Cold as Ice: A Romantic Thriller

4.25 stars--COLD AS ICE is the fifth instalment in Toni Anderson’s contemporary, adult COLD JUSTICE: THE NEGOTIATORS erotic, romantic suspense series. This is thirty-four year old, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Eban Winters, and twenty-six year old PhD student Darby O’Roarke’s story line. COLD AS ICE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Darby and Eban’s story begins in book two Colder Than Sin. Told from dual third person perspectives (Darby and Eban) and first person (killer) COLD AS ICE follows in the wake of the murder Darby’s PhD mentor Martin Carstairs, a murder of which our heroine has been unjustly accused. Desperate for help, Darby ‘accidentally’ contacts FBI Supervisory Special Agent Eban Winters, the man who helped Darby months before following her kidnapping and torture in Nabat Island in the Flores Sea, Indonesia but a second victim all but releases Darby as the prime suspect, a release many refuse to acknowledge or accept. With the arrival of Eban Winters, Darby finds herself under the protection of the man with whom she will fall in love but a man who refused her advances months before. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Eban and Darby, as the Eban, and the local Fairbanks, Alaska police department hunt for a killer. Eban Winter’s attraction to Darby has never waned in the months since her rescue from Nabat Island, Indonesia but Eban refused to act on his attraction knowing Darby had suffered enough at the hands of her kidnappers and abusers. Desperate to prove Darby is innocent of the crime of murder, Eban sees red when the local PD begin to circle like vultures on our story line heroine. Darby O’Rourke doesn’t remember much about the night in question only that she woke to a dead body in someone else’s house but when the killer begins targeting a number of people in our heroine’s life, Eban knows that the killings are personal and directed at the woman he loves. The relationship between Eban and Darby is one of immediate attraction but months will pass before Eban allows himself any kind of personal interaction in the face of the horrific atrocities Darby suffered at the hands of someone else. With very few people behind Darby as a means of help or support, Eban finds himself Darby’s first line of defense when it comes to proving herself innocent of the crimes. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including several victims of a serial killer who is getting desperate. We are introduced to several fellow PhD students at University of Alaska Fairbanks, as well as local therapist Kim Gleeson, his receptionist Corinne Brown, police detective Signy Torgeson, attorney Elliot Byrne, as well as FBI Negotiator Quentin Savage, and business woman Haley Cramer (Colder Than Sin 2). There may be something developing between Elliot Byrne and Signy Torgeson. COLD AS ICE is a story of obsession, vengeance, and murder; secrets and lies; relationships and love. The premise is intriguing and haunting; the romance is seductive and steamy; the characters are dynamic, charismatic and resilient.

Cold as Ice review: **I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review** There is a reason I keep coming back to Toni Anderson novels. She’s one of the best romantic suspense authors in the business. I also love that her books are part of a series but can also be read as standalone books. There are references to the previous books but they’re all written in a way so there’s no confusion if you don’t read them all. But honestly, why wouldn’t you read them all? This is Eban and Darby’s story. We met both of them in a previous book and I didn’t’ realize how long I’d been waiting on their story until it was right in front of me to read. Previously Darby was kidnapped while on an island in Indonesia where terrible things happened to her. Eban was part of her rescue. They were both attracted to each other but between the age difference, the fact that Darby was a person involved in the case Eban had been working when he helped rescue her, and the long distance between where they lived, Eban put the brakes on any potential relationship with her and chose to remain friends. Until… Darby wakes up in a friend’s apartment and discovers he’s been murdered. She calls Eban for help and he tells her to call the police and remain silent until he gets there or an attorney is present. Darby is immediately the prime suspect and the police think this case is closed. Eban arrives and rather than see Darby, he asks the detective working the case to take him to the crime scene. When he starts asking questions about what’s been tested, looked at etc, it doesn’t take long before they realize that Darby is being framed. Not that Eban had any doubts about Darby’s innocence. When another person is murdered and her therapist’s office is broken into, the police realize they have a potential serial killer in their mist. I must admit that I was a bit surprised at who the killer turned out to be – though not in a negative way. As an avid reader of this genre, I can usually narrow it down to one or two people. I didn’t have this person in my thoughts. And the way Toni Anderson masterfully writes a suspense novel without any inconsistencies is incredible. I can’t tell you how often I’ll read a book and the author will contradict themselves throughout the book. Her books always keeps me guessing. You can tell a lot of research goes into her books. With regards to the romance aspect of Cold as Ice, well what can I say? Due to Darby’s traumatic past, Eban wants to take things slow so he doesn’t trigger any negative reactions. The way it’s written is beautiful as to how tender Eban is and how determined Darby is. And of course it’s hot as hell. Toni Anderson also always writes strong women. Darby no longer sees herself as a victim and has gone after the things she wants – including Eban. And some may balk at how the men come to rescue the women in her books, the women are always in the process of saving themselves. They just need a little assistance from the men they love. It wouldn’t be a romantic suspense book if the men weren’t willing to die for the women they love. I don’t know which couple is next for this series. We were teased to another couple in this book but we’ll see who she chooses to write for next. Whoever it is, I know I’ll be ready and willing to devour the book just like I devoured all of her other books.

Coming to Alaska after last summer, trying to get her life back. Her life centering on grants and scholarship to get thru school. A party at Martin’s house for grad students,glad she stayed overnight till she found a murder had happened. A frantic call to FBI agent Eban a negotiator, once again he is there to help her. A gripping tale of Darby’s life once again is being ripped from her, is she a target of the killer. Note subject matter may not be for everyone. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion