Reviews

Fresh Ice by Marina Vivancos

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3.5 stars, rounded up for the nesting.

The relationship development and growth was great! Looking at this book from a purely vibes viewpoint; the teammates, to reluctant friends, to roommates, to fwbs, to lovers was done in a very natural way. Everything in their relationship flowed together very nicely, and the buildup was very sweet and cute. I loved the caretaking and pampering scenes, and loved that Alonso got to experience affection and intimacy from Levy and Levy's family. Watching him learn that he deserves friendship, love, and enjoyment was heartwarming.

HOWEVER, I'm not sure if I really enjoyed the hockey plot aspect of this (and please don't fact check me on anything hockey related in the story, I was lost at times), The hockey plot was clunkily chugging along in the background, and disrupted that relationship flow. The ending was right when things started to get interesting, and I needed 50 more pages of Alonso and Levy getting their shit together. It was cut too short for me, and did feel a bit lessened by setting up the next book in the series instead of solely focusing on this book's leads.

I read Vivancos for the vibes, which this brought. I also enjoyed the omegaverse aspect of the story. There's a secret omega, knotting, a little felching moment, scenting, NESTING (loved it), caretaking and doting, and some big emotions. Alonso has an unkind and emotionally abusive father, while Levy has a very caring and loving family, who aren't meddling and just kind & supportive! There's also a mini getaway to a cozy cabin in the woods, along with a very healing summer spent in northern Minnesota.

I'm torn, I liked a lot of aspects of this story, but also was left unsatisfied and wanting more exploration.

tragicgloom's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

ashlikes's review

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

owlslibrary's review

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4.5

THIS ISBTHE HOCKEY OMEGAVERSE THAT WE NEEDED OMG!!! I just did a video about how I don’t like omegaverse romance where the oppression is so dark and heavy handed BUT THIS WAS SO SWEET AND FLUFF OMG

endemictoearth's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

This story leans on readers' knowledge of omegaverse, which mine isn't super extensive, but the author has always written excellent vibes, which I realize isn't the most helpful metric for judging a work, but I felt them here and they really carried me through. The relationship dynamic between Alonso and Levy was the strongest part, and it's also the most prominent. (Honestly, I don't care much about sports, so all of that was really just the excuse to give us a reason for their forced proximity as teammates, roommates and line mates. And, y'know, probably actual mate mates, as well.)

The biggest part that let me down was the ending, which seemed a little rushed and incomplete. It feels like a sequel or series is likely, so it could be that the threads that were left hanging could be woven in to the next story, which I hope is the case; I'd definitely read more of these characters.