TRAPPED UNDER ICE (Rocking Romance #1) by M.J.Schiller-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 2013

Rock star Chad Evans’s tortured past hides just beneath the surface. Even fans screaming out his name in ecstasy can’t drown out the screams of his childhood. He can usually keep it under control, but not always. Tonight the alcohol doesn’t seem to soothe.

Part of the crowd, Beth Donovan smiles, really enjoying herself for a change. But her smile isn’t usually this bright. It is the kind of smile that masks sorrow. Three years just isn’t long enough to get over losing Paul. When a vicious attack behind stage brings this unlikely pair together, something changes inside of them both. But can a jet-setting superstar and a Midwestern lunch lady ever manage a real relationship? And even if they can, will the person sending Chad death threats take it all away? Or is it their fate to remain forever trapped under ice

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REVIEW: TRAPPED UNDER ICE is the first storyline in M.J.Shiller’s new contemporary romance series-Rocking Romance focusing on the lives and loves of the members of the platinum selling group Trapped Under Ice. Although the title references the name of the band, it can also be the philosophical and psychological look at both the hero and heroine’s life-Beth is a widowed mother of a seventeen year old daughter and, has a difficult time letting go of the past; Chad, our rock and roll god, has demons buried so deep, that only the burn of alcohol and his explosive anger, keep the memories at bay. When the two meet, their connection is instant.

Chad has issues with anger. With a family history of abuse, Chad knows he will never be like his father, but his own rage has him sitting on the precipice of personal and professional destruction. Meeting Beth is the best thing that has ever happened to Chad, but the rock and roll life begins to catch up: violent outbursts; fighting with the band; and a stalker threatening to end it all. Believing he is not worthy of Beth’s love, he will push her away at a time when he is most vulnerable.

Beth is our heroine: a devoted mother, hard working lunch lady, part time romance author and Chad Evan’s girlfriend and lover. But Beth will witness Chad’s lifestyle up close and personal and, in time, she will have to decide whether it is worth losing her heart to the man she loves or lose the man to something more evil.

The storyline is slow to build, We follow Chad and Beth as they get to know one another-meeting at the next stop on the tour; booking rooms in out of the way places; and finally an intimate get away for two. But in this build up, we see a different side to the rock and roll hero-we see a more vulnerable Chad-one whose heart weighs heavy with secrets, years of abuse and a family history of violence and death.

I will add, this story is not all hearts and flowers, neither is it all doom and gloom. But the proverbial elephant in the room is not addressed until a fair way into the story. It is then that the most explosive action and revelations take place. There is a build up of a secondary storyline and in the end, the band will lose one of their own; Beth will lose a close friend; and Trapped Under Ice-the band- will become a little more cynical of the world and themselves.

Trapped Under Ice is an interesting look at the lives and loves of the famous and infamous. The façade and glory of making it big covers a multitude of indiscretions and heartbreaking sorrow, from which many will never recover. But for Chad Evans it will take the love and determination of one woman, to set him on the path of self-actualization and free him from the demons knocking at the door. And have no doubt there is definitely a happily ever after, which is always welcome in my little corner of the world.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy