I am in LOVE with the relationship between Sage and Elias. What a sweet journey the two of them went on. This is my favourite Bal Khabra book to date, which is saying something because I LOVED Collide! I grew up dancing competitively, so I loved hearing about Sage's journey as a ballerina and I was cheering her on the whole way through, you can't help but cheer for both of these sweethearts!

If you love:
Fake dating
Sports romance (Hockey x Dance)
Forced proximity
Slow burn
Found family

Then this one is for you!

4.5⭐️

This book was so cute! I really enjoyed Collide but in my opinion, Spiral was even better. Sage and Elias’ relationship was so beautiful and they were honestly so perfect together. They both have experienced trauma but the way they were able to support and take care of each other was so special. I am a sucker for tension-filled mutual pining and this book definitely delivered. Bal Khabra creates adorable romances with so much emotional depth and I am so excited to get the next book in the series. If you enjoy sports romance, then you need to read this series.

What to expect:
💜 Sports Romance
💜 Pro Hockey Player x Ballerina
💜 Cinnamon Roll MMC
💜 Fake Dating
💜 Forced Proximity

Thank you to Bal Khabra, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Soft and swoony with the sweetest cinnamon roll hero, this was such a lighthearted, feel good read. I was absolutely smitten with the vibes, and an unexpected surprise regarding the hero (he’s celibate!) created some delicious tension in this fake relationship romance. Our hero had no plans to break his vow with someone who would be a temporary part of his life, which makes for a sexy slow burn and a focus on the emotional connection. I could also see some serious growth in Khabra’s writing since the first book in this series of interconnected standalones, as this is her first traditionally published novel. The combination made for a fun, bingeable read that was even better on audio. I really enjoyed it!

The story follows Sage, a ballerina whose uncle works for the local hockey team. She attends a charity auction to support him and finds herself bidding on one of his players as a favor - it’s a long story. While Elias has a ton of talent, he’s been a disappointment to the team since getting called up to the league, and the reputation he has in the media certainly isn’t helping. When Sage discovers that her proximity to Elias helps garner the social media attention she needs to land a job, they decide to enter into a fake relationship that will benefit both of their careers. The two strangers quickly form a friendship with sparks of more, but Elias is resistant to taking things further. He swore off women entirely years ago, and he’s unwilling to let Sage into his heart when he knows her goal is to find a job that will keep her on the road. But the sparks that fly between them are impossible to ignore, and their connection gets deeper by the day.

Collide was a solid 4-star read for me, so I went into this with low expectations, simply hoping for a light and bingeable read. It quickly became clear to me that Khabra’s writing has grown quite a bit since Collide’s indie debut, and I also loved the combination of characters. Elias is this cinnamon roll sweetheart who is steady, loving and sometimes shy. He’s focused on his career and disappointed in himself, so he was kind of adorable. I also really liked Sage, who is bright and lively. She helps Elias get out of his head, and they both bring out the best in each other. I loved the unexpected roommates situation paired with the fake relationship, which allowed for so much emotional connection and true relationship development. The story is sexy too, with plenty of moments when the tension was ready to snap. I don’t often see a dynamic where the heroine is ready for intimacy and the hero is the one who resists, which added such an interesting vibe to the story. I had no trouble bingeing this one, and am eager to see more from the series - it was great!

I loved absolutely everything about this book!!!

I adored Elias and Sage! They were the cutest couple, even when they were just faking it. I literally could not have imagined a more perfect book. Spiral had every trope that I adore: fake dating, shy MMC and strong FMC, found family!!

Elias was such a sweet, caring guy, which was exactly what Sage needed!! After caring for every one around her for all her life, I was so happy to see someone care about her.

There were so many little, thoughtful moments that had me kicking my feet. The flowers? He cooks AND bakes for her?!! Please, this book was so cute.

All the stars for this book and for Elias and Sage!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Khabra continues to do a beautiful job at creating characters and individual narratives that perfectly complement one another. So cute and so sweet, overall a great story to turn your brain off to and relax into. 4 stars instead of 5 for my continued complaint of Off the Ice’s stories being overall too long and feeling like SOMETHING is missing (though I cannot quite put my finger on what).

Also… I need 2025 to be the year that we drop the tattoo trope in romance books 🫣

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

I thought I couldn't love this book more than Collide but boy was I wrong. I absolutely fell in love with this book. The characters were so cute and the sweetest thing ever! The tropes were some of my favorites. You get a shy MMC and a yappy, extroverted FMC. I will forever be a found family girlie and this book just healed a part of me.

