"Hearts on Thin Ice" by Katie Kennedy is an emotionally gripping novel that explores the profound impact of tragedy on the human spirit. The story revolves around Nick Sorensen, a former hockey player who survived a devastating plane crash that claimed the lives of his closest friends. Physically ready to return to the ice, Nick's mental state raises concerns among his coach, evident in his empty apartment that consists only of a chair and a mattress. In an attempt to prove his well-being, Nick enlists the services of Alyssa Compton, a talented up-and-coming interior designer. Alyssa sees this opportunity as a chance to shine in her career and establish a sense of stability. She yearns for a place to call home and to find solace within her own surroundings. However, working with Nick proves to be a challenging endeavor, as his stubbornness and difficult demeanor push her to the edge of quitting. Just as she contemplates giving up, Nick surprises her by extending a helping hand in an unexpected and meaningful way. As the paths of these two lost souls intertwine, they navigate a treacherous and icy journey where cracks threaten to shatter their fragile hearts. Yet, in matters of love, the most remarkable discoveries often arise from unexpected alliances. Nick and Alyssa learn that having someone on their team, supporting and understanding them, allows them to find warmth amidst the cold. Katie Kennedy skillfully portrays the complexities of human emotions in "Hearts on Thin Ice." Through her heartfelt storytelling, she explores themes of resilience, healing, and the transformative power of love. The characters are intricately developed, each struggling with their own demons and finding solace in one another. Kennedy's writing is poignant, evoking a range of emotions from the reader. The narrative is beautifully paced, building tension and anticipation as Nick and Alyssa's relationship evolves. The author's ability to capture the intricate dynamics of their connection, from frustration to compassion, creates an engaging and relatable reading experience. "Hearts on Thin Ice" is a captivating tale of love, hope, and the strength that can be found in unexpected partnerships. Kennedy's masterful storytelling and compelling characters make this novel a must-read for fans of contemporary romance and those seeking stories that delve into the depths of the human spirit.

Hockey romance has quickly climbed to the top of my genre faves and this book is no different. Alyssa and Nick are one of the sweetest couples that I hope everyone loves reading about as much as I did.

Didn't love or hate this one. I think it had a lot of potential, especially tackling the big issues like grief and past homelessness, but the book just didn't have the space to fully explore them. I wished the relationship between the characters developed with a little less miscommunication so that we could see them click more. I did like the art museum scene and how the main characters connected over art and aesthetics. Would still suggest to contemporary romance readers who like sports as a backdrop to the romance.

What a delight “Hearts in Thin Ice” was! The MMC, Nick, was a sweet lead who had some real trauma in his background but with the help of Alyssa, the FMC, he takes some big steps to overcome losing some of his best friends. The dynamics between Alyssa’s own childhood trauma and Nick’s more recent one, blended well with each of them learning and growing from each other some important lessons about trust, family, teamwork, and love. The story is sweet, spicy, and well paced.

This charming romance was a delightful and quick read. I loved the characters and their journey, even though the third act break-up and ending weren't quite what I had anticipated. The hero, burdened by grief, and the heroine, with her own past hurts, created a dynamic that kept me engaged throughout.

I am a sucker for a hockey romance so I absolutely had to read this one. This is a great story of two people with baggage who eventually find their way to each other. Nick is a hockey player and Alyssa an interior designer. They meet through another hockey player who is having his home decorated. One thing I look for in a good romance is a great cast of secondary characters, and this book delivers on that. Alyssa’s friends are great and the hockey players are more than flat stereotypes.
There is some sadness in this book so I recommend checking the trigger warnings before reading.

This started off with such promise. I enjoyed the set up, the characters backgrounds but towards the middle it just fell off, and moved too slowly.
I always expect some miscommunication in a romance story but these two never properly got together for the third act break up. If anything it was too much of a slow burn.
I did like the characters, and the dialogue between the hockey team.

2.75⭐️

we follow nick and Alyssa. Nick has just survived a plane crash and Alyssa is trying to open up her own interior design firm.

Nicks story had me tearing up at the beginning of the book. His moments with his family, his friend’s wife, and even all the guilt he had felt. But with his serious reluctance to go to therapy or even get help I started to not care for him. Why should I care for this guy if he can’t even care for himself? Even after him and Alyssa become an item he still doesn’t talk about his guilt and grief.

Alyssa only had one personality trait and that was interior design. we don't see any other hobbies from her. am i really supposed to believe 7 year old Alyssa was designing houses instead of playing with barbies?

Nick and Alyssa together had no chemistry. and then the sex scenes were so cringy. They would name their parts the most ridiculous names and then continue to refer to it as that name instead of the actual body part. the nicknames they had for each other were a bit weird too. There was also serious miscommunication.

I did really like their friends and family. Their support system was always there for them despite them always pushing them away.

This book was so very well written. It handled heavy topics with care and balanced them well with the excitement of new relationships.

It was a heart warming read.

While I absolutely loved the writing and it was easy to read, i found it came down to being to unrealistic to capture my interest. One minute the MMC is so grief stricken and guilty about surviving and the next he’s romping around in a pirate outfit. I just felt like some moments he was so grief stricken, refusing to do anything to move his life forward while the next pursuing the fmc.

I just felt like a lot of nothing happened in this book. The final act conflict didn’t feel that big or dramatic since they’d never actually dated leading up to that point.
I also find it hard to believe truthfully I’m expected that what happened to Nick, the second time, neither Alyssa’s brother or step-dad reached out to seee how nick was??

