Heart of Ice by Lisa Edmonds – a Review

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Description:
Discover Alice. Private Investigator of the Supernatural.

Even the coldest hearts can burn…

After closing a big case for the Vampire Court, mage private investigator Alice Worth is relieved to be back solving magical mysteries with her ghost sidekick Malcolm and spending quality time with sexy alpha werewolf Sean. Her latest case puts her on the trail of a burglary ring targeting wealthy collectors of magical objects. Meanwhile, Alice’s grandfather, crime lord Moses Murphy, fights a local boss for control of the city. Soon a new danger emerges: Moses’s new lieutenant is someone Alice knows and this is one family reunion she wants to avoid at all costs.

When Sean is injured as a result of her investigation, Alice faces the wrath of his pack and finds herself in a carefully laid trap. To save the city from Moses and his lieutenant, she risks capture by her grandfather and unimaginable torture at his hands. To save Sean, she risks losing everything she’s fought so hard to gain. But Alice has never backed down from anything in her life and she’s not about to start now…

Review:

“Little by little, one step at a time, I was freeing myself from my past and the fortress I’d built for myself.”

 Alice is back at it with mage magic, a PI license (currently employed by the Vampire court), a budding romance she’s savoring, but trying her hardest not to foul up, and evading the ever present danger that is her grandfather. Heart of Ice by Lisa Edmonds, book 3 in the Alice Worth series, displays a prowess in heart and soul, and the ice she inexorably wields like a second skin; on demand to defend herself. Another win in my opinion, another anxious wait for book 4.

Alice is working hard. When busy infiltrating hate groups to expose their anti-“supe” sentiment, she’s retrieving magical artifacts imbued with volatile power. Naturally, this innate ability of hers rankles those of “lesser means” and makes Alice the target of revenge. All part of the job, she thinks. Not so much for those who love her. This particular foe is a weaponized adversary and Alice’s protection becomes monumentally important for Sean, her werewolf beau and Charles, the vampire who’d love to be on the receiving end of her passions. When the posturing ends, both Charles and Sean scramble to outshine the other, you wonder where Alice’s heart really lies. While I’m definitely pro-vampire, Sean’s a genuinely good guy (kinda like how Peeta was good for Katniss). Alice has been fiercely independent for so long, however, Sean may end up as collateral damage; choices forcing her hand. It’s heartening to see Alice embrace her developing relationship, she genuinely feels deeply for Sean, but it may prove to be too secure in an all too insecure environment.

As the girlfriend of the alpha, pack politics are a bit more stifling than Alice anticipated and it’s really getting old being stared down and snarled at as a sign of displeasure. Those in the pack who resent her non-shifter status can just suck it! Of course that reaction is on the down-low because Alice can’t disrupt or interfere in Sean’s inner circle. Investigative work, retrieving ancient magical artifacts, and finding a place within the shifter community all tend to be harrowing and detrimental to Alice’s anonymity, which is paramount to her success as Alice Worth.

 I’d previously drawn similarities between Alice and a few popular fictional characters, but allow me to declare that Alice is “Worth”-y and simply a strong ass hero. Not only can she defend herself, and others, in physical combat, and magical strengths (her spellwork is tantalizing to the senses), but she can make the toughest decisions, those of the heart, to protect the ones she loves. This comes at great cost to her, the safety of her dearest and cherished few.

I’ve said too much and not enough. I’m so happy to have started this series! Alice is always balancing happiness and duty. She will sacrifice as she sees fit, but hopes to maintain those close relationships…should they start to falter. It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission? Oh, oh. The usually-far-from-tight noose has found its mark and Alice finds herself too exposed. How neutral will Sean be if Alice calls in vampire allies to curtail threats? I’m first in line to inhale those unfolding events. I love Alice Worth!

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy supplied for review