Whiteout by Adriana Anders was a heart pounding romantic suspense that kept me turning the pages until the final chapter.

Angel Smith has escaped to Antarctica to rethink her life by being the cook for a research station. Ford Cooper is a glaciologist that is running from life after serving in the military. Both Angel and Ford are broken complex people who must work together to survive after the research station is taken over by a group of mercenaries. Ms. Anders' narrative was so clear that I felt frozen most of the time while I was reading just from her description of the harsh Antarctica environment. There were numerous twists to the story that only intrigued me more as I continued to read. And that ending - wow! Definitely a cliff hanger for the next book. That's okay with me on this one because I want to know what happens next with this group of men and women who are willing to take on the unknown to protect innocents.

Whiteout is a book about 2 people living at a research facility in Antarctica. One is a chef, the other a scientist. They couldn't be any more different. Winter arrives and they find themselves in the middle of a government conspiracy fighting for their lives. This book was full of action and suspense. Then throw in some steamy romance along with a super sexy "Ice Man" and you have a nice combo. I've got a thing for the freakishly smart, quiet, yet slightly scary ones. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was well paced and interesting.

When I start reading Whiteout I thought with what this book will keep my attention with the ice, cold Antarctic. But my curiosity was stronger and I have no regrets that I read the book till the end.

The story is about Angel Smith, a chef in the research station in the South Pol. Her summer shift is over and she suppose to leave. The night before Angel and the summer crew was leaving she wanted to remmember that night. She ask Ford Cooper to dance, but the “ice man” said no. The next day she stay trapped in the ice with Ford Cooper and evil men who want to kill them.

I like the author writing style because it makes me read and imagine those vast place covered with ice.

“Nothing lived here. No birds, no insects, not a solitary penguin on this most remote part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Just three hundred and sixty degrees of sky and ice—blue and white—fighting for dominance. Not to mention a sun that played its strange game of hopscotch, bouncing along the rim of the sky but never quite setting. Almost sunset, sunrise, almost sunset, sunrise.”

Characters are believable and still keep them on my mind real and vivid.

I like Angel her tenaciousness and surviving instincts.

I would like to read more about this man, Eric Ford’ s brother:

“Retired Navy SEAL Eric Cooper wasn’t the type of man to ask for permission before acting. Nor was he the type to ask for forgiveness. He just did what needed to be done. It had been his job, once. Now it was his personal mission.”

Some quotes:

“Oh hell,” she said this time, because being dependent on anyone rankled. But liking him rankled even more. And then, because it felt stupidly good to just say it aloud, she whispered it on repeat over and over again until the words lost their meaning.”

The best quote:

“You’re my home. And I want to be yours. Will you let me be that? Can I be the place you come home to?”

I was generously provided an ARC by the publisher for an honest review.

Adriana Anders is one of the most original and thoughtful romance novel authors on the market today. Full stop. Her Blank Canvas and Love At Last series masterfully explore trauma and healing, our political system, and how communities can provide safe haven and opportunities for personal growth. When I pick up an Anders novel I expect to be challenged. I look forward to the creatively developed characters who experience real violence, whether that is emotional or physical abuse or mental illness associated with Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD). I also know that when I open an Anders romance novel, I will be met with the utmost respect as a reader as well as a person.

I never worry that Anders will mishandle either the description of trauma nor the characters’ healing journey. And as a reader with PTSD from sexual trauma, it is an enormous weight off my shoulders to know that Anders’ novels are safe for me.

Adriana Ander’s newest series Survival Instincts of which Whiteout is the first book, does not disappoint. Whiteout begins immediately after the events of her novella Deep Blue (which is free!). Deep Blue introduces Anders’ readers to the Chronos Corporation and their willingness to do violence to anyone and anything (including natural resources and protected ecosystems) to execute their evil plans. Deep Blue also introduces readers to the ‘good guys;’ a group of highly skilled ex-special forces who ban together to start a paramilitary organization capable of challenging multi-national corporations and corruption in the US government. But because Survival Instincts is an Anders romance novel, any plot of international espionage and conspiracy and balanced out with a deeply felt connection between the hero and heroine.

