Fire and Ice

The book is ok. The story is engaging; but there's something flat about it. I think Garwood's strong point is creating characters that can play parts in other novels in the series.

Sophie Rose is a determined woman. She has broken all financial ties with her infamous father and has struck out on her own as a newspaper reporter. She has the complete support of her two best friends and her new boss. Now if the FBI would just stop trying to bug her and realize that she is not the direct pipeline to her infamous father the notorious big-time modern day Robin Hood. Her job at the small town newspaper, puts her in contact with a man that may give her some valuable information, but, it seems he has disappeared.

These books are not deep, compelling novels or even great literature. They are fun, enjoyable reads with her typical humorous writing style. I enjoy the fact that most of them have all been about one family group show more and their friends. Ireally like books that bring back characters from other books as supporting charcters. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romantic suspense with a touch of humor. show less

Julie Garwood's newest contemporary "Fire and Ice" is a fast-moving, exhilarating read with an unlikely lead couple and a twisting mystery. The heroine was introduced in "Murder List", but now Sophie gets her own story, and her own FBI hero!

Sophie has left her big journalist job to work at a smaller paper outside Chicago. At least this editor agrees not to pump Sophie for information about her father! But when her father is implicated (again) in a possible crime, Sophie prepares herself for another round of questioning from various government agencies, not to mention threats from his enemies. Then one of Sophie's local intereste interviewee's turns up dead...in Alaska...eaten by a polar bear! Surely a trip to the frozen north will give show more Sophie a break, and it couldn't hurt for her to have a little distance from totally unsuitable Jack MacAlister.

Jack would have to be dead from the neck down not to notice how attractive Sophie is. But Bobby Rose's daughter? How inappropriate is that? Too bad that it seems Jack's libido isn't listening. And when Sophie is injured, Jack quickly realizes that she could use a little muscle on her trip to the frozen wastes of Alaska. And good thing Jack's handy with a gun when it appears Sophie's trip didn't deter someone who wants her dead!

Several different stories come together and require the reader to track carefully if they want to figure out who's trying to kill Sophie, and why. The banter and sizzling attraction between Sophie and Jack add just the right amount of humor and heat to Garwood's latest romantic suspense. Another hit for me and one I couldn't put down till the end. show less

Really loved this one. Julie always manages to create characters who grab me and won't let go. However, she also excels at surrounding these characters with interesting stories as well. I enjoyed learning more about Sophie and I know I enjoyed getting to know Jack because my one nitpick with the book was that there were two points that hinted at something more Jack was hiding that never mentioned again once the two characters were more comfortable with each other. I couldn't tell if I was just reading more into those moments or if it was something that just got dropped. Either way, that was the only part of the book that bothered me. Overall, it was yet another favorite by Julia.

This is the 2nd book in a series. This seems to be a popular writing method these days for romance/mysteries. It keeps from having to invent so many characters, I guess. As in most of these books, the main character is a childhood friend of the heroine of book one and also the soon to follow book three. She gets involved & falls in love with the best friend of husband #1. All these series are getting a bit tiring. It is not necessary to have read book #1 first, at least. The story is somewhat interesting in the scenes in Alaska and on the testing of some sort of naturally produced enzyme in the wolves being studied there. This is a beach book. Nothing heavy, but the characters are fun.

2.5* for the book itself with an extra half star for the audiobook narration

I read the first 6 books in this series years ago and my tastes have changed a bit. What I mean by that is that I don't think that this book is worse than the earlier books but that I enjoyed it less because I no longer really like reading about sex scenes. I guess that I have turned into a prude but now I would rather have the details of these intimate encounters to be left to my imagination.

I also felt that there were some glaring clues that Sophie, despite her journalist experience and training, didn't notice. One of these was brought to light (the fact that one of her phone callers had given a fake identity) but one was never addressed (why was William show more Harrington still dressed in the running clothes he was wearing the last time Sophie saw him at the time of his death? He must have been or Sophie's card wouldn't have still been tucked into his sock!) show less

Sophie Rose, a reporter for a marginal Chicago newspaper, is a person of interest to enough government agencies to make great alphabet soup, and for nothing she's done. Her father, a modern day Robin Hood, makes a habit of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor - and of staying one step ahead of the police. So Sophie's used to taps on her phone and semi-polite invitations downtown to answer a few questions.

But when one of her more boring interviewees turn up (or mostly) in Alaska with one of her business cards tucked into his signature red running socks, she's in a whole lot more trouble than her father ever got her into.

Enter Jack MacAlister - an unintentional YouTube star, the semi-disgraced FBI agent just may be Sophie's only show more hope.

I wanted to enjoy this book, I really did. But the writing didn't have Garwood's usual flow. The plot was needlessly complicated, the humor seemed forced and mechanical, and the quirky characters weren't. Not a keeper. show less