Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Freezing Aversion
SERIES: Consortium Trilogy #2
AUTHOR: BL Maxwell
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 185 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 29, 2021
BLURB:
The cold isn’t the only killer in the wilderness.
Benjamin Coulton is a tracker employed by the Consortium, the ruling counsel of vampires. When he’s sent to investigate a rogue vampire killing indiscriminately in a remote region of Alaska. Bad weather hampers his effort and he loses the vampire he’s been tasked to find.
Leon Davis and his friend Trevor agreed to be winter caretakers for several cabins and a fishing lodge, thinking it would be easy money. They settle into their daily routine of checking the cabins for animal break-ins, or broken water pipes, and prepare for a long winter.
Until a run in with a vampire changes everything.
Ben finds a newly turned vampire left for dead by the rogue vampire, and suddenly Ben’s mission changes course. In the freezing wilderness of Alaska, he uncovers more truths and the mate he’d always longed for… and now the vampire he was tasked to find is hunting them.
REVIEW:
As part of a vampire conglomerate, Benjamin is tasked with tracking a rogue vampire, possibly eliminating him and any he has made. Meeting the newborn, Leon, puts Benjamin in the role of teacher, but there is something about the man that draws Benjamin to him. Leon doesn’t want to be a vampire, he’d have preferred to stay dead instead of turned, but he’s also prepared to make the best of a bad situation, mainly because he is inexplicably drawn to Benjamin.
Freezing Aversion is the second book in the Consortium Trilogy, which in theory can be read as a standalone. However, it includes some crossover characters whose background adds more depth to the storyline. This paranormal romance is told in the first person entirely from the viewpoint of Benjamin. As such, it contains all his thoughts, fears, hopes, and more.
The entire story is set in a snow-filled forest – therefore, world-building is more in the form of snippets from the laws and consequences within the vampire world.
My gut tells me that this book will be a bit of a marmite read. If you click with the style of writing and the world created, then you’ll eat up every word and want more. For me, I found it challenging to get a connection. There were lots of early explanations, which was great, then as the story progressed, all that was clarified was turned on its head – which left me in a no man’s land wondering what I could and could not believe – a state of mind that some will love and some hate. I also got sidetracked by small details that distracted me from the main arc. I constantly tried to sort out the main points from a story where most ‘believed’ truths were contradicted. My confusion was not helped by the slow revealing of essential information, leaving me to make assumptions until the facts were revealed.
Benjamin is billed as the best vampire tracker, yet there are many things he ‘can’t fathom’ and questions that would be ‘left for later’. He does a lot of, I should have done this, I should have done that, but for some reason I can’t fathom, I didn’t – which is cute to a degree, but I felt the concept was overused. So, I’m guessing Benjamin was finding his situation as confusing as me. Maybe that was the point of some of the drama.
Leon is a contradiction of a newborn, who is sweet, and whose inconsistent statements I kind of understood. One minute he wishes he’d been left for dead, and in the next, he’s saying that being a vampire is better than being dead, embracing his situation.
The bad vampire also has abilities that are the cherry topping on a whole bunch of thinking, already been turned on its head.
Now then, if all the above has confused you, then welcome to my state of mind while reading. I love a good mystery, but for me, this was one step too far in an agenda-driven, power play of a story full of revelations and trust issues. Sadly, it wasn’t for me, but as already said, I know some will bathe in all the misdirection.
RATING: 
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