I read collide earlier this year and liked it but I really loved Spiral!
Something that always makes a romance book stand out to me is the tension and whew this was a slow burn filled with so. much. tension.
I also really enjoyed Sage and Elias and the ways that they grew throughout the book.
Their issues felt relatable and realistic and their love was just so precious.
I had a really good time reading this one and can't wait for the next book!

Personally, this wasn't my favorite novel. I do like Bal's work but this one fell flat for me. Nothing stood out or made me want to keep reading but it was sweet. I would love to hear Kian's story!

4.5 stars ★
⟶ collide was nothingg compared to this cutesy perfection of a book <33

🫶🏼 “Let’s go home,” she whispers into the crook of my neck. I nod, but she doesn’t know that im already there.” 🫶🏼

when I started this book, with low expectations bc unfortunately collide disappointed, i did not expect to see the most thoughtful man in the world with the purest kindest heart on the planet. they truly exceeded all my expectations and raised all my standards.

💌 plot 💌

elias westbrook has been having a rough time adjusting to the fame at the nhl, being a rookie. anytime he’s captured in the press with a woman, the tabloids go crazy. calling him a playboy, harassing him with unwanted attention— and even sending death threats and hate towards any woman he’s seen with. to make matters worse, he still hasn’t scored his first career goal, which only earns him even worse press. fans begin to doubt his capabilities, calling him unworthy of a role in the NHL.

sage beaumont, niece of NHL coach marcus beaumont, is also having a dilemma in her career. as a ballerina, her biggest dream is to have a role in the production of swan lake. but when she goes to audition they turn her down— not due to her lack of dance capabilities but rather her low following on social media. as it turns out, the studio focuses on people that can advertise their production well through socials, more than their ability to dance and perform.

so when sage and elias cross paths, they strike a deal to fake date— this will allow the media to stop commenting on his relationship status and respect his privacy, and also gives sage the attention she needs to gain a following on social media. it’s a foolproof plan. until real feelings get involved..

🫂 general thoughts 🫂

sorry, that was a longer plot description than I was going for but let’s get into my thoughts!!

🩰🏒 characters. i 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. love them <3 soooo much better than book 1.

💞💐 tropes. this book has it allllll. all my fav 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.

🧸 conclusion 🧸

i wouldn’t wanna bore anyone, so i’ll stop here though i really could go on and on about this book. pls read it when it comes out— and if you do, spam me ALL your thoughts. it’s all i wish for <3

thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

i reallllly liked this but I spent a decent chunk of it laughing bc of all the Toronto references and this is no fault of the author and laughing at how they were actual Stanley Cup contenders

anyway - the dynamic between Elias and Sage was really sweet, I loved that he supported her goals the same way. Also LOVED the family dynamics. I think my only gripe with this is that the third act felt a little rushed.

thanks NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

He was a top draft pick and is currently playing for Toronto. As far as everyone can tell he’s living the dream. The media isn’t a big fan of his performance and the pressure is getting to him. One day he runs into Sage, an aspiring ballerina but her lack of popularity puts her at a major disadvantage. Fake dating is the perfect solution to both of their problems. Before things spiral out of control they have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together.

This is one of if not my favorite hockey romances novel and that’s saying something because I’ve read quite a few. The characters have a lot of depth and relatable struggles. Watching them being vulnerable and opening up to one another made me emotional. Elias is the most caring, sensitive and giving man ever. One of my new favorite book boyfriends.

The forced proximity and Elias vow of celibacy makes for an incredible slow burn romance. The tension between them is ridiculous. Couple goals!!

It’s an incredible novel however it could’ve been a bit shorter but that’s just me being nitpicky.

This is the perfect book for hockey romance girlies. If you’re not the biggest fan of slow burn this will change your mind. Keep an eye out for this one, it’ll be out early 2025.

Read this is you like
❄️Hockey romance
🔥Slow burn
💜Opposites attract
💫Fake dating

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of Off the Ice #2: Spiral.

Here we follow Eli (hockey player who has many assists but no goal of his own yet and also has been spun as a "bad boy" by the media) and Sage (ballerina who is losing out on dream roles despite being talented because she doesn't have a large social media following). They decide to fake date to solve each other's problems: if Eli is in a relationship, the media will leave him alone and if Sage is seen in a famous athlete's SM posts, her following will grow opening doors for her.

