Judith‘s review of Ice Cold Lover (Book Two in the Winged and Dangerous series) by Mel Teshco.
Celest has been having vivid sexual dreams starring Pascal Daniels. The son of a mobster, he is every woman’s most dangerous fantasy. Pascal leads a charmed life and can have any woman he wants, any time he wants her. Celest is determined to have him–but just once. Because she has a secret she will fight tooth and nail to protect. She is human in every way but one: hideous bat-like wings, a permanent legacy from her once-cursed gargoyle father, Cray.
Pascal is used to attention from women, but he’s looiking for someone special. He’s interested in the Ice Queen, Celeste Diamond. He thinks hers is the perfect female form, one he’d do anything to possess. Pascal has decided it’s way past time to warm up the mysterious, elusive Celeste. And perhaps h will share some secrets of his own.
As an Ellora’s Cave novella, this work is definitely not a long read, but it has some interesting componenets to it. The author has certainly set out to craft a story that has a certain tension that is derived from Pascal’s mob affiliations. A sexual tension is generated by the pursuit of this beautiful woman and, incidentally, her pursuit of Pascal, even if only for one night in his arms. Yet she insists that their time together be on her terms or not at all, and curiously for this Alpha-type male, he concedes the field temporarily.
This is a story that really hangs on Celeste’s deeply buried self-hatred of her “disability” as she sees it: her gargoyle wings. Like her father, she is hunted by those who would make her a science project, capture and restrain her, poke, examine, and study her and essentially take away any future she could hope for. In all of this she is willing to have just one taste of loving and intimacy. It is also a study in human nature not unlike many who live in our world today, putting up icy walls to keep away curiosity seekers or anyone who inspire fear in them, even while desiring to know the fulfillment of close human relationship.
I found both Pascal and Celeste to be fascinating characters. Both were trying to live as humans in a world that hated anyone who is different. Even Celeste’s parents–her human mother and her gargoyle father–had been forced to live secretly to protect any semblance of normal life. This hiding behind walls is not an unknown phenomenon and so many who find their love relationships falling apart could easily trace that break-down to the deep-seated fear of sharing themnselves fully with another person. Experience, unfortunately, has often taught people that being open and honest about oneself is an invitation to heartbreak at the hands of unscrupulous emotional predators. Celeste was determined not to be such a person.
I wasn’t sure I would like this story but as I persevered in the reading I found that I became engaged in the story and saw the deeper themes that were present. I know this is erotic romance, but it is a story about living beings that are complicated, thinking, emotional and feeling creatures. As such they are of interest to me and aside from being entertaining, this novella certainly had some deeper worth. It is not a complicated plot, but I think it has merit as an entertaining literary piece and is worth a readers time and effort. Fantasy lovers and those who like paranormal romance with find this to be a nice way to spend some time. I would give this novella a higher rating except it is way too short. I would have liked for the plot, characters, their relationships and the basic conflict to have been expanded. I give a rating of 3.5 out of 5.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
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