Struggling Ballerina meets the Celibate rookie Hockey Player. Let’s just say i devoured the book up. Sage is called to be a replacement dancer at a charity event, and during a dating auction that is taking place, Elias bestfriend Aiden encourages Sage to bet on him in order to get Elias out of the sticky situation. Later resulting in a fake dating pact.

The temptation between these two was slow burning, and worth the wait. But It was also refreshing to see a male character trying so hard to not cross the line of his celibacy, after facing so much media backlash.

I also loved Sages character because despite her rough family background, and struggling to stay afloat within the ballet community, as well as being the niece of a very wealthy coach. She doesn’t give up or take handouts. She’s a fighter with lots of spunk. Both complete polar opposites yet complimenting each other so well.

This book was honestly not the most exceptional to me I was a little let down by their love story. I found the characters separately very interesting and enjoyable to follow but their romance was not my favourite and while I did enjoy many parts of this book the lack of chemistry really did take me out of it multiple times. I really loved collide so I had high hopes for spiral but I think collide is still my favourite!

Absolutely loved Elias and Sage. From the way they met through an auction, to fake dating, to learning to love themselves and each other. Both characters grew so much in this story by leaning on one another and learning to accept their pasts to move through their future together. Sage is one of my new favorite FMCs, her open-book attitude makes you laugh out loud and love her resilience despite all she overcomes. Overall great read. Definitely recommend if you love sports romance (especially hockey), fake dating trope, and strong, sassy female main characters.

This was really cute but I think my tolerance for college romance has run thin. It had those good moments but they were drowned by the uneven plot and pacing.

4.5/5 stars

something i’ve always appreciated about bal khabra’s books is that she takes her time, it’s never rushed, the characters development is always the priority. she gives us the quiet moments, the cute moments, the *gasp* scandalous moments, all while continuing the story arc flawlessly. from start to finish this book was EVERYTHING and more

tropes:
- sport romance
- fake dating
- found family
- NHL hockey player x ballerina
- he falls first
- forced proximity
- opposites attract
- slow burn


the book has a slow burn essence yet it feels so quick and overall just right! the pace is perfect and i especially love that this book isn’t rushed/gives us all of the quiet moments from the beginning. the plot is well thought out and i couldn’t imagine it going any other way

elias is genuinely the PERFECT book boyfriend!! for starters, he cooks, he has spa days with her, he always takes care of everyone around him, is so loving, and oh did i mention that he cooks??? yeah he’s the man of my dreams!

sage is so charismatic, determined, and is over all the eldest daughter to her core. i just wish i would give her the tightest hug and tell her it’s gonna be ok, but im sure elias has me covered in that department. she is also soooo witty, open, and loves to make elias squirm. she’s so so funny and says everything on her mind and it’s so refreshing!

as always, thank you to berkeley romance for the free book, this is a completely honest review and i am so honoured to have read it early. it was—and still is—a highly anticipated read for me! thank you thank you thank you!

Love me some fake dating trope & this book was no exception. It was cute, fun, and overall so much better than Collide (in my personal opinion!). The characters were so cute and it was spicy in some parts, but overall I liked this book a lot more for the plot than anything else!

This book you can tell that Bal is coming into herself as a writer, and I feel like she'll just keep getting better! Cannot wait to see what comes next!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Spiral is the second book I’ve read by Bal Khabra and I enjoyed it so much more than Collide. I like the romance between our two main characters and their back stories were interesting. This hits all the right notes of a sports romance for me without being overbearing (I definitely think that hockey are the best). I liked how out female main character was a ballerina – I don’t think I’ve read any romances like that.

I’ll definitely read more from this author and I recommend this to any sports romance fans.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

This feels like it would've been fine, if I hadn't read 10 other books with this same premise this year. I know sports romances are all the range, but if that's all there is too it I'm left feeling disappointed. Which is what happened here! It was fine, it was cute, but I don't like sports and if your characters aren't going to engage me then whats the point.

ARC REVIEW: Unfortunately I just don’t think this book was meant for me. I had a hard time connecting to the two main characters and the pacing seemed all over the place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bal Khabra for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC! I love a good hockey romance and this was too cute! Also fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and the whole “no falling in love” thing!!!! Chefs kiss. Loved the vulnerability between the characters. Absolutely loved it!!!

This was a super cute story!! I felt like I really connected with Sage and that she was a relatable character. She has so much depth to her as a character that I think many readers will connect with as well. We also loved Eli, he was such a caring MMC and I loved their relationship. I loved this book much better than I did the first book.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first book. Sage and Elias the main characters were so cute, I really liked the struggling ballerina and hockey player who needs to spin his image with the media. They meet at an actuation and after going on a date for charity they decide to fake date to benefit each other situation.

