This is the ultimate fake dating + found family romance! The heartwarming story follows Sage, a ballerina down on her luck, and Elias, a hockey player struggling with his newfound fame and career. When the two meet at an auction and Sage reluctantly bids on a date for Eli, they both quickly realize that a fake relationship would solve their problems. However, that is easier said than done when their feelings start to feel anything other than fake; and both must decide if they are willing to let their romance spiral into something real.

This was the sweetest and most caring hockey romance I've read to date! The love and attention Eli gave to Sage was so adorable, the two were just absolutely smitten for each other. Their whole relationship was so healthy and I loved all the communication and reassurances. Add in the wholesome found family and slow burn, and I was in heaven from beginning to end. This romance just delivered everything I wanted, the balance of raw emotion, humor, tension, and steam will be in my head for months to come!

Oh my gosh!!! Can you say swoon-worthy??? I loved Collide but I think Bal Khabra has outdone herself with Spiral!! I immediately adored Sage from her first appearance on page. Everything from her determination, strength, softness, empathy and passion for ballet truly shines though. And Elias??? Wow, adding him to the roster for hockey book boyfriends stat because he truly loves with such a big heart and shows his concern for others. Also the found families really tugged at my heartstrings and brought such a beautiful element to this story. It was also good seeing Aiden and Summer and their interactions with our main couple. Thank you so so much to NetGalley and Berkeley for the arc of this fantastic read!!

“I do things for someone I love, but not for myself. I try to squash the thought. It’s a terrifying revelation to think you don’t love yourself the way you love others.”

He’s on the edge while she’s 𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦 in Spiral, a fake-dating sports romance and book 2 in the Off The Ice series. Oh man do I appreciate a book with a strong, yet flawed, badass hockey player male main characters that is still honorable, chivalrous, and sweet. *swoon*

The chemistry between these two athletes was jumping off of the page! The audiobook, with dual narrators, really places you in the story. I loved how they were both so flawed but dealt with each other in the most tender way. A very healthy dynamic!

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The follow up to Collide did not disappoint. I immediately loved Sage as our FMC. She’s so funny and just all around a person who loves so hard, and she reminded me of myself a lot! And then Elias.. omg. I adored him!! He is acts of service through and through. Their story started off with fake dating but it grew to be so much more. I loved how we also saw characters from the last book, and got to meet some new ones like Sage’s brother Sean who is quite lovable too! All in all, a solid read and I’m already counting down the days until the next one in the series.

I absolutely adore the fake dating trope, and when it's combined with a hockey romance, well, that’s a winner for me. Author Bal Kahbra brings two characters together who are incredibly relatable in their everyday challenges, making it easier for readers to connect. Though the initial goal of having Sage and Elias dating was to improve Elias’ image, the more they spent together, the more their attraction grew. I loved Elias’ predicament. It ultimately made his time with Sage more special. The build-up in “Sprial” was slower than I usually read, but the way the author paced it didn’t bother me.

Elias and Sage had enough tension building throughout the story. There were enough touches of steamy and sweet moments sprinkled as it started building. And that’s how I love a slow burn to be.

When a tabloid report inaccurately labels them as a couple, ballerina Sage and Hockey Rookie Elias decide that fake dating can help both of their careers. When those feelings start to turn real, will they take a chance on each other?

This romance is practically cozy, but only because the deep seated traumas that both Sage and Elias hold are never properly addressed. They are skated over and mentioned, but never truly unpacked or dealt with. This is especially true when it comes to Elias's so called celibacy. Both characters could have benefited from therapy.

Despite these flaws, the story is sweet overall, with some charming side characters helping to move the story along. The spice is minimal, and not overly detailed. Not quite fade to black, but not overly descriptive either.

I loved Khabra's first book, Collide, and I was so excited to get a chance to review Spiral! It didn't disappoint. Elias and Sage are so much fun together; Sage is hilarious with her confrontations and spunkiness and pushing Eli out of his comfort zone. Can't wait for the next book in this sweet series!

5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

"And the girl wonders why I buy her fucking flowers. I'd empty an entire flower shop just so she could decide on her favorite."

Y'all. I say this a lot, but I truly wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. I was so afraid it was going to be one of those fake dating books where the two characters hate each other, but they were fucking obsessed with one another from the jump.

