Hot Ice by Lynn Raye Harris

When fire and ice collide, you get steam…
Grace Campbell leads a privileged life. The daughter of a United States senator, she moves within the social circles of the rich and famous. But Grace is also a scientist, and when someone learns she possesses the knowledge necessary to create a new super virus capable of destroying entire nations, she becomes a target for terror groups and foreign governments alike.
Garrett “Iceman” Spencer didn’t join the Army’s elite Hostile Operations Team to babysit a spoiled rich girl, but when his superiors insist on assigning him to a senator’s daughter as her security detail, he has no choice but to comply.
It’s a shock to find that beneath the glasses and serious scowl, Grace Campbell burns hot. And Garrett, who’s been burned before, suddenly wants to immerse himself in the flames.
Keeping Grace alive—and keeping his hands off her—is a full-time job for this HOT soldier. Failure is not an option…

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At the first look Garrett and Grace could not be more opposite of each other. Garrett is cynical, 'Iceman', career military man with no intentions to ever step into a relationship again, after a bitter divorce, and trying to balance between the job at HOT and his daughter. Grace is a nerdy scientist, insecure as a woman, and brainy when it comes to her job, hiding behind a bit icy exterior, to protect herself from getting hurt.
Soon, Garrett and Grace find themselves opening up to each other, sharing their history, hurts and pain from the past, and their lips locked together. They burn up the scenes, again and again. Every time it is 'the last time'. And the feelings start to grow, surprising both of them.
The romance between Garrett and Grace is raw and steamy, and the story mostly focuses on that aspect. How they deal with their insecurities, personal problems, and Garrett's days of bedding as many women he can after the divorce.
They are on the run, trying to escape the people after Grace, and her research materials. The constant threat is present, the build up for the collision is well done, but the collision itself seems somehow not so sharp, almost as an afterthought. I wish the story would have focused more on the suspense part, on the action running from the mobsters, and how HOT solved the case behind the attacks on Grace.
When reading long running series like HOT, it's always nice to visit with the old characters, and seeing where life has taken them over time. Hot Ice, while not the strongest book in the series in my opinion, was enjoyable, and good addition to the series. There's no doubt I will keep reading the books, and following the HOT team with their adventures.
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side