STRENGTHS
- I appreciate that Sage has struggled with ED thoughts in the past, but isn't currently struggling with her body/weight on page
- I enjoyed the chemistry between Eli and Sage; I thought it was fun and really enjoyed the slow burn of them realizing they actually work well together
- the fake dating trope is a favourite of mine and the logic behind this fake relationship worked well for me; I find sometimes you push on the logic of a fake dating set up and it crumples like wet cardboard; this fake relationship to shift public appearance and advance their careers is something I can not only suspend my disbelief for, but actually buy that someone might do in our increasingly online world

WEAKNESSES
- I am deeply curious about the choice to have Sage -- a woman with (probably) Moroccan parents (at least we're told her brother looks Moroccan like her mother), who is referenced to have brown curly hair, brown skin and depicted on the cover of the book in a way to indicate she is a WOC -- have drug addict parents who abandoned her and her sibling because they are wanted criminals, being "saved" from her shitty life by a rich white athlete who just starts solving all of her financial problems (paying for her brother's medication, giving her a place to live when her apartment catches fire, etc) without once ever really addressing how race might be coming into play in terms of her auditions (or rejections for roles in ballets)
- it feels like a weird set up for a family situation with little to no nuance; the parents don't show up again once she's famous looking for money, so why not make them dead instead of wanted felon drug addicts?
- there is no critique (critique might be too much to expect of a romance)/insights offered on the intersections of race, class, education, immigrant status and the opioid epidemic and how this might lead someone to commit a crime
- I'm not sure how Khabra self identifies, but I would love to know how POC reviewers receive Sage's family set up
- also I'm just realizing now, we only really get descriptions of Sage's brother as looking Moroccan like their mother, having light brown skin and curly brown hair and I assumed that Sage looks similar to her brother Sean? (In searching the e-book for descriptions of Sage I found a few references to Eli admiring her long brown legs and noticing a blush on her brown skin)
- anyhoo, there is some racial messiness here: like race-based character nuance was attempted, but only in a very superficial way; like we could ctrl +f "brown" as a descriptor for Sage and delete it and I don't think it would impact Sage's story as it currently exists; at no point is the ballet world ever deemed racist, rather she's not getting opportunities because her social following is too small

- the ballet drama in the last few chapters with the jealous backup Swan getting her boyfriend to deliberately drop/sabotage Sage's performance was too much; that whole thing could have been edited out
- if the ending felt like it needed more drama, bring back the drug addict parents who Sage states early on she'd never be able to say "no" to letting back into her life if they happened to show up (I was fully expecting them to show up in then end, not a jealous alternate dancer)

- Elias felt tonally inconsistent: like sometimes he felt really golden retrievery and shy, others uber cocky and overstepping (like when he "surprise" started paying for Sean's meds)
- his vow of celibacy felt silly and like a somewhat weak excuse for prolonging them actually having sex; it also only applied to penetrative sex for him? Like he was fine doing things for Sage, but not allowing anything for himself, which engaging in any sexy times with another human feels like it should break the vow of celibacy? He's doing some conservative Christian level mental gymnastics of "what counts as sex?" kind of celibacy

OPPORTUNITIES
- obviously with a whole hockey team, we are set up nicely for several more books set in this space (and I'm happy to check out another book from Khabra)
- if having women of colour represented on page is important to Khabra, I'd love for there to be more nuance in their stories

THREATS
- It's been less than 48 hours since I read this book before writing this review and it's already getting hard to keep details straight; there is not much to distinguish this from any other spicy hockey romance on the market right now

Overall, I'm glad to have read Spiral. It was a fun way to spend my day off. I see potential in Khabra's writing -- I feel confident that her character development will improve over time as she continues to write. I love that she's Canadian. As a fellow Canadian it's always fun to see places I know in TO on page.

A PERFECT book. I loved Collide and I knew I was going to love this one! Elias and Sage were soft and sweet and two people working for hard to be good enough and not too much that happened to find each other and finally be able to have a person that is just for them!!! A lot of fake dating, a little slow burn with LOTS of tension!! Just two people who want to take care of the other but don’t want to need anything from anyone!! And this felt a little softer than the first because Sage and Elias were SO SOFT!!