A cute sexy solid romance! Quick read and engaging story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

A wonderful story with an unforgettable hero carrying the devastating baggage of grief, and a heroine with her own scars, “Hearts on Thin Ice”, by Katie Kennedy, is full of sadness, hope and the promise of new beginnings.
Nick is such a memorable and lovable male character! He’s sweet, a bit shy, laconic, honest. Horribly wounded by a recent tragic event, still going stoically through the grief process, showing strength and vulnerability.
I loved the sensitive approach to the tragedy, how ever so slowly the author revealed how things happened and what Nick went through, as well as the deep bonds between Nick and his former mates, especially Sammy, showing how some part of the hero’s self disappeared too.
Alyssa is also a great heroine. I felt the struggles and frustration she has to face in his job are realistic. Her past is hard and the way she and her family reacted seems plausible.
Some parts of the story are really sad and emotional, but feel already as a path to redemption. Other moments or scenes are simply powerful in its devastating content.
I loved the descriptions of the games, the love for hockey and ice skating, and the beauty of it all.
Nick’s team is a group a great people and I really liked how they supported him.
In general I also liked the secondary characters.
I liked the decoration part but sometimes felt it was a bit too much.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and to the author Katie Kennedy, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super sweet unique book. I really recommend it if you enjoy sports romance. I’m not gonna lie the sports romance I have read so far really haven’t been my thing but this book was. I give it a solid four stars. It only got points off for the miscommunication between the couple and some slow parts of the book. I will be purchasing the physical copy when it comes out in June 2024.

Nick is a pro hockey player and Alyssa is an interior designer. Nick is recovering from a plane crash that killed his best friends/teammates and left him the only survivor. He is ready to get back on the ice physically but his coach doesn’t think he is mentally. The coach makes him see a therapist and expects him to decorate his newly bought apartment. He hires Alyssa to decorate his apartment for him after meeting her at a team mates house. They bum heads a couple of times and are navigating their own personal problems as well. They learn to come together as a team and fall for each other though.

Things I liked:
Alyssa being an interior designer and the interior design aspects
The Scooby Doo references
Nick working through his PTSD
Chapter 25
Nick VS Stacey was amazing
Nick and Alyssa’s chemistry
How Alyssa and Nick became friends then lovers

ALL OF THIS WAS FREAKING WONDERFUL. I cried, I laughed, I loved. I wish it went deeper into his PTSD but I’m also kind of glad it didn’t. The journey to healing was just heartwarming, and heart wrenching at the same time. I wish there was more to it though, I would read another book for several about Nick and Alyssa.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

I loved this hockey romcom! It was such a cute easy read. I enjoyed it!! I loved the story line and the characters are so well written.

Hearts on Thin Ice was one of the best sporty romances I have ever read. It had a good story line and it was easy to follow. I thought that the flow of everything was just right, it was a fast read for sure. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading Hockey Romances.

I liked the mix that this book had between funny moments, steamy moments, and serious moments, It’s refreshing to read a book that addresses grief in such an understandable way. I really felt for the characters the whole time, but the 3rd act breakup and the ending sadly weren’t what I expected! Still really liked it though so you should read it!

I really enjoyed this book!!!!

The characters were easy to love and nicely developed. There is series potential with the lovable friends and players that support the MCs throughout the book. The steamy scenes were short, but they got the point across! The storyline flowed nicely with a cute HFN ending. (I could see the complete HEA in an epilogue being added by the author when published.)

Overall, I loved this book and will look for more by Katie Kennedy in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Blurb:

A pro hockey player falls for an interior designer in this charming debut sports romance.

For fans of Icebreaker and Set On You, this flirty workplace rom-com explores mental health, belonging, and finding your way in the world.

Nick Sorensen had once been one of the fastest men in hockey—until the devastating plane crash that took the lives of his best friends, leaving him the only survivor. Now he’s physically ready to get back on the ice, but his coach is concerned Nick isn’t doing as well, mentally, as he says he is. Case in point: Nick’s apartment is completely empty, apart from a single chair and a mattress on the floor.

To prove he’s fine, really, Nick hires Alyssa Compton, an up-and-coming interior designer, to decorate his space. Alyssa’s thrilled at the chance to prove herself to her demanding boss—with job security at last, maybe she can finally put down roots and create a home for herself too. But Nick turns out to be infuriatingly stubborn and impossible to work with, and just when Alyssa decides to throw in the towel on the whole thing, Nick shows up for her in a way she never could have expected.  

The icy path ahead of these two lost souls may be slippery and cracking, but when it comes to love, sometimes all you need is someone on your team.

Plot:

As far as romcoms go, I wouldn't name this as one of my favorites. Or even something close to one.

The plot felt....like The Tempest by Shakespeare( if you're an ISC class 12th students, you will relate to my pain). Stuff happened because well stuff happened. There is a certain flow I look for in books, something which this lacked. There were elements to the story that felt jarring and unnecesary.

Characters:
Nick makes for a very predictable character near the beginning. A handsome, mysterious protagonist. But, his arc lacks the depth that was required if we keep in my mind the trauma he went through. There were scenes in which he attempted to handle grief that felt..fake and lacked the sensitivity that is needed when handling such grave topics. It almost felt pretentious.

Alyssa was well, annoying. I don't know what is going on in her head. Her flaws feel intentional. I don't exactly know how to explain it. Well you know how people make mistakes because they didn't think it through or perhaps were misguided? Well, Alyssa makes 'mistakes' as she puts it across because she just had to, because it was essential to the storyline. And that just did not sit well with me.

Writing Style:
Well, this was the saving grace of this book. Looking the past the obviously derailed plotline and pretentious characters, the writing style was cute and fuzzy, something a romantic book requires. I like the hockey game analysis provided in the middle of the scenes as well but I would have loved it if there were more scenes like that since it is a sports romance.

Rating:

I am sorry but I would not rate it to high. This gets 2.5/5 stars.

My heart is also on thin ice after reading this. Screaming, crying, throwing up! Katie Kennedy, you crushed it!