The Ice Goddess by Hannelore Moore

 

**I received this book from the author in exchange for my review**

 

4/5 Stars

 

Here is the synopsis as per goodreads:

In the bitter winter of 1752, Evangeline Grey is determined to return to London, claim her inheritance, and lead a solitary, uneventful existence. York holds too many sad memories for her now, and she's ready to leave it behind. When she finds out that her guardian has designs on her -- and her pending fortune -- Evangeline manages to escape, but her journey south is fraught with uncertainty and danger. Mourning the murder of her brother, still reeling from her aunt's recent death, and close to penniless until she finds her way back to London, she's never been more alone. And then, on a desolate Northern English moor, she meets a benevolent stranger who changes everything. Kendall Beaumont is a man running from a few demons of his own. On his way to his home in remote Almsborough, he stops to help the pretty, young runaway. The future seems fairly bleak for the both of them -- until he decides to make her an offer she can't refuse..

 

 

This book is a historical romance.  At first glance after receiving, between the title having Goddess in it, and the cover (which is beautiful by the way) I was thinking something along the lines of paranormal and gothic romance, but alas! no, it was a romance that takes place in 1752, in the time of wigs and court in London and horse and carriages.  A time when women were considered nothing but property.  The main character was a ward of her aunt, who had a husband who had nefarious intentions towards her.  After a bit, she decides to escape and takes off on her own and runs into Kendall, who then takes her under his wing.  I'm not going to go into it much more than that, you'd have to read it to find out what happens and whatnot.

 

So once I started this book, I wasn't sure at all if I would like it, it did take me a few chapters to really get into it, to the point where I didn't want to put it down.  It changed point of views from Evangeline, Kendall, and Evangeline's brother Emmett.  And for a while I disliked Emmett, and Evangeline.  And didn't understand the point of having Emmett's point of view at all, thinking he could have had a whole other novel to himself, but once I got used to the style of writing, the three separate point of views, and who was who, and what was going on, and watching the progression of each character, I liked them all.  Emmett was the spoiled stuck up rich snob, who was humbled.  Kendall, a rake of sorts, immature and unable to lead as a owner of land with tenants, and Evangeline, shy naïve girl in the 1700's, all three of them grew up through the book, and it was fascinating to watch.

 

I related most to the main character, Evangeline.  She's shy, awkward ,and doesn't feel worthy of praise or realize that she's beautiful.  As a shy person myself, I hate crowds,  and can't even begin to think of how I would act if I had to host a party of the 1700's caliber.    I know that I come off as aloof and stuck up and rude sometimes, people don't try to get to know me.  Same with Evangeline.  She's the ice goddess, beautiful and aloof and standoffish. 

 

There were a lot of dark points of this book, and I was thrilled that, I've read quite a few historical romance novels that paint life as rosy and lovely, everyone seems to be rich and nothing bad happens to the rich and the beautiful.  Several things happened in this book that I wouldn't see in a regular mainstream romance, the hint of darkness that surrounds a woman on her own. Or the come-on's of women towards a married man, or a marriage that has lost it's love.  This book had a little bit of everything shady, as well as everything lovely.  And it felt real.

 

I enjoyed it, and thank the author immensely for letting me have the chance to read and review.