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    Black Ice
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    Black Ice
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    Black Ice
    Ebook321 pages4 hours

    Black Ice

    By Anne Stuart

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Living paycheck to paycheck in Paris, American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion—even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote château, she jumps at the chance to shake things up.

    Then by chance Chloe discovers her employers are anything but the entrepreneurs they appear, and suddenly she knows far too much. Her clients are illegal arms dealers, and one of them is ordered to kill her. But instead, Bastien Toussaint drags Chloe away, and the next thing she knows she's on the run with the most terrifying and seductive man she's ever met. What were his motives—and would she live long enough to find out?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateSep 17, 2012
    ISBN9781460301630
    Unavailable
    Black Ice
    Author

    Anne Stuart

    Anne Stuart loves Japanese rock and roll, wearable art, Spike, her two kids, Clairefontaine paper, quilting, her delicious husband of thirty-four years, fellow writers, her three cats, telling stories and living in Vermont. She’s not too crazy about politics and diets and a winter that never ends, but then, life’s always a trade-off. Visit her at www.Anne-Stuart.com.

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    Reviews for Black Ice

    3.5/5

    215 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A great beginning to the "Ice" series. The main character is very ambiguous in the beginning which makes the story even more interesting as we try to figure out his intentions. Also this book introduces a mystery that will carry forth throughout the series.
    • 3/5
      Chloe Underwood is a naive American working as a translator in Paris when she finds herself tangled up with international arms dealers. One of them, Bastien Toussaint, is dangerously sexy--and Chloe's only hope of escaping with her life. It was entertaining. Not realistic but a fun escape. But hey, if we want realistic we should read non-fiction.
    • 5/5
      This is the 1st book in the Ice series by Anne Stuart. I had never read one of her books until this series and I have to say I am hooked. For those that are uncomfortable with violence, I will warn you that there is graphic violence and the #1 thing said over and over again is "I will kill you". At times I got a little tired of hearing that but the men in these series are very dangerous men who work for The Committee. American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion - even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote chateau, she jumps at the chance to shake things up.Chloe stumbles into a very dangerous situation as she discovers her employers are anything but the entrepreneurs they appear. They think she knows more than she does and they order Bastien Toussaint to kill her. She end up on the run having no idea who to trust. Bastien is unemotional, focused on his job while feeling like Chloe is innocent but he doesn't know how to the job he was hired to do and to protect Chloe. The story moves fast with a lot of moving parts but I thought it was very good even though I didn't really warmed up to Bastien until late in the book.
    • 3/5
      There are more than enough reasons for me not to like this book. From an unbelievably naive twenty-two-year old girl to a cartoonish resolution (and some really bad things in between) there should be more than enough for me not to like it. And yet I do. Even with the things I wouldn't normally enjoy (won't bother mentioning), I couldn’t stop reading until I finished it.

      Chloe wants to be independent from her rich and successful family, so she is living in Paris on a pittance her publishers pay her to translate children's books. She lives with a room-mate, whose only role in this book is to be shallow and to beg Chloe to translate at a business meeting instead of her because she has to spend a weekend with a man. One of those businessmen is Bastien Toussaint and she soon finds out they are all illegal arms dealers. She has become a liability. Bastien saves her 'on a whim' and they are on the run from everyone connected with him. There is an unavoidable tortured past, but it isn't used as an excuse for anything.