Sage is a hopeful principle ballerina who needs some social media attention to gain some traction in the ballet world and Eli is the newly drafted rookie for the Toronto Thunder hockey team with a ice rink's worth of tabloid gossip and rumors behind him. To solve their respective problems, they agree to fake date.

I think what really set the stage for such a great book was how the two of them grew as individuals as well as partners. Sage was able to stand up for herself by the end the book and Eli was able to do the same.

I requested this book without realizing it was a sequel and I never felt lost or confused. I might go pick up Summer and Aiden's story if it's as good as this one!

Thanks Berkley for sending me a NetGalley ARC widget of this book to review.

I'm giving this review a disclaimer that I did read this as an ARC and do not have access to a finished copy so the things I experienced may not exist in the final version that comes out on the 28th.

*deep sigh*

Okay so I've been waiting for this book for months. I really enjoyed Spiral. I read it when it was a indie published KU novel. I was so excited to a hockey romance that feature an FMC who wasn't white written by an author who wasn't white. I loved Summer and Aiden's story so much. When I saw that she was writing a romance that featured a black ballerina, I got really excited. I knew it may not hit as hard as if the author were black, but I figured that being POC, she might have some shared experiences and that it would come across in a well rounded character. Well friends, it didn't.

*CAUTION mild spoilers ahead*

I was put off by Sage's parents being drug dealers on the run to avoid felony charges. Drugs aren't an issue that's specific to one race, but by now we all know that is a common negative trope with black characters.

Because of her parent's actions, Sage is now a parentified eldest daughter. Again, not an issue that's specific to one race, but add that one top of the parents and we're painting a certain picture here.

Sage goes on to choose to ignore the pleas of her wealthy hockey team owning uncle to help her, but she does accept his help enough to send her brother to a solid boarding school while she's in college.

At times Elias' character definitely comes off in a white savior-esque setup, specifically around her apartment and the things that lead her to live with him.

Sage is having issues securing a role at a ballet company she admires and honestly that would've been a fine storyline to carry her through. I expected there to be a bit more about how tough it is being a black ballerina. Early on she mentions really looking up to Misty Copeland, but not much else. Every once in a while she mentions how being in ballet can be hard on a person's body image, but doesn't really speak to how different it can be being in a black body in that sport/art and not matching the body types of lithe white women.

It just felt like Sage's race only mattered in giving her trauma, but not in the rest of her life. It's also never really clearly stated in the book, except in one part where it mentions her brother clearly looking half Moroccan because of their parents. And then mentions of her brown skin, once while her boyfriend is rubbing watermelon scented product into it. Queue the heavy eye rolling.

I had more issues in this story, like Elias' celibacy but willing to compromise it in other ways, but I don't want to rant further. I wish Bal Khabra hadn't written Sage as a black character initially if she was going to do her like this. I wish she hadn't made reels to market this interracial romance leaning into the storyline of her drug addicted parents. I wish this had turned out differently.

There are so many solid quotes showing intimate moments between Elias and Sage where they're clearly healing each other through their love and support, but that's not enough to get past all the damage done.

4.25/5 Stars

Spiral is such a phenomenal sequel to Collide. I enjoyed Collide but honestly, I am obsessed with Spiral!

Elias is a rookie in the NHL having a hard time transitioning from NCAA star and seeing that same success at the pro level. He also is hounded by the media who has an extreme interest in his dating life, constantly photographing him and speculating about his love life. Sage is a ballerina trying to make her break. After countless rejections and lack of opportunity, she is desperate to prove herself and get her dream role in Swan Lake. When Sage and Elias cross paths at a charity benefit, they hatch a plan to help both of their careers. They can fake a relationship which will help her get the online attention she needs to score a big audition and get the media off his back. But as they spend more time together, they both realize their plan to not catch feelings won’t be as easy as they thought.

I have to say it. I am in LOVE with Eli Westbrook. He was so kind and thoughtful, yet full of some spicy surprises. I love that he is portrayed in the media as this confident playboy, but in person is a gentle, reserved man. Sage is a fantastic FMC as well, with so much passion and the biggest heart. She takes care of everyone around her, to the detriment of her own well being at times. They were so so good together and I absolutely fell in love with their love. Both characters go through personal journeys in this book, and I love how they leaned on each other to get through them. They validated each others feelings and needs and they both just felt like such emotionally mature humans - I loved it!

