Ice - Linda Howard

'Tis the season for mistletoe and holly, Santa . . . and suspense. And the gift that keeps on giving is Ice: premier thriller author Linda Howard's breathless tale of a man, a woman, and a battle for survival against an unforgiving winter--and an unrelenting killer. Oh, what fun it is to read.
Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders: A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbour who's fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned. So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere and make sure that Lolly Helton is safe and sound. It's a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make, given the bitter winter weather--and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly.
But there's no talking back when your dad is the town's top cop. And there's no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrives--and discovers that the weather outside isn't the only thing that's frightful. Spotting strangers in Lolly's home--one of them packing a weapon--kicks Gabriel into combat mode. And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors. But when the escape is discovered, the heat--and the hunt--are on. And the winter woods are nowhere to be once the ice storm touches down, dropping trees, blocking roads, and trapping the fleeing pair in the freezing dark.
Now, snowbound, unarmed, and literally under the gun, Gabriel and Lolly must depend on each other to endure the merciless forces of nature--and evade the ruthless enemy out in the blackness of the silent night . . . and out for their blood.

Title: Ice
Author: Linda Howard
Genre: Adult Fiction, Suspense, Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
My Rating: 3/5

This book was mainly about ice... and lots of it. I wouldn't say it was "Christmas" themed at all. It seemed more geared towards winter. The inside flap (written above) had more phrases to do with Christmas than the entire book combined. It was a very fast-paced read. The characters were set up easily, as was the plot. You could follow along seamlessly and quickly. The only complaint I had is that there really wasn't any depth to the characters/book, in the sense that yes, they may have been at odds in high-school but they seemed to get over that quite quickly without really tackling the subject or feeling "real" emotions about it. (Now this is my POV, and you/anyone might think differently on this). The other thing I noticed was that there was a lot of description about the ice, and how it could bring down trees and limbs and kill someone if they weren't careful. I didn't mind reading this, but I didn't need it pounded at me. I got it the first time, didn't need it reiterated the 67th time. It could also be argued that it needed that much reiteration to get across the point that the storm was dangerous, and that this was needed for the story to be believable. (You be the judge.) All in all, not one of her greatest works, but still an enjoyable read.