Cold As Ice by L.A. Cotton

Cold as Ice is the fourth book in L.A. Cotton’s Lakeshore U series, following Austin, the quiet and broody goalie, and single-mom Madison.

**I received a free, advanced copy of this book for reviewing purposes. Thank you to the author, L.A. Cotton, and to Deviant Hearts PR for including me in this release!**

The Story

Austin is the grumpy, standoffish goalie we’ve known since book one of the series. He’s the older brother of Rory (from book 1) and was always a constant, quiet presence in the series. At the end of book 1, we learn that he’s got some demons of his own to deal with, but never got more of a hint as to what they are. Austin has been the mysterious player on the team that grabbed your attention, even in books that weren’t about him.

Madison happens to meet Austin thanks to a dare from her friends on a rare night out. She’s not interested in him because he’s a hockey player, she just wants his number to get her friends off her back. She doesn’t even really care when she realizes it was a fake number. But she’s got a secret she keeps to herself – in the form of a 4 year old daughter, Imogen.

My Verdict on Cold As Ice

I’m glad to finally have Austin’s story. But, part of the story felt a bit over the top. The buildup before Austin finds Madison with her daughter just kept going. And when it does happen, it’s not surprising that once over the initial shock, Austin still wants to know Madison. Isn’t that what you’d want if you were in Madison’s place? We go into the story knowing it’s going to be a happy ending. So the fact that it is drawn out so much just got to be a but much.

So overall, I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I love the dynamics between Austin and Madison. I love that they both had an all or nothing mentality, even though they try to deny themselves that in the beginning. Some of the other team members say that when Austin falls for someone, he’ll fall harder and faster than any of them did. And it’s absolutely what happens.

He accepts Madison and her daughter into his life, and immediately falls into a father role, and once he does, never wants to give it up. Madison and Imogen give him a purpose, much more than hockey ever does. And for the grumpy guy that didn’t know what he wanted, and didn’t believe in love, that’s exactly what he needed.