The banter and spice was also FANTASTIC! They had some fun witty repetoir (especially Sage), and this was such a steamy slow burn. There were a few surprises that happened in terms of their realtionship (no spoilers) that had me absolutely squealing! Bal did such a great job in writing this and making me overheat repeatedly!

I loved that this one took place post-college, as it let the characters feel a little more mature, but we still got to see a lot of the side characters we fell in love with during book 1. While this is technically a sequel, it stands on it’s own in that you don’t HAVE to read book 1 to follow what happens in book 2 (although I’d still recommend so you get to know all the characters more fully).

There were some plot points in the end that had me rating the book down from 5 stars, because I wish they had been flushed out a bit more. The book is very character-driven (which I love) with some extra drama added during the third act. I feel like that could have been expanded more and extended to happen earlier in the book (for things that happen to both characters). I enjoyed everything that happened in the book, but think those elements could have had a little more page time to have it REALLY be perfect!

I really loved this one and I cannot wait for everyone to get to meet Eli and Sage!

Thank you Berkley for the ARC!

Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I know hockey romance has been trendy for a while, but when it’s done right, I will never get sick of it. I was intrigued by this book due to the fake dating trope and was treated to a delightfully sweet, steamy, fun romance between a professional hockey rookie and a ballerina. It was so fun and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in this series and continuing on with the next one!

Synopsis:

“Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. With a growing fan base and too many expectations on his shoulders, he’s struggling to make his first career goal. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Aurora Ballet Theatre, but her lack of popularity online leaves her at a major disadvantage for securing the lead role. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.Soon enough, the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection. But before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they'll call it quits.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept/Tropes—Fake dating! Hockey player/ballerina! It was so fun. Had the dishiness of a college hockey romance but a bit more adult themes. I really liked the emphasis on found family as well.

The Pacing—It was fun and quick and made me want to keep reading, always a win in this distraction filled timeline we’re living in.

The Charm—Elias was adorable and Sage was a firecracker. I loved their humor and banter together. They utterly charmed me.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Some jumps in time—I feel like some chapters ended and I thought the storyline would continue, but we’d jump onto something else. A me problem!

Lost the Fake Dating Stakes—The stakes just weren’t there for the media finding out about their fake relationship or it impacting Sage’s ballet career. Felt like we lost the plot on that one a bit.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

blackmail, abandonment, child abuse (off page/past), fire, body shaming

Okay I was not expecting to like this as much as I did! I get skeptical with hockey romances because there’s just so many that they blur together, but this was really good!

Elias and Sage are a great couple. I like that they start out their fake dating arrangement as friends. They’re both open and honest with each other - unfiltered if you will, and it was so nice to see. They both had their own struggles and they were able to go through them together.

I thought it was super easy to read. The romance and tension was beautiful, the banter was fantastic, and the spice was spicy.

Tropes:
📖fake dating
📖forced proximity
📖tension
📖banter
📖found family
📖hockey x ballerina
📖spicy

I want to thank NetGalley and Bal Khabra for the ARC!

I enjoyed this so much more than the first book in the series. I think moving out of the college setting helped this book so much. The characters were sweet and I loved the communication between them! The start of it with the fake dating and instant attraction had me feeling unsure about the book, but once I was past the first bit I really got invested. The caretaking moments between the two of them were adorable, not just the actions they took but what they said to each other as well. The book really was about the little moments between them.

There were pieces of both the characters I found relatable and very likable once I got to know them more. They’re both uniquely their own characters.

🤭 fake dating
🫶🏻 caretaking
🏒 hockey
🩰 ballet
🤍 strangers to lovers
🌿 he gets a tattoo for her
👏🏻 no third act breakup

dual POV
4.5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 spice level 🌶️

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆.”

Hello, it is I, letting you know that this book was so freaking amazing.
First off, yes the hockey x ballerina trope was perfect 💞. A hockey guy that needs the press to lay off his back and a ballerina that needs media exposure aaand obviously let's give it a round of applause for fake dating! 💏

“𝑰 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈.” “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏?” “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆.”

I’ve read a ton of fake dating, and you know how it goes "is this real, or is this fake?" AND To be honest, the transition was done so well. You could fully see how the lines started to blur and how amazing Eli is at respecting the boundaries set at the beginning with Sage and how he REALLY tries not to break them... but you know what they say rules are meant to be broken , buahaha 😈.

“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐,” 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒚. “𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕—”
“𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕?”
“𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑺𝒂𝒈𝒆,”
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒔.”