I loved them so much. Their instant connection was so clear, but they so quickly made the rules for their fake dating but then were slowly but surely breaking all of them!! I love watching them fall in love. It was so EASY, they fit so seamlessly into each other’s lives?? And they were SO GOOD at the little things?? The flowers? The self care nights? The sugar-free cupcakes? Both of them finally be able to get good sleep together?? The tension?? Sage’s SASS!

This little found family makes my heart so happy. I loved seeing Aiden and Summer and even the hockey guys again! And Sage brought her own family into chaos. I can’t wait to see everyone again!!

The ending was SO perfect. I love a good epilogue and this was so good 😭

Thanks so much to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A little too basic of plot and characterization for my taste. They were solid, middle of the road people with simple tropes and issues. This book was not bad by any means, but it was just nothing special. A good pick up for someone who motivates themselves and is feeling at the end of their rope - self-inspiration is something this book does very well. I also wish there was more of an element to the hockey, but the ballet inclusion was captivating and different so kudos to that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for my advanced reader copy!

Sage and Elias were everything to me. Sage, the ballerina and guardian to her little brother who refused to accept help from anyone after her parents left them. And Elias, the hockey rookie who the media absolutely will not leave alone, searching for his first goal and a sense of privacy in his personal life so he can get his professional life back on track.

Everything about these two was perfection. The way they each became safe spaces for the other. Honestly, the fake dating never once felt fake, but I loved how it gave them a reason to come together in a way they wouldn’t have otherwise. The found family was amazing.

I adored the glimpses of Aiden and Summer again, and I’m ready for whoever is next! Highly recommend.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A rookie hockey player and an aspiring ballerina team up in a fake-dating scheme to navigate fame and ambition. Elias Westbrook, under pressure to prove himself on the ice, needs a distraction from the relentless spotlight. Sage Beaumont, aiming for her big break in ballet, hopes their arrangement will boost her visibility. But as their chemistry ignites, the lines between fake and real blur, forcing them to decide if they’re ready to risk it all for love.

This was sweet. Eli and Sage are both endearing characters, and it was refreshing to see a ballerina take center stage. (<< lol that was an accident.) The celibacy subplot felt a bit... dramatic at times—can we talk about what actually constitutes celibacy? Because I’m not sure this was it. That said, I can’t complain too much because the tension it created was super sexy, even if it wasn’t entirely convincing.

this was soooo fun and enjoyable i had such a good time with this book! I love fake dating trope and i love hockey romance so put them together and its the recipe for my perfect book!! I love how much Elias cared for Sage and I love how fast paced it was, I never wanted to stop reading!

In book two of this loosely connected series, Elias is a hockey player struggling to prove himself and Sage is a ballerina trying to do the same. Eli needs to improve his media image and Sage wants to boost her social media visibility, so you guessed it- they concoct a fake dating scheme with no PDA allowed and no feelings. Unforeseen circumstances cause them to be roommates and they begin to realize things are spiraling beyond their control.

This book surprised me in how slow the slow burn was! I wasn’t expecting that for some reason. Both characters had quite a bit of past trauma to unpack and I’m glad that they focused on communication heavily upfront. The buildup tension was certainly strong, and I love fake dating combined with forced proximity. I liked the focus on found family as well. There is open door spice but not until later in the book. Fans of sports romance, fake dating, and new adult books will really enjoy this one!

Thank you to Bal Khabra and Berkley Romance for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this e-arc of Spiral! I loved Collide and I really enjoyed Sage and Elias's love story. The post grad struggle for success was so real and relatable. I loved watching these two characters let go of their struggles and be more free. The characters were super likeable and the tension was soooo good! I laughed, I giggled, and I teared up at times. I would definitely recommend for people who love sports romances!

Favorite part: "When one door closes, smash the window"

I can't wait for more stories by Bal Khabra!

“I’m a goddamn mess.” “You’re my mess.” Sage snorts. “Was that supposed to be romantic?” “It’s supposed to be me telling you that I’m here, and all of this—all of you, is safe with me.”

he wants her to have a favorite flower, so he buys her a new bouquet every week. !!!! he brushes her hair from her face like he hates that it obstructs his view. !!! i love them, your honor.

