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.

This is book one in the Love On Thin Ice multi-author series, though it’s the second I have read so far and I am loving them! I accidentally read book 2 first, but it didn’t seem to ruin anything in the story since you can read them as stand alones as well. I will be reading them in order from here out though just in case, so I don’t end up with unintentional spoilers.

This is my first read by Whitney Dineen and I was very impressed! She did a great job not only giving us Ellie and Zach’s story, but also setting the scene for Maple Falls and some of the characters we will be seeing through the rest of the series. It was such a quick, fun read that gives all the fall vibes in a sweet small town.

There were so many parts to the story that all flowed seemlessly. So many emotions felt throughout, and the author did a great job blending each one without it being too much. I was a bit irritated initially by Ellie’s hatred of Zach considering she didn’t even know him, but I am glad it came around quickly and it made for some great tension that eventually turned to flirty banter between them. Ellie’s sweetness ended up shining through in her struggles to care for her mother which really redeemed her character for me. Zach swooping in as the humble hero was so swoony, and his “not really ex” being the villain gave such an interesting turn of events.

Overall it was a great story with tons of drama, romance, and entertainment. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the author and net galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Breaking the Ice is the perfect book for anyone who likes anything ice rink-related and sports romances.

I loved the chemistry between Ellie and Zach.

Thank you Net Galley and Whitney Dineen for this read

Fab read, the story of Ellie and Zach. When they meet she dislikes him based on what she has heard, can he convince her that is not the real him, and get her to help him out? I liked how it was told from both points of view and look forward to the rest of this series.

I loved the plot and the characters. It was so adorable and the writing was quite good. Really enjoyed it and I am excited to read the rest of the series. Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this book on my kindle!!!

Yes, this is what I was talking about. The perfect and exact amount of angst, of opposites that attract but are so stubborn that they can only be enemies until something changes and they decide to give in
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Ellie is a figure skate instructor, among other jobs, with which she supports herself, along with her disabled mother.
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and when the famous Billionaire Zachary Hart arrives to support the charity event created by his brother, she already has her mind made up. After all, journalists don't have to lie about his playboy ways
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Or at least that's what she thinks until he begins to show her the opposite with every gesture. After all, how can she avoid it while he rents the small cottage behind her house.
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But with old grudges and a journalist willing to do everything to show the world his worst side, Ellie has to decide and take a side.
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I really enjoyed reading it, the chemistry and pace was so good that I felt like I needed more pages of them. Also Maple falls has my heart already
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Thanks to Whitney Dineen and her team for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

3.5 / 5 stars

This was a short and sweet billionaire meets small town girl romance. I think my biggest complaint about the story is that I wanted more—I wanted more time to get to know Zach and Ellie, more time watching their romance develop, more time watching the big scene with Yolanda at the end unfold. It felt a little rushed overall, but overall a charming story and I'm excited to see how the others in the series unfold.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Breaking the Ice.

I'm sorry, but I found this book to be really boring. I've been in my hockey romance era lately, so I was really excited for this read, but I felt like the dialogue didn't move the story forward.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book. I thought it was just okay. It was very cheesy and I would have DNF’d it had it not been given to me to review. I was hoping with the MC being a figure skater that I’d really enjoy it but it was not my cup of tea.

Ellie and Zach are total opposites. She is a teacher at the ice rink Zack's brother owners and Zach is a billionaire with a poor reputation thanks to slime ball reporter her went out with 3 times... they find common ground when they finally start to get to know each other.

I will say, this wasn't my favorite because I'm not a fan of Ellie assuming she knows someone based off media. We don't know celebrities no matter how much we think we do. She jumps to conclusions and I'm not fan of her back and forth. Once second she's falling for this guy then the next she believes a woman who has shown her true colors multiple times.

I was fun, and I wish we had a bit of spice but it was not my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed the Love on Thin Ice series, but I really struggled with this title. Enemies-to-lovers isn't my favorite to begin with, and this was a highly stereotypical take on the trope. This was my first experience with this author, and I regret that I did not enjoy the writing style, which I felt read as immature and repetitive. Breaking the Ice may have been a miss for me, but I highly recommend checking out the other books in this series!

Thank you to XPresso Book Tours for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

I’m such a sucker for small town romance series by multiple authors. I always read them in the fall for some reason but it makes me all cozy on the inside.

I absolutely loved this one, of course. It was just a very sweet read, can’t wait to read the rest!

She works for his brother. He's being bombarded with negative publicity by a woman he casually dated. When he comes to town and wants to stay on her property she's not pleased. What happens when things start to implode with the press? Who will she believe? How do they get to the truth?
I received a copy of this book from the author. Review voluntarily given.

3.5 stars

I have conflicting feeling on this book. Primarily because the start of the book wasn’t as good as the ending. Let me explain.

