3 Stars

Ice Queen is number five in the Coffee Sonata universe. I’ve not read any of the previous books and I never felt I was missing anything. For those who would be interested, it did seem like most of the main characters from the previous books made an appearance here. 

Aislin is a counselor at the local public high school and meets Cynthia (Cynt) at coffeehouse. Cynt is going through some things at her private prep school and starts opening up to Aislin. When Aislin meets Cynt’s mother, Susanna, to discuss transferring schools they realize they recently encountered one another at a dance club. Their initial attraction from the club continues to grow and soon they start a romantic relationship. 

I can’t say that I loved this one, or even liked it really but I can’t say I disliked it either. I found it to be average. I think most of my reasoning is because I liked Susanna, but I didn’t care for the reasoning behind some of her issues. I didn’t find her to be at all “ice queen” like. I found her to be more guarded and just busy with her work. She’s the CEO of a fashion conglomerate and has tens of thousands of people under her. My main issue, because of her work, is that that her relationships suffer because she is absent. She is an absentee mother and it sounds like that’s how she was in her previous marriages. She realizes it and while she does seem sad about it, she doesn’t really do anything to change it. I would think as a CEO with all her employees that she could delegate to make time for her family, or at least try. I just didn’t see how she’s going to be any different in the future for Cynt or Aislin.

As far as the romance goes, it’s a bit a slow burn with an age gap for those who are interested in that. I say it’s a slow burn but I was also surprised by how quickly the I love you’s came. A good part of their beginning interactions dealt with Cynt and her school issues. Both Aislin and Susanna are guarded with their hearts so them declaring love after less than two months was unexpected. I would have liked more depth to their relationship as most of it seemed superficial. 

I did appreciate that the black moment doesn’t really happen and the drama is saved by them having an actual conversation. They’re open with their fears and discuss it like the adults they are. 

Almost all of the other reviews have been mostly positive so I say read them and decide for yourself 😊

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely book. What a great school counsellor to have. I envied the daughter. In the UK, actually having a school counsellor at all would have been amazing. Not that teenage me would have been caught anywhere near talking to someone! Meanwhile back to the book, the school counsellor’s romance with the daughter’s mother is soon sizzling hot. The ice queen melted pretty quickly via a classic meeting on the dance floor. The romance then paces along very nicely in a charming way. Basically it made me feel good as I read it. All the ingredients for a fine romance and throughly enjoyable.

The book title of Ice Queen completely drew me in without even reading the blurb. I didn’t care about the blurb because ice queens are a popular lesfic character plot that so many of us adore. We expect icy and complex, yet fiery women to adorn those crowns and the bar has been set high by previous authors. The lure of these characters that draws us in to love them so much is how they are tamed. What is unique about this ice queen is that Susanna is already tamed by her delightful daughter, Cynt who desperately wants to run from the bullying at the elite prep school she attends. Susanna abandons all pretense of her otherwise workplace authoritarianism to desperately try reconnecting with her daughter. It’s sweet and wonderful when the badass boardroom diva completely falls away to the loving mother trying to understand and help her struggling daughter.. Aislin awkwardly and then sweetly enters both of their worlds that brings order and ultimately love to both Susanna and Cynt. The family they build together is wonderful and filled with laughter, respect,  and healthy communication even when the going gets rough. It’s funny that I completely forgot what the title was by the end of the book, because there certainly is no ice left by the end. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story on many levels. First, the author placed the story in  East Quay, a town she used from her brilliant book Coffee Sonata and brought back some favorite characters. Second, the plot of the book was so well developed. I take exception to the title of the book, I don’t see the main character of Susanna as an ice queen, rather I see her as never knowing how to love someone as she never had models for that and two x husbands who were not nice men. She is very focused on running her umpire but does really try to be there for her daughter Cynthia. Cynthia is miserable in her private prep school and one day she meets Aislin, a school counselor who befriends her. Cynthia would like to continue to see and talk to Aislin. When Aislin meets Cynthia’s motherSusanna sparks fly for both women. These two women could not be more different. Aislin is a free spirit and open, Susanna is closed off and afraid to connect as she is well aware of her shortcomings. Yet despite their reservations they do connect and start something nice but Susanna calls it off because she fears Aislin will leave her. Can these two srar crossed lovers ever find a way to a solid love life?
This author is one of my favorites as she does such a great job developing her characters. I also like the way she writes love scenes as I see them as something a mature woman would do and I can relate to that. I highly recommend this book, I already read it twice, it’s just that good.

