Beneath the Ice by L.A. Cotton

Beneath the Ice is the third book in the Lakeshore U series by L.A. Cotton. I’ve been looking forward to this book since the moment I finished On Thin Ice, and I knew it would break my heart. I both loved and hated this book. I loved seeing more of Connor and Ella, but Connor’s injury and the aftermath just about killed me.

*I received a free, advanced copy of this book for reviewing purposes.*

The Story

We first met Connor in Break the Ice. He is the lovable defenseman, a roommate of Austin, and bonds instantly with Rory when she arrives. He and his girlfriend, Ella, are a constant presence in both Rory and Noah’s story, and Harper and Mason’s in book 2. They’re the solid couple. Together for a year, deeply in love, and always there for their friends. Connor has signed with the Flyers, and Ella is going to move with him once they graduate and he begins his NHL career.

Because they are introduced as unit and are always depicted as living their own happily ever after, I knew this book would be a doozy.

I was not expecting the book to start prior to Connor’s injury. At the end of On Thin Ice, we find out that Connor’s been injured and is most likely out for the season. And we find out his plans to propose on Christmas Day. I assumed that we’d pick up somewhere around there. Instead, the book begins in the middle of the previous book. I loved seeing things through Connor and Ella’s eyes, especially Mason’s transformation.

But it meant that I was so anxious to keep reading, because I didn’t want the inevitable to happen. Connor’s injury occurs almost 1/3 of the way into the book. (Yes, I am aware this is fiction. I take these things too seriously, ok? I’m obsessive and an overly emotional reader/viewer.) Once ‘it happened,’ I was stuck. There was no way I’d be putting the book down until I knew Connor and Ella were healed and happy again.

My Verdict on Beneath the Ice

As gut-wrenching as it was, I did ‘like’ reading about his time in the hospital from Connor’s eyes. In On Thin Ice, Noah talked about Connor’s injury and makes it seem like the doctor’s couldn’t decide what to do. But after reading Connor’s side of things, the reality was that Connor couldn’t decide what to do and his father’s presence only confused him more. It’s a minor thing, but that detail does track with Connor shutting everyone out.

While I didn’t love having to wait and wait for the injury to happen, I hated Connor’s parents more. His Dad was definitely awful, but his mother wasn’t perfect either. But more importantly, I hated that Connor didn’t stick up for Ella while he was recovering the same was he did when they visited his parents for Thanksgiving. But, this also made the tension between Connor and Ella very realistic.

This book isn’t my favorite out of the series. But I still absolutely loved it. There was so much more to Connor and Ella’s relationship then what we see in the other books. At the start of the series, I didn’t think we’d get a Connor and Ella story, especially since they do have they are featured in the prequel Bite the Ice. But I loved it.

Most books cover a couple finding one another, not an already solid couple facing major challenges and overcoming them to have their future together. It was a change of pace I didn’t know I needed or wanted. And that alone, makes this book a standout.

Have you been reading the Lakeshore U series? Click here for all of my L.A. Cotton book reviews.