I also adored Sage. She is so relatable, having the world on her shoulders and never letting anyone else take care of her until Eli ❤️ She is so resilient and strong that watching her character development throughout the entire book was one of my favorite parts.

Lastly, let's talk about romance. Yes, there is spice, and it was amazing, but also the scenes embody how giving and receiving doesn't have to be transactional. I think that's important to illustrate because that part of it was what made the love scenes SO MUCH BETTER.

“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆. 𝑼𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆.” 𝑰 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒍𝒚. “𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒌.”

tropes
💛 sports romance (and dance - ballerina)
💛 fake dating
💛 roommates
💛 forced proximity
💛no third act breakup

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for my honest review

fake dating is always going to pull me in. but that mixed with forced roommates due to circumstances and a slow burn with chemistry that was EVIDENT from their early interactions of fake dating had me locked in!!

The love between these two grew so beautifully from their fake dating that I could not get enough of their sweet moments OR their flirting moments. Elias was such a care taker that it made my heart melt. he just wanted to shoulder whatever Sage had going on and he did it in the smallest of ways to gain her trust at first. Sage was super relatable to me in the people pleaser department, I felt super seen with her character and I loved to see her growth alongside Elias during this book. Their chemistry was insane and the fact that it burnt as slow as it did had me on edge in the best way. The found family I this was UNMATCHED. I loved how quickly Sage fell into step with it all like she was always meant to be there.

It may have taken me a second to get into this book which is why it isn't a full five stars but once I did I loved these two so much. Excited to go back and see how Summer and Aiden came to be!

YES TO EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.

Sage has trust issues from her parents, Elias has trust issues because of betrayals in his past, and through a series of silly but wonderful circumstances they meet, and they click. Elias is constantly in the media and being connected to a string of women, and Sage needs a bigger social media presence to get the attention of her dream ballet company. While Sage is the one that proposes a fake relationship, Eli is the one that accidentally blows it up into a big thing.

It's never fake. Like, they don't even try denying in their heads that they are super into the other person, even if they hold onto their reasons for not being a real relationship. While this has a cute cartoon cover, this book is deep. Both Sage and Eli have been through a lot, they come by those trust issues for legitimate reasons, and they both have priorities that they don't want to disrupt for the other. The amount of respect they have for each other is just amazing, and their commitment to each other's dreams is admirable.

I cried at the end to see these two not only get their dreams, but get each other, and figure out how to make both things exist. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this was just something extra extra for me. You do not need to read Collide to enjoy Spiral, but you should anyway.

Spiral is everything correct with the sports romance genre. A fiery, independent ballerina and a dependable, strong hockey player is a recipe for readers to sink their teeths into and enjoy every bite.

After Elias Westbrook's life is unfairly picked apart by the media, he will do almost anything to get them off his back and out of his business. Luckily, Sage is here to save the day. Sage is a down-on-her-luck ballerina who needs a strong social media following, and fast, to land an audition with her dream dance company. Sage and Eli agree to fake date to help each other out, but it isn't long before they're really falling for each other despite their rules and the best intentions.

I was a little slow to start this one, but once I got into it, I was hooked. Honestly, I'd fall for Elias too - the man knows how to take care of people. Sage is so used to doing everything on her own, so she's STUNNED when Eli steps up; and boy does he take some big steps. Sage is hyper-independent, so obviously has a hard time accepting help, but he gives her no choice (in a cute way). I'm very glad there was no miscommunication nor any third act breakups - once they decided to be together for real, the conflict become something else. I'm really glad to have read this and would highly suggest it for people looking for New Adult hockey romances.

I think I had high hopes for this story since the FMC is BIPOC. The book wasn't awful, it just wasn't developed enough. The romance felt forced and I often asked myself 'Why do they like each other again?" throughout the story. The first couple spice scenes were also.... cringey. They felt like they were written in at the last minute. This book has great bones and has the potential to be great thanks to all the tropes: fake dating, one bed, dual POV, BIPOC FMC. BUT.... it needs to be more developed. This love story just wasn't on the mark for me. With that being said, I did finish the book so that means it was at least enjoyable enough to finish. The side characters were also hilarious and made the book move a lot faster.

I hate it when book covers are bright and cute and fun, while the stories aren’t. I’m not interested in reading books about people complaining about how terrible their lives are, as if they expect life to be easy. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.