Clean romance with great tension between the characters. The romance pacing seemed a little slow and with it being a clean romance, I wanted to really feel the intimacy in other ways that I didn't feel I got enough of. The overall plot was engaging and there was plenty of storyline to keep me entertained. The third act conflict / break up was handled well between our main characters, but I wish there was a touch more romance to keep me swooning. I will for sure be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC.

Breaking the Ice is a wonderful short story. But all in all, I enjoyed it. It has a unique storyline with some great twists and turns. It's fun well-written, and definitely a good enemies-to-more kind of story. The character development was interesting to me.

Zach Hart is a billionaire with a PR problem. Ellie Butler is a small town skating instructor who is the sole caretaker for her ailing mother. When Zach's brother brings him to town as the sponsor of a charity hockey team, their paths collide and the sparks fly.

Breaking the Ice is a cute quick read. While I enjoyed it overall, I did find the prose to be a bit clunky in places. I'm not personally a huge fan of an insta-love dynamic as one of my favorite things in a romance is to watch the couple fall for each other. Here, it felt like no time from them meeting and finding each other attractive to thinking about spending their lives together. It felt unrealistic in a way that took me out of the story. Additionally, I got a bit confused at the beginning because I thought I had accidentally began reading this series out of order due to some of the character introductions, but this is the first book in the series. If you are looking for a light and fluffy romance, I think you will find this enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC to review!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

Breaking the Ice is a contemporary hockey romance novel written by Whitney Dineen. It is book one in the Love on Thin Ice series.

Summary: Ellie is feeling stuck in life.

Her mother’s medical condition is getting worse, and Ellie is doing everything she can just to keep them both afloat financially.

So, when the cabin on their property is rented by a handsome billionaire in town for a charity hockey event, Ellie’s got no time for him.

How could Zach-a stuck-up rich man-understand what it’s like to be just scraping by to put food on the table?

But when someone threatens to destroy his reputation once and for all-will she be willing to set aside her feelings and help him-before things go too far?

My Thoughts: I liked this book. It has a unique storyline, with some clever twists and turns. It’s definitely a good enemies-to-more type of story and is well-written and fun.

It has a few cheesy moments, but overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read.

This book was independently published, and I received a free digital copy in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this one, Zach and Ellie had great chemistry and the side characters were fun and entertaining. I loved the small town feel of Maple Falls but wanted more of it! Definitely going to read the next in the series

First of all, Thank You Netgalley for the ARC granted. It was my first touch with the author's narrative, and altough it took me a while to get immersed in the story, it was a great start for a hockey series. I am looking foward to read the next ones.

This was a cute, small town romance. I enjoyed the character development and maturing that happened in this book. It was the perfect sized read for what it was.

Arc Review:
Overall Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
- Billionaire
- Boss’s Brother
- Opposites Attract
- Enemies To Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Dual POV
- Hockey Romance
- Billionaire Ex-Hockey Player x Figure Skating Instructor
- Small Town
- Fall Vibes
- Closed Door/Clean Romcom, Kisses Only

Welcome to the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series, seven authors, seven short novels, and one charming town, welcome to Maple Falls where heartwarming love stories live. Our first book of the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series is ‘Breaking the Ice’ written by. Whitney Dineen

Zach is a billionaire who is getting some really bad press from a female reporter who has it out for him at the moment, because of this scandal Zach’s brother Troy persuades Zach to come to Maple Falls so he can help with these charity hockey games that Troy is doing. When Zach arrives a day early in Maple Falls he heads to his brothers rink we’re he meets a feisty skating instructor who makes it clear she isn’t a fan of his named Ellie. Ellie is a figure skating instructor who works for Zach’s brother Troy. Ellie is also the sole care taker of her mother. Ellie has seen all the news surrounding Zach and has decided she wants nothing to do with the billionaire, but when Troys wife ask Ellie if she’ll rent out the cottage she has on her property to Zach, Ellie can’t say no to her bosses plus she could really use the money for her mom. Can Zach and Ellie learn to get along? Will Zach’s name ever gets cleared? Read ‘Breaking the Ice’ now to find out.

I’ve been so excited to read this series and I think that this book was the perfect start to it.
Even though this book was a shorter one I think that the plot and the characters were done incredibly well. This book had some lighthearted moments, some funny ones as-well but it also had some real emotions to it.
I think that Zach is the sweetest guy ever I love how we helps take care of Ellie’s mom and Ellie is such a strong, caring woman and I loved how it was her plan that saved Zach’s reputation.

I liked to wrap this up by giving a huge thank you to the author of this book Whitney Dineen along with NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book, I really enjoyed my time reading it.

Zach is going through hell because of the press after he said in national TV that he and journalist Yolanda were not an item. He seeks refuge in Maple Falls where his brother and family live helping in the sponsorship of a hockey tournament that will give its earnings to a local charity. What he did not expect is to find his soul mate in Ellie, the skating teacher, his brother's business main helper, and a devoted daughter taking care of a very ill mother. Breaking the Ice has all the self doubts one has about romance, one another, what comes next and so on, it's an easy read, and it makes hearts swoon as small town girl and billionaire find love.
I thank the author and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

What a great read. I zipped through it in one day! A billionaire with a heart of gold finds himself drawn to a local girl just trying to get by. All the characters are endearing - including the secondary characters. You can learn more about them through the other books in the series.

