Review: Sun-Kissed (Snow Queen #2) by Laura Florand

They called her the Ice Queen.

Anne Winters. Self-made billionaire. Household name. Divorced single mom. Convicted felon. She didn’t let anyone or anything get to her. No one was allowed to breach the walls around her heart except for her own son. She had only one trusted friend: her vacation house neighbor. They’d been walking the beach together for twenty years. Not that this gave him access to her heart, of course…

They called him a man who got what he wanted.

Mack Corey. Self-made billionaire. Dominant world player. Widowed father of the bride. No felony convictions yet, although his daughters had come close. He’d transformed his family company into one of the top 500 by the age of thirty. He’d raised two daughters who dumped him for idiot arrogant French chocolatiers and went off to live in Paris. Hell, he even managed to tolerate his dad. But that Ice Queen act Anne Winters had going was really starting to get to him…
They’d been friends for twenty years. Could they become lovers?

Could a frozen heart be kissed by the sun?

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Source: e-arc provided by author for my honest review

Review:
Laura Florand is my #1 comfort read author. Her writing transports me to far away places, filled with larger than life characters and food descriptions that leave me wishing that I could live in that world. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for me to *prepare* to read a Laura Florand book. I must have good chocolate, a blanket and a fluffy pillow. I snuggle up in a quiet corner and disappear into my book until I’m finished.

Sun-Kissed was a bit different than Florand’s previous books. There aren’t many descriptions of scenery or decadent desserts but the romance is no less of a delight to the senses.

Mack Corey and Anne Winters come together to celebrate the wedding of Mack’s daughter, Jamie. and the occasion brings about overwhelming emotions for both of them.

This is such a gorgeous story that is rarely told from the parents perspective. What must it be like to raise your children and realize that you may have done it wrong? That they might not need you anymore. That they chose someone so different from you that it must mean they hate you. We usually see the grown children’s side but reading how heart wrenching and painful it is to watch your children move on without you really made this story stand out.

Both Mack and Anne are powerful people, and have been friends for over 20 years, but can they transition to something more? This was a beautifully written romance. While the men of this series have always been arrogant – they are also insecure in a way. They are afraid to hand their hearts over in such a vulnerable way. Mack has all the arrogance but the experience and maturity the others lack. Both he and Anne have been through a lifetime of experiences together; death, divorce, miscarriages, jail but only as friends. Mack decides it’s time to break down his ice queen. They are both feeling a sense of loss with their children but they also see an opportunity to enter a new phase of their life - together.
While the story definitely has sexy times - I enjoyed the more sensual moments. A touch of fingertips that sends the pulse racing was hotter than any overt act.

Anne is resistant to letting Mack in. She doesn’t want to ruin their friendship and wonders how the kids will feel. Will Mack let her down? She hasn’t been able to rely on anyone – ever. But as Mack says to her “I don’t do that leaving shit.” and he means it.

Sun-Kissed is a story about family, forgiveness, perseverance and loyalty and it touched my heart in a way that few books have ever done. It made me laugh, cry and cry some more - but happy tears in the end. I couldn't even read anything for several days. I wanted to stay right there with these characters a little longer.

*Sun-Kissed takes place in her Amour et Chocolate world and is the second Snow Queen novella (the first was Snow-Kissed) but can be read as a stand alone. Of course, you will appreciate the dynamics so much more if you’ve read the series. Seeing everyone together and watching the family dynamics play out was a wonderful gift to fans of the series.