Ice Queen by Joey Hill

5 Wonderful Stars

Darkness may hide the trees
and the flowers from the eyes
but it cannot hide
love from the soul.

Kahlil Gibran, Love Letters in the Sand: The Love Poems of Khalil Gibran

This is my second book from Joey Hill and I will say that this one just totally blew me away. It had everything I could have ever asked for in a book; it had great characters, captivating plot and brilliant writing. I know that this is marketed as hardcore BDSM book but honestly, it was really more than just a BDSM book.

Ice Queen tells the story of Marguerite and Tyler. Both are powerful and sought-after dominants of the Zone, an exclusive BDSM club. Due to computer error, Marguerite lacked the mentoring program required by the Zone where each Doms and Domme will undergo BDSM training from a submissive's perspective. For this, she approached Tyler Winterman to be her mentor.

But things aren't always what they seem, especially for Tyler and Marguerite. Because while Marguerite is known as a powerful Mistress, she is also a closet submissive. Her dual nature would play a big part in this book and the next book, Mirror of my Soul.

Marguerite is one of the most complex and the most intriguing characters I've read in a while. Her being a dominant mistress to other and a submissive to Tyler made this a very character-driven read. And Joey Hill was able to deftly add layers upon layers to Marguerite's character that is utterly fascinating albeit at times very painful to read but always real and always consistent.

You feel her pain, her struggles that in as much as I could have hated her for some of the things she did, I couldn't because I understand her character and know where's she's coming from. The things she did were always explained and her motivations were always clear to the readers.

Tyler Winterman is another wonderful character. He's a Southern gentleman, a Dom, a lover, a friend and he is fascinated by Marguerite and vice versa. The first time the reader meets him is through Marguerite's POV and he's utterly delicious.

As she moved out onto the floor, she saw him right away. He wore tan slacks and a perfectly ironed and fitted cream-colored Oxford shirt, open at the throat. His jacket was hooked on the point of the chair, and he wore brown, polished dress shoes, the casual elegance suiting Tea Leaves.

He didn’t blend though. Instead, he looked like an intrigued, benevolent god who walked among men. He emanated difference and yet something so familiar, as if she knew him like the touch of the sun.

Right off the bat, you see their attraction and fascination with each other and it goes deeper and deeper as the book progresses. You will learn how far Tyler will go to prove his love for Marguerite. Gah! You will fall in love with Tyler because despite his own private pain--and he has plenty, by the way--he never lost sight of his love for Marguerite.

“You are very important to me. It doesn’t matter if you never accept me or what lies between us. If you need me, I’m here for you. Tomorrow, ten years from now, it doesn’t matter. And you know me well enough to know I don’t make idle declarations of commitment.”

And then that final scene at the Zone where Tyler willingly gave himself to Marguerite as her submissive and what happened during that time was just terrible (view spoiler)[Marguerite beat him up (hide spoiler)]. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't angry at Marguerite because in a strange way, what she did to Tyler had hurt her too.

“Don’t you understand, when all is said and done, it’s the Master who’s the captive?”

I would recommend this book to everyone I know just for the story alone. BUT I also know that not everyone may have the same level of tolerance for BDSM and there are a couple of scenes in the book that might be a little too much for some. That said, it really didn't bother me at all, and I am not a BDSM reader. The genre has never appealed to me before but Joey Hill did it so beautiful with such knowledge and reverence for the lifestyle that it was easy to swallow. And all the BDSM elements in this book were always consistent with each of the characters' development. So for me, those scenes made sense.

Love this book and I can't wait to continue Tyler and Marguerite's story in Mirror of my Soul. Thank you, Baba for buddy reading this with me. I enjoyed it very much.

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