      I don't have a problem with ruthless anti-heroes (I loved her The House of Rohan series after all). What I actually liked is that Bastien Toussaint didn't get en epiphany about Chloe being his one and only. He really did save her 'on a whim'. He doesn't question himself a lot. You don't get a moment of tenderness from him until the end. He never becomes a saint, someone who saves people. Even in the end there is only one person that matters to him. I really don't have any logical reason for rating this I like it, but I do minus the two things he does to her.
    • 1/5
      Spoilerish. Please never let me read an Anne Stuart novel again. The H was not only dark, and I like dark hero's, but he was just a man ho. I was trying to buy his love for her but they were apart for a time and he was hooking up with a waitress during the separation and yet he loved the h. yea he went to help her in the end but I never bought the romance. that just ruined it for me.
    • 4/5
      A great beginning to the "Ice" series. The main character is very ambiguous in the beginning which makes the story even more interesting as we try to figure out his intentions. Also this book introduces a mystery that will carry forth throughout the series.
    • 5/5
      This is the 1st book in the Ice series by Anne Stuart. I had never read one of her books until this series and I have to say I am hooked. For those that are uncomfortable with violence, I will warn you that there is graphic violence and the #1 thing said over and over again is "I will kill you". At times I got a little tired of hearing that but the men in these series are very dangerous men who work for The Committee. American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion - even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote chateau, she jumps at the chance to shake things up.Chloe stumbles into a very dangerous situation as she discovers her employers are anything but the entrepreneurs they appear. They think she knows more than she does and they order Bastien Toussaint to kill her. She end up on the run having no idea who to trust. Bastien is unemotional, focused on his job while feeling like Chloe is innocent but he doesn't know how to the job he was hired to do and to protect Chloe. The story moves fast with a lot of moving parts but I thought it was very good even though I didn't really warmed up to Bastien until late in the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      fun romantic suspense although the hero is ultimate bad boy and I don't usually enjoy the bad boys.
    • 3/5
      I read this book because it was included in a reviewer's list of favorites, most of the other titles being contemporary or historical romance. This is neither. It's a high-speed action thriller with a few sex scenes thrown in for fun, but nothing you'd call romance.

      Chloe, a multilingual American girl living in Paris, is persuaded to take on a weekend business 'translation' job in a luxurious chateau. I put the scare quotes around translation because I think the author meant interpretation. Anyway, the business turns out to be international arms and the participants in the discussions are all vicious and murderous arms dealers.

      Somehow Chloe finds herself entangled with one of these dealers, a cold-blooded assassin and sexual athlete who isn't quite what the stuff of romantic novels is usually made of.

      Plenty of excitement, twists and plot holes. In other words, a great read for a long flight.

    • 4/5
      Her job in a tiny Parisian publishing house translating childrens books isn't very exciting, but before wishing for a little more sex and excitement in her life, perhaps Chloe Underwood should have rememberd that old Chinese curse about living in interesting times.... When her roommate offers her the opportunity to translate for a group of international business tycoons at a ritzy manor in the French countryside, Chloe's dubious, but can't say no. Silly girl.Undercover agent Bastien Toussaint is as cold and ruthless as the black ice of the book's title, and when he spots the pretty young translator far over her head amongst a group of international gun runners, he's sure she's an agent. Just not a very practiced one, and therefore certainly soon to be a very, very dead one. And if her death will ensure his survival, well, that's just fine. I've encountered a few of Ann Stuart's short stories in anthologies, but hadn't read any of her full length work. Not a romance for the faint of heart, there's plenty of blood, death and cruelty to go around. This is definitely an edge of your seat, up all night read. Shades of Helen McGuinnes and Mary Stewart (only with more sex). I quite enjoyed it, but was left wondering how long Chloe and Bastien's happily ever after would actually last.
    • 5/5
      These two...

      The book had me gripping my Kindle until the very last sentence. I couldn't write a review straight away because I just had to make up my mind about it. And I still think it will be all over the place.

      Going into this I expected something close to Jason Bourne books (sidenote: I loved those books. Everyone should read them).
      Was I ever more wrong? What it isn't is your typical romantic suspense. It really has more thrill than romantic elements, and even those are not what I would usually go for in a romance novel. But I absolutely loved it. Why did I not read this sooner? Not sure.

