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jenreadsromance's review against another edition
3.0
In this installment of the Snow and Ice Games series, our heroine is Bronwyn Perry, a key member of the USA hockey team. The hero is her coach, Ash Levenson. This kind of power difference is usually a hard pass for me, but I liked these characters so much that this book largely worked for me (It helps that she’s 22 and he’s only 28). The SIGs start with Bronwyn dating her long term boyfriend, but they have a very public, very ugly break-up. Bronwyn turns to her coach for emotional support and of course that turns into something more. Honestly, this book was great for me until the last quarter. They have a fight, but it feels more manufactured to separate them than a truly believable turn of events. But I’d like to talk about the real deal-breaker, which might be minor to some, but it was major to me. During the key moment of the gold medal hockey game, the narration switches to Ash’s point of view. I will die on this hill: if your heroine is an athlete, her greatest accomplishments and cruelest defeats MUST be told from her point of view. I cannot even tell you how disappointed I felt when this moment was stolen from Bronwyn and given to Ash. I love heroines and I want books where women own their own accomplishments and stories, and this, for me, was an unforgivable stumble.
llamareads's review against another edition
4.0
Finally, the hockey romance! I’ve read a lot of hockey romances, but this is the first, I think, that had a female hockey player. This is the third in the Snow & Ice Games series, but each can be read as a standalone.
Bronwyn is a college hockey player who’s made it on to the Olympics team for US women’s hockey, and Ash is the team coach. Though they’re at different colleges, women’s hockey is a small enough world that they are each familiar with each other, plus they’re both at colleges in the Boston area. When Bronwyn and her boyfriend break up in an incredibly public and messy way, Ash fears that it will tank her performance, and that of the team. So, naturally, he offers to be her distraction, to predictable results.
First off – this is a taboo romance. Ash is the coach and Bronwyn is one of his players, so immediately there’s the issue of a power imbalance. There’s definite lines crossed, which may prove to be too squicky for some readers. While normally I’m not a fan of power imbalances like this, I think it was handled well enough that while I was aware of it, it was enough in the background that I could enjoy the romance part. One of the things that helped is that they’re not that far apart in age – Ash is in his late twenties and Bronwyn is in her early twenties.
The thing that didn’t help is that it felt like Bronwyn acted so much younger than her actual age, and Ash older. So, the thing that gets them together in a way that starts their relationship is that Ash offers to be a distraction from Brody – if Bronwyn wants to call Brody, she should call him, etc. This ends up with her calling him and coming over to his room in the middle of the night to cuddle… because she can’t sleep by herself. Also, their big breakup is spurred by Ash denying that he’s having inappropriate relations with anyone on his team, which, you know, she agrees is the only course of action he could take, because, yeah, this is hella inappropriate. Plus, Brody, Bronwyn’s boyfriend, was such an awful person and I don’t really understand why she stuck with him for so long, especially since she seems to rebound so quickly from him. It really made me wonder – I mean, obviously, Brody was no prince, but seriously, she went from one relationship to another, so it really made me question her judgment and maturity.
It’s not like Ash doesn’t screw up, himself. Though he seems mostly able to separate his personal and professional interactions with Bronwyn, he does almost nearly blow it at one point. I especially loved his back story and that he suffered from chronic pain. It gave him a good reason for being such a young coach, and I admired his maturity and his love for the sport, especially in terms of women’s hockey versus men’s hockey. It feels, sometimes, like the physical consequences of playing high impact sports are not very well addressed in romances – and I get it, it can be a downer – but I thought this was done in such a masterful way to lend a lot of depth to the story.
Overall, though I may have had some issues with the trope, I did really enjoy this book. I hope Ms. Parker writes more women’s hockey books in the future!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Bronwyn is a college hockey player who’s made it on to the Olympics team for US women’s hockey, and Ash is the team coach. Though they’re at different colleges, women’s hockey is a small enough world that they are each familiar with each other, plus they’re both at colleges in the Boston area. When Bronwyn and her boyfriend break up in an incredibly public and messy way, Ash fears that it will tank her performance, and that of the team. So, naturally, he offers to be her distraction, to predictable results.
“’I’ll be your anchor. I’ll fill the gaps. If you feel like calling Brody, call me instead. If you usually eat lunch with him, I’ll meet up with you. There must be a hundred things you do every day that make you think of him. Don’t think of him, think of . . .’
Me. Think of me. ‘Uh, hockey.’
She smiles at me, a funny twisted-up thing that makes me think she’s trying not to laugh. Which is fine. She could totally laugh at me and I wouldn’t care. ‘So, you’re going to be the nicotine gum to my Brody cigarette?’
Whatever you do, do not think of being in her mouth. For fuck’s sake, I may have to move this clipboard lower if I get any more filthy ideas. But yeah, she’s got the gist. ‘Yep. Sure am.’”
First off – this is a taboo romance. Ash is the coach and Bronwyn is one of his players, so immediately there’s the issue of a power imbalance. There’s definite lines crossed, which may prove to be too squicky for some readers. While normally I’m not a fan of power imbalances like this, I think it was handled well enough that while I was aware of it, it was enough in the background that I could enjoy the romance part. One of the things that helped is that they’re not that far apart in age – Ash is in his late twenties and Bronwyn is in her early twenties.
