This was such a fun and cute read! A hot hockey player and a ballerina?!?! Count me in! 🤭 I love how both main characters had a lot of depth and you got a lot of insight into their difficult pasts. It made sense why they were so hesitant to commit to one another. I loved the slow burn but I will say towards the end I was kind of over it and ready for the book to end. It just felt a little repetitive at that point.

The found family aspect hit especially hard at the end and it was just so sweet to see. Elias was the absolute sweetest, golden retriever boyfriend. Him and Sage just worked so well together and I love how no matter what they supported one another’s passions. Overall, I had so much fun with this one!!

4.5 stars

Spiral had me in a chokehold!!

Sage is a bit of a struggling ballerina. She can't seem to book any parts, despite frequent auditions.. but is told that a larger social media presence and audience could be what helps her finally nab her dream role.

Eli, a rookie NHL player who can't seem to score a goal since making the team, has become a target for the media. Unfortunately, the lies that are being printed about him being a playboy are starting to affect his career.

The eventually decide to fake date, hoping it will make the media leave Eli alone and help Sage finally get the part she wants.

This was such a sweet, slow burn romance. Eli is such a softboy and Sage kept him on his toes. She is hilarious and says whatever comes to mind, and watching Eli be flabbergasted by her was priceless.

This was also more emotional and heartfelt that I expected and I loved seeing them slowly open up to each other and be there for each other.

I loved this!

3.25⭐️

There's an unsnappable string that tethers me to her, and the more I ignore it, the tighter it becomes

I felt apathetic (at best) towards Collide but Spiral is a notable step up from the first novel in the off-ice series . Since I’ve read both books, in this review I’ll heavily compare and contrast them . Light spoilers for Collide and (obviously) none for Spiral because this is an ARC review.

We jumped straight into the loose plot. The writing style was simple, making it quite bingeable. I really connected to Sage’s character, I admired her resilience and determination to follow her dreams despite everything stacked against her ( I watched ballet performances on YT in her honour). She was funny and I liked the relationship she had with her sibling.

I’ve noticed that Khabra (in my opinion) is better at developing her FMCs compared to her MMCs.

In reference to Collide, I liked how she tackled some aspects of Summer’s character, specifically with her struggles of being the eldest sibling and the complicated feelings that arise when you see your younger siblings get the parent you needed. Compared to Aiden, whose character had potential, but the execution ultimately left him as the cardboard, loyal-to-a-fault golden retriever hockey player.

Circling back to Sage and Elias, the same can be said but with a slight improvement. Elias’s character was not completely stagnant, he had a separate journey, though I didn’t connect to him as much. He may have been a hockey hotshot, but he was serving dutiful, subservient house husband, ✨which we love to see✨ . I loved how Khabra continued the trend of incorporating mundane activities for the couples to do on the page (eg. an equivalent to the Turkish drama scenes in Collide.. It was verrry cute.

I liked how their relationship was built on small acts of compassion. Spiral was a slow burn (in terms of smut) and I didn’t mind it! Where Collide’s sex scenes felt generic and stilted, I’ll admit that I may or may not have blushed SUE ME. I will say that I wasn’t completely sold on their chemistry at first. Some things Elias said felt unearned considering how little they knew each other at the time but once their dynamic was firmly established, I liked seeing them interact.

Even though I connected to Sage, my investment in the story came in and out like waves. I swooned and genuinely enjoyed some scenes then felt completely unmoved in the next .

like the previous book in the series, I take issue with how Khabra frames predatory behaviour when her male characters are the victims and a woman is the perpetrator. I won’t give too many details but this happens at the top of the novel. The harassment is played up as a “comedic inconvenience” instead of sexual harassment and stalking. The narrative stripped all seriousness from the situation which made me very uncomfortable. I thought that it would be properly addressed or come full circle in the end but alas, it did not . It was just a poor plot device.

And for my last and most important point, Kian remains my favourite character 😌↕️
the epilogue was cute

In conclusion, I can see why Khabra’s books have garnered a lot of attention in the hockey romance space. She delivers on what is expected from the sub-genre but also centres her stories around women of colour which we rarely see with hockey romances. However, with both of her releases, I find them lacking on multiple fronts. There’s humour and heart which I enjoyed and appreciated but this author has yet to fit all the pieces into place to craft a story that personally captivates me!

