I'm excited to bring you the Release Week Blitz for K.A. Tucker's SURVIVING ICE, because I've loved the series! SURVIVING ICE is a standalone romantic suspense novel and is the fourth book in K.A. Tucker's Burying Water Series, published by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Grab your copy today! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for a chance to win the Complete Burying Water series SIGNED!
SURVIVING ICE Synopsis:
The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and Burying Water—which Kirkus Reviews called “a sexy, romantic, gangster-tinged page-turner”—returns with a new novel packed with romance, plot twists, and psychological suspense.
Ivy Lee, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have finally found it working in her uncle’s tattoo shop in San Francisco. But all that changes when a robbery turns deadly, compelling her to pack up her things yet again.
When they need the best, they call him. That’s why Sebastian Riker is back in California, cleaning up the mess made after a tattoo shop owner with a penchant for blackmail got himself shot. But it’s impossible to get the answers he needs from a dead body, leaving him to look elsewhere. Namely, to the twenty-something-year-old niece who believes this was a random attack. Who needs to keep believing that until Sebastian finds what he’s searching for.
Ivy has one foot out of San Francisco when a chance encounter with a stranger stalls her departure. She’s always been drawn to intense men, so it’s no wonder that she now finds a reason to stay after all, quickly intoxicated by his dark smile, his intimidating strength, and his quiet control.
That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter was no accident—and that their attraction could be her undoing.
My
Thoughts:
Ivy Lee has been filled with wanderlust for years,
but working back at her Uncle Ned’s tattoo shop in San Francisco makes her feel
like she could finally put down roots. Her
feelings are shattered when her uncle is murdered in the front room of his
tattoo parlor and Ivy is the lone witness.
Was his murder just collateral damage in a robbery gone wrong or did her
uncle get mixed up in some unsavory business?
Ever since Sebastian was discharged from the navy, he’s been
working for an elite security company that mop up “problems” the US Government
doesn’t want to touch. When he’s called
in to do damage control in a botched job in San Francisco, Sebastian quickly realizes
not all is as it seems. Ivy, the little sassy tattoo artist, while tough and independent,
is in a whole lot of danger. While
spending time with Ivy as he investigates, Sebastian starts to care for her
seriously, but can things ever work if she finds out the truth about him?
Ivy has been the most bristly character in the series, but I
liked her spunk, individuality, and her big heart underneath it all. She was abrasive at times, and she tried to
keep her feelings guarded but she’s met her match in Sebastian. Sebastian is the master at covering emotions
with impenetrable shields, so every time Ivy tried to hide reactions, he was
able to sense her underlying feelings. They got each other, and didn’t force things
out when the other was uncomfortable sharing; just waited it out until it would
spill out naturally. Their romance progressed slowly while they got to know
each other, building sexual tension as they grew closer, and to me they just
clicked.
Surviving Ice,
the last book in the Burying Water
series, ties as my favorite with the first in the series, Burying Water. I adored Ivy and Sebastian’s story; the two were
perfectly matched! I also enjoyed the
suspense and thrills the mystery provided, wondering exactly what Ned got
himself into that cost him his life.
In each of the
Burying
Water installments there was a gray area between right and wrong. At the heart of it were characters trying to
do the right thing in a difficult situation, but having to live with some of
the gray area, as well. Made me wonder what I’d do in similar situations. I applaud K.A. Tucker’s handling of the New
Adult category/genre. You won’t find the
usual ridiculous relationship drama and angst.
Instead what powered her stories were chemistry filled, realistic romance,
and a captivating mystery. I’m sad to say goodbye to the series, but I’m eager
to read whatever Ms. Tucker comes up with next!
4.5 Suns
Excerpt:
It’s just a regular ringtone. For me, though, it’s the wail of a war
siren, and I’m immediately alert. There is only one person who has this number,
and I didn’t expect him to use it again so soon.
The tile is cool against my bare feet as I roll out of bed. I collect the
phone from the nightstand with one fluid movement, unhindered by sheets or the
morning sluggishness that an average person might face. Stepping through the
propped-open patio doors and onto the balcony, I answer with a low, curt
“Yeah.” The sky is just beginning to lighten over the quiet bay. Dozens of
boats sit moored below, their passengers lulled into deep sleep by the ocean
air and rhythmic waves. I’m high enough up that I’m not likely to offend anyone
with my lack of clothing, especially at this hour. Not that I’m truly concerned
by it.
“Ice.”
The code name is a sharp contrast to the warm breeze skating across my
bare skin. My adrenaline begins to spike, all the same. Hearing it means that I
will be forced to leave this haven soon. Sooner than I had hoped.
“How is recovery going?”
I instinctively peer down at the angry red scar on the outside of my
thigh, where a bullet drilled into my flesh and muscle just three weeks ago,
outside of Kabul. I nearly bled out before I made it to the doc. He patched me
up on a makeshift operating table, buried deep in a maze of rooms, and charged
me a hefty price.
“Like new,” I lie.
“Good.” Bentley’s voice is rich and smooth, a welcome sound in a sea of
strangers. “Where are you now?”
I peer out over the beautiful vista of crystal blue water and whitewashed
stone buildings, the volcanic rock cliffs in the distance, reluctant to divulge
my location. I sank a good chunk of my last payout on renting this one-bedroom
villa for the month. It’s my private sanctuary, where I can revel in anonymity
and peace for a while, before finding somewhere else to drift to.
Bentley has never asked before.
But he also has the technical capabilities to trace this call. If he
really wants to find out, then he will. In fact, the second I picked up, he
probably already had his answer. “Where do I need to be?” I say instead.
“San Francisco.”
And don’t miss the previous titles in the Burying Water Series!
BURYING WATER
BECOMING RAIN
CHASING RIVER
About K.A. Tucker:
Born in small-town Ontario, K.A. Tucker published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.
