Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4)

Crazy intense chemistry, sarcastic banter, endearing characters, an edgy plot . . . does it get any better than this? If I’m being honest, I wasn’t convinced going into this story that Ivy was a character whose head I wanted to be in. We meet her initially in Burying Water and see a little bit of her softer side in Chasing River, but it isn\’t until this story that we\’re given a true look at who this woman really is beneath the snark, the tattoos and her art. I\’m the first to admit, I completely misjudged her. I might even go so far to say, she\’s now one of my favorite characters of the entire Burying Water series. Beneath that abrasive, I-don\’t-care attitude, is someone with a huge heart. It was that darn Chasing River epilogue that left me dying for more of Rowen’s charm and silliness. I kept questioning how Ivy could leave Dublin without giving him a chance and her declaration – “grinning Irishmen aren’t my type” – kind of threw me off, at first . . . what, why?! Ok, those were my pre-Sebastian thoughts. Sorry, Rowen. I gotta side with Ivy on this one. I can’t blame her for ditching the flirty Irishmen now that I know Sebastian was on the horizon. Ivy’s always felt misunderstood, except where her Uncle Ned is concerned. He took her under his wing, helped her hone her tattooing skills and just let her be Ivy. So naturally, his murder leaves her pretty shaken up and sort of lost. After spending seven months in San Francisco, working in his tattoo shop, and contemplating a more permanent stay, her life is uprooted . . . again. Is there anything worth sticking around for or is it time to move on to the next city? In steps Sebastian, the ex-Navy SEAL and total badass, to change everything. He shows up at the shop, under the guise of a referral, wanting Ivy to work her magic. We’re made privy to the real reason he’s there though and it’s for far more than just a grim reaper on his torso. Sebastian’s there to clean up a mess . . . one that ties Ivy\’s fate to an elusive VHS tape. To say that I was completely captivated by Sebastian and Ivy is an understatement. K.A. Tucker has a gift for telling stories without the contrived drama and overwrought angst that plagues so many other books in this genre and it\’s refreshing. Addictive. Exciting. She really takes the time to develop her characters and the plot, which results in actions, emotions and dialogue that always manages to feel organic. And the insane amount of anticipation and tension she creates . . . utter perfection. I couldn’t ask for more.

I read a lot of books in this genre. A lot of them are barely passable with regard to grammar and punctuation. A lot of them have thin, predictable plots. Some of them are so ridiculously unbelievable I can\’t even finish reading them. It\’s like everyone is self-publishing and not taking the time to really learn how to write a good, believable story, and they are clearly not spending much, if any, money on editors. But this book… THIS book is phenomenal! The writing is fantastic! The plot, the arcs, the character development — all top-notch! I only even found a handful of grammatical tweaks I\’d recommend but which aren\’t necessary (kudos, editor!) and one slightly unrealistic scene*. The story is absolutely believable. The characters are so real I could see them, felt like I could touch them, swear I could smell them. And the plot, despite actually knowing Sebastian\’s secrets, was anything but predictable. It was almost impossible to put down this story. I remember liking Ten Tiny Breaths a lot, and I like stories about intelligent tattooed people and tattoo artists (anyone who knows these people IRL knows they are usually colorful, interesting people), so I figured I\’d like this book, even if it was just a typical book of the genre. I didn\’t think it would be THIS good, didn\’t think it\’d be so supremely well done that I want to practically roll around in it and read it three more times in rapid-fire succession, just to keep living in this story. That\’s how much I love this book. It\’s THAT good. And I know it\’s the last *planned* book in the series, but I WANT MORE of these people. I\’m betting they lead interesting lives in their future as well, and there are so many directions it could spin off into… Especially with bikers and security gigs and Seb\’s past life which could resurface any time, and Ian\’s IRA tangent… ***Slight spoiler*** The one slightly unrealistic scene… Ivy and Seb are doing drywall, and he\’s shirtless and a little sweaty. She *licks* his chest or abs, or something. Doesn\’t matter what she licked… Anyone who has ever seen or done any drywall work would know a shirtless, sweaty person would be covered in drywall dust in 0.2 seconds, and licking them would be highly inadvisable. It would taste nasty and make a quite unpleasant \”mud\” on the tongue. And that\’s the only thing about this story I found *highly unlikely* and made me roll my eyes. But the rest is so awesome, I immediately forgave the teensy faux pas and kept devouring the story — especially because it got REALLY interesting right after that!

Won\’t deny I am a huge KA fan. For me, this was the best of the series. The grief, anger, fear, humor and sexual tension were all perfectly balanced and I felt each one. I didn\’t put this down until I was finished. Didn\’t get much sleep that night, but it was well worth it. Ivy has been unsettled for years. Wandering from place to place until she returns to her home town of San Francisco and takes a job with her Uncle Ned at his tattoo shop. Ned is adorably grumpy and obviously loves Ivy. She is finally beginning to feel settled living with Ned and working at his shop. Tattooing is an artistic expression for Ivy. Then everything goes to s*** when she witnesses a murder and her first instinct is to run. Fight or flight right?! She meets Sebastian shortly after the murders. He is very charming and funny, oh and hot, did I mention hot? Sebastian jumps in and offers to help her with things that she is emotionally struggling dealing with. Don\’t get me wrong, Ivy is a badass, but there is only so much any person can handle without a shoulder to lean on. Sebastian is an ex-Navy Seal that is now working the private sector. He has never struggled with his job until now. Something just isn\’t adding up and he has to figure out what. How awesome is nutty Dakota, Ivy\’s best friend. She\’s a pot smoking hippie that is wise beyond her red eyes. She is quirky and in your face honest. Enjoyed Dakota and all her weirdness. Thanks KA for another amazing story! Reviewed by Becky for Jo&IsaLoveBooks […] […]

This is the 4th book in KA Tucker’s Burying Water series. I have never been sure of which book in this series has been my favourite – because I’ve loved them all – and this has not made it any clearer! Each book in the series focuses on two different main characters and is told from both the male and female perspectives. This is just one of the things I love about this series because KA Tucker nails dual POV every single time. Each character’s own story is completely individual and different to the other main character in their book although there is always one thing that ties them together. The uniqueness of each story line is especially shown in Surviving Ice. It is emphasised by the secretive natures of both characters. Ivy is a character we have already been introduced to as she was Amber Welles’ enemy turned friend in Chasing River – book 3. Ivy came across as highly independent, fierce and more than able to hold her own. That comes across again in Surviving Ice but we also get to see a softer, needier and almost vulnerable side to her as Sebastian breaks down her barriers. Sebastian is the strong, contemplative and brooding type. Having just watched the film American Sniper I have a whole new appreciation for his personality, his protectiveness and his well-honed and much admired physique. In the beginning and for the majority of the story Sebastian doesn’t fully disclose who he really is, or why he has all of a sudden entered Ivy’s life. I kept waiting, turning page after page for the proverbial to hit the fan but it was well concealed until the last gasp. If it were any other main character things might have been different, however, Ivy wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Sebastian was hiding something although she didn’t know what. I’m glad because there is nothing about Ivy that is naïve or stupid. Their attraction is obvious and the two characters being around one another seemed effortless, I really believed their story. I could have reread this book straight away it was just that good and it had me hooked from the start. I would recommend this series for fans of Samantha Young and Colleen Hoover.

I loved this book. I can\’t praise it enough. K.A Tucker is a talented writer. Her characters are flawed and believable. I loved Ivy and Sebastian. I can\’t recommend this book enough. Great story told from a dual point of view.

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