Ice Queen

The Ultimate Boss Set by Lee Winter

The Ultimate Boss Set
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Published: 11/2022

In the Ultimate Boss Set, Lee Winter gives us The Brutal Truth, The Awkward Truth and three related short stories.  This is the ultimate set, with some of the most memorable characters in sapphic romance. I have read them all individually several times and know I will read them many times again in this collection.

Elena Bartell is one of my favorite characters ever. She is the ultimate, hot boss lady ice queen and the evolution of her relationship with Maddie Grey is absolute perfection. Maddie has the biggest heart and somehow manages to see the woman Elena hides behind that ice queen exterior.

Felicity Simmons idolizes her boss, Elena Bartell. After nearly stealing the show in The Brutal Truth, The Awkward Truth, gives us Felicity’s story. We find out where all that snark comes from, and it brings a level of understanding that makes me love Felicity even more.

This is a must for fans of Elena, Maddie and Felicity. And if you haven’t read these, there is no better time to discover the brilliance of Lee Winter. She writes ice queens like she was born to do it and her hilarious banter is unmatched.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

 

 

Chemistry by Rachael Sommers

Chemistry
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Lily Cross has returned home to the suburbs on Chicago for her first teaching job. She isn’t overly thrilled to come home but there were reasons she needed to get out of Miami. She is determined to become friends with her new co-workers but she hadn’t planned on Dr. Eva Thomas.

Eva had been a Chemistry professor at Georgetown University, but a family situation brings her home.  Teaching high school had never been something she imagined herself doing and she doesn’t have the time nor the inclination to humor the new, ridiculously peppy Biology teacher. She infuriated Eva or is that feeling something more troublesome?

I gravitate to ice queens. They are so complex and keep so much of themselves hidden away and fear is usually the cause. Eva is no exception.  When Lily gets a glimpse into who Eva is with her students, she begins to see that the icy exterior is just that, a way to keep people at bay and protect herself.

The title of the book is apropos. Eva and Lily have incredible chemistry. They balance each other out as happens in the best ice queen romances. I finished this is an evening because I wanted to witness Lily cracking the ice Eva had around her heart and I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful book to curl up with on the couch with a glass of wine.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

 

Strange Attractors by Ana K. Wrenn

Strange Attractors
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Published: 8/17/2022

If you think you know what to expect from an ice queen, you haven’t met Sonja Storey. Antarctica is a sauna compared to the North Carolina professor. I spent the majority of the book not liking her but knowing that by the end I would come to understand why she behaves the way she does.

Junior Professor Crystal Byrd is Sonja’s complete opposite. Cystal is warm, kind and for some inexplicable reason, completely drawn to Sonja. She sees something beneath the surface that no one else does mostly because Sonja has a fortress built up to protect herself.

Ana K. Wrenn has burst onto the sapphic fiction scene with an enthralling psychological drama. I don’t want to give too much away but the story centers around threats Sonja begins receiving and how she tries to navigate the situation, while projecting a control she doesn’t feel.

I always love a well written debut and this one qualifies. Wrenn gives us an unforgettable character in Sonja. She is brilliant, cold and complex. Her journey doesn’t end with a thaw, but I still find myself feeling great affection for her. I also find myself waiting none too patiently for the next offering from Ana K. Wrenn.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

Truth & Measure by Roslyn Sinclair

Truth & Measure
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Published: 4/20/22
Truth and Measure is the first part of a two-book series. This slow-burn office romance is a steamy story of fashion, passion, and the power of the unexpected.

Jules Moretti is a very good assistant. She anticipates what fashion editor Vivian Carlisle needs before she says it. She has to or she would be unceremoniously fired like so many before her. When Vivian finds herself unexpected expecting, Jules finds herself become far more involved in her bosses life than she ever anticipated.

This is one of the most eagerly anticipated books of the year and it was well worth the wait. Roslyn Sinclair has adapted her Devil Wears Prade fanfic into two books.  The second, Above All Things will be released in May. In Jules we get the overachieving girl next door, trying to make a go of her writing career while working for the iciest of fashion editors. Jules has a bit of hero worship for her boss and who can blame her. Vivian takes no shit, she’s ridiculously hot and has power that most people can only dream about. That hero worship turns into something more when Vivian allows Jules to see her vulnerability.

Roslyn Sinclair is an incredibly gifted author. I really loved The X Ingredient and The Lily and the Crown. I liked this book and am looking forward to the second book, Above All Things. She excels at writing the ice queen. The only way the ice queen trope works is if the sweet character manages to thaw the queen. In this instance Vivian is thawed as much by the shocking situation she finds herself in as by her interaction with Jules. This makes for a very effective character arc. Her vulnerability comes through so beautifully I couldn’t help but falling for her as well. Sinclair is also incredibly gifted at writing scenes that nearly set my Kindle ablaze. When things heat up, they heat up quickly and there is no turning back for either of them.

My only complaint is that I wish the romance would have been developed a bit more but I’m hoping we get more romance in book two. The book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger so I can’t wait to dive into the second book and see what Roslyn Sinclair has in store for us. I am fairly certain it’s going to be hot, emotional and with some twists I won’t be anticipating and what more could we ask for.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.