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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ad many others I enjoy hockey romances but I wasn't expecting much from another one. I was wrong to think so as I finished it within 4days. This was a quick read,fast paced and has really loveable characters. I was a bit sceptical with the quirky girl trope but the author was able to seamlessly integrate that into the story.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this read from Kelly Jamieson about Ben, a shy hockey player who needs to step out of his comfort zone to become captain, and Mabel, an extrovert librarian starting over after leaving a narcissistic relationship. I will give a content warning that if you are a survivor of narcissistic abuse, this book could be triggering for you. Mabel had a major crush on Ben when they were teenagers and when she moves in with her brother after leaving her ex, she has no idea that Ben is staying there too while he waits for his condo to be ready. Ben asks Mabel to help him come out of his shell and their forced proximity blossoms to more.
Ben's sweet demeanor was a welcome change from other hockey romances who feature the MMC as an outgoing, loud, confident hockey player. And I found Mable's quirky personality making me laugh.
I'm rounding up from 3.75 stars because this book would have been a normal 4 star read for me but I found the loss of child by a side character to be unnecessary in the book. It didn't really add to the story and seemed quickly forgotten for the remainder of the book.
Thank you NetGalley and Kelly Jamieson for an advance copy of Crossing The Line in exchange for an honest review.
Ben's sweet demeanor was a welcome change from other hockey romances who feature the MMC as an outgoing, loud, confident hockey player. And I found Mable's quirky personality making me laugh.
I'm rounding up from 3.75 stars because this book would have been a normal 4 star read for me but I found the loss of child by a side character to be unnecessary in the book. It didn't really add to the story and seemed quickly forgotten for the remainder of the book.
Thank you NetGalley and Kelly Jamieson for an advance copy of Crossing The Line in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was good- it went into some really deep and uncomfortable topics some of which I didnβt feel were necessary to the book. There is a big trigger warning at 70% through that didnβt need to be in the book. I thought there was a lot of hockey talk which isnβt what I look for in a hockey romance but I know some people enjoy that aspect. Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
hopeful
inspiring
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is an entertaining, fun, spicy read. Ben and Mabel are interesting, intriguing, relatable, complex, strong, complicated, wounded, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. These two are fun to spend time with. I loved the family and friend relationships and the roles they played in the story. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The book contains some heavy themes but they are handled in a compassionate and empathetic way by Jamieson. Do note that they can be difficult for some to read so check for trigger warnings. The story is easy to get into.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
domestic mental abuse, death of child spoken about
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.
Crossing the Line was a lot of fun to read. Ben is Mabel's brother's best friend/teammate. They all grew up together and Mabel's crush on Ben is legendary. She has grown up now and has so moved on from Ben...or so she thinks. Mabel's crush might not have been a secret, but Ben's crush on Mabel was. Her moving in with her brother and Ben makes him uneasy. Being in close proximity brings up a lot of old feelings and forces them to interact with each other.
I loved the set up with this book. Mable and Ben were adorable. The forced proximity combined with older brother's best friend was fun. Add in the whole introvert and extrovert personalities and things got even more entertaining. I couldn't get enough of this couple and their interactions. The built a sweet connection that had me smiling the entire time I was reading. I'm really hoping this is a start to a new series because I would love to get stories for the side characters.
Crossing the Line was a lot of fun to read. Ben is Mabel's brother's best friend/teammate. They all grew up together and Mabel's crush on Ben is legendary. She has grown up now and has so moved on from Ben...or so she thinks. Mabel's crush might not have been a secret, but Ben's crush on Mabel was. Her moving in with her brother and Ben makes him uneasy. Being in close proximity brings up a lot of old feelings and forces them to interact with each other.
I loved the set up with this book. Mable and Ben were adorable. The forced proximity combined with older brother's best friend was fun. Add in the whole introvert and extrovert personalities and things got even more entertaining. I couldn't get enough of this couple and their interactions. The built a sweet connection that had me smiling the entire time I was reading. I'm really hoping this is a start to a new series because I would love to get stories for the side characters.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i've never read anything by this author before and let me tell you, if it wasn't for one of my favourite tropes (brother's best friend) i probably wouldn't have picked this book up purely because of the cover lol. i really don't like it. π
[this book comes out on 12th january, 2025!]
π¦ i was never into hockey romance but i found out with this one that i don't really mind it. sports ain't really my typical go to but in this case it didn't bother me as much.
π¦ i also continue to love brother's best friend trope even though in this one it was done fine. i expected more of a bad boy and self-assured type, but ben was a softie and that was cute. i just prefer banter, humorous and assertive type guys in my books lol.
π¦ i could relate a lot to ben for being socially awkward, you'll never see me do public speaking. π π»ββοΈ
π¦ the characters were alright, i don't think i have a favourite, but more relatable one was definitely ben for being reserved and disliking people.
π¦ the writing style wasn't anything special but it was definitely easy to get into and there were a few great things that the characters talked about which i found interesting. specifically about introverts, vulnerability and the fact that society usually blamed the victims rather than perpetrators.
π¦ the sex scenes didn't really do much for me, i found it a bit underwhelming, basically like any other typical romance book lol, i did ship the couple though.
π¦ i also don't like the talk about kids and breastfeeding in general in books and this one had that. also it gets really sad at 70% regarding baby death so trigger warnings for that!
π¦ the brother-sister relationship was also relatable to me since i have a brother that's older than me so i could understand smitty's overprotectiveness of mabel.
π¦ the ending was cute, i didn't expect anything different from what it was and it was fine. it wasn't my favourite book of all time but i'm glad i gave it a shot! i'll also have to check for more hockey romance books lol.
[this book comes out on 12th january, 2025!]
π¦ i was never into hockey romance but i found out with this one that i don't really mind it. sports ain't really my typical go to but in this case it didn't bother me as much.
π¦ i also continue to love brother's best friend trope even though in this one it was done fine. i expected more of a bad boy and self-assured type, but ben was a softie and that was cute. i just prefer banter, humorous and assertive type guys in my books lol.
π¦ i could relate a lot to ben for being socially awkward, you'll never see me do public speaking. π π»ββοΈ
π¦ the characters were alright, i don't think i have a favourite, but more relatable one was definitely ben for being reserved and disliking people.
π¦ the writing style wasn't anything special but it was definitely easy to get into and there were a few great things that the characters talked about which i found interesting. specifically about introverts, vulnerability and the fact that society usually blamed the victims rather than perpetrators.
π¦ the sex scenes didn't really do much for me, i found it a bit underwhelming, basically like any other typical romance book lol, i did ship the couple though.
π¦ i also don't like the talk about kids and breastfeeding in general in books and this one had that. also it gets really sad at 70% regarding baby death so trigger warnings for that!
π¦ the brother-sister relationship was also relatable to me since i have a brother that's older than me so i could understand smitty's overprotectiveness of mabel.
π¦ the ending was cute, i didn't expect anything different from what it was and it was fine. it wasn't my favourite book of all time but i'm glad i gave it a shot! i'll also have to check for more hockey romance books lol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Gaslighting
Minor: Stalking, Abandonment