Fire and Ice, by Tori Carrington

I really hated the first Tori Carrington book that I read, A Stranger's Touch, but before reading it I had already ordered a couple more by these authors, including Fire and Ice.

She's on fire…

Bad girl criminal defense attorney, Jena McCade, has finally found her bad boy sexual equal. Professional hockey player, Tommy "Wild Man" Brodie is everything she's ever wanted in a man. He's gorgeous, he's incredibly talented…and he's temporary! Still, when Tommy shows up on her doorstep after being injured, Jena can't resist offering him some very physical therapy…

…and he can work wonders with ice!

Tommy wants out of the rat race--almost as badly as he wants Jena! Since their one-night stand, she's been on his mind and in his dreams. And now he finally has the sexy D.A. right where he wants her-- in his bed, exciting him, delighting him. The problem? Jena considers their relationship a fling…nothing more. But even Tommy knows that possession is nine-tenths of the law. And once he's stolen Jena's heart, she's not getting it back…

Well, this one was much, much better! A B-.

In spite of some early doubts, I found that I really liked Jena. Why the doubts, when I'm so often vocal in asking for more experienced heroines and Jena was a "bad girl"? Simple: bad girls in Harlequin novels are usually fake (sometimes even virgins), and if they're not, they feel kind of... forced. The type who'll start an explicit conversation about sex with a stranger as the author's way of showing us how "bad" she is. Not Jena. She was simply a woman dedicated to her job and who considered sex in much the way so many heros do, as a diversion.

Tommy was just yummy, pretty much too good to be true. I've been a sucker for hockey-player heros since I read See Jane Score, and my only regret is that we don't see Tommy on the ice at all. A star athlete who's also a doctor, kind, considerate, caring, sweet... perfect!

Jena and Tommy had beautiful chemistry together, and I liked how they dealt with each other as equals. The only negative was that I was not 100% convinced by the end of the book that they were really "in love". There was this tiny something missing there, I can't really identify what exactly, but it just made me not buy it completely.

The only thing I really disliked about the book was the resolution of the suspense subplot. Jena did something I thought was unethical in the end, and I really didn't see the need for her to do this. Oh, and I wasn't too crazy about the space spent setting up the next book in the series and promoting the first one.

Pretty good, all in all. I might buy something else by these authors yet.