Hot Ice

The basic story is that uber thief Douglas Lord got double crossed by his boss and in return, double crossed the boss and stole some papers with information leading to a treasure in Madagascar. While on the run, he hooks up with wealthy ice cream heiress Whitney MacAllister. The two of them head out on an adventure to find the treasure, all the while outwitting Doug's old boss and his goons.

While this book doesn't come close to Nora's more recent stuff, it's still a fun and entertaining read. Some reviewers didn't like Whitney much, but I found her to be the most interesting character in the entire book. I never could predict what might come out of her mouth!

The ending of Hot Ice was where I think this book fell apart. I hesitate to say too much for those who might still want to read it, but it seems anticlimactic. I also felt that while the two characters had an attraction to each other, there was never the romance and love aspect - so I also found that part of the ending a little hard to swallow.

Even with its flaws, the book read quickly and was fun. It made my layover and long flights fly by, I could hardly put it down.


Not Hot, But Lukewarm!   May 5, 2005
Susie Morris (Beaumont, CA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

HOT ICE is an interesting tale about a wealthy woman and a first rate thief. Nora Roberts likes to use this premise and has used it in several of her books. However, each has different entwined subplots that make them each unique. She does use a few of the same guidelines:

1. The woman is beautiful and usually wealthy.
2. The thief (usually male) is always gorgeous and street savvy.

I personally am waiting for her to write about a really homely thief and a poor woman; now that would be an interesting concept, right? Ok, so maybe that's why I'm not a published author and Nora Roberts is one of the best!

One of the variances in HOT ICE from her other books is that the race to find treasure begins in Manhattan and ends in Madagascar. The usual trials and tribulations occur: passion trying to be denied, a rival enemy hot on their tails, etc. HOT ICE is more along the lines of pure romance with a little mystery thrown in for balance. In my opinion, Roberts's better efforts have more mystery and less romance, as she's excellent at setting the stage for suspense.

HOT ICE is a good story, but not fantastic. I wouldn't label it a "stop light book" as is my term for a book that is absolutely impossible to put down, so much so that you read a few lines while waiting at a red light in your car! I would much rather recommend MONTANA SKY, SANCTUARY, THE REEF or another more recent Roberts novel. However, if you've already read these and wish to fill some time, this would be the book for you!



Very disappointed Nora Roberts fan   July 23, 2001
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

Nora Robert is one of my favorite authors and I usually can't put her books down. The only thing that kept me reading this book was knowing that it is a Nora Roberts book and it would have to get better. It didn't.

The characters are unsympathetic and it's hard to care what happens to them.

Nora Roberts has used thieves as heroes in other books, but the characters are charming and its fiction, so it works. It didn't work in this book. Doug is a thief who often gambles away what he steals. There is nothing romantic about him. It was mentioned a few times that Doug would sometimes check into a hotel for a week and rob the other guests. Every time this was mentioned I couldn't help but think of the poor tourist who worked hard all year to go away for two weeks and relax. Then, his first day in a foreign country, his wallet is stolen with his cash, his credit cards, and his ATM card. He'll get his cards replaced, but they'll be waiting for him at home. Meanwhile, he's traveled across an ocean and has no means to do anything but sit in his hotel room and watch TV. I really tried to like the characters, but Doug just came off as cruel.

Whitney is shown, repeatedly, to be upset and concerned about the innocent people who get killed as she and Doug go after their treasure. However, she has no concern for Doug's victims - rather, she's impressed by what he does.

If this were my first Nora Roberts book, it would also be my last. I own most of her books and there are no others I actively disliked - and just two I was passive about (Hidden Star and Captive Star, I liked Secret Star).


A Fun and Suspenseful Read!   July 18, 2002
Sophie Williams (Victoria, BC, Canada)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

"Hot Ice" by Nora Roberts is not half as bad as some of the reviews would lead you to believe. Though "Hot Ice" is certainly not one of Nora's best works, it is still a fun-filled, exciting, and romantic read that I had trouble putting down. So give this book a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Doug Lord is used to living his life on the run, due to his chosen profession - larceny. Doug is great at what he does, but it looks like his luck may be running out since he crossed a terrifying and some say omnipotent criminal named Dimitri. Injured and running for his life, Doug surprises New York heiress Whitney MacAllister when he leaps into her car, right before the bullets start flying. Tired of her sheltered and smotheringly boring life, Whitney decides to help Doug, at least for a little while, and see where it takes her. After losing the black sedan chasing them, Whitney brings Doug back to her apartment.

Doug knows money when he sees it, and he figures Whitney may just be his ticket to finding the treasure of a lifetime. Doug has in his possession the stolen documents that lead to a legendary hidden fortune dating back to the French Revolution. Whitney has the cash and the connections Doug needs, but the only way Whitney will agree to help Doug is if she becomes his partner. Doug never works with partners, having been burned one too many times, but he figures he can bring Whitney along until he has what he needs from her and then ditch her.

So Doug and Whitney's adventure begins. With Dimitri's hired muscle always right behind them, Doug and Whitney need to be smart and fast. Their dangerous encounters with Dimitri's men make for some wonderfully suspenseful scenes that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

The stolen documents lead Doug and Whitney to Madagascar, where their journey begins in earnest, but complications abound. Whitney doesn't trust Doug one little bit, and Doug surely doesn't trust Whitney. But as time passes, the ever present spark between them gets brighter and brighter, until it's nearly impossible to resist. Doug knows that letting himself fall for Whitney could very well cost him his big break, but in the end, his heart doesn't give him much choice. Whitney too finds herself falling in love, as she gets to know the intelligent, determined, perceptive, and funny man underneath Doug's sexy exterior. So as these two race through the exotic lands and rainforests of Madagascar with hired killers never more than a step behind, Whitney and Doug find a passionate love in each others arms that they never expected to find. But Doug knows a thief like him has no future with a classy lady like Whitney. Unfortunately, that's not the biggest problem on Doug's mind, because the dangerous game he and Whitney are playing may end up being fatal!

I thought Doug was a wonderful character. He was smart, handsome, intriguing and very real. Though Whitney's character sometimes grated on my nerves a bit with her occasional spoiled rich girl attitude and her annoying little account book, for the most part, I was able to overlook her flaws and see the sensitive and strong woman beneath. Whitney and Doug undeniably make a great team, and their amazing adventure kept me glued to the pages.

Overall, "Hot Ice" was a very enjoyable read. The story never stops, and is filled with thrilling suspense and red-hot romance. I am extremely glad I decided to take a chance and buy this book when I found it, because otherwise I would have missed out on some great entertainment. So don't believe everything you read, buy this book today and form an opinion for yourself, I most certainly did not regret it!


This book never stops!   June 2, 1999
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Every time you think Whitney and Doug are going to get a chance to rest and catch their breath, the bad guys round the corner and they're off again! This is the first novel I've read where I actually felt like I was running right alongside Whitney and Doug. By the end of the book I was as breathless as they!

The story of the treasure itself was intriguing. The era of the French Revolution literally scoured out a chasm in history separating what came before from what came after and it influenced much of modern history... such as the rise of Communism which started within a century of the Reign of Terror. Nora weaves in the history of this era with sensitivity and grace. I could feel Gerald's pain as he tried to protect the Queen's treasure, and although I could never condone what he did after his wife and daughter died, I could almost understand *why* he did it.

I also enjoyed the description of Madagascar and its indiginous (sp.?) people. Jacques was sweet and funny, and the villagers and their ceremony to honor their ancestors were interesting.

Great work, Nora! I really enjoyed HOT ICE. This book isn't so much an adventure as a thriller. If you like fast action and sharp dialogue, this one's for you.