Black Ice by Anne Stuart (Mira, 2005)

Not everyone loves a WARRIOR, and Bastien Toussant, from Anne Stuart’s Black Ice, is an especially tough one to fall for. He written as a hero (though personally, I prefer heroes who don’t think about and/or try to kill the heroine several time throughout the book). Still, whether you like him, or not, Bastien Toussant is memorable. His exterior is stone, and at times, his heart is, too. But there are definitely cracks that open up throughout the book, and it’s those little glimpses into him that give the man humanity.

STATS:

Basically, Bastien’s a hard-ass, heartless killer. And yet he can be considered a hero. I know! It’s so hard to imagine, but it’s true. And what makes it true is that despite the fact that Bastien does have cracks, the heroine is able to make them expand until she thaws the black ice that’s surrounded his heart for so long.

Here are a few vitals about Bastien Toussant:

THE LOOK:

“He was a little taller than most, lean, with a hard, narrow face and a strong nose. His eyes were dark, almost opaque, and she doubted she even registered in them. He had long, thick black hair, and anomaly, maybe even an unexpected vanity.” He’s striking, and even when it’s clear he’s a killer, he’s still a handsome killer.

Where’s the evidence that he’s a warrior?

It’s really indisputable, and sprinkled throughout the book. Let’s go with the sheer number of people he kills, his skill at this, and his lack of compassion about it. He even contemplates (more than once) killing Chloe as if he were debating whether to have a Johnny Walker Black straight up or a Corona.

So what makes Bastien redeemable?

It takes time, but eventually Bastien transforms. Sort of. He’s still a killer, but who he aims to kill changes. When he comes to protect Chloe, he says, “Monique knows me well enough to recognize that the best way to hurt me is to hurt you.” He’s been cracked wide open thanks to Chloe’s love. And then he quotes The Highwayman, an epic poem. The poem is used several times in the book to represent who Bastien is underneath the hard-ass, stone exterior. It symbolizes his deeper emotions, the ones he struggles with and works hard (ultimately unsuccessfully) to keep buried. “I’ll come to you by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.”

Defining Characteristic/Flaw: I’d say it’s his hollow chest cavity that’s filled with black ice, the one where other people have a heart and soul.

LEADING LADY:

Innocent Chloe Underwood happens into Bastien’s world and the result is a melting of Bastien’s frozen heart. After a bunch more deaths, of course!

BOTTOM LINE:

If you like your heroes brutal and with no holds barred, then Bastien Toussant is your man. I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley–or in the middle of an illegal arms deal–but he can protect me anytime, that’s for sure.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Why in the world would a real-life woman want a man like Bastien Toussant?