      What I mean is - you have this alpha hero that just ~takes what he wants, any way he wants. At the same time, he just doesn't care about Chloe in a way you're used to in these books, so he's not really an alpha hero (key word being hero. He is not a hero.)
      Bastien is so indifferent to everything going on, so detached, so cold, he has no remorse, no second thoughts, no scruples... it's no wonder he was so efficient at what he does. I seriously can't find a kind adjective to describe him. He isn't sweet, caring, wonderful, passionate. He wasn't even possessive and controlling. He is just...he just is. At one point, I completely doubted he would even try to save her, that's what I thought about him. I expected some development on this part, like that he will suddenly realize he can't live like that and turn into this wonderful person, and all he needed was a Chloe to save him, maybe that he was just misunderstood and actually a sweet, caring person.

      Don't hold your breath for it.

      There were times where I downright hated him, I wanted to throw my reader but instead I would just scream "HOW IS THAT A HERO?" or "WHYYYYYY DID YOU DO THAT? WHO DOES THAT?" (scaring the bejesus out of my sister every time), and then just a few pages later, I would be head over heels for him even though he didn't do anything nice. I doubted my sanity at these times.

      I also had ups and downs with Chloe. She is way too smart, but at the same time way too stupid. It was so weird, every time I expected her to be this weak, flighty girl that she seemed to be, she surprised me. And then, she does something so stupid, like walk off alone into the night even though there are tons of bad guys after her. I was thinking that she just couldn't grasp the situation she was in. And still she managed to survive. She's amazing :D.

      There's nothing sweet about their story. He uses her, he doubts her intentions, he constantly threatens her, she hates him for all of it, she doesn't trust him, she fights him while he's trying to "save" her. There's definite attraction between the two, awesome chemistry, too, but I was like - what is so romantic about this? There's nothing romantic in there. And then I'd swoon. And I was rooting for them so bad. SEE? This book is crazy.

      I guess it's a testament to Anne Stuart's writing. I mean, I've never encountered a character I hate so much, but love at the same time. Or read a book less romantic, but loved the romance so much. And then, she has a brilliant way with words, the story is completely un-put-downable and engaging, and the pace is perfect. It's not even that short, but I read it in one sitting, in 6 hours or so. They are constantly on the run and there's not a moment that nothing is happening. A couple of good twists, too.

      There's a sex scene that is definitely blurring the lines of dubcon at first read, but later on the heroine sort of admits that it was consensual. Three sex scenes altogether, but they aren't really that graphic, although they are descriptive, so for those who care about these things it's definitely a mature read.

      Do you get a HEA in the end? I'm not saying, but I'll tell you that I had my doubts until the very last sentence.

      Honestly, I didn't expect this book. I just hope the rest of them are as good as this first in the series. Do I recommend it? YES. It's really, really good, especially if you are looking for something different.
    • 3/5
      Black Ice
      3.5 Stars

      Synopsis:
      Chloe Underwood is an underpaid translator living in Paris who wishes for a little excitement in her life. When she is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to translate a business meeting, Chloe soon realizes that one should be careful of what they wish for as the businessmen turn out to be deadly arms dealers, and she is forced to go on the run with a dangerous yet seductive stranger who may or may not kill her at any moment.

      Review:
      A good premise that has a James Bond feel to it. The characters are interesting but the execution is poor.

      Although Sebastian is a ruthless and sadistic anti-hero, you cannot stop yourself from falling in love with him in the same way that Chloe does. Chloe is exceedingly naïve, which may turn some readers off but for me her naiveté strikes just the right cord. Nevertheless, it is not clear why he falls in love with her and their relationship is far-fetched. Yes, they have great chemistry, but is that really true love?

      The plot is good but is implausible and unrealistic at times. What self-respecting arms dealer would allow a complete stranger in on a deal? The story also focuses on some dark and sinister issues such as torture and so-called good guys crossing the line because the “ends justify the means”.

      The main problem with this book is the writing, which is choppy and has sudden transitions that make it difficult to follow the sequence of events. Moreover, the ending is very abrupt and the reader is left with an unsatisfied feeling. As this is the first book in a series, perhaps we will learn more about Chloe and Sebastian’s relationship in the next installment.

