Well that was a good book.

A cute bookstore romance between a sports star and a career driven geek.
I loved the setting of the bookstore. The chemistry between Nick and Sam was through the roof.

It was hilarious reading about Sam's eggs cheeping constantly and her bad dates!! And the spice? Lots of spice 🫣

I love a good hockey story and this was a thoroughly enjoyable one! Nick sets out to help Samantha find a "baby daddy" to help her get pregnant, but they end up realizing they are great together. A fluffy, fun read.

This is the perfect book for book needs that love sports romance! The story was so entertaining and funny!

Overall an enjoyable and cozy hockey romance. My only complaint was the repetitive references to "chirping eggs" which took me a bit out of the story at times, but other than that I had an enjoyable time reading this book

Overall this book was a good read but I didn’t find it as enjoyable as I wished I had. I love Amy’s work but this one just wasn’t one of my personal favorites

1/5, dnfed at 46%.

This was a failure.

I hated it so much. The female main character was so naive and STUPID and DESPERATE I hated it. Oh my god. Her EGGS CHIRPED?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And that's the internal monologue of a 30 year old woman? It read like she was 15! Jesus CHrist, that was so cringe and horrible.

SHe was so DESPERATE to have a baby and I get it but she did not ONCE think of a sperm donor? To just go to the clinic? NOTHING? Seriously?

And THEN she acted like she was a naive virgin who doesn't know ANYTHING about sex. Seriously, she's supposed to be 30-year-old woman who already slept with men before and the author had her buy 200 condoms for a date because she couldn't choose? Are you serious? In what way is this funny or smart of well-written? It's not. And then she was so overwhelmed by vibrators as if she couldn't just order one online? No, Nick had to follow her into the store and make fun of her! Jesus, he too acts like he's 16 immature asshole when he's supposed to be 38. What the fuck.

And the fact that Sam asks her sister about EVERYTHING like she couldn't think for herself? Hell no! I hated it.

The book is written horribly, the characters are flat and immature despite being supposed to be in their 30s, the plot is just boring. I was disappointed.
This is the second book from the author I read this year and it's gonna be the last. It's not for me.

Interesting story of a misguided woman with "chirping eggs" and a hockey player recovering from an injury centered around the romance book store his grandmother ran until her death. I loved the book store and sure wish I could work at one! What a dream job!
Samantha, the FMC is certainly book smart, but lacks confidence around the opposite sex, this being due to how she was raised and also due to severe body image issues. She decides that she needs a baby (hence the chirping) and has a set of qualities she is looking for in the potential baby day.
Nick, the MMC is gorgeous, fit, and a player. Laying low, running his grandmother's book store, and doing physical therapy, he has plenty of time with Samantha.
Their interactions are funny, entertaining, and you can just watch as their attraction and care for each other grows. As Nick sets her up on terrible, after terrible blind dates, they finally let themselves be.
Steam wasn't overwhelming, it fit the story well and minimal conflict brought this to a happy ending.
Overall, an enjoyable read. Thank you

Sam, a newly 30-year old woman, finds herself contemplating her future, specifically regarding babies and where that would leave her with her career. She meets Nick Hawke, who is also considering his future: will he return to the NHL after his knee injury or will he stay managing his grandmother’s bookshop?

Sports romance + bookish woman was enough to hook me into downloading this book. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me for a couple reasons.
Representation for plus-size girls as the romance lead in books is so great, but not at the expense of other women. There was a lot of talk (from both Sam and Nick) about Sam not being like other women/being a “real” woman. Additionally, the story was lacking in the found family aspect of a sports romance. In fact, there was no sports in this at all apart from a blip at the end of the novel.
That being said, this book was a light, easy read, with great chemistry and sexy, realistic sex scenes.

Fans of Hannah Grace might enjoy this friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, sports-adjacent contemporary romance.

This book is a super fun 4/5 stars! Nick "Hawkeye" Hawke is the perfect mix of a hot, tough athlete dealing with an injury and a total sweetheart, while Sam is a driven, relatable heroine figuring out her life. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the slow-burn romance between them is just the right amount of teasing and tension.

The setup of the second-hand romance bookshop adds such a cozy vibe, and it’s the perfect backdrop for all the flirty moments and will-they-won’t-they drama. You can feel the sparks flying whenever they try to stay “just friends.”

The only thing that kept it from being a full 5-star read is that a few parts are a bit predictable, and the story could’ve moved faster here and there. But overall, if you’re into steamy, lighthearted romances like the ones from Elle Kennedy or Hannah Grace, this one’s worth picking up!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Andrews, and Boldwood Books for providing the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for a review, but all thoughts are my own*

Ignore the other reviews! This was probably one of my favourite books this year, I absolutely loved it- couldn’t put it down, what a page turner.
Nick and Samantha the main characters were so mismatched that they were perfect for each other. You can’t help who you fall in love with- it’s the chemistry.
I’d give it 6 starts if I could.

NHL hot shot, Nick Hawkeye Hawke has 4 months to recuperate from a potentially career ending injury. All he has to do is take it easy and keep things low key. So, looking after his grandmother's beloved second hand romance bookshop and working very closely with the ruthlessly efficient Samantha Evans is just what he needs right? Wrong!

