From the publisher:
A pro hockey player falls for an interior designer in this charming debut sports romance.
For fans of Icebreaker and Set On You, this flirty workplace rom-com explores mental health, belonging, and finding your way in the world.
Nick Sorensen had once been one of the fastest men in hockey—until the devastating plane crash that took the lives of his best friends, leaving him the only survivor. Now he’s physically ready to get back on the ice, but his coach is concerned Nick isn’t doing as well mentally as he says he is. Case in point: Nick’s apartment is completely empty, apart from a single chair and a mattress on the floor.
To prove he’s fine, really, Nick hires Alyssa Compton, an up-and-coming interior designer, to decorate his space. Alyssa’s thrilled at the chance to prove herself to her demanding boss—with job security at last, maybe she can finally put down roots and create a home for herself too. But Nick turns out to be infuriatingly stubborn and impossible to work with, and just when Alyssa decides to throw in the towel on the whole thing, Nick shows up for her in a way she never could have expected.
The icy path ahead of these two lost souls may be slippery and cracking, but when it comes to love, sometimes all you need is someone on your team.“Kennedy’s shining adult debut will delight readers and intrigue fans of Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers series and Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.” —Library Journal
https://amzn.to/4dEtVXN
This author has written some young adult and children’s books, but this is her first adult romance and it’s terrific!
I have tried audiobooks many, many times over the years, but the only ones I was able to listen to were the Harry Potter series, most of the Lemony Snicket series, and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series – I loved them all. But anything else I tried, from biographies to thrillers to domestic fiction to romances, just didn’t hold my attention. I would be listening and all of a sudden realize I had no idea what was happening anymore. I gave up for a long time, but as my vision continues to worsen, I decided to make more of an effort with audiobooks. Plus my commute to work is the longest it’s been in over 20 years – about 20-25 minutes.
So I started again. I tried Hoopla, an app provided by my public library because everything they have is always available, so I figured if it took me a really long time to get through a book, I could just check it out again. Other library apps, like Overdrive or CloudLibrary, have limited availability and I didn’t want to get halfway through and then have to reserve it and wait for the book, giving my brain time to forget whatever I had heard.
Hearts on Thin Ice was the first romance I really enjoyed listening to! I think part of it is the reader, or in this case, readers – one for the female lead, Scarlett Everdeen, and one for the male lead, Nick Mondelli. (And I surprised myself by listening at home, too, while I folded the laundry, made dinner, and so forth.) I not only finished the book within the allotted loan period (3 weeks) I returned it early and braved another. I started with an old Brenda Novak book, the first of her Dundee, Idaho series, and I’m now on the fourth book in that series – all audio. I will eventually review that series.
Back to Hearts on Thin Ice – this is a hockey romance, and I do love a good sports romance. Nick is a professional hockey player who was in a small plane crash with several of his teammates, who were also his best friends. Everyone on the plane died except for Nick, and he has a severe case of survivor’s guilt. He also has extensive injuries, but eventually makes a full recovery and is traded to another team.
Nick’s new coach knows what happened and is worried about him. He is living in a completely empty apartment – mattress on the floor, one chair, a TV, and that’s about it. He orders Nick to go to therapy and to furnish his apartment so he can live like a normal person. One of his teammates is becoming a friend, and while at his house his wife recommends her interior designer to help him. Grudgingly, Nick goes to see her but her boss tries to steal his business. That gets Nick’s hackles up, and he refuses and leaves. Next thing he knows, this gorgeous woman is pushed out the door after him – Alyssa, the designer his friend recommended.
Alyssa goes to Nick’s apartment and is appalled by how he is living. But when she tries to talk to him about what he likes, style-wise, colors, etc. he just shuts down and tells her to do whatever she wants. She comes up with a masculine, industrial modern design, and when he sees it, he tells her it’s fine. Then he fires her. Devastated, Alyssa realizes something is wrong but can’t figure it out.
Then Nick is ordered once again to furnish his apartment, so he goes back to Alyssa. This time, he tells her he hated the design, it reminded him of the plane that crashed with all that metal and rivets on the furniture. She figures out a few ways to find out what he likes and they spend some time together. Nick really likes her but doesn’t feel deserving of a relationship when all his dead friends will never have one. Alyssa also has some of her own baggage, making them both interesting and real.
Theirs is a complicated relationship, and the characters are very well drawn with real depth, making it easy to root for them. There is some heat as well as some laughs. It’s not all death and destruction! That’s actually a small part of the story, but important background. This was a very enjoyable listen, and I’m so happy I am finding my way with audiobooks at last. I am grateful to Katie Kennedy, Scarlett Everdeen, and Nick Mondelli for getting me to this point.
8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
HEARTS ON THIN ICE by Katie Kennedy. Alcove Press (June 18, 2024). ISBN: 978-1639107735. 320p.
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[…] steamy one. Would it bother me to hear sex scenes read aloud? Turns out, not so much. I listened to Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy and loved it! Unfortunately, that was her first adult book, so I had nowhere to […]