A Nix Review : Hard as Ice by Raven Scott (3.5 Stars)

Hard as Ice by Raven Scott
Series: Fortis #1
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on 2015-07-28
Genres: Suspense
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Goodreads

When money is no object, discretion is essential, and time is of the essence, the police are not an option. That’s when the wealthy and powerful call on the men of Fortis—a trio of former government agents with elite military training—not to mention charm and good looks…

Now that Evan DaCosta has recovered from an injury sustained in his work with the CIA, he’s ready to continue his life of adventure, intrigue, and service. That means joining Fortis—and taking on the recovery of precious jewels stolen from a prestigious auction house. The list of suspects is long, but Evan is focused on the possibility of an inside job. Now he’ll have to go undercover and stay close to the gorgeous business manager, Nia James. That won’t be a problem….But if she’s the thief, she just may steal his heart in the process…

A gifted salesperson, Nia worked hard to get where she is today. Now, with her career at stake, she can’t afford to be distracted by a man. Yet when Evan walks into the auction house, all six foot three of solid muscle poured into a tailored suit, Nia can’t help feeling safe, protected—and turned on. The feeling is mutual, and soon, despite their private misgivings, Nia and Evan become intensely entangled. But can their relationship survive their secrets?..

FTC : I got this from Net-Galley.

Honestly? This was a book that I clicked on for the cover and requested for the blurb. I wanted to love it but there was something stopping me. The palpable chemistry should have been enough to keep me engrossed but I couldn’t shake the knowledge that it was a relationship built on lies and was constantly waiting for it to fall apart around their ears. It was a distraction that meant I couldn’t fully get lost in the book; It was a damn shame because the characters and the romance plot were exactly the sort of thing that I love.

I enjoyed the way both Nia and Evan were written. Nia was a strong, successful woman who found herself in a sticky spot. I liked the way she carried on with her life, not wallowing in the “what-if’s” or “why’s”. She just knew she had done everything that she could and got on with life. I think my respect for her character was one of the many issues I had with Evan’s deception; he was part of her “moving on” but, really, his infiltration into her life was built on lies. They were so good together that I spent every page they were on together completely conflicted. I didn’t like it.

Evan was a pain in my ass. He was a good guy with a job to do. Unfortunately, his job was lying to Nia and I liked her too much. Don’t get me wrong, if it would have been a different situation I think I would have been completely besotted with him (hot? check! nice? check! lack of domineering/misogynistic habits? check! protective instincts? check!). I wanted to love him but I hated his job and, as the entire plot was his job, it made it hard to engage.

The chemistry between them was written so well that it made it hard for me to go with my first instinct of hoping she dumped him. I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing; it is merely a personal dislike of the story-line (which no, I didn’t know going in) that stopped me enjoying it as much as I know I should.

Honestly, I can’t tell if you’ll like this book. I didn’t love it but that is in no way a reflection of the writing which made huge chunks of the storyline fun for even me. I’m going to be really unhelpful and say you should try it. Sorry.