5 stars
Another excellent age gap story by Gun Brooke. She just knows how to craft an interesting romance with strong characters. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I'm totally hooked to her characters and so looking forward to the next book from this universe.
Recommended to all fans of romance novels.

Ice Queen by Gun Brooke is part of the Coffee Sonata Universe so we return to idyllic East Quay. Our main characters are high school counselor Aislyn Kennedy, CEO of a fashion conglomerate Susanna Durr and her 14-year old daughter Cynthia (Cynt).

Cynt is being bullied at her fancy private prep school and feels like she can’t open up about it to her mother, who is quite the workaholic. She meets Aislyn at the coffe shop and the two hit it off. Cynth can finally confide in someone. Aislyn suggests a transfer to her (less fancy but much nicer) public school might be a solution for Cynt. A talk to mom Susanne is in order, something Cynt is not relishing but Aislyn is there to pave the way. Turns out Cynt’s mom is the same hot woman she danced and flirted with in a nightclub a week before.

I liked the other books in the series and this one was enjoyable too. Mostly. Turns out I didn’t think Susanna was much of an ice queen to be honest. Workaholic yes, she is CEO of practically the whole East Coast so I thought she was doing pretty good with that. She could have presented much more as a mega bitch, but she didn’t.

I really liked the chemistry between Aislyn and Susanna and the sex was pretty steamy. I was a bit baffled by the drama towards the end because it made little sense. Also the epilogue was suddenly told from Cynth’s pov for the sole purpose of wrapping up her bullying adventure (something that would have had more impact had it been worked into the story). Now it felt like mustard after the meal.

A decent contemporary romance, Ice Queen will appeal to a lot of readers.

f/f pretty steamy

Themes: attraction strikes at YOUSHEME, Susanna is practically CEO of the whole East Coast, I want a Lovisa of my own, all the women from the Coffee Sonata series have a cameo, I felt that last sex scene was one too many.

3.5 Stars

This book is the latest in the Coffee Sonata universe, characters from other books make an appearance in this one. It is not necessary to read the other books before reading this one. 

Aislin is a 27-year-old high school counselor her charisma and cute appearance make it easy for her to connect with her students, but she doesn't let anyone in to love her. Someone in her past has left deep and ugly scars. When Aislin meets Cynt in a coffee shop she notices the girl is unhappy and strikes up a friendly conversation. Aislin would never have expected Cynt's mother to be the extremely hot woman she danced with at a club and just can't seem to get her out of her head. Susanna is the CEO of a fashion conglomerate, her nickname is the Ice Queen and she doesn't even really mind it. Jaded from two divorces and only focused on her job Susanna has a hard time connecting with anyone, her daughter, and any potential lovers. That is until Aislin, Aislin isn't afraid of the 13 years older Susanna, her icy tactics don't scare her. Aislin's honesty and frankness are what pulls Susanna in. Aislin helps Cynt and Susanna connect, while also developing and exploring her own feelings for the Ice Queen.

I get why Susanna is portrayed as the Ice Queen and nicknamed as such as well, but she really isn't At some point in the book Aislin thinks the icy veneer comes from fear, and that is just it. It's a mask, a mask that has served Susanna well in her business, but not in her personal life. I really like how the author worked with this, how Aislin is never scared and gives as much ice as she gets. There is never any imbalance. I do have some questions left about what was going n with Cynt, there was bullying, and it worked well as a side story, but I could have done with a little more on this. Adding some depth to the mother-daughter relationship which is a vital part of this story. 
At the 80-90% mark I could feel the inevitable drama coming, but low and behold, like proper adults they talked (or shouted) about it and worked it out. It is a believable moment, if it would have played out differently, I might have thrown my Kindle out of the window, so thank you Gun Brooke for not making me throw my Kindle.
Solid 3.75 star read.

Gun Brooke is one of my favorite authors. Once again she doesn't disappoint. I loved the chemistry between the main characters Aislin and Susanna. I felt so much for Susanna daughter Cynt and all that she was going through. I was happy to see Characters such as Mannon, Eryn, Mike and Vivian from her previous book being incorporated. The story flowed beautifully. You should grab a copy you wont be disappointed. I recommend. 5 stars.