In Whiteout, Anders pairs a Latina chef intent on restarting her life with a professorly scientist who is on the spectrum. She then brings these opposites together in one of the most harsh, remote, and inhospitable settings in the world– a scientific base in Antarctica. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like these people have much in common and honestly, how much action can there be in a frozen wasteland that is devoid of people or animals? Well, Adriana Anders is no slouch. She delivers a hot as hell book with nonstop action.

For the rest of this review though, I would like to focus on Ford, Anders’ hero.

Ford is an unusual leading man. A taciturn professor and scientist (who also spent time in the military), Ford chooses to stays in Antarctica all year around. He has few relationships and suffers from social anxiety. Ford is most comfortable out on the ice and prefers for his life and emotions to mirror the frozen stillness characteristic of Antarctica. The first time that I read Whiteout, I wanted Anders to give Ford a diagnosis. I felt that if he had a specific diagnosis, she would be doing a service to folks who move through the world with different abilities and/or people who live with autism spectrum disorder. I also felt that if Anders had given Ford a diagnosis, she would be making a statement on how everyone, even people who live with autism, deserve a happily ever after.

After re-reading the novel, I changed my mind. There are many reasons why a person may not have a diagnosis, such as lack of access to mental health and healthcare, a fear or distrust of the medical establishment, or a person may have the appropriate accommodations already necessary for them to be successful. I believe that Ford fits into this last category. Anders writes that “his issues with outside stimuli, discomfort with closeness, inability to handle certain sensations or touches or smells” were a challenge for him to overcome, but he is able to navigate the world and engage in a career. However, his interactions with people as well as the heroine, are absolutely characterized by Ford’s symptoms. In a sweet conversation between Ford and the heroine, Angel, shares that she just thought Ford was a “jerk” and was unaware of how Ford’s outward expression may hint at his autism spectrum disorder.

I adore how Anders shows her readers that everyone, even taciturn scientists with social anxiety, deserve love, commitment, and acceptance.

Adriana Anders’ Whiteout is a perfect start to 2020. However, beware, there is a shocking cliffhanger at the end of this novel. And it wouldn’t surprise me if you, like me, are now impatiently waiting for the next release!

Final Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: Read Adriana Anders’ Love at Last series! Start with my favorite, Loving the Secret Billionaire, and then systematically work your way through all of her novels. You will not regret it.

Antarctica, a frozen sea of hidden discoveries, a scientific haven for the brave hearted, or as in Angel’s case, those looking to hide away from life for a while. The subzero temps and total isolation would be more than enough adventure for me, but for a scientific outpost and two of its occupants, it is about to become a chilling race to survive in a frigid hell.

WHITEOUT by Adriana Anders snowballs into a searing hot romance as two people trek through miles of ice and snow, knowing they could be humanity’s last chance against a deranged mind.

Adriana Anders does so well creating each scene, as well as an atmosphere of desperation, I’m pretty sure I could feel frostbite setting in where my hands touched my Kindle. Good thing the scorching hot romance developing between Angel and Ford heated things up just perfectly!

A rapid-fire action/high octane read with strong characters, great dialogue and a true sense of “being there.” Highly recommended for romance lovers, too!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Casablanca! This is my honest and voluntary review.

3 - 3.5 Stars

Darn, I thought I’d never feel warm again after (finishing) this book. That was one heck of freezing cold premises I read in a while. Even the opening chapter was cold; figuratively and literally. The cover of the book illustrated the general situation perfectly; all those white cold surrounding and the thick red outerwear (our poor MCs wore). I guess I just didn’t expect all those attributed to the protagonists’ braving the element while running (well, skiing, shuffling, walking, or whatever) for their life.

WHITEOUT is an intense and gripping romantic suspense set in Antartica, featuring professional cook Angel Smith and former Army turned glaciologist Ford Cooper. When what started as typical day - and supposed to be last day in Antartica for the cook - turned into a nightmare, Angel’s only ally to escape and to thwart the villain’s nefarious plan was the loner scientist who had been standoffish throughout her summer stay at the station. It’s an excellent setup for a cat and mouse adventure and for the most part it was.

