“Scorching hot and beautifully emotional.”—Lori Foster, New York Times Bestselling AuthorWith a storm coming and a killer on the loose, every step could be their last…Angel Smith is finally ready to leave Antarctica for a second chance at life. But on what was meant to be her last day, the remote research station she’s been calling home is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and irritatingly … home is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and irritatingly gorgeous glaciologist Ford Cooper barely make it out with their lives…only to realize that in a place this remote, there’s nowhere left to run.
Isolated with no power, no way to contact the outside world, and a madman on their heels, Angel and Ford must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth. But what starts as a partnership born of necessity quickly turns into an urgent connection that burns bright and hot. They both know there’s little chance of making it out alive, and yet they are determined to weather the coming storm—no matter the cost.
Survival Instincts Series:
Deep Blue (novella—featured in Turn the Tide)
Whiteout (Book 1)
Praise for Whiteout:
“Adriana Anders brings twisted intrigue and sizzling passion hot enough to melt the ice in WHITEOUT! Sexy, smart and tough characters in a beautifully ice-cold landscape will grab you from the first line and keep you along for a wild ride to the very end.”—REBECCA ZANETTI, New York Times Bestselling author
“Strong heroines, sizzling tension. Heart and heat abound!”—MOLLY O’KEEFE, USA Today Bestselling Author
“The gripping characters, fresh writing, unique setting, and a villain as cold as the Antarctic itself, make this a fiercely enjoyable story.”—TONI ANDERSON, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
“Whiteout is an exhilarating story of survival and love against all the odds. I couldn’t put it down!”—KATEE ROBERT, New York Times Bestselling Author
“What a thrill ride! The action is nonstop—I don’t think I took a breath until I finished.”—KATIE RUGGLE
“A thrilling chase across the desolate and changeable beauty of Antarctica. Adriana Anders is a master.”—MARIA VALE
more
4 1/2 STARS!
Must read edge-of-your-seat suspense! With the first book in her much anticipated Survival Instincts series, Adriana Anders does not disappoint with WHITEOUT. The setting is brutal, the characters are attention grabbing and the plot is what nightmares are made of.
Angel is a delight. We start the story liking her just from her upbeat personality, but as the life threatening conditions deepen, we only like her more and more as her tenacity and grit bring forth an unstoppable character.
Ford is yummy! He’s all the best in gruff and snark and then absolutely scrumptious in sex appeal and heart. If you read the prequel story DEEP BLUE, you will get a chance to reconnect with Ford’s brother Eric and his love Zoe towards the end of this book.
I recommend this story to anyone who loves non-stop danger and adventure mixed with passion and heart. Looking forward to what the series will bring next!
I love love love this book so much! It kept me up all night because I had to know what happened, even though I knew there was an HEA.
Holy heck! This book is one wild adventure! From pretty much the very beginning things start happening and it never slows down. Talk about drama, danger, suspense! I couldn’t put it down!
When Angel and Ford are left as the only survivors after their research facility is attacked, they find themselves running for their lives across the unforgiving Antarctica landscape. To be on the run would be enough danger but with the addition of the sub-zero temperatures and conditions of the location they’re in, this author takes danger to a whole new level. Who would have thought that someone could find romance in such a cold and colorless world?
I absolutely loved both Angel and Ford. Despite feeling lost and unsure of herself, Angel was a ray of sunshine, especially to Ford. He’s the Ice Man, hiding behind a cold facade for reasons, unfortunately, that were never completely revealed or either I missed them through the sheer adrenaline this book created.
Ford is not only withdrawn, he’s also a bit of a science geek, a grump who doesn’t like mixing with people and who struggles just to speak (again not completely revealed why). When he does choose to speak, he usually messes it up, unsure of the words to say or how to say them. Especially when it comes to speaking to Angel. I enjoyed watching him slowly come out of his shell and reach out to her verbally and physically.
While there is plenty of romance, I have to admit that sometimes it was difficult to really feel it because this author has created so much danger just from the elements alone. I was so caught up in the suspense I found it hard at times to relax enough to enjoy this couple’s quiet moments.
This ends with a “happy for now” rather than a “happy ever after” and despite the thrills and drama this unforgiving backdrop of ice gave me, it looks as if the next book may take us to another location. I suspect it may still have severe weather conditions and while I enjoyed this one, I’m not in a hurry to return to such a harsh environment again. Then again, by the time the next book releases, it’ll be summer and should make a perfect beach read.
Antarctic run for their life
Ford Cooper, glaciologist research scientist, and Angel Smith, cook, are both at a research station in Antarctica when people start getting killed.
