BOOK REVIEW: “Frozen: A Short Paranormal Romance”

Author: Meljean Brook

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Refreshingly free of singing reindeer and bleating ice princesses, this deliciously sexy novella and adult fairytale  is a perfect bite-sized read for a cold winter’s night.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Our tale of forbidden snowman love opens with the female lead, Olivia Martin, driving on the icy Colorado roads to the mountain retreat of her co-worker, Erik Gulbrandr, to take care of some unfinished business. Olivia is a tough, yet likable heroine: she is a no-nonsense businesswoman in the male-dominated construction industry, drives a Jeep equipped for a possible snowpocolypse, and packs a 9 mm.  She secretly pines for Erik, even after he gave her the big brush-off after their one and only (earthshaking) kiss.

At first, Erik is an unbelievable ass, but we PNR veterans  just KNOW he is pushing her away for some noble reason..and that reason turns out to be that once a year, on the winter solstice, he turns into a giant popsicle dude with super-freezing powers and a violent desire to claim his mate, who turns out to be Olivia.  The victim of a freaky Nordic curse,  he is also fated to battle slavering wolf-like creatures until Ragnarok (Judgement Day.).

Yes, this is well-trod territory…boy meets girl, boy pushes girl away because of his freaky superpowers, some werewolves show up, etc., etc..   However, Erik and Olivia are both likable characters and, once they manage to get out of their own way, it is fun to watch them work together to solve their problems.

Should You Read It? 

Yes. Meljean Brook is a master at spinning the inner lives of her characters into a richly detailed tapestry that plays out against the backdrop of fantastical outside events.  Here, she departs from her usual exacting prose  for a more pedestrian, first person narrative which makes the story more accessible but ultimately less memorable.  Although “Frozen” pales in comparison to her longer, more intricate novels, it is still fun, compulsively readable, and eminently satisfying.