My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overview:
Elias Westbrook is a struggling rookie in the NHL—after an amazing college career he’s realizing scoring goals in the majors is a lot harder than he thought it would be. Putting so much pressure on himself to live up to everyone’s expectations, he’s pleasantly surprised when he meets Sage—a struggling ballerina who’s trying to care for her brother, chase her dreams, and honestly just keep her life afloat. They find their careers can mutually benefit if they enter into a fake dating agreement. It’s a great plan until real feelings get involved…

My thoughts:
Bal Khabra does it again! I loveeeeed Elias and Sage’s growth and love. So much so that Elias might be one of my favorite book boyfriend of all time 🤭—he was so thoughtful and kind and always wanting Sage to feel wanted and taken care of.

Spiral was a good, spicy hockey romance like I was expecting—but also so much more. It had depth, covered serious topics, and of course had my favorite tropes of fake dating, one bed, found family, and he fell first. Not wanting to give too much away, all I can say is I highly recommend reading this when it comes out in January, you won’t be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of this book—opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group!

I could not get into this sadly. I had high hopes but it wasn’t hooking me. I feel like maybe I am in a slump and I would enjoy it at another time but for now it wasn’t hitting the spot.

I am glad that I read the first book in the series first before going into this one, I can be a standalone but character come into this book that were in the first one and I feel it's best to read them in order.
I really liked this book a lot better than the first book, it was really good and showed so much character development.
MAin characters: Sage and Elias; sage has a bad taste for hockey guys and Elisa is a rookie who the media has created so much drama for. Their relationship and adventure in love is so perfect, it shows family issues, personal issues and career issues. Lots of issues and drama but it was such a great book.
This book was a slow burn finding feelings kinda book. There was tons of chemistry and emotions and family issues played a huge part in this book. It was well written and put together great.
Elias is such a great book boyfriend, this book makes him shine and shows just how caring, sweet and protective he is.

I am waiting for the next book in this series.... It's such a great series and this author is fantastic.

WOW did this book live up to its expectations. I really don’t have much else to say aside from the fact that these characters are everything to me and i wish the epilogue was a thousand pages longer than it actually was. 🥲 but i had an amazing time binging this in one evening, and i cannot wait to read the next books in the series (author, please write a story for #kiandylan im dying here…i’ll even take a novella).

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

Spiral is the second book in the Off the Ice series by Bal Khabra, following the story of Elias Westbrook and Sage Beaumont. This heartfelt and charming romance showcases Khabra’s growth as a writer, with clear improvements in writing, editing, and plotlines compared to the first book.

Elias Westbrook is having a tough rookie season in the NHL. With the media labeling him a playboy and harassing any woman he’s seen with—not to mention his struggle to score his first career goal—his confidence is at an all-time low. Meanwhile, Sage Beaumont, niece of NHL coach Marcus Beaumont, faces her own challenges as a ballerina. After being turned down for a dream role in Swan Lake due to her lack of social media following, she’s left feeling defeated.
When Elias and Sage cross paths, they strike a mutually beneficial deal: they’ll fake date.

The story is heartwarming and undeniably cute. Elias and Sage’s connection feels genuine and deeply supportive—they bring out the best in each other. Their banter and emotional growth add a layer of authenticity that pulls readers in. Elias’s tenderness, in particular, is a standout. His patience and vulnerability made me appreciate Sage’s character even more, despite not being her biggest fan initially. Together, their dynamic is sweet, uplifting, and full of growth.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

Read This Book If…a hockey player x ballerina romance sounds amazing!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Spiral by Bal Khabra

Genre: hockey romance
Series: Off the Ice # 2
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 explicit scenes
Setting: Toronto
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: fake dating, roommates, celibate, cinnamon roll hero

My Thoughts:
I really enjoy the vulnerability between these two! I was not expecting him to be the sweetest, softest guy to finally be the one to take care of the ultra-independent girl.

I found the writing to be a little clunky and there were quite a few different conflicts woven into the plot, so the ending felt a bit rushed to wrap everything up neatly.

Overall, I enjoyed this read but it isn’t my favorite hockey romance.

Memorable Quote: “Let’s go home,” she whispers into the crook of my neck. I nod, but she doesn’t know that I’m already there.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

4.5 stars! I did not expect to love this book so much. There are so many hockey romances out there, but this one really stood out and felt different to me.

Sage was super flirty and confident while Elias was more reserved. They are both athletes struggling to have successful careers and decide to fake date to be able to achieve their goals. I loved how Sage was always cracking jokes and saying inappropriate things. Eli is not the typical super rich, cocky pro athlete that sleeps around which was so refreshing. He reminded me of Ryan Shay (biggest compliment ever). The way he treated Sage and the things he said had me swooning. Their story and their conversations felt so real and relatable. This one is a major slow burn, and they build such a strong friendship before actually getting together. This is one of those book couples that you know would actually stay together forever.

