Chains of Ice by Christina Dodd

Chains of Ice: The Chosen Ones by Christina Dodd

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Chosen Ones is really shaping up as a paranormal romance series. And this one is my favorite so far. It has the 'right stuff' to be a good read for me.



My Thoughts:



*I loved John. His powers. His wounded heart. His passion. His goodness. I loved the whole outcast/hermit/mountain man thing he had going on. He was rocking the dreds, overgrown beard, animal skins, and cowboy hat. I know it sounds goofy. But he totally was. And his abilities, the awesomeness!!! How he can control energy and use it to manifest force fields, and make a woman happy in an intimate moment with those powers. I think it's readily apparent that John is one of the most powerful of the Chosen Ones thus far. And he'll make a great leader. I really liked Genny too. She was a good woman, coming out of her overbearing father's shadow. I like that she decided to take control of her life, and she didn't settle for less than she deserved from John or anyone else.

*The storyline was good. How John was once on a team of Chosen Ones with Gary (the dude who was in a coma the first two books). Gary turned out to be a glory-hound loser who got his team killed, although he blamed it on John. But before that, he just had to sleep with John's wife. What up with that? So when John finds out, he's not a happy camper, but he still tries to save both his wife, Gary and the rest of the team on an ill-fated mission. When he fails to save all but Gary, he becomes a dropout, and goes back to the place of his birth, the rasputye in Russia. That's where he meets Genny. Genny's father signed a deal to pay for Genny's trip to Russia to study the endangered lynx cat, something she's always wanted to do. To make up for that, she has to try to recruit John to come back to the Chosen Ones. She really doesn't want to do it, but she doesn't have much choice. When she meets the illusive John Powell, sparks fly. Not only that, she really liked John. He's a nice guy, gentle despite his fearsome reputation and in harmony with the natural world that she loves so much. But the town doesn't trust or like John, because of their fear of the rasputye and those strange folks that come and go from the area. They do the Frankenstein thing, and John and Genny have to flee into that magical world between worlds. And John isn't the sweet guy she thought she knew when he finds out she came to recruit him back to the Chosen Ones. He turns into a real wild man then! That wasn't all bad though. (grins)

*This story felt a lot more linear and coherent than the first two books, although the second one was a lot better than the first, with a better romance story. The romance in this one really shines. I liked that the beginning of the book shows the development of Genny and John's relationship, and the last part of the book shows how they relate to the group of the Chosen. At this point, I am a lot more invested in the team of Chosen, and my mind is speculating on where the storyline will take them.

*The paranormal elements are nicely different from some of the other paranormal series. I particularly like the mythos of the Chosen Ones and the Others. Both children coming from a background of being forsaken/abandoned children with abilities. If they are lucky, the Abandoned Ones get the chance to have a good life, and form bonds that allow them to use their powers for good, becoming the Chosen Ones. If not, they end up on the dark side, serving evil as The Others. And evil is a demanding boss. An interesting development that the Big Bad in this series is the Big Bad. You know who! Those parts are very creepy, especially how he controls and tortures his minions.



Final Thoughts:

Yeah! This series won't have universal appeal. But I really like it. I like the way Christina Dodd writes romance. I must admit that I love her heroes. Her heroines are women you like. And together they are magic. I wasn't sure how well this series would work, but I must say it's working very well. So, five stars for this one from me.



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