I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.


Thank you NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books Inc and Gun Brooke# Ice Queen

I really love books written by Gun Brooke. When I read through “Ice Queen”, I was so happy that some of the characters from her previous books made an appearance in this one.

Brooke once again wrote a strong storyline (bullying, personal baggages) and the romance was amazing. Aislin was a happy character and she was good in finding excuses for other people while Susanna had an icy demeanor towards others (but not the extreme ice queen persona). Both the MCs were charming, witty, and relatable. They both complemented each other and the sex was HOT! I really like them together.

The epilogue was written in Cynt’s POV. It kind of differ from the way the book had gone so far (only Aislin and Susanna’s POV) but I think the author is preparing the readers for her next book (who knows?).
It was definitely a good read and would gladly recommend it to others.

I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

P. S. 
You can read Gun Brooke’s previous books such as Coffee Sonata, Insult To Injury to know more about the women who was there during dinner ( Manon, Eryn, Mike, Vivian, Gail, and Romi). And also Soul Unique and Wayworn Lovers if you want to know about the other two women who were mentioned (Hayden Rowe & Giselle Bonnaire).

3.5 stars
Rich divorcee (Susanna) with 14 year old daughter,(Cynthia)  meets hot school counselor (Aislin) and they fall hard for each other.  The counselor helps mother and daughter mend their disconnect.   But it's more than that...it's a hot romance between two interesting characters with the side story involving the daughters social problems. 
I don't agree with some of the reviews that stated they thought the author missed the chance to highlight the  bullying aspect more.  I thought it was a necessary side story and was described enough and dealt with using an investigation in the end.
I was more interested in finding out why Susanna had the ice queen tag.  Of course we find out after a very sexy dinner with friends. That's when I started reading faster.
(I was a bit confused about the couple's at this dinner. They weren't described very much and I felt they were important to the story......and then later I discovered this is a series, and these are reoccurring characters.  But don't be concerned,  this can be read as a stand alone)
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I always look out for Gun Brooke, she a great author and story teller, which she has done again with Ice Queen.
The story is a sweet romance, and the attraction between Aislin and Susanna is evident from their first contact.
I loved the book included secondary characters like Cynt and included her story and out come along with the main story.

Would i recommend: Yes. Great sweet book to read

Whenever Gun Brooke writes a book it will make my to read list. So far I have not been disappointed and this time is no different. She excels in writing characters you can connect with, her dialogue flows naturally from the pages and interactions/reactions in her story make sense.
In this book the relationship between Aislin and Susanne (who is not really such an Ice Queen) is one you as a reader can get behind., both are struggling with insecurities from the past, but the way they handle that rings true and for me a believable plot pulls me even more into the story: it could happen to me!

A point to take into consideration: in the beginning it felt like Cynth (Susanne's daughter) would have a bigger role in this story and considering the subject of her part of the plot that would have been better in my opinion. Now the rather serious problem of bullying is touched upon but as soon as Cynth fulfills her role as instigator for Susanne and Aislin to meet she and her problem fade to the background. In the epilogue it's mentioned that her bullying has stopped, but more of that process as well as more reconnecting between mother and daughter would add more depth to the book.

Nevertheless, a sweet romance I read with a lot of pleasure and would recommend to romance lovers who like contemporary books with an (slight) ice queen persona and class difference love story with a simple, realistic plot.

**** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

High school counselor Aislin is besotted by Susanna after sharing a dance at a club. Aislin is reacquainted with Susanna when she discovers that the twice divorced conglomerate CEO is the mother of a troubled 14 year old Cynt whom she had befriended by chance at a coffeehouse. 

I read this book without realising that this is the fifth book in the Coffee Sonota universe series. And even though there is absolutely no need to read the first four books at all, fellow sticklers for chronology would know how I feel, especially when characters from Coffee Sonota and Insult to Injury made small guest appearances. 

Anyway, this is a low angst, non-fluffy romance that I lapped up almost immediately because this book falls into one of my favourite tropes - ice queens, of course. And I'd say Gun Brooke did the chemistry bit between the main characters right and I am so happy with it. 

But I also noticed that the author chose simplicity over a complicated narrative, downplaying or disregarding everyone else in favour of focusing predominately on the relationship between the main characters themselves. This includes Cynt who centres this story as a neglected teenager at home and a victim of school bullying but her issues were addressed only half-heartedly. This also includes other side characters like Aislin's friends who could have had a chance to interact with Susanna even if its not to play a larger role accentuating the realistic differences in Aislin and Susanna's social circles.

But that being said, I am still positive about this book because the author delivered a good romance that has me wanting more of Aislin and Susanna.

This is another win for Gun Brooke. I love a good Ice Queen romance and I really loved the way this author includes kids and writes them so well. I felt so much for the daughter. I liked the main character's development and how they helped each other deal with their baggage and grow into something together. It was a pleasure to see characters from other stand alone books pop up. It made me want to go back and reread her other books again!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gun Brooks is outstanding with all she writes. I was expecting normal ice queen romance but this one isn't the normal read its better.

Read in one sitting couldn't put it down. Really felt like I was transported into the book and felt like I could connect with the characters. Was realistic and loved the build up would highly recommend reading!

Very well written book. Hard to connect too tbh I kept going on and off reading it. I liked both characters individually but not together. and for sure I wanted to know the child problems going with the flow not at the end and wanted them to try and solve it and see the process.  second I did not think Susanna was cold so I dont know why the title said ice queen. I dont know could've been amazing but it was good. 


very thankful for the author and her team for the free copy

How excited was I to see a lesbian romance titled “Ice Queen” by Gun Brooke..Yes Please!! Plus I always love with Gun Brooke books past characters come in to play within the story and I always look forward to that.
Aislin Kennedy is a high school counselor and she is passionate about her role and her students.  She meets 14 year old Cynt at a local coffee shop and her experience working with teens tells her there is more to the story then a girl waiting for her mom to pick her up after school.
“Ice Queen” Susanna Durr is the CEO of a fashion empire, twice divorced, she is at her wits end trying to connect with her daughter while trying to meet the demands of running her company. She would do anything for her daughter, she would  even allow a charismatic and outspoken school counselor that Cynt can talk and can confide to...Even if Aislin brings out the most inconvenient feelings Susanna has ever had for another. That can be ignored, right?
I loved the chemistry and hot, hot, hot sex scenes between the two MC’s. Now the problem I had with the book was that a major part of the story line which was school bullying was glossed over and not really resolved until the very end. It was almost like it was forgotten and then was told hey you never resolved the bullying part and had to write a blurp to tie it in. So that was disappointing and hope to maybe one day see a future story about Cynt.
Overall I enjoyed the book but felt the forgotten plot hurt the overall story in the end. 
I was given this ARC via NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. Many Thanks!

This was a first for me with this author and it  definitely is not amongst my favorite books.
I liked the couple and how they met and the coincidences involved. Also, problems of communication can really be a big deal in a relationship, this is very real.
The bully subject is also an important one.
However, I have to note two things.
First: The Ice Queen is not SOOOO an ice queen, I don't really think I would paint her like that and definitely not on the title.
Second: The major problem of this book, for me, is the epilogue. The author completely changes the point of view at this part and Cynt takes the stand. Well, my impression as a reader is that the author left some loose threads and had to come back for them. They could have been solved if the girl had opened up in the course of the book and so this abrupt change would not be necessary. For me, it felt like a not well done textual amendment.

I'm new to this author and really enjoyed this romance.  Aislin is a high school counselor and meets Cynt at a local coffee shop.  Cynt is a sad teen attending a posh private school and she opens up to Aislin.  When Cynt reaches out to Aislin for help she tells her she needs her mothers permission for them to speak more.  Cynt's mom Susanna is a workaholic who runs a business empire.  She loves her daughter and welcomes competent help.  There is a 13 year age gap between the woman that didn't bother me as both were happy and confident in their careers.

There are sparks between the main characters leading to sizzling steaminess.  I love romances when the MC's can communicate well with each other.  I appreciate their supportiveness too.  Susanna drops everything when Aislin is in need.  Also both are committed to help Cynt be happy.  I don't know if Susanna is really an ice queen or is jaded by two failed marriages.  She wasn't looking for something new.  I only wish the bullying storyline was resolved in the main storyline as opposed to the epilogue.  It is an important issue and deserves attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.