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-hockey player x ballerina
-toronto, ca 🇨🇦
-bunny patrol 2.0
-fake dating
-terms & conditions
-ROOMmance
-found family
-the boy cooks!
-#IsThisAKissingBook open door.

thank you berkley romance for the advanced copy!

thank you netgalley and berkley publishing group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

guyszszzzzz this one was hard. i did not like Collide (her first book) but i like Eli/Elias so i was honestly pumped for this! but i should’ve listened to my gut because this is (duhhh) the same exact writing as the first book.
~NO SUBSTANCE whatsoever, i felt no character development at all and i couldn’t grasp the main characters personality.
~the 🥴🤨piercing was SO out of left field. it definitely turned me off. how can a floppy haired grumpy? shy? (idk couldn’t figure it out) hockey player with no tattoos and CELIBATE.! have a 😳piercing. very very out of character.
~and about the celibate thing.. oh my god we get it. it was so annoying. i bet the word “celibate” is mentioned 50 times and everytime im just like UGH.
~toooooo slow burnt. and it was all because of the celibacy
~could have ended at chapter 39 (80%) but then it carried on for 6 more chapters and an epilogue. with unnecessary drama.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

i DID enjoy how fast and simple it was to read but it was not a good read tbh it was very surface level and had its moments but i felt nothing for their relationship.

Going into this book, I had high hopes because I connected so well with the first one, but the second edition to this series fell a bit short for me. It’s a well written book where the story was interesting and the characters were more than just superficial adults who faced challenges and grew from them, but to me, the issues and problems overshadowed the romance of the story.

There were little moments where I couldn't get enough of Sage and Elias. The banter was amazing and the way they connected made my heart melt. I wanted to love this book, but the highs for me were not enough to overshadow the lows. But those readers who are looking for a complex romance with layers to the story should check this book out. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC

I think this is a fun, easy to get into, spicy NA romance. Although I did enjoy this more than Collide, much like its predecessor, there was lots of angst where I’m not sure it was necessary or helpful to building the relationship forward. Also, for the first chunk of the book it felt like I was being told about their connection instead of seeing it be built. But I love how big Elias and Sage’s hearts were and I think fans of Collide will eat this up!

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC ❤️

3/5⭐️

Bal Khabra is a master at writing romances that make you kick your feet and giggle. From the get go, I was invested in Sage and Elias's fake relationship (though their chemistry made it clear they wouldn't be able to keep it fake for long).

I adored this book with my entire heart!!!!!!! It was such a pleasant surprise, and REFRESHING in the sports romance scene.

I LOVED the characters. Sage was such a fierce and hardworking person. I loved the portrayal of her strength and how selfless she was. Taking care of her brother without a single complaint while still focusing on such a demanding career? MY GIRL! And Elias, my tortured man. HE WAS SOOOO DOWN BAD IT WAS INSANE! But I loved getting to know about his past and how deeply rooted his trauma was in his actions. Seeing Sage learn how to ask for help and allow others to take care of her and Elias learn how to trust again was beautiful. Each of them found so much solace and LOVE in the other and it was beautiful to read about 🥹

I had some issues with the third act. I felt like a new plot point opened in the last 20% where I felt like another plot point could have been closed bc it never was? But it didn’t take away from my reading experience!!!!

YOU HAVE TO ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR!!!! A delicious slow burn between a hockey player and ballerina who are fake dating AND roommates. You will eat it up just like I did 😋

Diving into Sage and Elias story I was so ready to be back into this world Bal has created. Two very different people and their fake dating shenanigans completely sucked me in from the very beginning. Sages outgoing and sunshine personality with also a quiet fierceness was just was Elias needed who has been coasting through the past couple years. I love that Sage challenges him from the very beginning and open Elias up to things he hasn’t before. The fake dating aspect was adorably cute and so well written I found myself falling more and more in love with them through every chapter. Some of my favorite moments in this story are the slow moments of them getting to know each other and care for one another. Sage has lived her life taking care of everyone else and I love that she gets to experience someone caring for her. From self care nights to showing up at her performances, taking time to find her favorite flower and being there when nights get too hard. The author had the perfect blend to sweet and spicy by adding in those moments that have you begging for me more of these two. From the hilarious banter, and found family tropes I love that this story was a warm hug I can’t wait to dive back into on release day.