I SWEAR THERE IS CRACK IN THIS BOOK!!!! I loved this one so much. Sage and Elias are so sweet and their love is so intimate and heartfelt and tender. I loved Collide but you can tell with Spiral that Bal Khabra really honed her craft with this one. It was sweet and swoony and HOT and heart wrenching and I would die for Sage and was absolutely kicking my feet and GIGGLING over Elias

I loved this tender, heartfelt story! everything about Elias and Sage’s love story is lovely, tender, joyful, and special.

their connection, both circumstantial and emotional, allows them to grow so deeply in their love for each other through friendship, trust, and kindness. I especially loved the friendships in this story, how Elias’s teammates and friends, and Sage’s family, grow into one big supportive community that continues to show up and support each other always.

I feel like every plot point of this story is developed and concluded so thoughtfully and thoroughly, I was kept embraced in this story fully from start to finish. I absolutely adored everything about this book, thank you so much Berkley for the arc!!!!

THIS is how you do fake dating!! I was a. huge fan of Collide, so I am DELIGHTED that this book met and even exceeded my expectations.

Elias and Sage have a funny meet-cute - he's a star hockey player with a really bad rep in the media that is unfounded, and the higher ups are not impressed with the coverage. Sage is a ballerina / dance teacher trying to make it in the dance world and her uncle works for the hockey team. He is not a fan of Elias. But I thought the way this was handled was the perfect level of involvement and not overshadowing too much of the plot.

Yes, it has some spice. But omg Elias is just the most ideal man. He reminded me a bit of Ryan Shay. That quiet and caring love. The acts of service. The way their feelings developed for each other was just so natural and the story FLOWED.

Sage is one of my favorite FMCs (I think I will love any FMC that Bal writes),

Hockey player x ballerina with fake dating!!! Honestly, say less. Very cute and fun! Some very weird moments (like the house fire?) and it was a little choppy, but overall very fun!

This was so stinking cute! A romance that will give you butterflies and make you want a boyfriend like Elias.

I absolutely loved this. It was so cute & sweet with the right amount of steam. You will fall in love with Elias. He is the golden retriever to ever retriever. Elias and Sage were a perfect pairing. I loved the shy guy & confident girl, especially in sports romance. The characters here are so lovable that you won't want to put the book down.

Super delightful read!

I’d like to start by saying this is a good book and if you love grumpy sunshine, black cat golden retriever, hockey romance you’ll love this book! It has amazing tropes such as fake dating and forced proximity. The romance is nice, full of communication which is always appreciated because in this house we hate miscommunication! I definitely recommend it to my hockey girlies out there!!!
However, i’m not a hockey girlie even though I don’t mind it and I wasn’t really invested in the relationship past the 80% mark which kind of killed my hype. I must say as well that cinnamon roll mmc being very filthy and out of character in bed is a pet peeve of mine. However like I said, I still think it’s a good book just not for me!

okayyyy she was completely different than what i was expecting! this was a slowwww burn and they definitely could’ve spiced it up a little more 😏 but i’m completely obsessed with elias and sage, they were utterly romantic and i was rooting for them from the beginning! always a good sign 🫶🏼

I received this book as an ARC but all thoughts are my own!

I absolutely loved Collide so I was super excited to start reading Spiral! This book has a fake dating trope, mental health rep, found family, and some serious black cat 🐈‍⬛ x golden retriever 🐶 vibes which I'm a HUGE fan of!!

I ate up the ballerina 🩰 x hockey player 🏒 premise and the way Elias was so supportive of Sage literally made me cry 🥺

Sage has had a rough, stressful upbringing to say the least, so she's now responsible for her little brother who's away at boarding school, meanwhile, she's trying to make it in the Ballet world. This is definitely a fake relationship of convenience, since Elias needs to clean up his image as a rookie in the NHL, and Sage needs more social media followers so that she will get taken seriously at her auditions.

This spicy romance is a must-read if you love cute, fluffy, steamy romance books where the FMC literally gets the princess treatment even though she acts like she doesn't need help from anyone.

I seriously can't wait for the next book!!

3.75⭐️ Thank you so much Berkeley Romance & NetGalley for the e-ARC!
Overall I enjoyed this one! I did end up liking Collide a bit better, but glad I got to read this!
The MMC is so sweet and I really loved his character and arc. The things he did for Sage and the way he treated her were so sweet. For whatever reason I didn’t love her character at first, but she grew on me! Her arc was great as well, and I liked seeing her grow through her emotional struggles. As a former dancer, I also loved that Sage was one, and it made for such a cute sports romance with Elias playing hockey!
This did take me a while to get into, and at times I wasn’t fully interested or into it. I’m not sure what is was about it, but it didn’t end up working for me as much as Collide.
I still really enjoyed this overall though, and would definitely recommend!

Spiral was such a quick and fun read. I liked the book was fast paced to keep me hooked and honestly Elias had me blushing and giggling so much!

This book had everything slow burn , tension , banter and so many cute moments. Sage is definitely a lucky girl to have someone like an Eli in her corner and all the things he would do for her were so cute. Eli is definitely book boyfriend material.

Sage is so black cat coded and i honestly loved her so much and felt for everything she’s been through. and i was so happy when she found a guy like Eli who did everything he could to make her smile.

The book was great! I like how it was about 2 people who were in 2 completely different sports but still found ways the be together. I like how the author used real world examples such as loosing parents or not having a lot of money to get by.

I haven’t read book 1 in the series, but I really enjoyed Spiral regardless. The characters were not perfect (a compliment) the dialogue felt natural, and the pace was quick enough for me to stay hooked without feeling rushed. In addition, it’s always refreshing to see POC in hockey romance books (especially since the hockey romance world is reflective of the real world in that it is quite white).

Oh my god what magic did I just read?! Seriously this book was so good to the point where I’m mad I finished it so fast. Bal Khabra certainly has a hook on writing the most caring and sweet men ever. Sage and Summer are two lucky women, and count me shocked at how I didn’t think I could love anyone more than Aiden but then here comes Elias in this book. Wow just wow!

The slow burn, the tension, the sweet acts of service that both Sage and Elias did for each other. Everything was so heartfelt and perfect, and I couldn’t get enough. I loved the fake dating to actual feelings trope, and this book pulled it off flawlessly. If you want a great read filled with amazing build up between two beautiful characters you have to pick this one up. Make sure you read book one first, but this book two may just be 6 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I’m sad the story is over, but I’m so glad it happened!

"Collide" was one of my favorite sports romances that I had the pleasure of reading last year, so getting approved for this arc was a dream come true. unfortunately, I was left feeling unsatisfied. I felt that the characters were very underdeveloped and just fell flat for me. The pacing was so odd, it could have been 50 pages shorter and done a better job of showing their relationship progress. This was marketed as a fake dating romance, but there was no reason for them to keep it fake to add tension, which is the entire point of the trope. I completely forgot that's what it was supposed to be a couple times until the characters would bring it up as a reason they couldn't be together even though... it wasn't a reason they couldn't be together?
However, I really enjoyed Sages character. I'm always down for an eldest daughter finally getting taken care of the way she takes care of everyone else. A golden retriever boy who's always in control and loves to cook is always sweet as well.

*Thank you to Netgalley & the author for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was probably one of the softest, most heartfelt books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a while. There was so much goodness packed into these characters and all I wanted was for Sage and Elias to have their dreams come true and be able to find and keep their happiness.

Being able to see them come together and rely on the other for not only help but actual solid support was worthwhile. Getting glimpses into their future, their past and seeing how all of that played a heavy hand on the character development was extraordinary. The banter between Elias and Sage was incredible. I loved how their vulnerability shined through with so much heart. They’re just so steady and solid, I loved them so much.

The slow burn and tension between Elias and Sage was TORTURE but so delicious! My expectations were raised and exceeded 💖

Spiral was the perfect fake dating read! Eli Westbrook is newly drafted and is having a rough time with the start of his hockey season—that, and the media won’t leave him alone. But after aspiring ballerina Sage Beaumont wins a date with him, both of their luck changes—the media thinks he has a girlfriend and Sage’s social media has gotten more attention, meaning more auditions are opening for her. But the longer they spend time together, the more the fake lines begin to blur. Oh Eli, he is so sweet and sensitive and kind. And Sage, who takes care of her brother and herself, is so strong and brave. I liked Collide, but I could not put down Spiral. The banter was spot on. It was funny, it was emotional, it was heartwarming. The fake dating and forced proximity was so well done, and all of the characters worked so well together. It’s a really beautiful and romantic story, and I just really loved it.

