I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking the Ice even though I was a bit disappointed that there was no sports content as I'd anticipated there would.

Despite that, the relationship between Samantha and Nick is gorgeous and their story is really sweet.

For the reader, the writing is on the wall as they head in to their 'bargain' but the realisation between the characters takes longer.

In the interim, we are treated to some humorous scenes as well as some intriguing characters.

All in all Breaking the Ice is a lovely way to spend a few hours on an autumn afternoon.

I enjoyed this book about an injured hockey player and an expert accounting executive. She was in burnout and she'd had to prop up her boss' nephew who just didn't get it.

Nick kept his grandmother's used bookstore open and hired Samantha while she was on "sabbatical." He was very attracted to Sam's generous body and he admired her personality. But she was on a mission to meet someone and to get pregnant. He planned to go back to his team and he certainly didn't want to have babies.

But slowly, finally, they decided to have sex while he was still there. And each fell in love, but kept that fact to themselves.

It's a fun book and I enjoyed reading it. There is some sex in the book so it's not for everyone.

This book unfortunately didn’t hold my interest. It’s well-written, but there’s very little actual romance in it. There’s a bit of flirtation, but the story almost entirely focuses on the heroine’s bad dates and lack of physical intimacy as she attempts to find a husband she can have babies with. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews is a sweet sports romance that takes place in a bookshop. If you are a frequent reader of Ms. Andrews, know that this is not as spicy as her books usually are.

Sam is distressed when she starts hearing her biological clock ticking and her eggs chirping at her. Meanwhile, her never ending corporate job has become so much more stressful thanks to an inept underling relative of her boss who is out for her job. Admitting to her boss that she is hearing voices in her head pushing her to start a family, he forces her to take time off. Then her favorite bookstore owner, Birdie, dies. NHL star Nick "Hawkeye" Hawke is recovering from a career-threatening injury when his grandmother dies and his family asks him to manage her cozy romance bookshop. Learning that his neighbor just left her high-stress corporate job for a slower pace and has knowledge about the store, he hires her to help him out with the store. Despite their efforts to stay in the friend zone, their undeniable chemistry and slow-burn attraction become impossible to ignore. After getting to know each other Sam confides in Nick about her chirping eggs and the shortage of the correct demographic men to help potentially hatch those eggs. Nick helps Sam with some blind dates, dates that turn out hysterical. As the lines blur and they become friends, what they both thought they wanted changes Sometimes it takes a birthday, vodka, and a whole pack of Oreo’s to admit what they really want and what they want their future to look like.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#BreakingtheIce #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks

I truly struggled to get through this book and was left pretty disappointed. I liked the premise of the book, but the writing fell flat, and the story was drawn out.

Breaking the Ice is a hockey romance centered around two characters in their 30s running a bookshop together. After years of working overtime and dating terrible men, she gets fired and decides to have a baby when her eggs start cheeping. Nick is a pro hockey player who gets injured and ends up running his grandmother's book store after she passes. The two end up working together not only at the store but to secure a man to give Samantha a baby.

The majority of the book was both characters going on dates with other people. Both of them wanted each other but refused to act on it. They didn't get together until roughly 90% in and then they let it fizzle out just 5% later. Both MCs then go out with other people again.

I found the characters to be frustrating and quite immature even though they were in their 30s. Any time anything romantic happened between Samantha and Nick, the next day she would either pretend it didn't happen or avoid him for days. And for a book that advertised as body positive, both MCs were incredibly judgmental of any other persons appearance.

Thank you to Netgalley and BoldWood for the ARC.

While there were a few things that i enjoyed in the book, unfortunately for the most of it, the writing made it hard for me to like it as a whole. It had a lot of potential but the execution didn't match.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

1.5 stars. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. On paper these tropes would be my cup of tea but I didn't really like the execution. I found Sam very immature and her eggs were mentioned way too many times in the book. I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Sam and Nick.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha has a clear plan for her life until her biological clock starts ticking and her work rival undermines her. Now, while she is waiting for the rival to implode, she is working at her favorite bookstore and looking for Mr. Right. That would be fine, but the store's new owner is a huge distraction. She has had a crush on him for a while. He doesn't want kids and will be heading back to his NHL team soon, so he is not Mr. Right. He does become a good friend, in spite of the pesky chemistry between them. Feelings start to be caught on both sides, but they cling to their plans. Can Sam's meddling older sister spare them the impending heartbreak?
This book has a ton of tension and delicious banter like all of this author's books. You can see the sparks shooting off the page. Sam is a realistic character because she has an ongoing love/hate relationship with her body that makes it difficult for her to trust. Nick develops a plan to help her with that, and it is both lovely and hot. I couldn't put this book down because I enjoyed the characters so much.

Breaking the Ice is definitely a slow burn romance, and although typically I adore this type of book.... I did find myself struggling to get into this story unfortunately.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.


Sadly, I was not able to get passed 25 pages for this title as I really really disliked Samantha. I also did not enjoy the constant egg talk. Her "baby crazy eggs" were mentioned in what seemed like every page and it was tiresome.