The thing that didn’t help is that it felt like Bronwyn acted so much younger than her actual age, and Ash older. So, the thing that gets them together in a way that starts their relationship is that Ash offers to be a distraction from Brody – if Bronwyn wants to call Brody, she should call him, etc. This ends up with her calling him and coming over to his room in the middle of the night to cuddle… because she can’t sleep by herself. Also, their big breakup is spurred by Ash denying that he’s having inappropriate relations with anyone on his team, which, you know, she agrees is the only course of action he could take, because, yeah, this is hella inappropriate. Plus, Brody, Bronwyn’s boyfriend, was such an awful person and I don’t really understand why she stuck with him for so long, especially since she seems to rebound so quickly from him. It really made me wonder – I mean, obviously, Brody was no prince, but seriously, she went from one relationship to another, so it really made me question her judgment and maturity.
“Ash is really strong. Not in the could-bench-press-me way Brody was, but in a quieter way. I don’t think I’d be able to dedicate my life to helping people get better at something I used to love but could no longer do. How is he not bitter as fuck? I would be. I don’t even think there’d be anything wrong with that.”
It’s not like Ash doesn’t screw up, himself. Though he seems mostly able to separate his personal and professional interactions with Bronwyn, he does almost nearly blow it at one point. I especially loved his back story and that he suffered from chronic pain. It gave him a good reason for being such a young coach, and I admired his maturity and his love for the sport, especially in terms of women’s hockey versus men’s hockey. It feels, sometimes, like the physical consequences of playing high impact sports are not very well addressed in romances – and I get it, it can be a downer – but I thought this was done in such a masterful way to lend a lot of depth to the story.
Overall, though I may have had some issues with the trope, I did really enjoy this book. I hope Ms. Parker writes more women’s hockey books in the future!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
mslizalou's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve really enjoyed reading the Snow & Ice Games books, especially while watching the Olympics this year. I really enjoyed the first 2 books and was excited to start On the Edge of Scandal, especially because the main character was a hockey player.
Honestly, while I really liked both Bronwyn and Ash as characters, I had major issues with a coach dating and sleeping with one of his players. The fact that Ash really struggled and did try and fight his attraction to Bronwyn really helped me feel a little bit better about the situation. I will say that I was so glad to see Bronwyn get away from her ex-boyfriend Brody and wanted nothing more than to see him get the crap beat out of him for how he acted.
While I had issues with the coach and player being together, they did have really great chemistry and I liked they each really got the other one so well. I just kept going back to how much trouble it would be for both of them if they were caught, which distracted me a bit from the story.
I still have 2 more stories to read in the Snow & Ice Games series and had planned to finish both before the Olympics ended, but didn’t get them finished in time. I must keep reading to find out how Ms. Parker ends the series.
Rating: 3 Stars (C+)
Review copy provided by publisher
Honestly, while I really liked both Bronwyn and Ash as characters, I had major issues with a coach dating and sleeping with one of his players. The fact that Ash really struggled and did try and fight his attraction to Bronwyn really helped me feel a little bit better about the situation. I will say that I was so glad to see Bronwyn get away from her ex-boyfriend Brody and wanted nothing more than to see him get the crap beat out of him for how he acted.
While I had issues with the coach and player being together, they did have really great chemistry and I liked they each really got the other one so well. I just kept going back to how much trouble it would be for both of them if they were caught, which distracted me a bit from the story.
I still have 2 more stories to read in the Snow & Ice Games series and had planned to finish both before the Olympics ended, but didn’t get them finished in time. I must keep reading to find out how Ms. Parker ends the series.
Rating: 3 Stars (C+)
Review copy provided by publisher
trinielf's review against another edition
3.0
i liked this one well enough. Where the book really shone for me is the characters' voice, as with the previous book the characters' personalities really shine through and both POV's were really distinct.
i dont know much about winter sports at all but i wasn't too lost with the hockey deets and in fact it was cool to learn about the differences between the mens and womens team, and other details about the games.
I have to admit Brownwyn ticked me off near the end of the book there because i just felt she was being ridiculous! and there were little moments where she'd say stuff that pisses me off: like she's comparing her ex, Brody's body to Ash and basically says his build (Brody's) means he's built like a man but he dsnt act like one? uhhh so is Ash less of a man because he's not all buff like Brody??? what even was that? and how does a man's build even have anything to do with him *being* a man like >.>
So while i was frustrated with her getting angry and Ash for what i felt was no reason, i still liked this one and i'll be reading the next book which i already have and is f/f so excited for that!
i dont know much about winter sports at all but i wasn't too lost with the hockey deets and in fact it was cool to learn about the differences between the mens and womens team, and other details about the games.
I have to admit Brownwyn ticked me off near the end of the book there because i just felt she was being ridiculous! and there were little moments where she'd say stuff that pisses me off: like she's comparing her ex, Brody's body to Ash and basically says his build (Brody's) means he's built like a man but he dsnt act like one? uhhh so is Ash less of a man because he's not all buff like Brody??? what even was that? and how does a man's build even have anything to do with him *being* a man like >.>
So while i was frustrated with her getting angry and Ash for what i felt was no reason, i still liked this one and i'll be reading the next book which i already have and is f/f so excited for that!
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