Vengeance glacée (Bree Taggert t. 2)

The characters feel so real and complex, even as the plot thickens. I'm curious whether their depth was planned from the start or developed during writing.

The romantic suspense elements added a fascinating layer to the mystery, but I found myself rooting for the characters even as danger loomed. What was the intent behind balancing these tones?

The mood is so immersive and tense—was this influenced by a particular place or event, or did the author build it from scratch to serve the story?