REVIEW - Hot Ice by Nora Roberts

Title: Hot Ice

Author: Nora Roberts

No. of Pages: 384 pages

First Published: July 1987

Synopsis (Courtesy of B&N): "Whitney Macallister: reckless and beautiful, she posses all the wealth and beauty every yeoman dreams of. Douglas Lord: His good looks and street smarts have made him a success at his chosen profession-larceny. She has the cash and the connections. He has the stolen documents leading to a fabulous hidden fortune. It is a business proposition, pure and simple. But the race to finds the treasure, from Manhattan to Madagascar, is only part of the game. For their fierce and dangerous attraction to each other soon threatens to overwhelm them--unless their merciless and shadowy rivals kill them first."

Comments and Critiques: I went from Brazen Virtue to this one in a matter of a day. Hot Ice is definitely better in that the plot is less predictable, and the suspense is amazing. Her ability to channel the male mind and dialogue pattern leaves me chuckling, as Doug Lord strikes me as your typical man. Best of all, there are definite sparks between Whitney and Doug.

Unfortunately, again, you can tell that this is one of Ms. Roberts' early works because I find Whitney so unlikeable. She is an elitist, which makes it very difficult to relate to her as a woman and as a heroine. We are supposed to admire her spunk and devil-may-care attitude. Instead, I find that she comes across as supremely spoiled, oblivious, and somewhat whiny. To me, Whitney Macallister is not one of Ms. Roberts' best heroines.

As with Brazen Virtue, I would not recommend this one to friends only because Ms. Roberts has written so many other novels that are MUCH better. However, I cannot part with it and will probably read it again in a few years or so because Doug Lord and the suspense make up for my issues with Whitney.