Career driven Sam has impulsively decided to swap her highly stressful corporate job for a slower pace in her favourite bookshop at the exact time her biological clock has started to tick. And she wants absolutely none of that. But when your boss is a hot hockey superstar and you can’t stop daydreaming of him being your baby daddy, forced proximity takes on a whole new meaning.

With temptation around every book shelf, Nick and Sam find themselves skating on thin ice until they put themselves firmly in the friend zone. But the more they try to resist their slow burn, the more they want each other. How long can they stay in the zone until one of them breaks the ice?

I was a little slow to warm up to this book, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between Nick and Sam, it was hilarious. I think I had a perma smile while reading. Their slow burn kept the embers burning, and once they came together it was fireworks With some wonderful secondary characters, it was a highly enjoyable book.

I was initially drawn to this as I thought it would be a sports romance but there’s not a lot of sports in it. I actually really liked the plot, but nick for me felt younger than 38 in the book? I also felt like the pacing was off in some parts, we’d have a big moment happen like the elevator scene and suddenly jump to 3 weeks later!! The most off putting thing was the egg talk, I felt like it was mentioned too much and tbh if I had bought this I probably wouldn’t have finished it due to this. I really enjoyed the body positivity talk as it’s nice to have a fmc that’s not stick thin and “small and petite” for once. Not my fave book but it was okay.

From the offset this had the same nostalgic feel as a mid 2000s romcom.

I initially loved the idea that the hot hockey player was going to be running the romance bookshop. This played a stark contrast to the sexist boss Sam had to deal with. Where a male colleague was offered more opportunities, despite being bad at his job, because his uncle was the boss and so he felt untouchable.

I loved the setting - the bookshop seems like the perfect place. The typical old second hand bookstore that has a cosy vibe.

They have instant chemistry, which I really loved. I also enjoyed the fact that FMC was curvy - not the usual stick and that he’s obsessed with her.

She seemed more fulfilled and happy at the bookshop than her stressful accountancy job. Cosy vs high powered career.

My main issue was the reoccurring theme of fertility and the pressure you feel to be a mom once you hit 30. The idea that her eggs were screaming at her and that’s what she used to make all her decisions. The whole idea that she was perfectly happy with her career and didn’t consider motherhood, but then it suddenly became her main goal and sole deciding factor in life. This could be representative of how women feel once they hit 30, but it felt sightly over-exaggerated and tended to make her character slightly annoying.

Another factor was the fact it’s presented as a sports romance, he’s literally in hockey gear on the cover, but there’s little to no hockey in the book. I understand he’s injured so the hockey is on the sidelines, but the book would’ve worked just as well (possibly better) if the whole hockey player element was removed and he was simply a guy who takes over his grandma’s bookshop after her passing. The hockey injury gives him a reason to be there, and is referenced but just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me.

Presents the typical romcom trope of her having a high powered job then losing it. She then finds herself and falls in love - this time in a cosy bookshop setting. Then gets offered her high powered job again, but now it’s lost its shine. Will she choose her career or love?

Overall I enjoyed this book! The characters were likeable and well presented, and I adored the cosy bookshop setting. Whilst there were areas that could’ve been more fleshed out - like his career and his avoidance of relationships/not wanting children - it was an overall fun read. I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a cosy romance with a green flag MMC and a cosy bookshop setting.

ARC copy provided by Boldwood Books & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🦇 Breaking the Ice Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite sports romance? ❓

🦇 NHL hot shot, Nick Hawkeye Hawke has 4 months to recuperate from a potentially career-ending injury. All he has to do is take it easy and keep things low-key. So, looking after his grandmother's beloved second-hand romance bookshop and working very closely with the ruthlessly efficient Samantha Evans is just what he needs right? Wrong! Career-driven Sam has impulsively decided to swap her highly stressful corporate job for a slower pace in her favorite bookshop at the exact time her biological clock has started to tick. And she wants absolutely none of that. But when your boss is a hot hockey superstar and you can’t stop daydreaming of him being your baby daddy, forced proximity takes on a whole new meaning. With temptation around every bookshelf, Nick and Sam find themselves skating on thin ice until they put themselves firmly in the friend zone. But the more they try to resist their slow burn, the more they want each other. How long can they stay in the zone until one of them breaks the ice?

💜 If you're looking for a sweet, excruciatingly slow-burn romance, this is for you. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: Though I love a curvy FMC who knows what she wants in life and is ready to get it, Sam fell flat for me. She's sweet and flawed, but we're not given much outside of her baby craze, accounting acumen, and love for romance novels. The problem repeats with Nick; he plays hockey, has numerous older brothers, and loves cowboy romances. Nick's celebrity is used more as a plot piece than anything else. Beyond that, there's not much depth to these characters. They never even grieve over Birdie, the reason they're brought together in the first place. Every other man in this story is a cliche, irksome and misogynistic without real reason. The strongest character, Sam's sister, only appears in phone calls and one short visit, but even she's limited to an advice-giving older sister (with the kids Sam so desperately wants) who pushes Sam forward. However, I did love the parallel between Sam's first scene while getting ready in the morning to a scene later, when she's not over-analyzing or criticizing her appearance. Great show of character development (but what was Nick's, besides his sudden, unexpected desire to have a baby with Sam?).

