Rowena’s review of Coming in from the Cold (Gravity #1) by Sarina Bowen.

Alpine ski champion Dane “Danger” Hollister does not do relationships, though he has an excellent reason. No woman would ever say “I do” to a guy whose faulty DNA will eventually cost him everything: his spot on the US Ski team, his endorsements, and the ability to fly downhill at 90mph.

While Willow Reade moved to rural Vermont to get back to the land, that wasn’t meant to include a night stranded in her vehicle during a blizzard. Luckily, the hot ski racer she practically ran off the road has granola bars and a sleeping bag, and is happy to share. Maybe it’s the close quarters, maybe it’s the snow, but soon the two are sharing a lot more than conversation.

Yet neither can guess how their spontaneous passion will uncork Dane’s ugly secret and Willow’s tentative peace with her own choices. Only their mutual trust and bravery can end the pain and give Willow and Dane a shot at hard won happiness.

This is the first book in the Gravity series and it’s another book by Sarina Bowen that I enjoyed. I thought Sarina Bowen did a great job of telling Danger and Willow’s story and she really writes the kind of heroes that make me want to take a bite right out of them, they’re so yummy.

Dane and Willow meet when they get stuck in a snow storm, in their cars. They decide to hunker down and wait to be saved, together and in the hours before they can get back to their real lives, they talk and get to know each other…and then they really get to know each other. LOL.

Dane is a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy. He’s not the relationship kind of guy because he’s got a big family secret that he won’t share with anyone but it’s keeping him from really living a life so when Willow comes into his life, he’s not prepared for wanting more with her. He’s never wanted more from any other woman so why is this woman so different? He doesn’t know, just knows that she is.

Willow is having money troubles. She bought a sprawling farm with chickens that she’s having trouble feeding and an ex-boyfriend who left her with the big farm to pay for…on her own. She’s trying to keep everything together and she has good days and bad days and what she thinks is a bad day, turns into a really good day in the form of a sexy professional skier named Dane Hollister.

Circumstances bring Dane and Willow into each other’s orbit for a lot longer than Dane expected and while they try to stay away from each other, the heart wants what it wants and in order for things to work out, they need to work on their issues – so they do. I really liked both Dane and Willow. They were good people with issues that were complicated and interesting. The romance between Dane and Willow was steamy and the bickering was entertaining so this was a really fast read. I felt the chemistry between the two of them and just overall liked it all.

I thought the friendship between Callie and Willow was a good one in Callie’s book but I loved seeing them before Callie met Hank. I loved how fiercely protective Callie was for Willow and I loved how Dane had to work at getting Callie on his side. I thought Dane’s coach was adorable and every time he would run away because Dane and Willow were in the middle of a fight, I laughed.

This book was a cute and fast read that fans of Bowen will enjoy. The hero is sexy as all get out, the heroine is smart and strong and the secondary characters were great as well. I recommend.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Sarina Bowen. You can purchase it here or here in e-format.