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ICE UNDER FIRE Linda Hudson-Smith BET/Arabesque January 2000 (4+) Wayne Jordan |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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When
I first saw the cover of ICE UNDER FIRE, I was
definitely surprised. Figure
skating? I remembered questioning. Since
then I’ve realized that African-American men and women are gaining recognition
in this sport. The figure-skating
theme is a central aspect of the book’s plot, but does not in any way
overwhelm the romance. The scenes
when Omunique is skating are simply awesome and magical, and seem so real.
It is then that we get a glimpse of what Omunique has accomplished
through courage, and determination. The
knowledge of her childhood illness only makes her character the more appealing,
and like the audience, I can’t help but applaud when her performance at the
trials lands her a place on the Olympic team. Taking the ice with the gracefulness of a cygnet, Omunique covered the other perimeters of the arena in a smooth gliding style. Her gentle moves and fluid body language conversed easily with the universe. The audience looked on in complete awe of her sweet, tantalizing movements. It
is through her involvement in figure skating that Omunique meets Kenneth
Maxwell, and she is definitely not impressed with his obnoxious personality,
especially when he mistakes her for a temporary secretary at their first
meeting. Despite this, she can't
help the unexpected attraction she feels for the handsome businessman.
Annoyed, Omunique plays along with his mistake, especially when he
criticizes and makes it clear how he feels about athletes who earn large sums
from endorsement contracts. Kenneth,
unfortunately, doesn’t realize Omunique is a world class figure-skater, and
that she’s the client seeking sponsorship from his father’s company. Fortunately,
the initial reaction to each other quickly changes as they both give in to the
attraction they feel for each other.
What follows is a rocky courtship and intense sexual tension, as the two
learn to adapt to problems of different lifestyles.
Ms.
Hudson-Smith's hero and heroine are two of the most interesting characters I've
met for the year. Interesting
because they’re by no means perfect, but this is one of the things I loved
about this book. Ms. Smith handles
their imperfections with the skill of a veteran, and at the end you can’t help
by feel that Omunique and Kenneth are real, vivid characters, flawed, but
appealing. Into
the midst of this budding sunshine of a romance comes darkness in the guise of a
stalker who begins to make threatening calls to Omunique.
Ms. Hudson-Smith handles this well, and it’s only at the end that the
criminal is revealed. ICE UNDER FIRE is major weakness is a pacing that in key scenes seems a bit to rushed - not allowing the author to dig deep into her characters’ emotions. With time, and the honing of her skill this should improve. Despite this, ICE UNDER FIRE is a significant achievement. The world of figure skating that Ms. Hudson-Smith creates is exciting and magical. A world that the reader can return to again and again. |
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wayne@romanceincolor.net (1st February 2000) |
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