Reviewed by Dan

 TITLE:    Hitting Black Ice

AUTHOR:     Heloise West

PUBLISHER:  Loose ID

LENGTH:     240 Pages

BLURB:

ER physician’s assistant Hunter guards his heart carefully, but that doesn’t stop him from falling for Shawn, the front desk clerk. He keeps his distance from relationships for a reason, but just can’t help himself when it comes to Shawn.

Shawn is on the run from the law and love to protect himself and anyone else involved. One man is dead because of him, and his life now is simple and easily thrown into a bag at any hint of danger–until he meets Hunter and he no longer wants to run.

Forced into a hostage situation, buried passion explodes in the aftermath, and sex in the supply closet brings their hearts back to life. Tentatively, step by step, they begin to explore a relationship together until the past catches up with Shawn.

REVIEW:

To those of you who didn’t grow up in a cold climate, let me explain Black Ice. It is a thin layer of invisible ice that coats roadways at some times in the north. It doesn’t reflect your lights, so you can’t see it, but when you drive onto it, it is really, really, easy to lose control and go into a spin. That is a perfect title for this book. Because for Hunter and Shawn, just meeting each other has put them onto black ice. It doesn’t take much to put them into an uncontrolled spin out!

Hunter Charbonneau is a PA in a busy Massachusetts hospital. He has been majorly damaged by an ex-boyfriend who was a drug addict and drug dealer. After a lot of mental abuse, the boyfriend took his own life right in front of Hunter. After your boyfriend shoots himself in the head in front of your workplace, with your gun, after killing your dog at home, it is likely to mess you up for a while.

Hunter hasn’t become a monk since then, but he can’t get past the one night stand sort of hook-up. Lately though, Hunter has been noticing Shawn the new graveyard shift, front desk clerk in the ER. Enough so that he has changed his “lunch” break to match Shawn’s. Shawn is proving to be a tough nut to crack, and he tells Hunter he is seeing someone.

All that changes when a drug battle takes place around the corner from the hospital and Shawn and Hunter help one of the wounded drug dealers into the ER. All hell breaks loose when the rival gang comes into the ER and takes Hunter and Shawn hostage. But why is Shawn trying to hide from the news cameras?

Shawn is hiding some major secrets it appears, but it takes a while before we find out what they are. What happens when FBI Agent Nicholas “Nick” Truman shows up looking for Shawn? Who is this guy? We learn quite quickly and it adds some definite suspense to the storyline.

Hunter’s dad is the Coos County Sheriff in far northern NH, his brother is a Deputy Sheriff and his uncle is a NH State Trooper. What will happen when Hunter “runs” with Shawn and doesn’t cooperate with the FBI? Lots more action!

I loved the author’s build-up and the action in the story. I particularly liked the locations. I grew up in northern NH, personally knew the locations, and even know a few people with the last name Charbonneau.   It was like old home day to me.

One word of warning. This story ends with a HFN. I’ve checked with the author and she is hard at work on a sequel and also hinted she might be working on Nick’s story as well. I can’t wait for both, so please get those fingers working Ms. West! It is cold up there in New England, so stoke up the wood stove and get typing!

I highly recommend this book. I believe you will enjoy it!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Loose ID

Amazon

Amazon UK

ARe