Both have been trying to ignore each other during their common time at the station but end up getting thrown together to flee a crew of deadly mercenaries. They head off across Antarctica during deadly weather conditions, depending on each other to stay alive.
I read a lot of books about Antarctica, some good and some not so good. I enjoyed this story. I felt like the author had done their research about this frigid, deadly country. Very descriptive – it made me cold just to read it. The descriptions about the research station were believable too.
I wasn’t quite expecting a romance but the storyline between these two very different people was well done.
This book is the first in a series and it did end in a minor cliffhanger.
I received this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Get a blanket, warm slippers and something hot to drink before snowshoeing into this read. Baby it’s cold inside this book and then it HOT but that has nothing to do with the weather. It’s about two people who are running away from their lives and a horrendous plot to kill millions.
Favorite line “The Iceman Cometh” < wink >. So the story is set in a remote scientific station near the pole, frozen beyond cold. Angel is the new hire, the cook for the station. Coop, one of the scientist, is the stick in her side, Mr Grumpy. He is colder than the ice surrounding the place. He spends most of his time out on the ice so when something goes wrong and he comes back to a nearly empty station he has no idea what happened, till he finds a certain cook. The cook, Angel is traumatized, horrified and broken. It doesn’t last long she’s not there to die. She’s a hero here, and Mr Grumpy knows it. Together they take steps to survive with little to no chance of making it. Remember it’s cold, and they have to stay warm somehow when it gets dark and there is no generator. 😛 Here come the toe tingling bits, it’s slow and delicious. It’s not all warm generating going on the guys who destroyed the station are now looking for them.
What an intense read. It has it all, intense action, uncertain future, difficult hard won relationship, snark, and so much more. I loved and hated the characters as they ere writer. The good was so awwwww, the bad, ugg they were nasty bits of evil ! Fun read !
I received a copy of this from the publisher for a honest review
A great start to a new series. A suspenseful sexy ride that kept my interest from start to finish. I’ve never read a book set in Antarctica and the description of this deadly but beautiful place made the book come alive for me. Loved how Angel found her strength and how Coop found his vulnerability. You could just feel their chemistry. And that ending…Cant wait to see where series goes next.My first book by Adriana Anders but it definitely won’t be my last. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC received via NetGalley.
I received Whiteout from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
Wow this was an action packed romantic suspense book. The heat between Angel and Ford might melt the artic. This book kept me turning the pages until the end. The book was full of many twists and turns, how anyone can survive in such a brutal place is amazing to me. It is amazing how a person can push themselves past their limits when their life is at stake. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
I really enjoyed this book. I feel it was really well written and was able to connect to the characters. The story kept my attention thru out the book. The only thing I was disappointed in was that there was never an explanation as to what had happened to Ford’s throat.
The Angel we meet here is a woman whose world was turned upside down when she became seriously injured, losing everything that she thought was precious. She’s dusted herself off and taken a temporary assignment cooking for researchers at the South Pole. What she hadn’t expected because frankly who would ,is to witness a murder that leaves her stranded and alone in the abandoned station.
Ford Cooper is a committed scientist who adores the isolation that the “Ice” gives him but he’s also a man who struggles to cope with the chaos that his fellow humans all bring. Spotting blood whilst out checking his experiments Coop is left with an uneasy feeling that gets much worse when he discovers his fellow Pole workers have all disappeared ! Well all that is except for the very lively and perplexing Angel but things soon get even worse as the couple need to travel across the frozen, inhospitable Antarctic landscape all whilst knowing they have something that others are prepared to kill for !
This was a slow burn romance that features two people both damaged in their own way and I loved that the author didn’t rush the romance. What we get instead is a frightening and realistic to my mind picture of what true isolation and freezing conditions feel like. At times this was a claustrophobic read that enabled me to almost experience the dire conditions that this couple found themselves in. Yes they undertake a physical journey because hey those bad guys are definitely following them but more importantly both Angel and Coop experience what I can only describe as epiphanies. Truly a happy ending that is hard fought for and well deserved and I cannot recommend this author enough for her emotional and insightful stories.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
5 Stars!
Typically, I don’t seek out romantic suspense and only read it on occasion. But when one of my top-5 favorite romance author’s pens a book in this sub-genre, I’m all in.
When it came to the romantic story elements, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed, but I was especially surprised and pleased with how much I enjoyed the suspense. Whiteout started with a gripping opening and kept me riveted throughout. It wasn’t only intense because of the obvious suspense and vile antagonists, but also due to the unrelenting Antarctic setting. It made me endlessly grateful for my cozy home and soft blanket. I was initially concerned that the harsh and desolate setting would wear on me. Yet, in spite of the frozen expanse and bleak conditions, the author kept me invested with a swiftly moving plot and fascinating characters. In an effort to know what was happening around the next corner, I never wanted to put the book down.
