TRAPPED IN ICE (Ice Breaker: Cold Case 5) by Cynthia Eden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 20, 2023

She never expected her hero to be the bad boy from her past…

They hate each other .

Or at least, Smith Sanders always believed Madelyn Lake hated him. But when the city plunges into darkness and he finds himself trapped in an elevator with the prim and ever-so-reserved Madelyn, he realizes that hate and desire can be twined dangerously close together. The simmering tension that has existed between them since they were sixteen years old explodes in a sensual frenzy that sweeps past their control.

It won’t ever happen again.

Power returns. So does sanity. They go their separate ways except…he can’t get her out of his head. Madelyn is haunting him, and Smith already has more than enough ghosts dodging his steps. But he goes back to her, helpless against a desire that won’t end, just in time to save her from a vicious attack.

He never knew her at all.

Madelyn’s whole life has been a lie. A carefully orchestrated cover to protect her from the monster in her past. Only now that monster has found her once more. Protection from the past comes in a most unlikely form—the ever so sarcastic and far too sexy Smith. Former Special Ops, Smith is vicious, deadly, and, quite possibly, the answer to her prayers.

Needing him is dangerous. Falling for him? That’s so much worse.

Madelyn is ready to stop the killer who has taken so much from her, but she can’t do it alone. She needs Smith’s help—Smith and the Ice Breakers, a diverse group of hunters who excel at solving cold cases. Madelyn has spent years pretending to be someone else, and Smith is her key to finally ending her nightmare. But ending that nightmare means returning to her blood-soaked past, fighting an enemy who thrives in the dark, and putting all of her faith in Smith’s callused hands. Her faith, and her heart.

Because with every moment that passes, she finds herself starting to fall deeper and deeper for her unlikely hero…The bad boy from her youth is now the vicious protector who swears he will do anything to keep her safe.

A cold case is about to get brought back to red-hot life as Madelyn and Smith team up to stop a killer. TRAPPED IN ICE is a steamy romance with twists, danger, and a hero who enjoys laughing in the face of danger. Smith is sarcastic, fierce, and totally about to fall for the good girl from his past. Years ago, Madelyn was always out of his reach—even as she starred in his fantasies—but this isn’t a fantasy any longer. She’s his now, and he will do whatever it takes to protect her. Buckle up and get ready for the ice to melt…

•••••••

REVIEW: TRAPPED IN ICE is the fifth instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult ICE BREAKER COLD CASE romantic suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Ice Breakers, an online team of crime solvers whose goal is to solve cold cases. This is security specialist Smith Sanders, and art authenticator Madelyn Lake’s story line. TRAPPED IN ICE can be read as stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: For fans of Cynthia Eden, there is a slight cross over with the author’s Wilde Ways series.

Told from third person perspective TRAPPED IN ICE follows the search for a suspected killer. Years earlier, at the age of thirteen Madelyn Lake aka Maggie was abducted by a stranger but upon her escape would discover she was not the only victim of a possible serial killer, a killer who was never found, and the murders never solved. Fast forward to present day, the demons from her past begin refocusing on our story line heroine, demons with a possible connection to the who, how and why. Enter security specialist Smith Sanders, a childhood acquaintance of Madelyn Lake, and the man with whom Madelyn will fall in love. What ensues is the protection of Madelyn; the rebuilding friendship and building relationship between Madelyn and Smith, and the potential fall-out as a killer sets their sights on our story line heroine.

Smith Sanders fell in love with Madelyn Lake at the age of sixteen but within days of introduction Smith would disappear never to be heard from again. Since her abduction Madelyn had been ‘warned’ not to draw attention to herself, and in doing so, kept her life separate from everyone else but as an adult Madelyn was always distrustful of people she didn’t know, but it may be the people closest that can cause the most harm.

The relationship between Madelyn and Smith is a second chance, of a sorts. Smith never had time to get to know our story line heroine, as his own life was spiralling out of control. Now a chance to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love give Smith the opportunity to claim the young woman who had stolen his heart. Madelyn Lake also suspected that one day her past would return but she never expected to get up close and personal with the young man who was hoping for a second chance. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Aiden and Tony (Touched by Ice), Memphis Camden (Falling for the Ice Queen 2) , as well as the introduction of several people connected to our heroine’s past.

TRAPPED IN ICE is a story of betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, murder and mayhem, mistrust and acceptance. The premise is intriguing, twisted and dramatic, ; the characters are animated, broken and desperate; the romance is seductive and energetic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Frozen in Ice
Falling for the Ice Queen
Ice Cold Saint
Touched by Ice

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy