In 2015, numerous things are happening in the world. China has become a democratic nation, the first colonists are about to begin settling on the moon, and, more importantly, strange things are happening in Antarctica. A team of scientists disappear without a trace, and so do succeeding teams. They disappear right over a spot that seems to be heating up, but only after finding people frozen alive in the ice...and a man-made structure where there shouldn't be one.

Erica Daniels is far away from this problem, scaling a volcano in Alaska. She's one of the top scientists in her field, volcanology, and absolutely lives for her job. But it hasn't come without a price. She no longer trusts men after David Marsh, the man she loved, betrayed her in college. However, beyond her trust issues, Erica is happy with her life. She'd be even happier if invited to be one of the first colonists of the moon. So when she gets a call from NASA, Erica fully expects to be invited based on her extensive knowledge. But when she finally gets to the meeting via video conference, she's instead told that David Marsh has taken what could have been her place. She's offered a job to explore the Antarctica hotspot instead. Erica doesn't exactly jump at the chance, but it's definitely intriguing. Especially when combined with the strange secrecy that seems to surround it. Her only real problem with the job is Allan Rocheford, an archaeologist she deems a pirate for his plundering of the treasures beneath the Sphinx. He has a roguish charm, but she won't be taken in.

Ice Tomb surprised me. I expected something interesting, but nothing near what the book actually gave. Once I began reading, I literally could not stop. And even with slight foreshadowing during the story, there were turns of events I didn't completely expect, a plus for any book. This story did have romance, but it was primarily a science-fiction mystery and adventure. The author used excellent suspense, as well as cutting back and forth between different characters to further the anticipation of coming events. I did have a few questions at the end, but they didn't alter the overall feeling after I finished the book. The plot was fairly unexpected and, to be clichéd, spine-tingling. Ice Tomb is the best science-fiction romance I've read lately, but in a completely different way from books in the same genre. The characters were strong and sometimes flawed, but also determined and willing to explore possibilities. There was definitely good use of characterization in this book. The action/adventure is what fueled the pace and story, rather than the romance. Yet the HEA was satisfying and I felt very happy over it. (I'd go into details, but that might spoil the book!) It's hard for me to give you detailed reasons why this book hit so many good spots with me without revealing the intricate plot, yet it will have to do. I just really loved the twists and turns Ice Tomb took me on.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Tara Black
February 12, 2005