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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4)
This had some of our favourite aspects of a contemporary hockey romance: close proximity; brother's best friend/roommate; extrovert-introvert; hot hockey players and more.
After a disastrous end to a toxic relationship has librarian Mabel fleeing both her job and her city, she ends up camped on her hockey-playing brother's couch attempting to start over. The only problem...her brother's friend, and current houseguest, Ben.
Need I say more?
I initially found the writing style a little stilted but quickly adapted, and I enjoyed Mabel & Ben's building tension, as well as their appreciation of each other just as they were.
This had some of our favourite aspects of a contemporary hockey romance: close proximity; brother's best friend/roommate; extrovert-introvert; hot hockey players and more.
After a disastrous end to a toxic relationship has librarian Mabel fleeing both her job and her city, she ends up camped on her hockey-playing brother's couch attempting to start over. The only problem...her brother's friend, and current houseguest, Ben.
Need I say more?
I initially found the writing style a little stilted but quickly adapted, and I enjoyed Mabel & Ben's building tension, as well as their appreciation of each other just as they were.
As far as Hockey romances go, I found myself really enjoying this one. There was a new twist on the typical "hot hockey player meets gorgeous girl and romance follows" trope that I've found seems to be a bit more normal than not. In this one - Ben is an introvert; he's shy and unsure and just really wants to please his coach, but when he's told he's being considered for Captain, but will need to do public speaking in order to be the Captain... well - that's his worst nightmare.
Mabel is the sister of Ben's teammate, and though he's known her since they were kids he has absolutely no desire to be around her. Only, he doesn't get that luxury - he's crashing at her brothers place until his condo is ready, and Mabel - well, Mabel is escaping an abusive ex and needs a place to go. So she ends up on her brothers couch and it's not a situation either of them saw coming.
Where Ben is shy and quiet, Mabel is extroverted and shiny. She's been beaten down and gaslit to a point where she almost truly lost herself, but she works hard at finding herself again and he's there for all of it.
I LOVED the team - the entire team is a fantastic group of guys. I struggled with the nicknames vs real names for a bit, but by the end I felt pretty comfortable and that I knew the main characters. I also loved her brothers protectiveness of his sister and see that it only ever came from a place of love and confusion - confusion as to why she was suddenly single. I also loved her girlfriends and can't wait for more with them as well! Her narcissistic ex is described so well, and I love that it was really mentioned how it can beat a person down and cause harm - how it can truly prevent one from leaving because of the shame. I also absolutely loved how it was all "resolved" and how Mabel worked on healing and recovering from it one step at a time with Ben's support and hope to see a bit more about it in future books. I also liked the angle that the book had on Ben supporting a foundation that took care of abused children - though I do feel like some more advocacy could be pushed in that regards.
The things I didn't like? Much less powerful than what I did. I didn't like the hockey mansplaining and just the lack of originality but hey, it's a hockey romance and right now I know the field is absolutely saturated with those so I give the author props for trying. I also would have liked a bit more in exploring the depth of the shame - it was touched on just enough to leave me wanting more. I also am not sure in what way the author is leaning as to the next book - usually when there's a series starting you kind of have an inkling as to which way the following books may go, and what characters they may have be featured but I got none of that with this read, so who knows? The spice was - well, it was spicy but it wasn't anything off the charts, nor was it anything I hadn't read before so that was just a bit lackluster. The child loss also was completely unnecessary and for sure at least needed an intense trigger warning - and I do urge caution to anyone that reads this and has issues with that.
Overall though I really enjoyed this one and will be interested to see what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Kelly Jamieson for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Mabel is the sister of Ben's teammate, and though he's known her since they were kids he has absolutely no desire to be around her. Only, he doesn't get that luxury - he's crashing at her brothers place until his condo is ready, and Mabel - well, Mabel is escaping an abusive ex and needs a place to go. So she ends up on her brothers couch and it's not a situation either of them saw coming.
Where Ben is shy and quiet, Mabel is extroverted and shiny. She's been beaten down and gaslit to a point where she almost truly lost herself, but she works hard at finding herself again and he's there for all of it.
I LOVED the team - the entire team is a fantastic group of guys. I struggled with the nicknames vs real names for a bit, but by the end I felt pretty comfortable and that I knew the main characters. I also loved her brothers protectiveness of his sister and see that it only ever came from a place of love and confusion - confusion as to why she was suddenly single. I also loved her girlfriends and can't wait for more with them as well! Her narcissistic ex is described so well, and I love that it was really mentioned how it can beat a person down and cause harm - how it can truly prevent one from leaving because of the shame. I also absolutely loved how it was all "resolved" and how Mabel worked on healing and recovering from it one step at a time with Ben's support and hope to see a bit more about it in future books. I also liked the angle that the book had on Ben supporting a foundation that took care of abused children - though I do feel like some more advocacy could be pushed in that regards.