✨ Plot and Pacing: Sam's focus is split: find a potential baby daddy and bide time until her old boss begs her to take her job back. Nick's focus should have been to recuperate, but that's abandoned quickly in exchange for helping Sam (be with another man) in any way he can. The fact that their priorities both shift so quickly should have told both characters their paths have changed. Instead, they both get a eureka moment after their split apart; a rom-com cliche. The pacing drags during the story's first half, then rushes forward in a dizzying blur, neglecting to allow readers to linger in the relationship.

✨ Romance: The story starts with the potential for enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, but the "enemies" part of that equation is quickly abandoned. I'm not sure what the point of starting with animosity was at all. Nick immediately falls for Sam, but his focus seems to be more on her curves than anything else. The slow burn drags, adding tension, but once the romance finally picks up, it's rushed, failing to provide any real heat. While their relationship is SWEET (trading beloved authors, Nick taking care of Sam), it starts focusing more on the physical than mental or emotional. For all their witty banter, they never really talk.

✨ Tone/Prose: There are moments when the dialogue is awkward, pulling readers out of the story while adding a layer of immaturity to the characters. The dialogue between Sam and the men at her office is especially cringe-worthy. Also, why were the phone calls between Sam and her sister in italics? Why? Those scenes gave us insight into Sam's mental state while giving the story small time jumps, but the formatting was weird and unnecessary.

💙 I never want to hear the phrase "cheeping eggs" ever again. Though I understand Sam's focus on a her ticking biological clock as a plot device to force her out of her comfort zone and into a journey of self-discovery, it's overdone and exhausting. Though it adds to the rom-com's comedy element, it makes Sam nearly one-dimensional. While I'm sure that's bound to be a turn-off for a great number of readers, I'm more irked by the story's queer element. Sam is given the chance to explore her sexuality, but Nick quickly laughs off the possibility that she's bisexual and makes a joke of it. If the story was really about self-discovery, that scene wouldn't have been so quickly discounted for laughs or used to push the characters into a romantic moment.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Hannah Grace and Elle Kennedy, though the "sports" portion of this sports romance really takes the backburner.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🐣 Forced Proximity
🏒 He Falls First
🐣 Body Positivity
🏒 Friends to Lovers
🐣 Self-Acceptance
🏒 Contemporary Sports Romance
🐣 Slow Burn

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #BreakingtheIce

DNF, no rating

ARC in exchange for review

I started this book with high hopes and a love for hockey romances but I was severely disappointed. It takes a lot for me to DNF a book, but with the constant mention of “cheeping eggs” and the “not like other girls” trope, I just couldn’t get through it. I was thrown off from the very beginning with whole pages in italics that did not need to be. It either could have been separate as a prologue, or simply a separate chapter instead of pages and pages of italics that’s hard on the eyes.

Definitely spicy and I can see why so many people flocked to the book shop once Nick was in charge! I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the different threads of the story line and the suspense between Nick and Sam as their friendship developed was very enticing. I sometimes wanted to shake Sam with frustration at how obsessed she was with her eggs and being down about herself/not being willing to take a chance with Nick but it all came good in the end!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute and the writing was a bliss. But I found that for a hockey romance it lacked a lot of.. well.. hockey.

Also, I get that the whole start point was to have a baby, but Sam was really getting on my nerves with all the conversation about the eggs and “their feelings and thoughts”.

The end was a little sudden for me as well. Was kind os hoping for some grand gesture. But it was cute nevertheless.

I was so excited for this book. It sounded right up my street. Small town, bookstore, ice-hockey star. Literally had everything I love. However, when it came to the actual writing and story, I just couldn’t get into it and actually DNF’d.

I just felt the dialogue was somewhat irksome. The FMC’s constantly referring to her eggs just felt a bit silly and honestly was something I couldn’t get past.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldbooks for the ARC. Very appreciative of it and hopefully this book finds it way to right people.

I wanted to like this book, but it missed the mark (or should I say the goal) for me.

Pros-
Great writing
Solid plot

Cons -
MC talking about her biological clock got old
Characters pivoting in major life decisions without there being a deep reasoning for it other than it made sense for the story

I still enjoy it and would say give it a try if you enjoy hockey romance.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am a voracious reader when it comes to hockey romances, and willing to read almost any hockey story - I really wanted to love this book so badly, I truly did... but it did not jive with me.

My biggest beef with the story was the FMC and her biological clock ticking. She was so baby crazy it seemed like any guy that would give her the time of day she would be pushing for having a baby. The characters truly didn't really have any depth and I didn't think there was a lot of growth between them.

If you were wanting to read a cute story about an injured hockey player having fun in the bookstore, look somewhere else.

Thank you though Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book! It wasn't for me, but it will be someone else's cup of tea!