Ice Storm

Ice Storm Anne Stuart Grade: A- Sensuality: Hot I can probably count on one hand the number of times a fourth book in a series has lived up to my expectations...this one does.

I've often written about Anne Stuart's heroes, and how I think she must have created the hero on the edge. I think that with the creation of "Serafin" (aka Killian) in Ice Storm, she's put a hero farther over the edge than ever before. Perhaps it's because she balanced things out by giving him Madame Isobel Lambert with which to contend that I was able to not only accept him, but to be thrilled with what may just be the best Anne Stuart ending ever...all in the space of little over a page.

Isobel Lambert has been nothing more than a cold cypher throughout the previous three books in the Ice series. But in this book, we learn, through a series of flashbacks - one of which is an explosive prologue in which she shoots a man (Killian) - who she was, and how she became who she is today. As for how old the ageless Madame Lambert turned out to be, it's a credit to Stuart's writing prowess that had she not been the heroine of this book, I'd have been way, way off.

Nothing is as it seems in this book, although a couple of minute clues about Killian's history as a ruthless assassin stuck in my mind throughout the book, so that when the revelation of his character is revealed, the "aha!" moment made great sense and was immensely gratifying to me as a reader.

The quicksand nature of the narrative well fits the initial Middle Eastern setting, where Isobel has been sent to rescue Killian after he made a deal with higher-ups on "The Committee". Things immediately go awry, and the two must make their escape with a street rat who plans to take the ultimate revenge on Killian at some point in the future. As attempt after attempt after attempt is made on their lives while they traverse the Continent on their way to England, exactly who the target is becomes questionable...is it Killian, or perhaps Isobel?

Throughout the action, Isobel and Killian taunt each other - she to try and regain the upper hand he threatens to wrest from her and he in order to force her to face up to feelings she's hidden for far too long. It's not stated specifically, but unlike the other heroes in this series, Killian comes across as occasionally mentally owning up to a long-term goal where Isobel is concerned, and as bad as he seems, I rooted for him nonetheless.

The sex in this book is nothing other than explosive, appearances by characters from earlier books in this series are never extraneous, and, as always, the writing is taut and spare. I believe Reno's story is next...I can't wait.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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