Clear As Ice holiday novella review and a holiday recipe

Clear As Ice
Penelope Marzec
Holiday Extravaganza novella
Prism Lux, a division of Pelican Book Group
November 20, 2019
$3.99 ebook

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About the Book

When Ethan's prayers for his mother's life go unanswered, he abandons his faith, tossing it out with his mother's Christmas ornaments. The loss of his hope leaves him empty and he begins to shy away from relationships, but when his dog Rufus, a rescue from a shelter, develops a fondness for a woman skating on the frozen lake behind his house, he's annoyed. Not only does he resent her using his pond, he doesn't understand her fear of dogs.

Haylie, once an Olympic figure skater, is afraid of more than just Ethan's dog. She lives in constant fear due to threats from a stalker, but one day Ethan's dog chases the danger away, so Haylie decides to try to lose her fear of dogs...But then the stalker's plans expand to include revenge toward Ethan as well. If they are to remain safe and live to see a happily-ever-after, Haylie and Ethan must put aside differences and learn to trust each other. This Christmas season promises to be the most challenging and the most meaningful of their lives.

Penelope, tell us what you love about your new book.

There are two things which gave me endless hours of delight while writing Clear as Ice, my latest release. First, the book brought back all the good times I had when I was young while ice skating on the lake behind the house where I grew up. The cold didn’t bother me as I whirled around on the thin blades. I didn’t worry about falling down. I wound up on my behind hundreds of times—and I laughed. It was a joyful activity. Of course, there were dangers, but even at a young age I was aware of them. I saw kids fall through the ice, which was terrifying. So I always waited until the ice was thick enough before venturing out on it. But when it was good and solid, it was great fun.

The other aspect of Clear as Ice I enjoyed was writing about the antics of Rufus, the hero’s dog, who thinks he’s human—although maybe he’s better than human. In fact, Rufus might be smarter than his owner. Rufus certainly has his own opinions about things. He knows exactly who the hero should date and, of course, he’s right. I thought about my granddog as I wrote about Rufus. My granddog is a genius, of course.

The hero in Clear as Ice decides to skip Christmas. But it is specifically at holiday time when everyone is afforded a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with family traditions. One of the Christmas traditions we always enjoy at our house is Cape Cod Cranberry Pie. It is so easy but so delicious, too. I’ve made it every year since I first discovered the recipe, except for the year the oven died. I originally found the recipe in my New York Times Heritage Cook Book, but the recipe can now be found easily online.

While I enjoy it plain, ice cream or whipped cream on top is nice, too.

CAPE COD CRANBERRY PIE

2 cups cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts.)

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Spread the cranberries in the bottom of a well-greased ten inch pie plate.

3. Sprinkle with one half cup of the sugar and the nuts.

4. Add the remaining sugar to the eggs, beating well. Beat in the flour, butter, and shortening. Pour over the cranberries.

5. Bake about 1 hour, or until crust is golden brown.

The pie goes fast--so you better make two of them.

Lisa's Review

When a thoroughly traumatized former Olympian must face all of her fears in the space of a few days, it takes an embittered EMT and his dog to bring back the joy of Christmas.

Set in east central New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy, ice skater Hailey revisits the site of her former home which had been destroyed in the storm. She is surprised by a visit from an overly friendly and protective, playful dog, companion to Ethan, the owner of a new house on the lake where she enjoyed ice skating in the winter. Ethan, a former wild teen, now a humbug who’s been disappointed by unanswered prayer, and Hailey, a young woman of great faith, now a physical therapist, continue to run into each other. Ethan’s dog, Rufus, decides Hailey needs him as much as Ethan does and does what he can to take care of her.

Hailey and Ethan team up when Hailey’s past problems terrorize her. Somewhere in their developing relationship, Rufus decides to practice a little matchmaking in between his protection detail. Hailey is willing to take steps toward conquering her fears, but will Ethan crawl out of his well of misery and meet her partway?

Ethan may have thrown over his late mother’s faith when God let him down, but he’s smart enough to realize that Hailey holds the keys to healing grace. He’s not about to let another good thing get away, bah humbug or not. But Hailey’s problems may be more than he wants to deal with. 

Clear as Ice is a sweet and short holiday romance told from both Hailey’s and Ethan’s viewpoints as they maneuver around each other and everything Christmas. Those who enjoy feel-good stories featuring lovable dogs will love Marzec’s inspiration story.

About the Author

Penelope Marzec grew up along the Jersey shore. She started reading romances at a young age and fell hopelessly in love with happy endings. Two of her inspirational romances won EPIC’s eBook Award and another was a finalist in that contest. Her paranormal, Irons in the Fire, was a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award. Visit her website at penelopemarzec.com for more information.