      Despite the improbable plot elements and the writing issues, I've heard such great things about the rest of the series and have decided to give it a chance. So I will be reading the next book.
    • 4/5
      Not sure what I think of this. On the one hand, this story is deeply cracked out. On the other hand, this story is deeply cracked out. Kind of made me think of what would happen if Luis Bunuel had been in charge of the Bourne series, but with a happy(ish) ending.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like the narration. I'm finding it hard to articulate exactly why. Ms. Van Dyke did good accents for the various characters and her Bastien voice was nice and deep. But, it felt, to me, like she was annoyed or something most of the way through the book. There was a rushed quality to the narration - the sentences were very close together, with hardly a pause and there was some quality about her tone which grated to my ears and kept me from fully enjoying the story. I'd heard a lot about this iconic book - the first sex scene has apparently caused much discussion about whether or not there was consent (I didn't have a problem with it - there was no force and she didn't say "no" whatever was going on in her head, if she had've said no and he ignored it, well that would be different, but she didn't, so, no problem for me, but I can see where others might disagree.). I've seen discussion about the ingenue heroine being TSTL - I thought she was quite consistently drawn really - for who she was, she made not entirely unreasonable decisions so that didn't bother me either. But, I didn't really see Bastien and Chloe fall in love. I saw attraction but nothing that would lead me to believe they could be happy in the long haul. I missed the "interlude" where they are happy together and learning each other and making plans - for me, it wasn't present in the book and that made me question the HEA. I think I may well have enjoyed this one much better on paper. The narrator really bugged me I'm afraid.
    • 4/5
      I don't usually read romantic suspense so this was different. I had heard qite a bit about Bastien and went for the read simply because of that.I really enjoyed this book but the ending came kind of quick. Like everything was crap and then BAM! all better now. Very good read though. Recommend.
    • 4/5
      Chloe Underwood lives hand-to-mouth in Paris translating children’s books watching her housemate, Sylvia, try to catch a wealthy older man but enjoying herself. Her life changes when her housemate convinces her to do a translation job in a remote chateau and she finds herself in danger and on the run. However one of the businessmen proves helpful, but she’s unsure of his motives.I found it an engaging read, I enjoyed the adventures and thought that the characters were well realised. It was one of those stories where there was very little black and white and a lot of gray involved, I would wonder as well, once I leave the story, how easily someone could leave a life behind.
    • 1/5
      I originally saw this book on somebody's blog (unfortunately I couldn't find it again) and it sounded good. But now that I've finished, I just kind of giggle every time I look at the book. In fact, I'm having a hard time writing a review because I keep laughing.So, Chloe is an underpaid translator working in Paris (cool job), when her well heeled roommate, Sylvia, talks her into taking a weekend translating job. The job pays very well, should be easy, it's in the country and sure to be boring.Instead of a meeting of agriculture executives, it's a group of arms dealers, and unlike her obtuse roommate, Chloe figures it out and and it's decided she must die. One of the arms dealers, Bastian, is actually an undercover agent for The Committee (ooh). He's like James Bond on crack, apparently he's so good at sex he can get information out of anyone (tee hee), he never misses when he shoots somebody, and he's so good that when hiding, Chloe heard footsteps and knew it wasn't Bastian, as he would make no noise.Bastian feels bad for Chloe and rescues her, which leads to them running back and forth trying to hide, leaving a trail of dead bodies and being chased by Committee agents and bad guys spouting really corny lines. Along the way, they're chemistry turns to love. Bastian must keep Chloe alive long enough to finish his assignment and somehow retire, when The Committee never allows for retirement. All Chloe has to do is duck and stop talking!This was such a corny book, everybody was super bad, super skilled, and super good at sex. It was just ridiculous. I can't even view this as a waste of time because just thinking about it makes me laugh.Some of my favorite lines:"He wasn't most men. He had ice water in his veins, in his cock, and even in the middle of an orgasm he was a dangerous man."..."How can you be sure? It was so dark...""Because I'm the one who killed him. And in case you hadn't realized it, I don't miss."...She was sexually infatuated with him...she was never going to get better sex in her life (Bastian is thinking this)..."The world needs you...""Fuck the world."There were others, but I couldn't find them all.Verdict:Not a very good mystery or romance, very corny.
