‘Ice’ by Linda Howard

 Published by Piatkus,
19 November 2009.
ISBN: 978-0-349-40012-9

 Gabriel McQueen arrives home to Wilson Creek, Maine, for the Christmas holidays.  Thrilled to see his seven- year-old son Sam, who lives with his parents, he barely has time to say hi before his father Sheriff Harlan McQueen send him out to pick up Lolly Helton, and bring her into town ahead of the impending ice storm. Gabriel and Lolly have history - well only school stuff, but they sure didn’t get on as kids.  He wonders if she will have changed much in fifteen years, or if she will still have the malicious tongue she always had. Probably the latter, he muses gloomily. But he reckons an hour tops to get out to her place and bring her into town.  Then he can spend time with Sam.

But nothing goes to plan, and he finds himself trapped by the storm, and some unsavoury characters.

This is a survival story with unbelievable suspense. I read it in one sitting, captivated by the atmospheric surrounding, and how they would fare.  But overall, it is a romance. Oh! and I was not only captivated by the atmosphere but also with Gabriel McQueen.
Recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

Linda S. Howington born in 1950 is an American best-selling romance/suspense author under her pseudonym Linda Howard. Before she became a writer, she was an avid reader and fond of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. She currently lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington