FINAL DECISION: I really enjoyed this book which I didn’t expect. A romantic suspense, it has action, but there is such emotion between the characters, that I almost forgot about the drama that was going on because these characters really clicked for me.

THE STORY: Angel Smith has finished her latest job as a chef at a research station in Antarctica and is ready to leave and start something new for herself. On her final day, however, the station is attacked. Angel and glaciologist Ford Cooper make it out alive but are stranded in the middle of the ice continent. With limited time and food, the two must find safety before the people who killed their co-workers find them and finish the job.

OPINION: Sometimes I like romantic suspense, and sometimes it leaves me cold. I enjoy the romance part much more than the suspense part, and sometimes the books are very light on romance and relationship development. But this book gets that balance just about perfect for me.

The characters are well-developed and interact with one another in interesting ways. Angel is a woman full of life, and Ford is a man who has closed himself off. (Sunshine and the grumpy scientist is a great trope) But the book explores the complicated edges of those archetypes as they are stranded together.

The book read fast, and honestly, I didn’t care that we didn’t get full answers about the suspense plot. For me, the important part of the book is how Angel and Ford peel away the things that are between them and keep them apart. They are so perfect for one another that I almost forgot that there were some villains that had to be dealt with.

WORTH MENTIONING: As part of a series, the “big” story isn’t finished here, so some people might be disappointed that everything about the overarching plot is not fully explained or completed. Not a cliffhanger per see (although the next book is suggested), and this couple’s story is complete.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WHITEOUT is the first book in the Survival Instincts series. There is a prequel novella, but I didn’t read it and didn’t feel that I needed to do so.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.