    • 3/5
      Something was missing for me in this story. I read it quickly, but it left me unmoved. It had elements that I usually like: initial antagonistic relationship, a morally gray character, unwillingly falling in love, etc. Very few of those elements felt like they actually worked in the story though. None of it clicked for me and I was left feeling cynical and disbelieving of the main character's ability to stay together for the long term.Chloe's character didn't do the story any favors. She blew past naïve and ran straight into too stupid to live territory. She starts getting uncomfortable with the people she's supposed to be translating for but instead of bowing out and going back home she won't leave until she has to because of Bastien. This is after she tells herself that he's married, a womanizer, and that there's no way they could be together because she has personal rules against being with married men. It seemed inconsistent.When they have sex for the first time, Chloe realizes that he used and degraded her and criticizes herself because she still wants more. I thought we'd get some deeper personal struggle with her fascination with Bastien and her willingness to be used. I was really looking forward to it! It never happened though... She just seemed to get over it and be willing to jump on him if he showed the smallest sign that he might be interested in doing it again. Everything Chloe did seemed to illustrate how idiotic she was. It did not endear her to me. After Hakim tortures her she still doesn't think she's in that much danger! It didn't seem possible that she could be so stupid. I guess I was supposed to attribute it to her age? That's rather hard to accept though. I don't think I've ever met a 23 year old that stupid before. The fact that she had lived on her own for 2 years in a foreign country makes it hard to believe that she hadn't acquired even the barest smidgen of street smarts.Bastien had the potential to be very interesting. Unfortunately I never got more detail into his characterization. I was eager to see a character who was on the "good guy" side but who had been killing people for so long that he accepted the very real truth that in the end there's no real difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Unfortunately he was just... there. I wanted insight into what made him tick. I didn't really need an unhappy childhood with a crappy mom, but I wanted to see more of his journey down the road he chose. Does he regret what he lost? Would he do everything the same? I just wanted more of what made him who he was. Everything about him seemed to be told, not shown. We're told that Chloe fascinates him; we're told that he loves her. I didn't feel that I was shown any of that.The whole story felt like it skimmed the surface of everything. I thought that the "bad guys" felt like caricatures. I thought Chloe would have to face some inner realization that in the end there's no real difference between Bastien and the "bad guys". She would just have to decide if it's something she can accept or not. No such thing here though. I was amused by Bastien's refusal to lie to Chloe. When she kept thinking that underneath it all he's just a good guy who doesn't really want to kill a woman and he kept telling her she was an idiot to believe that he'd only kill in self defense I had to laugh. I appreciated his cold honesty but I think that despite his repeated assurances that he could kill anyone Chloe still had a romanticized vision of him. I don't think she ever saw who he really was. That was disappointing.Despite my problems with this book I still read it quickly. I was hooked on it even as I was deeply unhappy with the story being told. How confusing. I ended up giving it a higher grade than I originally planned because of the story's readability.
    • 5/5