I didn't really enjoy the last book i read by this author but wanted to give her another chance.

In this book, Nick and Samantha are brought together, working at the bookstore of a relative of his and friend of hers. Sam, having recently taken a leave of absence from her job, is on a one track path...to motherhood. Nick initially offers but since the two have started to beco.e friends, they opt for him to set her up on blind dates instead, before realizing maybe they are what's best for each other.

The character development was messy, the FMC's obsession with her "whining eggs" got to be insufferable by the third mention (and it was mentioned multiple times a chapter) the interludes at the beginning of each chapter didn't really make sense or fit, and they were in a different font and I was unclear what the author was trying to convey by this.

All in all, with more character depth, smoother transitions and chemistry between the MCs, this could have been a story i would have loved but ultimately this author i think is not for me.


Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

A slow burn romance book, spent the first ~ 75% of the book waiting for the action to happen and once it did it was quickly the end of the book. Overall I liked the plot and characters but I’m not racing to read any future releases.

Thank you for the arc, I did find this book quite enjoyable, I wouldn’t exactly describe it as a sports romance as the mmc doesn’t actively play hockey on the timeline of the book. I liked that it was mainly set in the bookshop and the side characters were lovely. The mentioning of the fmc’s eggs did get a little repetitive but I still enjoyed the book ☺️

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF 10%
I had to tap out due to the excessive mention of her eggs emotions and talking.

Pros
- The concept
- The cover

Cons
- idk who sees their ex with his knocked up fiancée and gets baby fever
- the eggs chirping and talking stuff was weird
- A lot of talk about wanting a kid for a book with no pregnancy
- I know sisters can be bitches but wow her sister really told her how lame and sucky she was when she was already sad

“I’m sure I could find someone among their friends and colleagues who’d be willing to go out with a slightly nutty Rubenesque female with dying eggs.”
Samantha was just living her life when all of a sudden her biological clock started chirping a bit too loud. Then she loses someone very close to her. Then she loses her job. Everything is turning upside down and she just needs to find someone compatible with her to start having babies!

Nick is running g his late grandmother’s bookstore and has just hired Samantha. Nick is in an in between moment of his hockey career and this is just temporary. But as he helps Samantha find eligible bachelors everything Nick thought he wanted changes.
Thank you @amyandrewsbooks for the ARC!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5🌟
This book was an extremely easy read, not to mention quick, but I wouldn't say it was gratifying. At the start I loved the fact that the main character was a curvy, career driven woman but then she morphed into an extremely desperate baby daddy seeker. I liked the premise of her and the hockey player running a bookshop together, there were a lot of good opportunities and sweet moments there. I also didn't mind him setting dates up for her, but it just got too much as she became more and more desperate.

I am in two minds about this book. I enjoyed the concept of the book. After a couple of chapters I began to really enjoy it but then it just started to feel rushed. This way I didn’t connect with any of the characters.

I loved the writing style in this book and that kept me reading the book and finished it within 2 days.

It’s classed as a sports romance but there’s hardly any mention of sports in the book.

If you are looking for a fast paced read with spice then I enjoy you pick up this book

*Thankyou NetGalley and Boldwood books for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

This was just a bit too difficult for me to swallow the premise. A hockey star is recuperating from an injury and decides to run his grandmother’s romance bookshop. And the heroine quits her job as a financial advisor and decides to work in the bookshop. Of course, they fall in love even though they know that there is an end date for their romance since he’ll go back to his team and she’ll go back to work as a financial adviser.

Of course, we know they’ll have a happily-ever-after. But I didn’t buy the situation that they were in, much less the resolution of their distance problems.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is the second Amy Andrews book I've read in the last couple of months and while I liked 'Look What You Made Me Do' I think 'Breaking the Ice' was more of a hit than a miss for me. I just couldn't understand the characters decisions - they made huge leaps in judgement I just couldn't follow. Who decides they are desperate for a baby overnight (maybe they do but I can't relate) and don't get me started on Nick's u-turn at the end. Also, for a book also about female body positivity Sam is awfully judgement mental about her dates appearance...

Having said that I did enjoy the writing style and the lust between the two characters kept me reading and I finished the book in just a few days. If you want a quick, easy to read, spicy romance and you can relate so some of the things I've already mentioned then give 'Breaking the Ice' a go but I think I'll stick to sports romances where sports are actually involved.

Breaking the Ice had the potential to be a delightful read, especially with the inclusion of a curvy female main character and the genuine friendship between the two main characters. However, the execution left much to be desired. While I appreciated the representation of the curvy FMC, the overall writing felt rushed and lacked depth, which made it hard for me to connect with the story.

Some moments were so cringe-worthy that they took me out of the narrative completely. I found myself rolling my eyes at certain dialogues and scenarios that felt forced rather than authentic. It’s a shame because the foundation was there for a charming and relatable story, but it just didn’t deliver the way I hoped it would.

Ultimately, I walked away feeling disappointed, as I was looking for a fun, lighthearted romance but ended up with an experience that didn’t quite hit the mark.