"Fire and Ice" by Anne Stuart

As for this installment in the Ice Series, I'm more pleased than I was with Ice Storm though I do have some complaints here, as well. My biggest problem is that Jilly doesn't come across like the wunderkind genius she's supposed to be, especially considering we get her perspective and thoughts for half of the story. Aside from her language skills, there's nothing to indicate her advanced intelligence. Stuart was more successful at this in Ice Blue, showing Jilly's mental fortitude during her captivity. I guess I'm comparing with Karen Marie Moning's supersmart characters, who maintain a brainiac theme to their perspectives even if they're not spouting off cosmological formulas.

Still, I liked this book, especially how Stuart works in Japanese culture -- just enough to put you in mind of watching anime and eating terriyaki chicken with chopsticks, not so much that it reads like a tour guide. I also love Reno's character and the return of Taka, whose story was the first of the series that I read.