Nothing has ever been easy for Cristiano.  His father took off long ago, his mother allows herself to be a constant victim to the whims of his stepfather, and his brother disappeared about the time Cristiano was kick out in his early teens. 

Life is a never ending struggle to have a few dollars in his wallet so Cristiano agrees to spar in the gym against titled Cuban prize fighter Angel Marquez. When Angel invites him over for an evening Cristiano’s eyes are opened to the passion of M/M sex. 

Cristiano is delivered a one two punch when a man from his past shows up and introduces him to pro hockey goalie Alex Hunter, a man who has gone through hell and back himself.  Instant chemistry complicates a volatile situation, yet neither man can fathom the idea of not getting to know each other better.  Cristiano is finding it difficult to believe Alex could care about a nobody like him while Alex knows he has found peace in Cristiano’s arms.  Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time before everything explodes if they stay together. 

Hard knocks meets a damaged soul in Fire and Ice.  The emotional angst that governs Cristiano and Alex make Fire and Ice intense and interesting at times.  Their struggles and personal problems are the best part of this story.  However, the sudden change in his sexual preference doesn’t seem real because he accepts it with barely a whimper or question.  The revenge angle in the tale is suspect as well and finally the ending is extremely abrupt.  Fire and Ice has some very good moments when the story dwells on their individual hardships, but the overall story slows down too much with unanswered problems.