The Coldest Valentine

By Barbara Howard

A Valentine's Day blizzard. A dead body. And the estranged husband she couldn't trust. Now, he's the only one who can keep her alive.

As Cleveland's most trusted weather expert, Chief Meteorologist Brooke Wilder can predict every storm system that rolls off Lake Erie. What she couldn't predict was finding her colleague murdered in the TV station; or that the FBI agent assigned to the case would be her estranged husband, Frank.
They've been separated for eleven months, their marriage destroyed by grief, addiction, and words left unsaid. The divorce papers are ready to sign. Brooke just needs to find the courage to make it official. But when a historic Valentine's Day blizzard bears down on her city, everything changes. The station goes into lockdown. The killer strikes during the chaos, and evidence suggests Brooke isn't just a witness-she's the next target.

Frank Wilder has spent fifty-two days sober, fifty-two days trying to become the man his wife deserves. Now he has one chance to prove it. Trapped in a darkening building with a methodical killer, dwindling power, and deadly cold closing in, Frank must protect the woman he never stopped loving.
As the blizzard rages and the body count threatens to rise, Brooke and Frank are forced into an intimacy they've avoided for two years. Old wounds resurface. Painful truths emerge. And the attraction that first brought them together burns hotter than ever, even as a murderer circles closer.

With the clock ticking, Brooke must decide: Can she trust Frank with her life when she couldn't trust him with her heart? And can Frank prove that second chances are worth fighting for-before the storm, the killer, or their own demons destroy them both? This Valentine's Day, the greatest threat isn't the record-breaking blizzard outside... it's the lethal obsession hiding in plain sight.

In the heart of an Ohio winter, the most dangerous thing isn't the cold-it's the truth.

Tropes:

Forced Proximity

Protector Hero

Ticking Clock

Second Chances

Emotional Healing

Dangerous Obsession

Women in STEM

The Coldest Valentine is a gripping romantic suspense novel that combines pulse-pounding mystery with an emotionally charged second-chance romance.

CONTENT WARNING: Stalking. Miscarriage. Alcoholism. Gun/Knife violence.

WINTERKILL: A Cleveland Crime Series

Book 1: The Coldest Valentine
Book 2: Storm Cell
Book 3: Ice Line
Book 4 Lake Effect Lies
Book 5: Dead Calm

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GTWDR628
• ISBN13: 9798233904820
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Black Swan Publishing
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"