The things I didn't like? Much less powerful than what I did. I didn't like the hockey mansplaining and just the lack of originality but hey, it's a hockey romance and right now I know the field is absolutely saturated with those so I give the author props for trying. I also would have liked a bit more in exploring the depth of the shame - it was touched on just enough to leave me wanting more. I also am not sure in what way the author is leaning as to the next book - usually when there's a series starting you kind of have an inkling as to which way the following books may go, and what characters they may have be featured but I got none of that with this read, so who knows? The spice was - well, it was spicy but it wasn't anything off the charts, nor was it anything I hadn't read before so that was just a bit lackluster. The child loss also was completely unnecessary and for sure at least needed an intense trigger warning - and I do urge caution to anyone that reads this and has issues with that.
Overall though I really enjoyed this one and will be interested to see what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Kelly Jamieson for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you so much NetGalley for this early copy of Crossing the Line! This is a super cute brothers best friend hockey romance where the MMC and FMC help each other grow and over come so over their fears like public speaking and trusting again. Ben is a swoon worthy MMC who will protect those he loves and his teammates! Mabel is a quirky and fun FMC who doesn’t change for anyone and grows to not be scared of being herself! This book is perfect for anyone who likes sports romances!
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a perfect fit for readers who crave a steamy, off-limits romance with a dash of humor, friendship, and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of the high-stakes world of professional hockey.
I’ve been reading Kelly’s books for years and I’m so glad I was able to get a copy of this one early thanks to Boldwood Books. I’m never passing up a best friend’s sister book, especially when there’s sports involved.
Mabel and Ben are electric together. When they’re forced to live together, the long ago crushes come rushing back. And going behind Mabel’s brother’s back only adds to the tension and excitement.
Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC of this book.
Mabel and Ben are electric together. When they’re forced to live together, the long ago crushes come rushing back. And going behind Mabel’s brother’s back only adds to the tension and excitement.
Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC of this book.
I went into this book, very excited based on the description and felt like it was a cute read that missed the mark on some big things. I loved the author’s description of introversion and the way that she describes the main male character and his journey with becoming more confident in his introversion. I felt like the female main character’s experience with emotional abuse was handled in a very true and appropriate manner.
However, there was a lot of basic stuff, but I felt like just missed the mark. A lot of the dialogue felt very clunky both in day-to-day scenes and especially in the spicy scenes. I definitely saw some moments of foreshadowing for some other characters (should the author decide to make this into a series) but even that was barely alluded to and felt forgotten.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
However, there was a lot of basic stuff, but I felt like just missed the mark. A lot of the dialogue felt very clunky both in day-to-day scenes and especially in the spicy scenes. I definitely saw some moments of foreshadowing for some other characters (should the author decide to make this into a series) but even that was barely alluded to and felt forgotten.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ben is this hockey jock who's so good on the ice but an absolute mess off it, especially when it comes to public speaking (literally, he’d rather play naked).
Enter Mabel, his best friend's sister, who's basically sunshine in human form—outgoing, super social, and just the kind of person Ben needs to help him step up as team captain. But of course, they’ve got history, so it’s all kinds of complicated.
I loved how this isn’t your typical sports romance where the jock is all cocky. Nope, Ben’s the shy, awkward guy who needs Mabel’s help to “fake it 'til he makes it.” Meanwhile, Mabel’s got her own personal stuff to deal with, so their chemistry just makes things so much more real and steamy (hello, apartment-sharing situations!). The way they support each other, flaws and all, is just a chef's kiss.
I also loved how their relationship develops—watching them go from awkward tension to full-on OMG they’re perfect for each other moments is everything.
3.5⭐️
I received an advance review copy from netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Enter Mabel, his best friend's sister, who's basically sunshine in human form—outgoing, super social, and just the kind of person Ben needs to help him step up as team captain. But of course, they’ve got history, so it’s all kinds of complicated.
I loved how this isn’t your typical sports romance where the jock is all cocky. Nope, Ben’s the shy, awkward guy who needs Mabel’s help to “fake it 'til he makes it.” Meanwhile, Mabel’s got her own personal stuff to deal with, so their chemistry just makes things so much more real and steamy (hello, apartment-sharing situations!). The way they support each other, flaws and all, is just a chef's kiss.
I also loved how their relationship develops—watching them go from awkward tension to full-on OMG they’re perfect for each other moments is everything.
3.5⭐️
I received an advance review copy from netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily