Just a warning, but this is going to be spoiler-rific for the previous three books in the Mythos Academy series – TOUCH OF FROST, KISS OF FROST, and DARK FROST. I tried to not be spoiler-y with my review of book three and that totally did not work, so instead, I wanted to be able to give fans of the series a great reason why they should be reading this book right now.So you’ve read books 1 through 3? Are you sure?Okay, we can continue on with this review. Just be warned, I will spoil the synopsis if the synopsis hasn’t done that for you.Ready? Good.Oh. My. Sweet. Butter cream.The previous books have given us a great deal of set up for this strange world of Gods, Goddesses, and warriors chosen to protect the world from the return of the evil God Loki, who was up until the end of DARK FROST locked up – until Vivian Holler, Loki’s champion, tricked our heroine Gwen into releasing Loki. Gwen’s life has returned to some semblance of normality, up until she’s pegged for being the one responsible for letting Loki go and condemning the world to a very unfortunate fate.This book is admittedly a guilty pleasure for me. It is not the most complex story I’ve ever read, nor the best written, nor the most original. At times it is rather predictable and mundane, and Gwen can be insufferable. But do you know what? CRIMSON FROST proved to me that this is one of my favorite series. It overcomes all the difficulties hanging over its head and turns out to be an epic tale combining kick butt action and swoony romance.CRIMSON FROST picks up a short time after DARK FROST ends, and within pages we are thrust into the story. The entire series takes place over the space of a few months, meaning we watch relationships grow and fade at a natural pace, including Gwen’s romance with Logan. Finally, we get our lovebirds together. And that’s not a spoiler for the book considering it’s in the synopsis.The tension only ratchets up from there. We have mystery, intrigue, a whodunit, and as I said, a lot of action and swoony moments. Estep is a very effective writer of action, and in CRIMSON FROST, we have a lot of it. In fact, this is one of the most action-packed books I’ve read all year. A lot of stuff hits the fan, and Gwen’s own emotions are thrown through a loop over and over again as she’s forced to piece together the clues and get herself out of a VERY tight spot.Gwen remains a very admirable character, complete with flaws (she’s very naïve sometimes – and oblivious… well, she has a FEW flaws) and hardships. And I love my heroines snarky and bold. And Logan? He’s one of the very few bad boys I can stand. That’s a big compliment coming from me.This series is not a life changer. It’s one of the few cases where I will let a number of instances slide just because I personally have so much fun reading it. There are stereotypes galore, from mean girls to Russians to rich kids. The double cross was pretty obvious from early on. The ridiculousness of this series is as present as ever. But you know what? I love every single moment of it, ridiculous moments and all. And I will keep reading these series, tearing through the pages, savoring every moment, because it is my guilty pleasure.VERDICT: CRIMSON FROST holds a spot in my heart as a guilty pleasure read – a guilty pleasure that I LOVE when I know that I probably shouldn’t love it as much as I do. It’s action-packed and a thrill-ride full of swoony moments and snark. The Mythos Academy series is a must read for light hearted paranormal action.