I quite enjoyed this book, was a great way to start a series, I will definitely read more books by Whitey.

Ellie is relatable, juggling challenges while trying to make her living. Her determination makes her someone you can root for and you really want her to succeed. Zach is sorta arrogant but you grow to love him. This was a charming easy read that was entertaining and had the happy ending we all hope for.

This had many keywords that would usually indicate a story that really works for me for some quick, sweet escapism: smalltown romance, hockey romance, opposites attract...
Sadly this book didn't hit the spot for me personally. I felt like the romance happened way too fast and we didn't see how it could have developed. The characters met a handful of times throughout the novel. Also in my opinion the story tried to do too much for the length of it. The romance plus the deception plot with a rival and also the focus on the main character's mother's health issues all couldn't develop in the depth the plotlines needed.
On the other hand I really enjoyed the sweet smalltown vibes, the relationship between the main character and her mother as well as the glimpses of ice skating we got in this book. It's a quick read and the right audience might find a new (multi author) hockey romance series to enjoy!

I love a fall series that incorporates hockey, fall festivals and feisty main characters.

This was super short, so there was a bit of insta love/lust and it seemed a little hurried to wrap it up at the end, but it was entertaining and light and I'm picking up the next book in the series now!

Breaking the Ice by Whitney Dineen is the first book in the Love on Thin Ice series. This series is written by multiple authors. This book is set in the small town of Maple Falls. Zach’s brother Troy has decided to host a charity hockey game. Zach is currently in a pinch because he is getting a lot of bad press. His brother Troy has encouraged him to come out and be seen for the charity hockey game. Zach flies in a day earlier than he is supposed to a meets a not so receptive Ellie. She has been following the bad press Zach has been receiving and is believing it. She has been asked by her boss who is Zach’s sister-in-law if he can stay in their rental property. She tells him if he wants to move in early, he must clean the windows. She is trying to test his character. Ellie is the main caretaker for her mother. Zach helps with some things for her mom. In return she comes up with a plan to help him with his bad press.

Breaking the Ice
Whitney Dineen
Pub Date: Out now!

Ellie isn't sure what to think about her friend's billionaire brother coming to town for a charity hockey event and also staying at a cabin behind her house to avoid the press. Ellie expects to believe the tabloids but actually meets the real Zach. This is a closed door, sweet hockey romance and I wish it was longer! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, uplighting story.

Thank you to Whitney Dineen and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchanged for my honest review. This small town hockey romance had this sweet Hallmark vibe to it. The enemies to lovers, billionaire romance with sweet force proximity. Ellie is a figure skating instructor who is helping care for her ill mother in the small town of Maple Falls. Zach is a billionaire who has come to help his bother put together a charity hockey team while also wanting to get away from tabloids surrounding an ex romance. Zach is able to help Ellie with providing much needed support for her mom while Ellie helps clear Zach's name in the public tabloids. While helping each other they both begin to have falling for each other creating a sweet romance. This is the start of the series Love on Thin Ice, I did read these out of order but still enjoyed every minute of this book. I look forward to reading more in this series.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Zach,is a well known billionaire. After being accused by a member of the media of poor behavior, he agrees to sponsor a charity hockey team in the small town of Maple Falls. While there he encounters a force of nature in the form of a figure skater (Ellie). The two quickly bond over their shared upbringings and current struggles. Can they come together to overcome their obstacles or will they be torn apart?

Breaking the Ice is the first of seven books in the Love on Thin Ice series. This is a multi-author, interconnected series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed as a whole.

This series has been at the top of my list for fall. It consists mostly of authors I have yet to read. Having no experience with Whitney Dineen’s work I came in with no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed her writing!

Dineen wrote the sweetest couple in Zach and Ellie. While this book is on the shorter side, she managed to execute the plot and character development perfectly. She hooked me from the start and held my interest until the very end. Needless to say, I am a new fan and will reading more from her in the future.

Read this book for:
- clean/ closed door romance
-forced proximity
- enemies to more
-dual POVs
-arthritis representation

Special thanks to Netgalley and Whitney Dineen for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story may be part of a Hockey series, but it is definitely more of a billionaire story, with just a hint of hockey. I wish I had read this one first (even though you can technically read each book as a standalone) so I would have understood more about the premise of the charity hockey team/event. I didn't realize until this book (after reading 4 others) that the team had to win the majority of the games for Happy Horizons to get ANY money so I was confused why winning each game was such a big deal (other than wanting to be the best like most athletes want to be).
Ellie had some preconceived notions about what kind of person Zach was but eventually learned for herself that you can't trust everything you read/hear in the media. Zach definitely proved himself and showed what a sweet, caring heart he had.