Black Ice

Presenting Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Here is the summary of the book:

Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there…and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

“Rife with psychological twists exploring themes of revenge, misogyny, and familial duty” (Publishers Weekly), Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Damn good book. I did not expect it would be so after all the mixed reviews I had heard of it. But it proved me wrong. Becca Fitzpatrick you have made a fan out of me. As this is my first time reading her book. Black Ice has some pretty great points to build up on. Good character growth and great amount of thrill to go on.

I liked Britt. She is cunning. she is clever. And she is resilient. Throughout the span of the book, she goes from trying to make her ex jealous by flirting with the mysterious stranger at the general store to being kidnapped and forced to guide two wanted men across the mountain in a snow storm. She is extremely terrified yes but she knows how to survive and she does it. Really liked her character development.

The best friend Korbie was just ... annoying. Stuck in the snow storm with Britt and forced to take shelter with two suspicious guys, her first instinct it to call dibs on one of them. She also comes across as rather petulant, mean and whiny. Caring much more about herself than the dire situation they were in.

Romance of course holds up a big part of the story. The mystery guy Mason from the store turned out to be one of the kidnappers. The obvious sign of Stockholm Syndrome are there, with the two growing closer in their forced circumstances. He is closed off, intense and very brooding. He has that mysterious draw to him that seems to attract Britt a lot. Their growing albeit very cliche in simple terms felt very right given what she comes to learn about him and through his actions. Which says a lot because Mason hides a big secret that may or may not change what she knew about those around her.

My only gripe would be that Fitzpatrick only focused on the characters because there is a mysterious serial killer running around. The instances where Britt found the rotting corpse in that storage room, or that human carcass in another location. Instead of balancing the mystery with the predicament of the characters, it just felt like the sad afterthought left to play in the back.

Although I very much liked the flashbacks and the role Calvin (Korbie's brother and Britt's ex) played in the story. Its much more complex and intrinsic than i'm making it out to be. Thankfully there is no love triangle here. It is admirable to see just how loyal Britt is to both Calvin & Korbie even if it was so misplaced... I liked what she had with Mason ... And I liked this book ..... very much.

"An intense & breathless psychological thriller"

Genre :     Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Publisher: Simon & Schuester Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 7th October, 2014

My Copy: bought (paperback)

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

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