🩰🏒--characters--🏒🩰
I'm always a sucker for a straightforward and yapper FMC. Sage was the cutest and sweetest FMC ever! I absolutely loved her jokes and any time she was talking. She just brought so much light to this book and into Elias's life. Sage and Elias worked so well together and that just made the book way better. I loved learning about their backstories throughout the story and truly understanding the different parts of their personalities because they were both so fun to read about!

I simply need a whole book about their life, especially after reading the epilogue. I loved the characters and story so much! It was an amazing read. I could yap all day (like Sage) but I do hope you get to read it once it comes out because it was just so good!

✨tropes✨
🩰 ballerina x professional hockey player
💗 faking dating
🩰 shy mmc x confident fmc
💗 forced proximity

Thank you so much Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

THIS WAS SO DANG CUTE ARE U SERIOUS!!!

Fake dating super swoony sports romance baby!!!

Sage is a struggling ballerina who’s been told she needs to up her social media in order to be booked for roles.

Meanwhile, Eli’s playboy rep has been getting out of hand and needs PR damage before he’s traded to another NHL team!

I’m OBSESSED with how cute and sweet this romance was I was smiling ear to freakin ear the whole time!!!!

Having read Collide, I was very excited for Bal Khabra's second book. I absolutely love the slow burn romance, and this really delivers. Eli and Sage were an amazing couple that had such great tension. The fake dating of a hockey player and ballerina was unique, and their relationship was just fun to watch grow. I can't wait for Khabra's next book!

Spiral was released less than a year after Collide, but honestly, this is one book where I forgot how connected things are. Going into Spiral, we're getting Eli's story who plays on the same professional hockey team as Aiden who is the love interest in Book 1. Moving away from hockey for a second, this is mostly about Sage. Sage is an aspiring ballet dancer who is trying to balance her dance career, taking care of her brother, and not asking for help. She ends up getting roped into bidding on a date with Eli who acts like an absolute jerk to her at first. Eventually, the two go on a date but it doesn't seem like things are going to work out for them.

Sage suggests fake dating to help his playboy reputation and help her online presence as a dancer yet Elijah declines. Eventually, Elijah ends up talking about her to the media, and from there, the fake dating games begin. If you're looking for steam, this book does have its fair share but mostly the book is focused on the two of them working on themselves and coming to terms with their feelings. Bal Khabra does bring the spice rest assured, but what I loved most about this book was how much we learned about Sage and Eli. Sage ended up basically parenting her brother from a very young age and she still feels very protective over him. Eli's family history isn't that much better and we watch as the two slowly start to unlearn previous bad habits and learn to be better for the other person.

We also see Sage and Eli reach some incredible career milestones as well. Spiral truly came out of nowhere for me as I adored this book so much. I'm truly excited for this world Bal Khabra has built within her Off the Ice series and I can't wait for what's to come.

This was a slow burn!! I related to Sage when it came to independence and I loved seeing her walls break down for Eli. They are perfect for each other! What cute read and loved seeing Aiden and Summer again.

A brown girl who is a ballerina and also happens to land a hot, respectful hockey player? Yeah, obviously, I was going to read it. This was so cute and fast-paced - ate it up in a day. The story is very character-driven, but I enjoyed that because we got to see a lot of personal and relationship growth between the two main characters.

Elias is ao different from the typical sports guy main romance lead. I was expecting some douchey bro behaviour, and instead, we got a kind man that just needed someone to talk to. Shocking! Sage and Elias are so 'opposites attract' in the best way. They genuinely brought out the best in each other. They're supposed to be fake dating but was the fake dating ever in the room with us?

They're down so bad for each other. Elias was really redefining the concept of "i have your back." Bro would pop up ready to fight for her. He was learning ballet moves so he could reassure her that she was killing it during her performances?

My guy wiped her makeup off and helped her do her skincare cause she was too drunk and tired. The bar may be in hell, but he was still notches up - I'll give him that.

I would have appreciated some more exploration of Elias's struggles because they fall a little flat in comparison to Sage. The pacing and plotting also takes hits at a few points, but it wasn't much of an issue in the long run cause I wasn't really looking for a heavy plot-driven story.

I'm successfully convinced that the main couple is actually good for each other. That's often a rarity when it comes to contemporary romances.

Thanks so much to Berkley Pub & Berkley Romance for the free book!

I loved Collide so I was excited when I saw book 2 was coming out. Fake dating? Hockey? Forced proximity? What wasn’t to love?

These two were hot and cold. While there were moments I really loved this book. I really struggled connecting with either of the main characters. Eli was very standoffish throughout the book and that had to do with something that happened to him as a teenager that carried into adulthood. Sage had a terrible childhood, was her brothers primary caregiver, and is a struggling ballerina.