      Bastien Toussaint is an operative for the Committee, a covert anti-terrorist organization. He kills people and doesn't seem too concerned whether they're the good guys or the bad guys. The bad guys he has killed are members of an international arms cartels. And he has killed the innocent when it's expedient for the Committee to hide their activities from witnesses. He has also killed fellow Committee agents when assigned to do so as necessary to protect their organization. Kind of sounds like the CIA run amok.Chloe Underwood is an American living in Paris working as a translator for children's books wishing for a little passion and excitement in her life. Unfortunately, she gets her wish when she gets pressured into taking a translating assignment at a country chateau for a group ofinternational importers. Fairly quickly, she realizes this group is not what she first thought. They are a dangerous bunch of illegal arms dealers squabbling over who gets to be in charge after their leader is assassinated. Bastien has infiltrated the group and is there posing as a womanizing businessman and eventually learns that Chloe is out of her league. When Chloe discovers the group members' identities one of them wants to kill her and Bastien barely manages to drag her away to safety.The rest of the book is very fast paced and I finished it in a day. The emotional bond that develops between them is very satisfying and there are a couple of very sensual love scenes that were believable. Even though I knew it must have a HEA I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the book wondering if Bastien was actually going to kill her or not since this idea seemed to always be present in his internal dialogue. It was absolutely gripping and I loved it. Be warned though it has a very abrupt ending. (Grade: A)
    • 5/5
      Wow. I'm a fan of Anne Stuart, but a fairly new one, and I'd been trying to get her backlist before reading the newer books, so the most recent book I'd read was from 1999, and it was a novella. Still, I had faith enough in her older work and in the recommendations of friends who've been raving about her to have bought Black Ice when it first came out. I could have used this book for last month's TBR challenge, too.Chloe Underwood is a young American woman living her dream--sort of--in Paris. Her job translating children's books doesn't pay much, but it's keeping her in Paris, as long as she has a roommate, so it's enough for now.When that roommate begs Chloe to take her place as a translator at a meeting of food industry executives (unknown to them both, they're actually arms dealers) at an estate in the French countryside, she's reluctant, but agrees, thinking that if nothing else, she'll get a weekend in the country out of it.Unfortunately, things don't quite work out that way. Almost immediately, she overhears a suspicious conversation in... German, I think it was, or Russian--anyway, it wasn't French or English, and realizing it would be imprudent at the least to admit she overheard and understood, she pretends to be limited to French and English rather than the several languages she actually knows.This backfires, however, for undercover assassin Bastien, who sees through her clumsy attempt at hiding her knowledge, so he immediately suspects she's a fellow operative. The only question is, whose side is she on?From then on, it's nonstop tension with Bastien working on several fronts, trying to complete his mission, trying to figure out who Chloe is and what she's there for, and, to his chagrin, saving her life when the others decide she's too great a risk, at which point his goal becomes to get her out of the country and then complete his mission.Black Ice is gritty and dark, and mostly lacking in romance genre conventions. The action scenes are reminiscent of those in the better (read: less silly) James Bond movies, and Stuart doesn't hold her punches. Bastien isn't a sweet, gentle man, kind to children and puppies, who just happens to have an unusual job. He's cold and ruthless and deadly. Since it is a romance novel, after all, Chloe does crack his hard shell, but it's not easy or typical.Despite how harsh the story can be, or maybe because of that, there are some sweet, amusing moments. Like when Chloe, trying to shrug off her growing feelings for Bastien, tells him she has Stockholm Syndrome, and he tells her that Stockholm Syndrome is a myth.I almost forgot Chloe. Understandable, I suppose, with such a vivid character as Bastien around. Chloe is young, and in way over her head, but she's not stupid. She realizes from the start that things are not as she was led to believe, so she does what she can to confirm her suspicions, then tries to leave. She keeps her head, for the most part, and is realistic as someone of her age and background--not perfect, but not TSTL, either. What impressed me most about Chloe is that she doesn't blindly trust Bastien, either.The ending caps off the story perfectly. Both Chloe and Bastien have changed because of their experiences together, but they're still recognizable, still the same people.Black Ice is not your typical romantic suspense novel. There were several places in the book that made me blink and realize just how common those romance or romantic suspense genre conventions are, because I'd fully expected the cliche and didn't get it. Which, of course, made me love it even more.I'm not going to stop collecting Anne Stuart's backlist, but I think I'll start putting her newest books in my Barnes & Noble shopping cart, too.