Review

Duncan and Amber’s story explores the idea of what preconceived notions and past experiences can do to a new relationship. And, regardless of how promising what Duncan and Amber have together is, it’s hard to not question or have faith in someone who seems to represent everything that crushed them both before.

Amber Johnson only has contempt for professional athletes due to her father’s actions and the humiliation he caused both her and her mom with his scandals and cheating. She and her mom used to have money, status, and material goods, but now Amber works two jobs and sends her mother money because her father’s fall from grace shattered all of their lives. Amber’s incredibly independent, which makes things difficult for her and Duncan because he’s a helper; he likes to take care of people he cares about, but she doesn’t want handouts; she doesn’t want to owe anyone, especially someone in the spotlight as a professional hockey player.

Duncan Armstrong may be a hotshot hockey player, but he’s still a farm boy from Wisconsin who loves his family and wants to be liked for more than just his bank account. Duncan hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to female attention; he’s used to high maintenance women who use him for his money, so when he meets Amber, he doesn’t want to like her…he doesn’t want there to be anything between them because all he sees is another chick who wants him for his money and nothing else. But there’s just something about Amber that makes him want to know her and have her even though he doesn’t have much faith of not being used again.

A lot of the problems that Duncan and Amber have are due to the fact that they can’t get out of their own way. They both have deep rooted insecurities that rule how they act and sometimes what they say, which makes them butt heads quite a bit, and when you add Amber’s mom to the mix, things go from bad to worse before there’s any chance of Duncan and Amber getting through the mess they’re creating for themselves.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Icing. At times, I felt like the plot dragged a bit, and I got extremely frustrated with how both Duncan and Amber were handling things, but for me to react that way means that Kelly Jamieson created complex characters who would have less than appealing qualities. Duncan and Amber’s stubbornness caused a lot of the issues that were between them, but it also allowed them to fight for what they wanted when everything seemed beyond repair. And, that’s the kind of characteristic that will hopefully make everything right for two people who absolutely want to be together regardless of what they have to go through to get there.

A complimentary copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Poison Apples