4.75 ⭐️ | 1.5 🌶 | 📚

I will be honest, I was NOT expecting this book to be as good as it was but WOW did it knock my socks off. Both Sage and Elias were incredible leads. Their emotional backstories and vulnerability with each other throughout the book was soooo good. I loved that, for a hockey romance, we actually got a decent amount of hockey backstory and same with Sage and her dancing. Both characters had great and well developed storylines outside of the romance.

The tension and the banter that these two had was palpable. I truly could not put this book down and I am officially a Bal Khabra stan after this book. I cannot wait for the world to be introduced to this book.

Also, for fans of Ryan Shay from The Right Move and Henry Turner from Daydream, I think you should be preparing yourselves to fall in love with your newest obsession, Elias Westbrook.

Thank you SO much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book! I truly cannot wait to share it with everyone I know.

This book is technically a sequel, but as someone who did not read the first in advance, I felt it wasn't needed and could stand on its own. This is a fun, spicy and vulnerable fake dating, sports romance between a hockey star and a ballet dancer. It's told in dual points of view and written with a compelling tone of voice and language. Thanks to an intriguing story and relatable characters, I just wanted to know what would happen next. In short, it was very easy to get sucked into this one.

I don’t even know where to start this review, because it was EVERYTHING. I was full-on blushing, giggling, wheezing, and kicking my feet for days while reading this—and honestly, even after finishing, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Bal didn’t just write a book; she wrote a whole experience. She knows exactly how to grab your heart, rip it out, and then lovingly put it back together in the best way possible.

Eli and Sage are just magic. Their relationship is this stunning mix of slow-burn tension, emotional vulnerability, and so much heart. Watching them grow—not just closer, but individually—was pure gold. They learn to trust, lean on each other, and show up in ways that felt so real and relatable. And let’s talk about Sage for a second. She’s bold, unapologetic, and fiercely independent. But underneath that strength, there’s a vulnerability that makes her so human. As an eldest daughter (with a younger brother, of course), her struggles hit me so hard. The way she balances her own needs with taking care of those around her was so relatable, it honestly felt like Bal wrote her just for me.

And then there’s Eli. Sigh. This man is everything. He’s thoughtful, steady, and knows exactly when to step up and be what Sage needs without ever taking away her independence. AND HE COOKS FOR HER. Like, hello?? Dream man alert. But it’s not just about the romance—he’s dealing with his own emotional baggage, and watching him work through it while also showing up for Sage was incredible. And let’s not forget the way he looks out for Sean. My heart? Shattered in the best way.

The sibling bond between Sage and Sean? So raw and real, it made me tear up more than once. The found family dynamic? It hit so hard I’m still recovering. And that slow burn? TORTURE in the most delicious, can’t-put-it-down way. Every glance, every moment, every step they took closer to each other had me screaming internally (and maybe externally too).

Tropes to tempt you: fake dating, hockey player x ballerina, SLOW BURN, found family, emotional healing, and sibling bonds that will absolutely destroy you in the best way. Seriously, January 28 can’t come fast enough. Pre-order it, mark your calendars, and get ready to have your heart stolen because this book is IT.

I'm a sucker for ballet books, and hockey romances are always fun, so this should have been a huge pick for me. It wasn't bad. The characters were interesting, the writing was good... but there were a few things that didn't totally work for me. First, I'm notsure the author actually knows much about ballet. It's not a huge part of the story, so it's not a huge deal. The FMC is very self sufficiant. So much so that she won't accept help from anyone ever. Especially not the uncle who has been trying to support her since she was a parentless teenager. The uncle who show up to every dance recital, loves her unconditionally, and also (!?) hates her boyfriend and is a complete dick about it. The MMC is a hockey player who is in a slump, who takes a vow of celebacy after getting blackmaled after his first sexual experiance as a teen. He's also really good at flirting and is a sex god.

If you want a quick read romance and don't mind suspending some disbelief, you'll probably enjoy this one.