Review of ‘Hot ice’ by Aurora Rey, Elle Spencer & Erin Zak
‘Hot ice’ is a compilation of three lesbian novellas by Bold Strokes Books authors Aurora Rey, Erin Zak and Elle Spencer, all romances with an ice-queen protagonist.
‘Ice on wheels’ by Aurora Rey is a story centered around roller derby. Brooke Landry loves being part of roller derby team ‘Big Easy Bruisers’ and her job as a real state agent. When her disliked rival Riley Fauchet relocates and joins Brooke’s team and her same company, sparks fly and not of the romantic type. As time goes by and both women get to know each other, there is a possibility of friendship or even something deeper, if only Brooke could listen to her heart…
I have to admit that I know nothing about roller derby but readers don’t need any previous knowledge to appreciate the story. Ms. Rey makes the most of the fast and furious sports action and the initial antagonism between the main characters. It’s fun, romantic and sexy. 4 stars.
‘Closed-door policy’ by Erin Zak is an age-gap romance between a young college professor and her mature student. After a life-changing incident, nurse Caroline Stevens got divorced from her long-time husband and decided on a career change. In her early 50s, she’s living with her adult daughter, working as a bartender and going back to college. In a creative writing class, she meets lecturer Dr. Atlanta Morris who is famous for her icy attitude and heavy criticism. Despite a rocky start, Caroline cannot deny being attracted to Atlanta, the first woman she’s sexually interested in her life. But Atlanta doesn’t seem interested in Caroline, or is she?
This is a teacher-student relationship in which, unusually, the student is the older of the two. There is a slow build-up of chemistry between the characters in and outside the classroom and the secondary characters are all distinctive and well-written. The ending is a bit rushed but this is a novella after all. 3.5 stars.
In ‘Private equity’ by Elle Spencer, Cassidy Bennett is chief of staff for successful venture capitalist Julia Whitmore, known for being reserved and fierce. After they spend an unexpected evening at a lesbian nightclub, Cassidy gets to know another side of her aloof boss and she cannot stop desiring more.
This is your typical workplace romance between an ice-queen boss and an easygoing employee. It reminded me of some of Lee Winter’s books because of that larger-than-life personality of Julia and Cassidy’s sweetness. Ms. Spencer knows how to develop their relationship and get their chemistry to off-the-charts levels. Really entertaining and hot. This was my favourite of the three. 4.5 stars.
Overall, a very good compilation of lesbian novellas with the appealing theme of ice-queens. 4 stars average.
