"A Fierce Hero, a Guarded Heroine, and Danger Closing In."
Reviewed by Janilyn Kocher
Posted September 14, 2026
Romance Suspense
FROST AND VENOM is my first book by author Christine
Feehan but it will definitely not be my last book by this
prolific talent. Harlowe Fry fled to the mountains because she sought
solace from her troubled life as the perfect daughter of a
US Senator. Harlowe detached from her parents as soon as she
could because her father is the poster child for evil and is
very sinister. Yet, she fears him and has created a fortress
around her emotions and heart due to his activities. She
pours her compassion into her work as a nurse and her hobby
as a photographer. My esteem for her increased because she
has Misha, an adorable beagle, the best breed of dog, in my
opinion! Harlowe resides in Knightly and is part of a close circle
of friends and their partners who have established a
protective shell around each other. Feehan provides plenty
of background information for each of the friends so readers
are not lost. Harlowe has the hots for Hawkin Wilder but is
convinced they can never have a future together because of
her snarled past. Oh ye of little faith! Little does she
know that Wilder has pinpointed Harlowe since he first set
eyes upon her. He has studied her and knows it is game over
for him. She is it. My toes curled with pleasure as Wilder
called Harlowe babe, baby, and my woman. A professional
problem solver, Wilder endured a more horrific upbringing
than Harlowe. A calculating, predatory powerhouse, Wilder
always completes his missions but fell immediately for the
aloof red-haired nurse. One scene that was hard to read because it dealt with bad
things happening to a neighbor's animals hurt my heart. I
realize the animals are fiction, but it was still
heartbreaking to read. The characters attempt to discern who and what is fueling
some of the townspeople. It is a tangled web of lies,
deception, anger, and revenge that I could not see clearly
until the very end. The ending for the culprits is entirely
appropriate, but I could not help but wish more pain could
have been inflicted upon the perps. FROST AND VENOM is a story replete with complete yet
simple plots that will wipe the cobwebs from any reader's
mind. The inspiration for the title is very creative and
illuminating. SUMMARYDeception and danger lay in wait in the beautiful, harrowing California backcountry in this gripping suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.
Surgical and trauma nurse Harlow Frye loves the small town of Knightly, where breathtaking views of the Sierra and a tight circle of female friends provides a refuge from her professional life. But lately, it's Harlow's personal life that's causing all the chaos.
First, a series of anonymous threatening letters are left in her mailbox. Then, Harlow is dealt a blow when her friend Lawyer dies after reacting to some sort of toxin. And to top it off, Harlow finds her secret obsession, CIA operative Hawkin Wilder, bleeding out on a mountain trail.
As Harlow turns her home into a makeshift hospital, her infuriating, attractive patient insists on distracting her. But even in the face of their increasing connection, there's no way Harlow can ignore the escalating storm, when someone else close to her is struck down by the mysterious toxin.
With little more than intuition to go on, Harlow turns to the five friends who have proved themselves to be a better family than her own flesh and blood. As the women attempt to unravel the killings, they will need to rely on their instincts and their connection to each other‑or else they'll lose everything they've come to hold dear.
EXCERPTHarlow cursed herself for being so emotional. She’d been raised to be stoic, to never show her feelings, but lately, she fell apart the moment she was alone. Now, Wilder had come at the worst possible time. She’d given herself permission to fall apart, to cry, scream, rail against injustice, believing she would be alone at three in the morning on a trail in the middle of nowhere.
Still, she was a nurse, and a darned good one. The scandal didn’t matter, only the fact that this man was injured. She took a deep breath, forcing air through her lungs. She could handle this. More, it was Wilder, and he was injured.
“Let’s get you to the garage. I can take you to the hospital.” She managed to keep her voice steady. In charge. She should have known it wouldn’t work.
“Not going to the hospital, woman. If I wanted to go there, that’s where I’d be. I was coming to you so you could fix me up.”
She matched her pace to his. Normally, Wilder moved with easy, fluid steps, but he was awkward. Hunched. Arms wrapped around his middle. One hand was pressed hard against his side. “Where is your car?” She hadn’t noticed one sitting in any of the parking places.
“Don’t have one.”
That didn’t make sense. “How did you get here? You’re injured.”
A faint grin sent her heart into overdrive. His smile was stunning yet terrifying in the way she reacted to it. She just didn’t—couldn’t—have such intense chemistry with any other person. But Wilder?
“Happy you finally noticed I could use a little assistance. It hurts like a son of a bitch.”
She kept walking, ensuring she didn’t move too fast. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on Wilder’s face. He hunched even more as they made their way slowly back toward her house.
“Ran into trouble on a mission. Parachuted in to you.” His low, velvet‑toned voice was barely discernible. “Don’t want to take the chance of paperwork in the hospital that would lead straight back to me. If this is inconvenient . . .” He shrugged.
“As if I’d ever turn you away.” She wasn’t going to point out she was risking her license, depending
on how bad it was. She could get in trouble if he’d been shot. That was something she would be obligated to report—not that she would, and she was usually by the book.
As if reading her mind, he took one hand and ran it down the back of her hair as they walked. “Things go wrong, you need anything at all, you reach out to Rainier. He has the pull to get you out of trouble.”
Her heart stuttered. “You stay here. I’ll go get the car.” Something was very wrong. She should have realized Wilder would never be sweating or stumbling the way he was if the injury wasn’t bad.
He kept walking. As he did, he slid one palm to her lower back and pressed gently to keep her moving. “Let’s just get there, babe.”
Under any other circumstances, she would have objected strenuously to being called babe by him. Now, she just wanted to get him safely to her home.
“Distract me. Talk. Tell me why you were out here when you know better and why you were crying.”
She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t understand how you can manage to be annoying even when you’re clearly seriously wounded.”
He flashed that faint grin of his that could melt the panties right off a woman. “It’s a gift.”
Harlow was slightly ashamed that she reacted to that little grin. He was wounded, and it seemed a little perverted that she was thinking of sex when he was most likely bleeding to death. His skin had a grayish hue and was beaded with sweat. He might act confident, but he was severely injured. Ordinarily, she would have taken charge, but Wilder wasn’t a man she could manipulate or control, not even when it came to his health. She kept walking, determined to get him to her house as soon as she could.
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