Synopsis

My review

Frosty Relations by Tara Quan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This excellent novella brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘The Iceman Cometh’ – and in more ways than one.
Although this is Book 2 of A Witch’s Night Out Series, and certain characters and situations from Book 1, Flirting with Fire (see my review here), are alluded to, this is a complete stand-alone story in its own right.
Mina Mao, witch and potential familiar, is slightly out of her depth in her work position as head of HR, but she’s making a go of it. At least, in the short term. She’s not planning to stay in a job where she’s undervalued and underpaid, and also wants to get away from her childhood crush, Jack Frost, who is now her boss.
Jack comes over as arrogant, self-absorbed, and totally without compassion. He’s only interested in furthering his career. On the other hand, he’s one icily hot dude.
And that’s the fascination with Jack’s character – he’s a bundle of contradictions. Even he doesn’t understand himself, so he hides beneath his cool exterior rather than face up to those annoying things called feelings.
Quan does a masterful job of making Mina’s attraction to Jack believable, even when on the surface, he’s such a jerk. The story follows a similar pattern to Book 1 with our two protagonists each being gifted tickets for a one-night stand from the mysterious Madame Eve. At this point, thinking I knew where it was going, I was very happy to coast through to the inevitable steamy sex scenes after the initial ‘Oh my god, it’s you!’ reveal, only to be pulled up short by a new direction that came out of the blue.
It’s great to see how a witch as tiny and apparently fragile as Mina can really handle herself. No spoilers here, but take it from me, she can kick ass. And whilst she doesn’t need Jack to help her out of her little predicament, he has valid reasons for taking her home afterward. And what a home! This story takes place on Christmas Eve, and Jack’s indoor ice palace, with everything in his apartment constructed by his elemental magic – because he can’t be bothered to shop for regular furniture – makes for a truly magical Christmas grotto.
I’ll leave it up to your imagination from there, but suffice it to say, it’s amazing how steamy things can get, even in glacial temperatures. Full marks to Quan for another fabulous little read, highly recommended for lovers of hot paranormal romance.

Author Bio

Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after.