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.

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.