Halfway into the story - just when this reader wondered how the heck these two would get out of this muck they were in - things shifted. And I’m not sure all of those for the best. The multiple POVs allowed plenty of space for backstory of heroes and villains alike, I didn’t begrudge that. But they were not done so well, I felt - sort of like half-cooked attempt at explanations. The book being the first (full novel) of a new series, it came across as a standalone first, then grappling for elements - ANY elements available - to tie (the book) up to the following sequel. I applauded what Anders done to Ford and Angel romance; that’s among the highlight of the book and so did Angel evolving hardened take-no-prisoner attitude after the ordeal she went through. To then not only have the kind of cliffhanger ending but also putting the heroic heroine in that position had me cringing (I mean REALLY, she should have known BETTER).

WHITEOUT is my first Adriana Anders’s book and as I mentioned earlier the first full novel of her new new series “Survival Instincts” - the novella that started this, “Deep Blue,” was part of the multiple authors’ romantic suspense anthology “Turn the Tide.” I admit this book whetted my appetite to dig out the anthology and I guess the cliffhanger ending intrigued me what the sequel would bring. It’s a fifty-fifty chance at this point whether I’d enjoy the turbulence. But hey, WHITEOUT isn’t totally a flop of (reading) experience (to me) so I’m going to give the next book a chance.

Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I couldn’t get into this book. I had been so looking forward to it but it just wasn’t for me. It had sounded great from the description too

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. This is a great read, especially during the winter. This will definitely give you a new perspective about ice.
The main characters are relatable and Each bring out the best in the other. Romance, mystery and lots of action are contained in this book.

An interesting story with an unusual location. It is well written and has good character development. I would read another book featuring Angel. There is sufficient romance in the story for anyone that likes that in their thrillers.

What a great first book for new series! I enjoyed it. Lots of heart pounding action, well fleshed out characters, and a look at what it takes to survive, both physically and emotionally, in a remote, ruthless location like Antarctica. And that's before the bad guys. Prepare for a wild ride!

I love romantic suspense, mainly because there’s usually a plot to go with the romance. Ariana Anders did not disappoint on that front. Set in the Antarctic, a world foreign to most of us, Whiteout delivered a thrilling plot, a satisfying if not too steamy romance and the kind of can-do characters you’d love to have in your life. My only complaint is that the suspense part of this romantic suspense novel ended as a to-be-continued. I’ve nothing against series books that share some characters and are best read sequentially, but I really don’t like having to wait for the next book in order to get plot closure.
Anders’ Blank Canvas series set the bar for great character development with hot sex and can’t-put-it-down stories. Whiteout falls a bit short in comparison. Even so, bring on book two!

This is the first Adriana Anders book I've read and it definitely made me want to check out more. I loved the unique setting in Antarctica - it made everything feel higher stakes and set it apart from a lot of the romantic suspense I read. I was invested in the romance but almost even more so in the adventure. I also found the character of Angel super relatable and was consistently rooting for her. A fun, fast-paced read!

This story is a fast-paced, suspenseful read. It has non stop suspense and danger. This is the first book that I have read by this author. I love romantic suspense books and this was a good book but, it was a little too dark for me. Overall, it was a good, suspenseful read.

I don't usually read romantic thrillers, but I thought I'd give this one a try after reading a few reviews and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Ford, a scientist working in Antarctica, and Angel the chef working at the research station, must work together to stop a virus from getting into the wrong hands. They have to trek across Antarctica and try to stay alive. It was fun and sexy and it kept me on my seat. I love a good bed sharing (or in this case tent sharing) trope. Highly recommend!

Wow! Whiteout was a page-turner like nothing I've read in a long while. Coop was the brooding hero we all want and expect to find working as a scientist in Antarctica. And Angel is a refreshing, full-of-life, chef that challenges Coop in ways he doesn't know he needs. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Well, the answer is 'just about everything.' Coop and Angel find themselves out on the ice, on the run for their lives, and by this time they can barely stand each other. Not the greatest start for teamwork. Can they put aside their differences to save their lives...or might they both find more than they expected in the other?

