BURN / ICE (Alaska Heat ) by Stephanie Rowe-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 21, 2020

Five years ago, Charlotte Murphy’s brother tracked down her family through a DNA ancestry test. Charlotte was the only one he left alive. And now he’s back to finish the deadly game he started.

When reclusive Mack Connor is summoned to Alaska by his best friend, he’s not prepared to play bodyguard to a spunky, sexy bartender fighting to reclaim her life from the stalker who killed her family. But when Mack falls hard for the sassy Alaskan, the stakes suddenly become much higher than he can afford.

Charlotte’s scared. She’s in danger. She’s afraid to trust. Until Mack walks into her life, with shadows in his eyes, a gun at his hip, and a heart he keeps under lockdown.

When the serial arsonist heats up his game, can Charlotte and Mack find a way to survive, or will her death be the final victory for the brother no one would ever want?

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REVIEW: BURN is the fourth instalment in Stephanie Rowe’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HEAT romantic, suspense series set in the wilderness of Alaska. This is cyber security specialist Mack Connor, and waitress Charlotte Murphy’s story line. BURN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Mack and Charlotte’s story begins in book three GHOST. Mack is Ben Forsett’s childhood best friend, and Charlotte is Mari Walsh’s co-worker at the local bar.

NOTE: For fans of the series, there is a six year gap for the author in writing the series, and a continuity error as it pertains to Charlotte’s family.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Mack and Charlotte) BURN follows in the aftermath of Charlotte and Mari’s abduction by Charlotte’s former boyfriend Joseph. Struggling to move on with her life, Mari is determined to pack up and leave Alaska until Ben Forsett introduces Charlotte to the man with whom she will fall in love. Enter security specialist Mack Connor. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Mack and Charlotte, and the potential fall out as Charlotte’s past has returned in an effort to take down Charlotte and everyone connected to our heroine’s past.

Charlotte Murphy lost everything five years earlier when her step-brother Dexter took the lives of her mother and father. Swearing to return to finish the job and kill the ‘sister’ he never knew, Charlotte has been hyper aware and in seclusion fearing Dexter will make good on the promise. Mack Connor’s last mission went all to h*ll, and in the ensuing months Mack has come to believe he is unworthy of love, relationships, friendships or help. Meeting Charlotte gave Mack a hope for the future but Charlotte’s issues of trust, may be something Mack is unable to overcome.

The relationship between Mack and Charlotte is one of immediate attraction but Charlotte’s confidence is shattered, and she waffles between trusting our hero and the uncertainty of his ability to protect her life. Both Mack and Charlotte are a little bit broken and struggle with their demons both day and night. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters many who have been introduced in the previous instalments: Cort and Kaylie (Ice #1), Luke and Isabella (Chill #2), Ben and Mari (Ghost #3) ; local Haas Carter; bar manager David Hampton; and Trooper Trey Hooper.

BURN is a story of betrayal and vengeance; trust and uncertainty; relationships, friendships and love. The premise is intriguing and dramatic; the romance is captivating, tender and emotional; the characters are energetic and impassioned. BURN is an engaging and intense story of jealousy, retribution, hatred and hostility.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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ICE
(Alaska Heat #1)
by Stephanie Rowe
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 30, 2009

Most people find beauty in Alaska’s austere mountains. To Kaylie Fletcher, there is only death – her whole family gone after a disatrous climbing expedition. Then again, maybe not. A raspy call in the middle of the night leads Kaylie to believe her mother might still be alive. For now…

A strange message in a bar. A bloody knife. A fiery explosion. There’s a killer inching closer, but Kaylie has nowhere to run. Except straight into the arms of Cort McClaine. The rugged bush pilot is too much of an adrenaline junkie to be considered safe, but Kaylie can’t resist the heat of his touch amid the bitter cold.

Caught in a high-stakes race against a murderous madman, Kaylie and Cort know that with one wrong step they’ll be…iced.’

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REVIEW: ICE is the first instalment in Stephanie Rowe’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HEAT romantic suspense series set in the wilderness of Alaska. This is pilot Cort McClaine, and Kaylie Fletcher’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the graphic nature of the story line premise, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers

Told from several third person perspectives including Cort and Kaylie ICE focuses on Kaylie Fletcher’s search for her family. Mountain climbing was her parents’ passion but a phone call telling Kaylie her mother survived a fatal climbing expedition on Mount McKinley forced our heroine to venture into the wilds of Alaska, something she promised herself she would never do. Hoping to stay with her friend Sara and her husband Jackson, Kaylie found herself facing pilot Cort McClaine, a man who stirred something within our story line heroine but all was not well when Cort and Kaylie arrived, and in the ensuing melee our couple will discover that death was awaiting them upon their return. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship between Cort and Kaylie, and the potential fall out as Kaylie becomes the target of an obsessed stalker, someone who knows too much about Kaylie, and the family she lost.

The relationship between Kaylie and Cort is one of immediate attraction but Kaylie is a city girl and wants nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the Alaska wilderness. Cort’s life is in the air, and the surrounding greenery of the state of Alaska but falling in love with Kaylie brought too many memories of another woman from his past, another woman who wanted nothing to do with Cort’s lifestyle or the land upon which he lived. The back and forth, up and down, constant push and pull between our leading couple is filled with anxiety, stress, sexual tension and the arrogance of two people who refuse to accept the other for who they are, and what they represent. Saying that, Cort and Kaylie had nothing in common but the sexual tension that ran tight and strong-at every opportunity Kaylie was pushing Cort away, and Cort’s demons from the past continue to push him over the edge. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Kaylie’s brother Mason; Cort’s friend Luke Webber; Charity Simms; Old Tom; Troopers Bill Man, and Richie Parker.

ICE is a story of family, friendships, obsession and betrayal. The action packed premise is dramatic and intense; the romance struggles in the face of preconceived notions; the characters are animated, compelling but vulnerable. This one was a bit of a struggle -perhaps a little less friction between our leading couple would have made for a more believable happily ever after.

Copy supplied for review