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Verdict: A warm, funny ice-queen-meets-sunshine slow burn set in a meddling English village — series fans adore it, and the ratings are glowing. But the evidence is thin and almost entirely from the author’s existing readership, and the one detailed critical review raises real questions about the prose.
Best for: Readers of the Thistlecroft series and anyone who wants a low-angst age-gap romance with banter and nosy villagers.
Heat level: Not rated (no romance.io steam rating; readers don’t discuss heat)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5 — a 4.56 Goodreads average across 70 ratings, 4.7 stars across 87 Amazon ratings, and just 2 StoryGraph reviews; discounted for a small, fan-heavy sample)
Tropes: Ice queen and sunshine, age gap, homecoming, small village, slow burn, neighbouring shops, found family, series.
Something Frosted Something Thawed is Agnes DuMont’s July 2026 contemporary lesbian romance, self-published as book three of the Thistlecroft series; two readers identify DuMont as a pen name of Melissa Tereze. Catherine Cooper comes back to the village she left in defiance years ago, intending to sell her late mother’s florist shop and cottage and get out.
It holds a 4.56 average across 70 Goodreads ratings, with 90% of them four or five stars, and 4.7 stars across 87 Amazon ratings. StoryGraph has only two reviews, and romance.io has no ratings yet.
What Is Something Frosted Something Thawed About?
Catherine never felt loved or valued in Thistlecroft, or in her marriage, and she has built her armour accordingly. Now she needs to settle the estate and return to her life in Manchester with as little contact with the villagers as possible.
Isla Gerrity, who runs the stationery shop attached to the florist, has other ideas. She is helpful, bubbly and impossible to shake — and wary of falling for a woman with one foot out of town. Meanwhile, the village does what Thistlecroft does best: it meddles.
What Works in This Village Romance
- The thaw: Readers love watching Catherine slowly open up, and Isla’s delight whenever she gets a laugh out of her.
- Banter and humour: The most repeated praise, down to the gossiping pensioners and the narrator’s asides.
- Returning characters: Series readers enjoy catching up with couples from the first two books.
- Low angst with heart: Readers describe it as drama-free but emotionally grounded, a story about finding home.
Book Synopsis
Catherine Cooper has one plan: sell her mother’s florist shop, close the chapter on the village that stifled her and leave. The sunny woman who runs the shop next door keeps getting in the way — by being kind.
As a reluctant friendship grows, both women have to decide whether the risk of getting hurt again is worth it, and Catherine starts to wonder whether home is where she thought it was.
My Review
For readers already in love with Thistlecroft, this is a gift: a classic opposites pairing, lots of village comedy, and an ice queen whose defrosting is the whole pleasure of the book. Several call it the best of the series, and the recurring words are funny, heart-warming and cosy.
I’d weight that enthusiasm carefully. Almost every written review is a five-star from a series fan, many are a sentence or two, and the book is only a few months old. The one detailed negative review — a one-star — says the prose leans on repetitive sentence patterns and long stretches of internal monologue that stall scenes. One voice is not a theme, but with a sample this small and this friendly, it is worth knowing before you buy.
My honest note: Start with book one if you haven’t met Thistlecroft; if you have, this is probably exactly what you want.
| Element | In Something Frosted Something Thawed |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Catherine Cooper (guarded, from Manchester) & Isla Gerrity (stationery shop owner) |
| Core tropes | Ice queen and sunshine, age gap, homecoming, slow burn |
| Setting | Thistlecroft, a small English village |
| Heat level | Not rated |
| Length | 352 pages; no audiobook found |
| Series | Thistlecroft #3, reads as a standalone — HEA |
| Content notes | A parent’s death, past family rejection and divorce (per readers) |
How Spicy Is Something Frosted Something Thawed?
We can’t say with confidence. Readers talk about banter, slow burn and heart rather than heat, romance.io has no ratings yet, and StoryGraph has no content warnings submitted.
From reader reviews, expect grief over Catherine’s mother, old family wounds and a past marriage.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you like ice queens, nosy villages and gentle age-gap romance. It is on our feel-good list.
You may want to skip it if: you need tight, dialogue-driven prose or a larger body of reviews before you commit.
In short: A fan favourite with a small evidence base.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 68% five stars, 22% four, 5% three and 1% each for two and one. That is exceptionally positive, but it comes from 70 ratings and 19 written reviews, most by readers of the earlier books. There is no trade coverage, no StoryGraph discussion to speak of, and no audiobook; discovery runs through the series’ readership and Kindle Unlimited.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Catherine’s thaw first. Second, the banter. Third, the village cast. Fourth, the low angst.
What readers argue about and complain about: Almost nothing in the fan reviews; one detailed dissent targets repetitive prose and slow internal monologue.
The comparison worth making first: A Swing at Love is another gentle English-village romance with a mature heroine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read the earlier Thistlecroft books first?
No. It is book three of the Thistlecroft series, but each follows a new couple; characters from the earlier books reappear, which readers of the series enjoy.
Is Something Frosted Something Thawed an ice queen romance?
Yes. Catherine is a guarded, buttoned-up ice queen and Isla is her sunny, chaotic opposite; readers describe a slow thaw.
Is it low angst?
Mostly. Readers call it low angst and drama-free, though both women carry old hurts and one reader notes the HEA takes time.
Does Something Frosted Something Thawed have a happy ending?
Yes. Reader reviews confirm an HEA.
Is Something Frosted Something Thawed on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing, or $7.99 to buy on Kindle. We found no audiobook edition.
If You Loved Something Frosted Something Thawed, Read These Next
Try A Swing at Love or Flipping Hearts and Homes. For more, browse our feel-good list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Something Frosted Something Thawed sets out to be a cosy ice-queen romance in a meddling village, and its readers say it succeeds. What holds my score back is how little independent evidence there is yet. A safe bet for series fans. Check Something Frosted Something Thawed on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Something Frosted Something Thawed ranks as a promising series entry — beloved, lightly tested.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ 4.56 average across 70 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 90% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 4.7 stars across 87 Amazon ratings
- ✓ Only 2 StoryGraph reviews
Romance ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Ice queen thaw
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Age gap
- ✓ HEA
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ Catherine easy to love
- ✓ Isla a delight
- ✓ Returning cast
- ✓ Gossiping pensioners
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Funny narration
- ✓ Snappy dialogue
- ✓ Repetitive for one
- ✓ Long internal monologue
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Finding home
- ✓ Old wounds
- ✓ Low angst
- ✓ Heart-warming
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ Not discussed
- ✓ No romance.io rating
- ✓ No content warnings
- ✓ Card shows moderate
Ending ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ HEA confirmed
- ✓ Takes time
- ✓ Series continues
- ✓ Satisfying
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ $7.99 Kindle price
- ✓ No audiobook found
- ✓ Series comfort read
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