North Pole City Tales 1-3, Charlie Cochet

As a start to a series I found this quite confusing with feeling like I was dumped into the middle of a foreign place with no hint or reference to center me.  As a novella-length romance I thought it worked relatively well, albeit a shallow version of what this author is usually capable of creating.  Both elements kind of came together, but there were so many details that got skimmed over or left out completely that I'm sad to say I was a little disappointed.  There are an incredible number of things in this world that are both cute and clever at the same time as being wholly unique.  I had the hardest time connecting to Noel and Time and felt like every aspect of this story was rushed, from their cliche dynamic to the plot that ultimately brought them together there was hardly a moment to settle and let everything meld together into a captivating story.  So while it sounds like I'm not a fan, I can't help but be interested in seeing how the treachery is dealt with, if the world gets more description and context, and if the next couple is capable of capturing my attention.  3 stars.

Where Mending Noel was light on details and context, The Heart of Frost dove deep.  Even with this being in the middle of a long-established relationship, the conflict both surrounding and between Jack and Rudy kept their story interesting and relevant.  I felt their connection and because the story kept the conflict's focus on Jack's power and the consequences of his coldness, it was believable and well-balanced.  There was enough sweetness and steam as well as action and intrigue to make this an incredibly interesting story.  While Jack was incredibly reactionary and a bit on the over-the-top with rash judgments, it didn't detract too much from what the real problem was and it was easier to overlook those eye-roll moments.  The side characters being introduced as well as the overarching plot that ties everything together give us the promise of more excitement and love to come and after this vast improvement from book one, I'm definitely coming back for more.  4 stars.

With where we were left between Vale and Vixen in The Heart of Frost I was expecting something quite different than what we begin with here.  I had such a hard time with Vixen's immaturity and pettiness because it pretty much didn't end until it was almost too late.  There were so many times he could have used introspection or a "come to Jesus" moment on himself to move beyond himself instead of using guilt and the climax to push him into becoming who he should be.  He definitely redeemed himself in the end, but it was a struggle to watch him get there.  Vale was a quiet character that faded into the background a little too much, but he really was the perfect partner for Vixen.  The very end gives us an incredible moment that bodes well for more from this series so even though this was not a stunning continuation from The Heart of Frost, I will be back to see where we go from here.  3 stars.