REVIEW: Frost Line by Linda Howard and Linda Jones

Frost Line by Linda Howard and Linda Jones: When seven year old Elijah sneaks downstairs and discovers that his “Uncle Bobby” has killed his mother, he takes off, finding shelter in the empty house of his friend. Scared, alone, and unable to find a phone in the house, he hides in a closet which houses the Alexandria Tarot Cards. These cards allow the Major Arcana, the living representations of the cards, to travel to Earth, which is known to them as Seven. When he calls out for help, Lenna, the representation of Strength, appears.

Lenna, having never left Aeonia before, is unsure of what to do, but she knows she has to keep Elijah safe. She only has five days to find the person that killed his mother and return to her world before it falls to shambles because of her absence.

Caine, a Hunter, is ordered to find Lenna and bring her back to her home. He thought it would be as easy as putting all the Alexandria cards back together. He didn’t count on her forming an attachment with the child. What neither of them expected was that three other Hunters were also after her. Not to bring her back like Caine, but they were hired by Veton, aka Tower, to get the cards so he could create more chaos throughout the worlds.

I loved Elijah. He was cute and funny. As only a child could, he had no problem accepting Lenna and her help. It didn’t phase him that she just appeared out of a card. And when Caine transported them from location to location, he wanted to learn how to do it as well.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Elijah shot out, headed for the couch. He stopped halfway, braced himself, squatted slightly, made two fists, closed his eyes, and grunted.
“No!” Caine said explosively, surging to his feet. “Go back to the bathroom! Don’t–you’re too old. You’re not wearing diapers!”
Lenna stared up at him, her mouth falling open. What? What was wrong? She didn’t understand.
Elijah opened his eyes and made a sound of disgust. “I’m not pooping in my pants! I’m not a little baby. I was trying to disappear and then appear somewhere else, like you did.”

I liked Lenna and how protective she was of Elijah. It was also amusing to see her learn about the ways of life on Seven, which she learned from Caine. As a Hunter, he had the ability to move between places at will, unlike the Major Arcana, who were unable to leave their homes. Her most entertaining experience was when Caine took them to Wal-Mart.

“Shopping” was an exciting concept to her, though she wisely kept that observation to herself. Thanks to reading his memories she knew what shopping was; on Aeonia, everything she wished for had simply been brought to her. Gazing around the huge store, she thought that this must be like hunting, and the fastest shopper got the best items.

Caine started off gruff, and it took a little while to warm up to him. Initially, he didn’t care about Elijah and the danger he was in. All he wanted was to get the cards and get Lenna back to Aeonia with no concern as to what would happen to the boy if they left him alone. As the story progressed he thawed out and, even though he tried to hide it, he came to care about both Elijah and Lenna.

If you enjoy your books with a bit of suspense, romance, and paranormal all rolled into one, it’s worth giving Frost Line a read.

Book Info:

Publication: August 30, 2016 | Avon |

Lenna is Strength, a manifestation of the Tarot card, and powerful beyond reckoning. But when she’s pulled into the human realm, tasked with protecting a young boy, everything is thrown into chaos. Lenna’s not supposed to be here, interacting with mortals. She’s definitely not supposed to be drawn to the sexy mercenary sent to retrieve her by any means necessary . . .

As a Hunter for magical beings, Caine’s duty is simple: return this compelling, impossibly attractive woman—or eliminate her. Instead he’s drawn into Lenna’s dangerous rescue mission and blindsided by his growing feelings. But there is more than one enemy to contend with. And as the clock runs out, failure means not just the loss of an innocent life and the woman Caine has come to love, but the destruction of Lenna’s entire world.