Big thanks to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC
Pub date : 28th January 2025

GIVE IT ALL THE STARS!!!!
Wow, I'm speechless... I loved this book so much!
Eli and Sage will forever live rent free in my mind. Watching them slowly lower their walls and falling in love was perfect.
As an avid lover of hockey romance, this did not disappoint! If you loved Collide, you will love this book! It's different, but equally as great, and it covered so many great topics as well. The angst, chemistry, and slow burn in this book exceeded my expectations.

Elias is such a giver, and from the BEGINNING, he quite literally stopped in his tracks and fumbled his words the second he met Sage. He was boy-obsessed in every way and I couldn't help but giggle and kick my feet. I loved every second of this book and cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you Berkley for the arc!

I always love a good sports romance and this one was a fun, heartwarming read. I liked the family dynamic and the fake dating aspect.

This was such a cute, classic and reliable hockey romance with a slowwwww burn. I knew I would enjoy this because hockey romances always scratch an itch, but this surprised me! I will definitely be reading the next book in this series and this is coming from someone who never read the first book. What they say about the quiet guys always holds up because why was I blushing at some of the things Eli was saying. It’s a testament to the writing, the way Khabra was able to cultivate tension. You guys are going to LOVE chapter 28 - it's full of jealousy, angst and sexual chemistry!!! Also, his nickname for her is “baby” and that’s my kryptonite. Mark your calendars for Jan 28 2025, you're not going to want to miss this gem!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OKAY THAT’S WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!

Went into this book with no expectations because I tried to avoid any hints online as to what this book is about. And I am SO GLAD that I did. I felt so immersed in this story & these characters. Found little pieces of myself in them and was giddy watching them fall in love.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy & annotate it when it releases next year!!!

Thank you Berkeley for this arc,

I love this book with all my heart! Elias is a pro hockey player whose been getting a lot of attention from the media and the ladies. He actually doesn’t like it and Sage is ballerina struggling to land a principal role. The two meet and decide to fake date, Sage is hoping with her social media account taking off she will get some attention from Ballet company’s and Eli is hoping the media will leave him alone especially when it comes to his love life and he’s hoping to prove he belongs on the Toronto thunder team. As long as they don’t fall in love everything should work out…

Spiral is one of the best slow burn romances I’ve ever read it’s filled with tons of tension, banter, and so angsty. Both Elias and Sage have gone through so much in their lives, my favorite parts were when they were vuberable and so open with eachother. One thing about Elias is that he’s a acts of service king whether he is cooking for Sage, picking her up from ballet classes, checking in on her and just simply being there for her. This man is perfect will be booktoks newest hockey boyfriend. Reading about Sage I felt like it was me she is a people pleaser and always putting others first and the most caring person ever. Also really love that we got a POC FMC we don’t see that a lot in hockey romances!

I ate this book up and so will you

Tropes:
Fake dating
Forced proximity
Hockey romance
Ballerina FMC
Slow burn

Second one and i loved it just as much if not even more than Collide. Bal, I love this world so much. I think this book focused on some heavier topics than Collide, but remained so sweet and caring the whole time. I loved it and Elias and Sage are so sweet and lovely. I would do anything for them. CanNOT WAIT for the next one.

okayyyy she was completely different than what i was expecting! this was a slowwww burn, to the point where i was occasionally checked out. doing a celibacy trope(?) is always iffy for me personally and im sure how i felt about the spicy scenes in particular. all in all i still enjoyed her writing and will continue reading from her!

ah i wanted to like this more than i did. while there were aspects i loved, like the tension, writing style, and yearning, there was just many times i found myself a bit board and searching for more depth???? i would still recommend to others because i feel like many will love this!

This was around a 4 star for me, I thought the first was better. Now this one had some slow parts for me around the middle but my interest definitely picked up towards the end. I thought the hockey x ballet was an interesting touch and more unique. Two worlds I’m familiar with in person and I thought they were represented well here.
There were definitely moments I was kicking my feet from banter but then some I was rolling my eyes or feeling awkward (the whole her shooting like a rocket ship was a bit weird for me as a metaphor).
Overall a cute read and I’ll be recommending it closer to the publishing date.

That was so cute! I definitely felt like book 1 was better, but I really enjoy the author’s writing style. I struggled to get into the story at first because their chemistry and banter felt forced, but once they started getting to know each other it got better. I’m a sucker for a hockey romance mixed with fake dating, mutual pining, and forced proximity! Absolutely love those tropes. I also loved the emotional growth they both had and felt this brought a great balance of vulnerable and bright to the story.

This is for the readers whose love language is acts of service, and the girls who put themselves before everyone but want so badly to be taken care of deep down.

This is also for any romance lover EVER because this book was easily one of my top romances of 2024! it was an absolute 5 star read.