This maybe could’ve been 5 chapters shorter as I started skimming towards the end

✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ Roommates
✔️ Class Differences

I love a hockey romance and I'm thrilled to have another author to be obsessed with like I am with Elle Kennedy.

Spiral book two of the Off the Ice series by Bal Khabra. It's an interconnected standalone but very easy to read on its own (though don't get me wrong, Collide is worth reading - you just don't have to go in order!)

This is about Elias, a rookie hockey player who is on edge because he hasn't yet scored his first goal with a pro team. Adding to his stress is the intense media pressure as they dissect his personal life and pontificate on his playboy ways. His solution to get them off his back? To say he has a girlfriend, Sage. She's a ballerina that also can't catch a break and needs a bigger social media following to book a leading role. They work out an agreement but what could possibly get in the way... aside from intense chemistry with each other.

I loved the build of their relationship but my absolute favorite scenes were of the two of them in the apartment taking care of each other (Elias cooks and makes sure Sage is fed which I loooove - acts of service all the way). Their backstories were unique and I adored each of their character journeys and how supportive they were of each other's career goals. Super swoony, I'd say 5 ⭐️!!

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

This was a mess and I honestly couldn't even finish it. Sage was so weird, trying too hard to be the quirky fmc but failed horribly. This isn't realy a college romance but it felt like it.

Oh I really like Elias, Kian, Dyan, Aidan, Sean, Summer, and Sage. So basically everyone.

A hockey star wanting to go pro after college with an orphaned ballerina risking it all for her dream and provide for her little brother. Doesn't sound like they would mesh, but boy did they. Once Elias got over being a grumpy ass, and Sage stopped being so insecure, the sparks fly. Both have their reasons, and when you discover what they are, your heart hurts for them.

Ugh. It was just a good read. I approve.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spiral
Author: Bal Khabra
Off The Ice #2

Thank you so much Netgalley and Berkeley Romance for this ARC! A hockey and figure skating romance was an automatic must read for me. Elias is a newly drafted hockey player that is unfortunately the current product of intense media scrutiny. Meanwhile, Sage is trying to secure the lead role at a ballet theater. When the media ends up capturing her by chance run in with Elias, they both come to the conclusion that a fake relationship could work in both of their favors. As their fake relationship grows, their real feelings do as well. Also, to make matters more interesting, Sage is Elias’s coaches neice. This book was hockey romance perfection and I ate this up. It had everything you could possibly want in a sports romance, and the characters were adorable. I loved Elias so much. Also this was about 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 on the spicy scale. So grateful for this ARC and can’t wait for more in this series! ⛸️

Ahhhh what is it about fake romances that make me want to live one myself? I love when characters are reluctantly in a fake relationship to save their image.
Rules : yes, especially one that says "no falling in love"
The characters in this story felt very real, with complex back stories and their own issues to work through, together. I got sucked in this story and could not drop it. I DEVOURED this book.
I enjoyed Collide but I think I liked this one even more.
I recommend if you like : sports/hockey romance, fake dating, found family.

5 stars

I'm in love with Sage and Eli. Sage is strong and confident, but it's hard to put herself first. Eli has trust issues; with fame, a lot of people try to use him. Poor Eli. They both heal each other, and reading their story is wondrous.

Loved this so much!! Fake dating, mmc falls first and harder, banter, hockey player x ballerina, I ate it all up!!! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t help but binge it in 2 sittings. The chemistry between Eli and Sage was THERE!! Eli was a man truly in love and the things he did for Sage had me swooooning I can’t help it. He was such a sweetheart and I loved seeing him come out of his shell for Sage. Sage was such a great fmc with sass but also a softer side. I loved that she was a people pleasing eldest daughter bc same 🥲 The slow burn was so good and the tension!! So so good. Eli and Sage both have rocky pasts and watching them work through that together was so sweet. Fast paced, entertaining, swoony, had everything I love in a romance and I just had the best time. Such a sweet book!! Loved these 2 so much.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of Spiral. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is only my second hockey romance.
I enjoyed the hockey aspects of this book.
I enjoyed the ballet aspects of this book.
I thought this was going to be a light hearted fake dating romance. It was not. There are many heavy themes.

I think I need to stay away from books that focus on young adults trying to find their way in the world. It is so frustrating. I totally understand everyone needs to live their own life and experience the ups and downs. I just wish I didn’t want to bang my head against the wall when miscommunication and pride stand in the way of asking for and accepting help.

rated 3.5