It wasn't a 5 star for me because there were just a couple of small things that bugged me. Then at 70% in, I was like what could possibly happen after this for 30%. It definitely could have been shorter. I need to go back and read Collide now. Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5-4⭐️ So... I have a lot of thoughts.

Let me start by saying I liked this MUCH better than collide. These two were so cute and TRULY deserved each other. I loved the comfort and care they took with each other. Secondly, I realize that if you don't like a specific trope... you shouldn't read books with that trope! However, I had NO idea this book was a slow burn... and a major one at that. Which leads me to my next point...

This book is SUCH a tease... *I* was getting ready to spiral reading this book for the first 75% if I'm honest! Then after they finally got together everything was good and cute and beautiful everything happened so fast I just don't understand why it TOOK SO LONG! It got to a point where I honest to God didn't even care about the sex, please just admit you LIKE EACH OTHER!

Sage was soooooooo much more likeable than Summer. I had no issues with her and she didn't make me wanna pull my hair out and fight her. Elias was also very very sweet and thoughtful and such a good MMC. It's interesting to me the choice to switch the gender roles with this book and make Sage the assertive one and Elias the apprehensive one (to be together) however his reasoning behind being apprehensive was just SO DUMB to me. I'm sorry! That's just "MY OPINION." But kudos to Sage for being so patient with him, although its an easy thing to do when you have a man taking care of you the way Eli did!

Lastly... I KNOW Sage was supposed to be a POC. WHERE was the evidence of that? Like i truly had a huge question mark because just saying she has brown skin and curly hair is not telling the reader anything. And that's weird to me because it was clear in collide that Summer was a poc. So idk what happened there! But anyway...

sorry, I just had a lot of feelings.

as a former dancer myself, I was so excited to read this and the romance did not disappoint. Elias is such book-boyfriend material, and I felt such a connection with Sage in many ways related to feeling unworthy/not good enough. The characters are likable, there's nothing overly complicated, and the romance keeps you involved until the end. Elias was such a golden retriever and I love how much he cared about improving his image and being more than what people expected of him. Sage and her brother were a great representation of a realistic sibling relationship. The slow burn was done well and worth it once they both gave in!

Found elias and sage to be some of the most lovable characters i’ve encountered. sage was witty, flirty, funny and incredibly confident which i adore seeing in an fmc. elias was shy, reserved, gentle. for a hockey player it was quite refreshing to see portrayal of someone who’s not all cocky and arrogant and full of ego. they matched perfectly and i found myself highlighting basically every page bc it was so funny and sweet.

This book has it all. all my favorite tropes crammed into one: fake dating, shy mmc x confident fmc, nightmare trope, forced proximity, slowburn-ish, found family. everything one can ask for, in a SINGLE BOOK. that’s just amazing.

I think the author's writing and overall editing was better than Collide

I did not know I just NEEEEEDED to read this book. the confidence in the FMC x shy MMC, but wait until he gets comfortable… yummmm. and the found family trope. This book was SO delicious in every way. I also appreciate that the FMC saw her dreams through despite having imposter syndrome/having found her own version of a family. This book was perfection and I need more books by Bal Khabra ASAP

Elias Westbrook is one of our new Book boyfriends, everyone needs a man like him in their life he just perfect in every single way from beginning to end! I have a soft spot for Sage because she is truly chaos personified yet so graceful and beautiful inside and out. She has had so much adversity, but no matter what she always works and finds a way to be better! THE SLOW BURN was real and we were eating it up!
I loved this book and so excited to have had the opportunity to read before Release! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! We can not wait to stock it instore to share with our TNR family!

I am so glad I hopped on the Bal Khabra train! Many of my friends recommended her books, and now I totally understand why! This was such a stunning romance, with so much nuance and multiple POVs, and many different intersecting plot points. This was beautifully executed and I can't wait to see what's next in this series!!!

I really loved reading this after finally diving into Collided after wanting to read it for so long. This was SUCH a good read and it was incredible seeing Bal Khabra’s progression as an author.

This is a hockey player x ballerina, fake dating, sports romance. This book also talks about very difficult topics in a very easy way. There is a lot of vulnerability in this book that was beautiful to read. The main characters are incredible and their story is so easy to fall in love with. There was a lot of tension and slow burn that was fun to read and follow along. I truly adore Elias and Sage and their story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley for letting me read this as an ARC.

Collide blew me away and Spiral didn't disappoint. Something about ballet always makes me fall in love so adding a hockey player...yeah, I was a very happy girl. AND THE SPICE...next level amazing.