This book is insta-love on the MMC’s side, but insta-hate on the FMC side. The moment Zach sees Ellie he knows she is the woman for him. As for Ellie, she doesn’t like rich people and holds the playboy billionaire stereotype against him. Soon the two are working together against our villain Yolanda as they try to expose her lies to the world.

I didn’t like how Ellie automatically disliked Zach simply because he was rich. However, I did love that the author gave Zach a backstory and made him giving and caring throughout the whole book, so Ellie quickly discovered he is not the man she thought he was.

I did like Zach. I’m not sure if I believe in his insta-love, but I believe in chemistry and being attracted to someone before even speaking to them. I liked how he proved himself and not only looked after his own family but helped Ellie with her mom.

This was a short, cute story. It does have depth, despite being a quick read

I really like this series so far (I’ve already read book 2), and I can’t wait to continue this journey.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking the Ice, the first book in the Maple Falls, small town romance series, kicks it off just right. Ellie is strong and independent and determined to make it on her own. She loves her mom and doesn’t mind taking care of her, she just wants more. Enter Zach, who brings out her feisty side, and makes her want things she was not even aware of as possibilities. Zach is about as a down to earth as any book hero can be. He is smart, handsome, so very rich, and so very drawn to Ellie. Ellie is convinced he is just like all the tabloids make him out to be, until she gets to know the real him. That’s when sparks truly start to fly! Zach is determined to win her over and shows her, own genuine act of kindness at a time, who is really is, not the version the press has created. It is a romcom short novel, so some parts felt a little rushed and underdeveloped, but in the end, the HEA shows up and my heart was happy with a smile on my face. Plus, it happens in the fall season, so all the romantic fall vibes are totally used!
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This was a cute short read of Zach and Ellie. Zach has a PR problem with Yolanda, another celebrity that is trying to scandalize Zach’s name for her career gain. Ellie helps Zach clear up his problem but not without some doubt along the way.

🍁BOOK REVIEW: Breaking the Ice by Whitney Dineen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍁 synopsis:
Breaking the Ice is an autumn billionaire romance! Ellie is struggling to pay the bills, work and take care of her sick mother and just to make matters worse, she’s now going to have to host a selfish, playboy billionaire who’s coming to stay in town for the charity hockey games. Zach has ended up with some bad press and he’s desperate to show everyone that the press is wrong. Unfortunately, the woman who owns the cottage he’s staying in, actually hates him because she’s heard all of the rumors about him.

🍁my thoughts:
This was a great start to the autumn hockey romance series! Zach is a total sweetheart and how he pursues Ellie and handles the press was just amazing. Ellie wasn’t my favorite FMC for the pure fact of I don’t understand why she would believe everything she sees on the internet. The autumn vibes were immaculate in this book and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!

🍁 read this book if you love:
🍂 autumn vibes
💰billionaire romance
🏡 small town

🍁content ratings:
🍭 - no spice
🤗 - no explicit language

Breaking the Ice is the first book in the Love on Thin Ice series which is a multi-author seven book autumn romance series! You can read them out of order but I really recommend reading them in order!

Thank you so much Whitney Dineen and NetGalley for this ARC!

A hockey book but it is really about the people in a small town and how they are coming together for a hockey fundraiser. Ellie agrees to rent her cottage out to her friend's brother who is coming into town. Zach will do anything to help out his brother and sister-in-law as long as it gets him out of California and away from the press. Being a billionaire has a plus and a minus. Ellie only thinks of him as to what she hears and reads in the press and is slowly surprised when she begins to see him differently, when someone comes into town wanting to create a fake story she must decide whether to help the fake or to help Zach. An excellent book with wonderful characters.

This is a fun sweet romcom. A lot of famous people are converging on the small town of Maple Falls, Washington. The local ice rink and lodge owners are hosting a hockey tournament as a benefit for children in need. In this book, we have a wealthy billionaire that will be coming to sponsor the tournament. Zach Hart is trying to get away from some bad publicity so he thinks going to a small town will shed some better light on his charitable contributions. Ellie is an ice-skating instructor who happens to have a small cottage behind her mother‘s home that they used to rent out, when she was approached to rent said cottage to Zach, she is infuriated because she has seen the publicity and thinks he’s just a heartless billionaire. My first opinion of Ellie is she seems pretty judgmental without knowing him personally. I did warm up to her throughout the story and I enjoyed the relationship that started to develop. There was some good banter, some sweet and tender moments helping her mother, and some clean but sizzling kisses, along with some heated drama. Overall, I thought it was a fun easy read. It is part of a series. I had already read the second book, but there’s no problem reading them in any order. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is the perfect start for the series. It shows that a romance series can contain all the fluffy romance you need without any smut.

I liked how Zach stayed true to his morals and didn't stoop to the level of Yolanda. Truly the man Ellie deserves.

I didn't really like Ellie in the beginning, because she trusted Yolanda so fast. Like, why would you believe something a drama journalist is saying online. She didn't even know Zach at that point and already didn't like him.

It felt like a rushed dislike storyline, which I didn't fully enjoy.