Sigh...I wish I could read this one again for the first time. It kept me up late, turning pages to find out what happened next. Grab this book and settle in for a grand adventure and a fabulous romance.

Angel Smith fled her life back in the States to find a new beginning after giving her all working in a high end restaurant. Traumatized by her world failing apart and dreams shattered, Angel finds a peace in the crystalline sanctuary of ice and snow in Antarctica. Ready to head back on her last day at the research station’s cook, Angel witnesses a horrific scene knowing that if caught by these seriously evil guys, her life is forfeit. The tension starts quickly in this story and does not let up. Ford Cooper, a scientist, who also came to this remote land because of some harsh life experiences, knows something is not right. When Angel tells him what happened, Ford realizes their only slim chance of survival involves a very dangerous trek to another station across the frozen wasteland where winter and total darkness approaches.

Because of something Ford had discovered in his ice cores, he knows that the perpetrators will return to hunt them down since Angel derailed their nefarious plans. Angel refers to Ford as the “Ice Man” as he seems just as frozen as the surroundings. A man of few words and most of them awkward, he begins to loosen up on their long, perilous journey. When survival mode kicks in, all the extraneous things fall away including Ford keeping Angel at arm’s length because she is a bright and beautiful soul who threatens to burn away his carefully constructed hard outer shell.

Angel understands this gruff and damaged man is key to survival because what she knows about being outdoors in Antarctica could fit into one of her artisan pastries. Ford is not only her lifeline, but a man she has been attracted to since the beginning even though he seemed to barely tolerate Angel. Their slow burn, or in this case, slow thaw relationship develops over the course of a seemingly impossible journey in this remote and incredibly dangerous landscape.

Adriana Anders’ prose skillfully draws the reader in with a descriptive narrative that makes all the dangers, hardships, and emotions including the love story come richly to life. Between the unforgiving landscape and her characters’ fraught situations, the intensity of this well wrought tale will resonate long after it ends. This full novel is the first in the Survival Instincts series. A free Kindle story is .5 in the series and featuring Ford’s brother, ex-Navy seal, Eric Cooper who also appears in WHITEOUT.

Whiteout is the first full-length book of the Survival Instincts series and features Ford and Angel. The first story, Deep Blue, is a novella about Ford's brother, Eric. I wouldn't say it is necessary to read the novella first, but it is available for free so why not? It will provide some background info for parts later on in the story.

Ford and Angel are in Antarctica when their station is attacked in order to steal dangerous research. They find themselves trekking across the ice to another research facility. So much action and death-defying heroism. Ford is a former military and all-around badass, so we expect him to be brave in the face of danger. Angel is a chef at the research facility but has nerves of steel. They find out so much about themselves as individuals on the journey and that makes when they get together so much better.

I really enjoyed Deep Blue and Whiteout. Deep Blue was my first read from Adriana Anders and I appreciate her writing style and heroines. They are definitely not damsels in distress.

I received an early copy for review in exchange for an honest review.

I kinda love when surly, growly folks (male or female, honestly, although I do have a particular soft spot for grumbly men) who try DESPERATELY to avoid romantic entanglements end up finding their special someone. Ford certainly fits the bill, in this case.

While he's growly and stern and comes across as cold, Angel is his polar opposite. Heh. She's outgoing and warm and she kinda likes the Iceman even though he's given her ZERO reasons to believe he does more than tolerate her out of necessity. For her part, although her body might light up when Ford's around, Angel also doesn't trust herself (FOR REASONS) to pick an actual honorable man who isn't going to use her to get what he wants. For reasons, guys. For reasons.

They're both sort of going out of their way to avoid one another and they probably would have succeeded if a very bad thing didn't happen. Suddenly, Angel's relying on Ford for survival and she sees that he's not the stoic Iceman she'd thought he was. Whereas, Ford starts to understand how incredibly lonely his life has been as he hides out on the ice and avoids emotional entanglements.

A boatload (or planeload, I guess) of danger, some simmering sexual tension in the bitter cold, a race against time and foodstuffs, and some very bad people who want to do some very bad things. Ford, Angel, and the others who end up helping have uncovered something bigger than they could imagine and they've only scratched the surface of things so far. I like.

4.5 stars

I don’t know about you, but a survival story with romance has my hands grabbing. I saw this book blurb and cover and knew I had to have it. Not one thing about this book disappointed, in fact, it surpassed by expectations. Get your running shoes on because this book has a fast-pace from start to finish.

What’s so special about WHITEOUT is that it was set in the antarctic and I really don’t think I’ve read a book based here (I’ve read a few thrillers set in the arctic). The time was taken to paint Antarctica both at the beginning but also as the story progressed and the characters ventured out into the wilderness. I needed this and it painted a white but vivid picture.

Angel was the summer chef on the station, ready to travel back to the US for the winter, leaving a skelton staff of scientists. Ford ‘Coop’ was a glaciologist there for the duration and he’d spent the whole time of Angel’s season on the station avoiding her and his attraction to her. He basically made himself look like a total jackass. There was a quick unfurling of events and Angel and Ford found themselves running for survival and for a higher purpose.

The journey to survive was compelling reading alongside an equally riveting story of the reluctant connection between Ford and Angel. Angel was all soft edges, kindness but with an expected strength that she bowled me over. Ford was the epitomy of grumpy male but just a bit more than that. I still have questions about whether he was on the spectrum, had PTSD and I still don’t know the story of his voice, and I NEED that. I’m hoping to find out more about him further into the series.

“But here, across from a women who was the antithesis of everything he’d ever known, who’d fed him food that burst with flavor and worked as hard as any soldier he’d ever fought beside, he let himself wish-for just a second or two-that he could be the man who made her laugh.”

This story kept rolling from the opener to the end. I wanted to read and stayed up late to do so, just to devour the words and the story. I fell into this book and writing not knowing the kind of writer Adriana Anders was, but I do now and I like her style very much. Just brace yourself for where this ends, although there is definite tying up of ends. All I can say is thank goodness this is a series and we get more from these characters and world.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the early review copy, I read this super early because I couldn’t resist. I hope that makes you want to pick it up.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

I can’t say that I remember reading any books set in Antarctica before, much less a searing romance that features one of my favorite combinations: a grumpy, taciturn hero and a “sunshine” heroine who’s friends with everyone…but the hero.

The fact is that despite my extreme aversion to the cold—I usually try to walk around in head to toe fleece in the winter—Adriana Anders’s Pole romance Whiteout has everything that I want: the fantastic tension of that aforementioned grumpy/sunshine dynamic; a keen sense of bated-breath suspense, given that the stakes are life and death and the latter seems all too easy to imagine with an Antarctica survival story; and a distinctive writing style that makes even something like the endless white and sometimes gray/sometimes blue expanse of Antarctica—the ice and the rush and the despair, the way such an inhospitable environment can bring a grumpy hero and a sunshine heroine together—feel fresh and new, even as said hero and heroine spend day after day trekking across it.

Simply put, this book is amazing, and I loved every minute of it.

Cook Angel Smith accepted a position at the Burke-Ruhe Research Station in the South Pole after her life fell apart. She’s drawn to the grumpiest person in the camp, researcher Dr. Ford Cooper, whom she’s privately christened Ice Man. Despite her attraction (which grumpy hero Ford secretly reciprocates but will never act upon), Angel has every intention on saying goodbye to the station and heading back home, only she misses the plane out and witnesses a murder instead.

Suddenly, she and Ford are allies, the only people left at the station who can possibly prevent the villains in the story from a nefarious plot involving something-which-will-not-be-named-because-spoilers. In their desperation they set out across the landscape, knowing that with every step they’re probably walking closer, and not farther away, from death.

Whiteout’s full of twists and turns, it’s intense and even stressful at times, and all of it’s blissfully rewarding for the reader. It’s also full of passion and sweetness, the latter of which is particularly powerful because Ford doesn’t really have those soft/protective instincts for anyone but Angel, and he’s all too willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. He’s the ice-bound bodyguard she's (you’ve) always wanted.

Whiteout was a complete surprise for me, and I. can’t. wait. to. read. more. (Seriously, when can I read more?)

5 ⭐️