Review: Frigid by J.Lynn

Title: Frigid

Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Release Date: 15^th July 2013

Source: Bought

Rating: 3 out of 5

Description: For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love. Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have. But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Frigid is another version of best friends falling in love. It’s a story that been told many times in the past and will continue to be told in the future. Despite the standard storyline, J.Lynn brings her own unique brand of humour, banter and mystery to this steamy romantic story. Sydney and Kyler have been best friend since they were in primary school. On an annual trip to the mountains, they get stuck in the middle of a massive snowstorm. All alone they have to confront the growing feelings they have for each other.  Adding to their list of problems is a stalker who is sabotaging the house and endangering their lives.  There are plenty of sexy swoon worthy moments balanced with emotional scenes providing depth to this story.

The dual point of view provided much needed character insight to understand the motivations and behaviour of both main characters. Their recollections about their childhood also went a long way in solidifying their relationship and made it more authentic. You can see how much these two care for each other, especially Kyler. Kyler is portrayed as a ladies man. Like many male characters from New Adult novel, he was an overprotective player, who had a penchant for getting into fights. Sure, he had sweet side, in the way he looked out for Sydney but his past actions irked me a little bit. I’m sure a lot of people will love Kyler with all of his rough edges, however I was personally not a fan of his portrayal. This type of character has been done before and I would really like to see some different shades in male protagonists.  Not every male character has to be rough with a heart of gold. Where are the nicer boys at? Sydney was portrayed as a normal girl, but to me she came across a little up tight with a smidge of desperation and insecurity. Despite knowing about Kyler romantic history with many many women and calling him out on it many times, she still goes after him. There were times when I was shaking my head at he, but for the most part she’s a likeable heroine. She had a great sense of humour and her dialogue was always entertaining. Tanner and Andrea were great friends, whose antics were amusing. 

This book also has the recurring trope of a more experienced boy and very unexperienced girl that has been cropping up more and more. I’m really wary of this storyline because of the message it sends. I would love to see a more balanced portrayal of relationships. The mystery aspect of this book, albeit predictable, added much needed suspense and tension into the story but it also had a downside as it also served as a reminder to Kyler past. I think the story would have worked just as well without the mysterious stalker, but it did add a bit more tension to the proceeding and lead to a major turning point in the story.

Frigid is a good solid romantic story about best friends falling in love. If you want a steamy, sexy read than this book definitely delivers on that front.