This was a cute book and i found the characters really likable and easy to follow. The pacing was kind of strange in some places but overall i really liked it. One weird part for me was how quickly they jumped into living with each other after her house burnt down by accident? I feel like if this were to actually happen she wouldn't just jump into living with someone she barely knows? also why didn't any actions come from her burning her house down? i feel like it happened and then we just forgot about it as the book went on? like of course there was small mentions but nothing that was super important or a solution ya know?

I do love a good hockey romance though and this one was honestly pretty cute. The banter was wonderful and the golden retriever down bad hockey player will always be a favorite of mine! Sage was a cutie pie and i adored her and the independence she had. I love the sibling bond between sage and her brother it was really heartwarming to see. The found family was another favorite part of this book! Eli and Sage were adorable and im so happy i read this book.

I really enjoyed this take on hockey romance. I appreciated that this time the hockey player is already out of college, so it added a little bit of a different layer to the story than some of the other ones that have recently come out. I’m Impressed by Bal Khabra’s writing chops; she is excellent at craft, prose, swoon, and characterization. I think she’s going to be a big hit, and not just for this book. Was nice to see the rep as well.

when a golden boy hockey player can't score goals (or stay out of the media) and a talented ballet dancer can't get the part she wants because she doesn't have a big enough following on social, and an auction happens where a date with elias is up for grabs, and his best friend gives sage the cash to make sure she wins it to give him a boost, it's only natural that the two will realize how they can mutually benefit each other if they pretend to date!!! listen, i'm a sucker for it every time, i won't even lie. add on the fact that elias has been celibate since some drama blew up in his world a few years back, and you'll get a slow burn with sizzling chemistry to DIE FOR. sweet family dynamics were woven throughout this one, and i loved seeing aiden and summer appearances after getting to know them in Collide!

“Elias and Sage unfiltered?”

“It’s not giving anything up when you know what you’re gaining is much more valuable.”

“It’s a terrifying revelation to think you don’t love yourself the way you love others.”

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley!
Pub date Jan 28, 2025!

I want to start by saying I did not read Collide before I read this book. This is my first book by this author and now I will definitely be going back to read Collide because I absolutely LOVED Spiral. These characters complete the story, they are written so so well. Sage reminds me a lot of myself someone who is a fellow people pleaser and would rather make others happy than themselves. I felt deeply connected to her, basically she emulates that trauma makes you funnier lol. I really loved how bold and brave she was even if 95% of the time she’s faking it. She’s a girl who is definitely afraid to ask for what she wants but does it anyway, which I found to be really inspiring.

ELIAS WESTBROOK!! Oh MY gosh. I loved him so so much he is the type of guy you swoon over and he does everything so effortlessly just because he wants you to be happy and safe. Acts of service is huge for me and I found Elias simply doing things without being asked and I just ate that UP. He is such a giving, caring and down to earth guy. Someone who is so soft, but will also defend those her loves. The way he treats Sage during their relationship is seriously like a princess and how I’d want my daughter (if I ever have one) to be treated 1000%. Alsoooooo he has a dirty dirty mouth and very commanding, i loved every second.

Read if you enjoy:
Slow burns
Found family
She falls first
Giving male character (in more ways than one)
Witty FMC

this was SO fun to read ahhh!

hockey player meets professional ballerina who pair up in a mutually benefitting fake dating ruse with a strict rulebook to follow…but obvi rules are made to be broken :)))

the banter?! absolutely yes! i love when a character flirts and the other MATCHES 👏🏻 ENERGY! like, yes girl flirt right BACK! i also loved how complex these characters’ backstory was because it definitely added to the impact of their relationship! layering complexity in an intentional way can be rly hit or miss depending on the writing but this one was done so believably well ✨

sage is for all the eldest daughter girlies ❤️‍🩹 i related so much to her not just bc because we share a ballerina background, but in the necessity to step up and be that parent figure for a younger sibling. i was so proud of the decisions she made to uphold her values while learning to take things for herself.

elias was such a surprise! i was not expecting to love him as much as i did but my track record for loving acts of service mmcs remains as strong as ever :p was also not prepared for THAT character detail o-KAY 👀🤭

notable mentions:
— sports romance (hockey x ballet)
— Moroccan fmc
— complex family dynamics (addiction mentioned)
— banter (v flirty characters!)
— slow burn (🌶️🌶️🌶️)
— found family
— part of interconnected world but can be read as standalone

*i also personally really liked the inclusion of celibacy. especially from a male perspective. intimacy doesn’t always come easily to everyone for a multitude of reasons & seeing eli’s experience represented so thoughtfully on page was really special

thanks so much to berkley and bal khabra for a gifted e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!