I personally liked both characters and the struggles they both went through. I liked that though this is a slow burn there is immediately chemistry between the mc's even after they make guiding rules for the fake dating. I liked how possessive and assertive Elias was especially during the steamy scenes. I love the found family in this book and that we got to see more of Aiden and Summer from the first book. Overall this is a cute sports romance that's steamy and an easy read. Thanks to Berkley for this arc!

Read for:
- Sports romance
- Fake dating
- Ballerina/hockey player
- College romance
- Found family

Equal parts adorable and deeply cringe, I felt this book never struck a proper balance. I enjoyed Elias and Sage as individual characters, but it felt like neither of them were particularly fleshed out. This book also felt like many books stapled together, more like an outline than a fully realized product. At the 19% mark I found myself wondering what else could possibly happen. Many of the events (the ballet drama at the end, the apartment burning down, Sage's backstory) all felt like footnotes in the margin when they should have been more compelling. For example, Elias and Sage's brother Sean kept saying over and over how much Sage sacrificed for others, but we never saw any real evidence. It's unclear what she did to take care of him; it lacked specificity. Elias's celibacy was also handled very strangely, as it was treated like a plot twist or a barrier to overcome rather than the result of a very real trauma.

All my criticisms aside, I really like what this book tried to be. I appreciated the attempt at found family, even if I don't think it was entirely successful. Also, the scene at the lake towards the beginning of the book was truly lovely. I wish the rest of the book could have carried that kind of magic. I also liked Sage and Elias as very flirty friends to lovers, it was sweet. The epilogue was considerably stronger than most of the rest of the book. Overall, it could've been a delightful read, but it was just a kind of all right palette cleanser.

honestly, i was hoping for a little bit more from this book. i enjoyed reading it a lot and the cover art is stunning, but i feel like the characters lacked personality and felt a little flat. i wish that it showed more communication instead of hooking up as a way to fix problems? but they’re young so idk maybe they’ll learn?

This was a very okay read. It was super quick and easy to read, and if you enjoyed the first book in this series, I think it's absolutely worth continuing. I had an okay time with the first book earlier this year, and I definitely preferred that one to this one. I think I'm learning sports romances just aren't my thing (I'm sure there'll be some exceptions but I am yet to find any), and this series won't be one I continue.

The couple was cute enough and the characters were alright to me. I really did not like the MMC trying to act all tough-guy/possessive. That was a major ick. And I really hated the contrived relationship problems that having sex solved somehow. I'm feeling like if it was as simple as that in a spicy romance book, it probably didn't need to be a thing to begin with and just made it weird to me.

2.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you very much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💜

5/5⭐️

arc review!

“Because I know no matter where I am, I’ll always be home as long as I have her..”

this book follows eli, a new rookie for the hockey team, Toronto Thunder, who is facing some challenges with fame and the media, as well as struggling to make his first career goal, and all he wants to do is escape the spotlight. after one night at a organization event, he meets sage, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Nova Ballet Theatre, but due to her lack of popularity and social media presence, she’s at a disadvantage at securing a lead role. soon enough, eli and sage strike a deal to fake date, but the rules they made may be easier to break…

wow. this book was truly so amazing. i was so excited when i received the arc for this because i really loved the first book collide, and when i saw this book come out and saw that one of my favourite tropes, faking dating was in it, i knew i HAD to read, and it did not disappoint. i really loved every aspect of this book, and every moment was intriguing to read. i loved how much not only sage and eli’s relationship had grown throughout this book, but also how much they grew individually because of each other. i really loved seeing the found family throughout this book be even stronger than the first one. AND ELI, SORRY ELIAS?? he is that MAN. because the way he treated sage, i’m sorry i need him in my life rn please, where can i find him?!? to all the girls who love acts of service men, this book is FOR YOU. overall, an amazing read and definitely recommend!!

I loved everything about this book! Hockey and fake dating? Check—count me in.

When fake dating a ballerina turns into real feelings, you know you’re in for a great ride. Elias and Sage are both stuck in tough situations and need a way out. Sage helps Elias deal with an obsessed puck bunny, while Elias helps Sage build her social media platform. What better way to do that than by fake dating the newest pro hockey star?

The connection between these two is undeniable right from the start. It wasn’t forced—it felt so genuine. This was an emotional read that had me laughing, crying, and completely immersed in the story. I couldn’t put it down!

this took me a minute to get into but once i did, i was eating it up. was this a particularly life-changing book but i had fun. and me having fun is really one of the most important parts for me okay

Hockey player x ballerina with fake dating... SIGN ME UP!!! It’s actually a crime that this is one of my top romance reads this year and it doesn’t even release until Jan 2025!! I don’t even know where to begin on what I loved the most!!! There was so much vulnerability between Elias and Sage, the pair of them having gone through so much and opening up to one another had me in my feelings

I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOUR!

Sage was amazing but that was it for me. Elias wasn’t my fav and i couldn’t see their chemistry. Sage is that girl tho!