As for the romance, this author never fails to make me swoon with her broody and reclusive heroes. This author has perfected the well-written beta hero and determined heroine. I loved Ford and how he realistically warmed to Angel during their ordeal. Although hastened by proximity and extreme conditions, the romance was tender, sexy, and real. The author managed to blend the suspense and romance without either element feeling contrived and blessedly, there were no unrealistic romps while the MC’s tried to outrun the bad guys. I didn’t say none at all (hehe,) just none of those impractical and eye-roll-induced moments. The suspense was consistently thrilling and harrowing, while the relationship was achingly romantic and fraught with it’s own kind of tension. Overall, this was a fabulous story that delivered on the suspense, as well as an emotionally sexy romance.
SIDE NOTE: I highly recommend reading the prequel novella Deep Blue (available for FREE in Turn the Tide by Katie Ruggle, Adriana Anders, et al.) Although Whiteout stands alone perfectly well, the prequel novella introduces Eric Cooper, his love interest, and his team, who all play a significant (albeit smaller) role in this book.
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.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Wow! I received an advanced copy of this book, and the story just blew me away. A fantastic and fast-paced read that will leave you struggling to catch your breath as you frantically flip through the pages.
As the Antarctic summer comes to the end, a ruthless militia will do anything to get their hands on ice cores containing a dangerous virus. They didn’t count on Ford Cooper, the chilly long-time denizen of the ice and Angel Smith, the effusive cook, looking for a new direction. Whiteout is not only a thrilling chase across the desolate and changeable beauty of Antarctica it is also a moving story of how the fight for survival grinds her characters down to their most vital parts and makes them able to love. A stunning new path for Anders.
I’ve read a book with this concept one other time but this book just blew me away. The two love interests go from not understanding each other because they didn’t really spend any time together, to literally spending every second of the day together. They had to face odds put against them together and trust each other. They had great chemistry and I rooted for them.
4.5 stars
I kept requesting this story from my e-library but not having time to read it when it was my turn. I finally saved it for later and stopped requesting. Then, on the Fated Mates podcast Best Romance Novels of 2020, Jen and Sarah recommended this book. I decided to go back on the request list and actually read the book when it was my turn this time. I’m sure glad I did! What a wonderfully suspenseful and butterfly-inducing read. I’m already planning on what to read next from this new-to-me author.
While I think you should grab at your chance to read this book if you have it, I will say that I really wish I had read it in the summer. Here in Michigan we’ve had some chilly days after a relatively mild winter so far. And reading this story and the author’s descriptions of the landscape, the storms, and the turmoil the characters were facing made me so much colder! Which, of course, means the author did an amazing story of pulling me into the world that Angel and Ford were traversing. Brrrr!!!
The chemistry between Ford and Angel is wonderful. Even before the actions starts and the scene is being set, through their animosity with each other that is obviously a cover for the fire they feel. Then, they get thrown into a doozy of a forced proximity situation. In the cold, whipping wind swirling around them, they are sizzling.
Seeing Ford allow Angel into his bubble and behind his mask as this story progressed was beautiful. And watching Angel rise to every single challenge along their precarious way made me feel all sorts of girl-power feelings. It wasn’t lost on Ford that Angel had a strength he had underestimated and a fortitude that was more valuable than any physical strength or experience in the wild.
After reading this story, I got to wondering what had made me put it on my list in the first place…long before the Fated Mates episode that re-sparked my interest. After a quick search, I found I have a copy of Turn the Tide, a compilation that includes a short story by Adriana Anders. I haven’t read her story yet, I had actually bought the book to read Katie Ruggle’s contribution to the compilation and never went back and finished the other stories. And, bonus, the story by this author is actually the story of Ford’s brother, who I had become curious about. Yay! Of course, this is what I alluded to in the beginning of this review.
I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of love, suspense, and tough guys with soft centers. As a matter of fact, once I realized this author did a compilation with Katie Ruggle it clicked that they have similar styles. Which, for me, is awesome. I love Katie Ruggle!
5 stars. Gripping. Brutal setting. Life or death. Basic Survival.
(1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= Yes, it was Ok; 4= I LIKED IT A LOT! 5= A favorite, IT WAS GREAT!!)
WhiteOut by Adriana Anders is a realistically portrayed Survival-Suspense Thriller in the Danger/Proximity trope. It reminds me a bit of Sue Henry’s Alaskan Musher Mystery series – but with 2 lead characters, a touch of added romance, and no mystery to solve, simply survival as the goal. In WhiteOut, Dr Ford and Angel are forced to survive the terrible sub-zero and beyond challenging conditions they confront day after day – or die trying. Yikes! WhiteOut was more intense and gripping than my usual fare, but I was captivated throughout, cared about the characters, and needed to know if and how they survived.
