor of the tea. And the comparisons Tyler makes between Mistress Marguerite at the Zone and her passion for tea.
Chloe and Gen cracked me up with their comparing Tyler to a tiger. Little do they know…!
Marguerite is so black and white, and yet she takes those tiny steps forward, trying, wanting…and yet unable to cross that line without force. She keeps threatening Tyler with her walking away. And Hall doesn’t convince me as to why Marguerite finally chooses to comply. It’s a minute whine on my part. In her Domme role, Hall describes Marguerite’s actions beautifully. And does a great job of making us see the cracks in Marguerite.
For such an intelligent woman, I am surprised that she doesn’t understand the purpose of the mentoring requirement. I have to believe it’s that trauma about which she doesn’t want to talk. That felt like a loose thread, what with how much of an affect it has on Marguerite, and yet Hall doesn’t give us any clues. It seems that we’ll finally find out (maybe) about her past in Mirror of My Soul, 4.
Ooh, I do like the sound of the new rooms Tyler and company are planning. What can I say? I love gadgets.
The pain aside, Tyler really is good at what he does, and he does it with compassion and thoughtfulness. A very interesting contrast with Miss M. Then there’s the scene at the Tea Room in which Marguerite “counsels” Debra. Parents could learn something from this!
“…he died six months later, driving into a tree. I leave flowers there all the time. To thank the tree…”
The Story
It’s an overlooked club requirement, that a Dom(me) understand the other side of the relationship. The submissive’s perspective. It will mean giving up control. Miss Marguerite never gives up control.
The Characters
Mistress Marguerite, a.k.a., Marguerite Perruquet, is a Domme known as the “Ice Queen” at the Zone. Nothing and no one can affect her. She’s very different in the shop she owns, the Tea Room, where art, culture, and spiritualism are as important as the flavor of the teas.
Tea Leaves is…
…also known as the Tea Room, and the shop serves tea beautifully. Chloe Marcel is the hostess for the shop. Genevieve Wisner is waitstaff. Mr. Reynolds is a vendor who likes to combine teas with different flower and fruit flavorings. Mrs. Allen is one of the older Southern women who frequent her shop. Natalie Moorfield is turning seven, and Marguerite is planning a birthday tea. Tina is Natalie’s mother; the two of them owe a lot to Marguerite. Ria, Sylvia, and Mary are some of the eleven girls coming for the tea party. Debra is a last-minute chaperon.
Ex-CIA agent Tyler Winterman is a Southern gentleman and one of the premier Doms at The Zone where he owns thirty percent of the club. He’s also involved in writing movie scripts for erotic films with a college friend, Michael Atlas. At his home, Sarah is his cook and is married to Robert who does maintenance, repairs, and gardens organically. Tyler’s wife had been a premier ballerina, yet fragile in her emotions. Miss Leila had been a cheerful sub for him.
Violet Siemanski Nighthorse (Natural Law, 2) is a Domme and one of Tyler’s friends. She’s married to Mac Nighthorse, a cop.
The Zone is…
…a classy BDSM club to which Marguerite belongs. Brendan is a submissive who had been with the Ice Queen before; Tim is Brendan’s live-in lover and also a submissive, a mean one. Stacey is a staff member and a submissive given a treat; Mark, Tony, and Eli are more staff. Master Tiberius loves to hand out pain. Jeremy appears to be a club medic. Lisbeth is another Domme. Ryan and Dan are regular bouncers at the club. Mr. Stevens is part of management. I think Perry is another owner.
The Helen Center…
…provides outreach programs to teach people to get involved.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a black background and a pale woman with white-blonde, cropped hair. She’s wearing a collar of diamonds and a complicated array of black leathers, laces, and meshes with a sleeved shrug, an underbust corset and a cleavage-enhancing bra.
The title is all about Mistress Marguerite, the Ice Queen who freezes them all out.