Elias is the ultimate book boyfriend. He is a cinnamon roll who has his guards up, but he has a special soft spot in his heart for Sage. He absolutely fell first and he fell HARD. He is obsessed, that girl has him wrapped around her finger without even trying! He loves her quietly, but in a way that is so so loud. The things that man did for her! His love language was clearly acts of service, and he did absolutely everything he could to take care of Sage and show her love she’s never had. Helping her with her brother’s medication, bringing her extra gems for her outfit, memorizing her dance moves to support her, etc. He had my heart MELTING.

Sage was so relatable. She is someone who struggles with constantly putting other people first & disregarding her feelings. She also has never had someone take care of her, and she has an extremely hard time asking for help. She has trouble letting Elias in, but their connection and chemistry is undeniable. Also the spicy parts were sooo good and steamy.

I loved watching them blossom and grow together, and help each other with their struggles. I was so proud of the both of them! This was the fake-dating trope done right, and watching them go from fake dating to being soulmates was so sweet. The found family in this book was amazing.

I can’t wait to get a physical copy when this comes out in January 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review <3

Welp.

This book must be laced with something because I devoured in 24 hour. Collide was okay but this was *chefs kiss*

Elias…. Making me swoon every chance he got. Had me feeling pterodactyls instead of butterflies 😂 Sage was just beautiful chaos and loved her growth in the book.

Fake dating, slow burn, tension, so much angst and that proximity had me flustered each time. Phew. 😮‍💨 I loved how vulnerable Elias was with Sage and vice versa. They both came from some heavy hardships but that didn’t stop them from working through their shit to find each other.

Elias definitely gave me some “ Right Move” Ryan Shay vibes, but don’t worry Ryan Shay, you aren’t going anywhere on my list, Elias is just right after you 😂

Thank you Berkley Romance & NetGalley for the eARC

I received this arc through Netgalley.
Tropes:
Forced proximity
Fake dating

Spice: generous 3/5

Spiral is book 2 in the Off the Ice series, after Collide. The story takes place about a year after Collide ends.

Since being drafted, hockey player Elias is having a hard time dealing with the fame and expectations of a professional hockey player. Typically a homebody and reserved man, the media has reported him as a womanizer and the constant scrutiny has caused enough stress that Elias is struggling to make his first career goal.

Sage is an aspiring ballerina with big dreams, but her hyper-independent personality makes it extremely hard to ask for help. It’s her against the world and only she can save herself.

This book gave me everything: Not corny banter, giggling and kicking my feet, blushing and overall falling in love with Sage and Eli. This was the cutest love story and I really enjoyed reading it.

If I had any criticism, it would be that towards the middle end of the book it dragged a little and I wish Sage wore a bonnet to bed. I know that is random, but as a black girl with curly hair part of my bedtime routine is preparing my hair for bed which includes a silk/satin bonnet. This girl takes care of herself so I was surprised when her hair care didn’t match with her hair type.

5 ⭐️
LOVED LOVED LOVED!! 🥹🩷 probably one of my fav reads this year! I saw so much of myself in Sage (the one that always puts others before herself) and she was such a relatable FMC! 🤧 and Elias?! Literally the definition of “you tell me what you need and I’ll do it for you” 😍 their banter was my favorite and the slow burn BURNED!! 😭😍
Another thing I really enjoyed was the fact that they listened to each other about the deep issues they talked about and respected their space on it. But just being there for each other was enough 🩷🥹 lastly, the found family in this book was the sweetest!! 🩷

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC! 😍 I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it releases 🥹

I wasn't a fan of this book. I had a few issues with it starting with the pacing because it was too slow for me. I felt like nothing was happening until the last 15% of the book and the main characters were constantly having the same
Issue with no resolve. I can see why other might enjoy this but it sadly didn't worked for me as much as o was hoping.

If you read Collide then you are going to love Spiral. This was such a sweet story. I hope Khabra continues this series with a book three.
I will be recommending this book to adult resonance readers.

An adorable read where both characters show a lot of intimate moments for each other. A hockey player and ballerina coded book??? Sold. You can read this book pretty quick and flyyyy through those pages. I find the fake dating trope a little unrealistic sometimes, especially with a lot of what was also thrown in. I may have gone in with a bit of high expectations so I think that's why I wasn't as in LOVE with this story as I thought I would be. But the forced proximity and the piercings...just you wait.

I did love the representation in this book and thought Elias was such a gentleman. The cover is also 💓 In a world full of boys, he's a gentleman!