Dr Ford Cooper/MMC, 38yrs, solidly built and tall, intelligent, reclusive, is an ex-Army sniper and for the past 10yrs a returning research glaciologist working at the South Pole Antarctica research station where he singularly focuses on his glacier ice drilling projects. Dr Ford gets along well enough with the regulars – the scientists, maintenance crew, drillers, the doctor – but he typically avoids friendships with the annual new batch of “Seasonals” preferring his outdoor projects, the quietness and emptiness of the ice to the daily drama of people. The few Seasonals that give Ford any thought at all might consider him cold, aloof or unfriendly. Ford is working at his project site a fair distance from the Pole base the morning the Seasonal staff is scheduled to leave for the year. He returns hours later finding the base an empty shell.
Hired with the summer crew as chef for the Burke-Ruhe South Pole research station, Angel Smith/FMC, 31yrs, reluctantly prepares and serves the staff’s last meal before heading downstairs, underground, into the long term deep-freeze food storage area. Angel is loading food supplies for the small staff that will be wintering over at the South Pole station when she hears the first gunshot go off and recognizes the anguished cry of one of the scientists. When she glimpses someone armed stealthily creeping toward her and hears them whispering for her, terrified, she flees. Running for her life from the horror, Angel’s future suddenly takes a terrifying turn.
I found WhiteOut so intense that I needed to close the book and step back a few times while reading it. It was more gripping than my normal light reads – but it kept pulling me in. I recommend WhiteOut to readers of Suspense Romance Thrillers, the Danger/Proxity trope (one of my favorite tropes), and readers who enjoy novels with cold, brutal, pristine, or untouched natural settings. I believe you will be sucked into WhiteOut until the end.
ADDITIONAL NOTE ~ Skip the EPILOGUE if you don’t like cliffhangers that simply introduce the next book. WhiteOut’s HEA concludes better as a standalone Without/Prior to reading it – the Epilogue is mainly a Blurb for the next book, IMO. So read it with that foresight. In addition, toward the end of WhiteOut additional people and peripheral topics are introduced/mentioned that probably reappear in book #2. I didn’t let those few loose ends deter from my enjoyment of this book. Uncharted, book#2 is scheduled for released May, 2021. The blurb for it sound’s equally gripping.
I do wish we knew more about Ford’s military background. He was a very complex man. His army history definitely affected his present life yet we don’t really know what happened – simply guesses and conjecture. But I guess it makes him more mysterious – like a masked hero. 😉
Reader Cautions –
Violence – Yes. This is a fairly realistically portrayed Suspense Romance Survival story with Bad Guys – hand-to-hand combat, guns, desperate knife fights. Strong PG-13.
Profanity – Yes. Strong language is used at times.
Sexual situations – Yes. A little before mid-point sexual intimacy occurs while resting 2 days in a hut, then again at the end. These sections are very brief in comparison to the length of the novel and, IMO, could easily be skipped without missing the main story by those preferring no sexual content in their reading.
This is a Survival Suspense Thriller. Not recommended for those who would be offended by the aforementioned or YAs.
This thoroughly-researched novel that I can only imagine is accurate (never having done much research on ice core samples in Anarctica, myself) Whiteout takes you on a journey and gives your partially occluded arteries a run for their money. Being a sucker for highly intelligent heroes and the capable women they love, the nuanced characters drove the plot in the best way.
The cover caption for this book in Amazon reads- A Steamy Forced Proximity Survivalist Romance it absolutely delivers on everything- It is very steamy, there’s a ton of forced proximity and a desperate fight for survival.
I have a handful of friends that I speed dial when I need a book recommendation–people that have never steered me wrong. I wanted to read something that fell into the romantic suspense category (I had just rewatched Speed, so I think this is a valid response), but finding a book in that category that I really enjoy is hard for me for various reasons. So I messaged my friend and she quickly replied with “Whiteout.” And she wasn’t wrong. This book is a tense survival thriller with a shy, slightly awkward scientist hero and a bad ass chef heroine. It reminded me of The Thing (because of the setting) and a little bit of Under Siege (because Angel is a chef, not because she reminds me of Steven Seagal). I can’t wait for the next one.
WHITEOUT is a fantabulous romantic suspense. The author takes you into the heart of a frigid continent and shows you how two inwardly frozen characters learn to love—and survive. A whirlwind adventure and wonderful love story. Don’t miss this one!