Gabriel McQueen was home for a weekend on leave from the military and his father is the Sheriff of a small town in Maine but the minute Gabriele arrives there is trouble. Gabriel is anxious to get to his mother's home to see his young son, Sam, but the Sheriff needs him for an important job first. Young Sam lives with Gabriel's mother after becoming a widower the year before when his wife Marianne died. It's been tough on both of them.

Sheriff McQueen wants Gabriel to drive up the mountain to the old Helton place to check on Lolly Helton who is here for the weekend herself to get her deceased father's home ready for sale. However, they believe she is unaware that a huge ice storm is coming and coming fast and there would be no way down off the mountain if someone didn't get to her right away.

With trepidation, Gabriele agrees to go but first stops at his Mother's house to see his son, collect some warm clothing and boots and a thermos of hot coffee and soup. Quickly saying good-bye to his son, and promising him he'll back in a couple of hours, Gabriele sets off on the rescue.

However, the weather isn't playing nice and the ice storm is advancing much quicker than everyone had thought and Gabriel's big Ford F250 truck is having great difficulty manoeuvring the steep, icy mountain road. He drives as far as he possibly can then decided he'll have to walk the rest of the way.

Through much slipping and sliding, enduring sharp, stinging ice pellets in the face, Gabriele reaches Lolly's house but sees two people with guns through her living room window and quickly realizes that Lolly is in terrible danger. With his military training, Gabriele kicks into high gear and helps Lolly escape but her captors discover she's gone and go after them.

It doesn't take the bad guys long to catch up when suddenly bullets are whizzing by Gabriel's and Lolly's heads. Can they make it out and back down the mountain alive? And do Gabriel and Lolly get more than they bargained for in the end?

Excellent read for a snowy afternoon!!

I used to enjoy reading LH when she started writing outside the Harlequin family. This novel was so slow it was like she reverted back to writing for Silhouette Romance. If that's more your genre, then you may like this book. If you want something with more substance and grittier, then take a pass on this one. I do hope her next independent novel is much better!

ICE by Linda Howard

My Thoughts:
Wow. I couldn't even sleep before finishing this book, and it's 3 hours before my alarm clock is set to go off, haha. Well, I have a new favorite book! :) There is nothing I didn't like about this novel; a wonderful mix of thrilling suspense and survival with a touch of romance, perfect! The characters were amazing (not to mention I'd love to come across Gabriel McQueen in a dark alley, or anywhere for that matter, haha). They were all perfectly written, as was the entire story. With each new scene it got better and better. The writing style was wonderful, everything was detailed with perfection and I was never left thinking that the plot had taken a wrong turn. As a side note, I think this story would make an amazing movie, I know I'd sure love to see it. :) Now, I am not one to reread a book (I think why bother when I can pick up something new), but I will be picking this book up again, and it's safe to say it will be more than once. An incredible read in all aspects from beginning to end. My new favorite novel: ICE by Linda Howard.

Favorite Quotes:
"She had grown up on this mountain, knew it like the back of her hand, most of the time, but the darkness, the cold, the unrelenting series of shocks, had all left her disoriented and she had no real idea where they were." (Page 76)
"She fired again, her aim following the sound they made as they ran. This was like hunting, she thought in pleased excitement as she followed them into the woods." (Page 94)
"Nothing mattered beyond this moment, beyond the sudden reckless fever that flared to life between them." (Page 141)
"She could feel oblivion, welcome, certain." (Page 175)
"If he hadn't been wearing his own heavy coat, she'd at least have been able to admire his personal scenery." (Page 180)
"And Gabriel realized that at some point in the last twenty-four hours, his world had shifted." (Page 194)

Overall Opinion: A+ (If there's anything better than an A+, then consider that my overall opinion.)

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If you are a fan of Linda Howard's older offerings - Son of the Morning (just re-released), Mr. Perfect, Dream Man,Shades of Twilight, the Mackenzies, Dying to Please, etc, you will wonder who actually wrote this novel. It's short in length, short on story, and left me very disappointed. If this is your first Linda Howard, it may be your last! Pick up one of her older releases instead!