This was my first book from Katie Kennedy and I loved it! I’m such a sucker for a hockey romance and I loved seeing it from the perspective of a player that has been injured and gone through an incredibly traumatic event but still was able to get back out there. Alyssa was so fun and sweet and I loved their banter! It was sweet but also sexy! Great read, it was super quick and fun and I’d recommend to anyone!

This one was cute but I’m Not totally sure that this writing style was for me. I think some will love it though

Thank you Katie Kennedy for a digital arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Hearts on Thin Ice" delivers a touching romance with relatable characters and a compelling storyline. Kennedy's debut showcases her talent for crafting emotional narratives, making this novel a promising start to her writing career. Recommended for fans of sports romance and HEAs looking for a heartfelt read.

I love hockey romance so I was excited to read this one but I could not get into it. The writing style wasn't my favorite - with tons of details about everything and long paragraphs with tons of text. The two main characters didn't have much chemistry. The first 15% of the book was just about redesigning his apartment which wasn't interesting enough to hook me. I looked up reviews and saw that these issues persist throughout the book so after skimming for a bit, I just had to put it down.

I wish there was a way to not include a star rating because I hate leaving 1 star review but the site requires it.

I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It made me think of what would've happened if someone had survived Kobe Bryant's plane crash. I loved the characters of Nick and Alyssa. It was very easy to relate to Nick's struggles grieving for his friends, healing from a serious injury, and being afraid to move forward with his life. The author did a great job showing the true struggles people go through in grief. I also enjoyed that Nick had a background in art history, making him a 3-dimensional character who had interests other than hockey, women, and grief. It was great to see him grow into his new team and new town as he developed his willingness to live.

I liked Alyssa as a romantic interest for Nick. I enjoyed her backstory of having parents who suffered from a gambling addiction and shame around homelessness. Alyssa was sweet and calming, working hard to make his home feel comforting and comfortable. I liked her attention to detail about things that Nick liked or strongly disliked and watching her incorporate that into her interior design of his home. I would've preferred Alyssa had a stronger backbone as an interior designer and when confronted by her high school bully. She clearly shows talent in her work, but doesn't take the bull by the horns until Nick makes the big steps for her. I would've loved to see her strengthening herself more.

Negatives- I found it a little hard to believe that someone who survived such a serious plane crash would be able to play professional hockey ever again. I wish there had been a little more explanation about his recovery. He clearly had to work hard to go from being wheelchair-bound to being in the NHL again. This should've been a little slower since his desire to live was also lagging behind.
I would've liked to get to know the 5 teammates who died, either through a prologue or a few flashback scenes.
The story also lacked closure in the plotline with her high school bully. If we weren't going to see her get revenge in an epilogue, then the bully character was unnecessary. It also bothered me that Alyssa refused to stick up for herself to the bully. It undermined her strength as an up-and-coming businesswoman and love interest.

Note for the Editor- Georgia O'Keefe's name was spelled as George, which really bothered me since it undermines her importance as a strong female artist in history.

I am currently obsessed with hockey romances. The first few chapters were extremely painful and profound. I really loved Nick's character. Nick is healing from a tragic accident. Nick meets Alyssa who is an interior designer and hired her to decorate his apartment. They both spend time together and learn to help each other heal. I wish there was more character development between Nick and Alyssa. But overall the story was very enjoyable. I will definitely continue to support Katie Kennedy’s work. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

As someone who loves hockey romances I was really excited for this book, but it seemed to fall flat and drag. As someone who typically can ready a book in a couple days, I've slowly been trudging through this read between February-April. I didn't feel a hook and neither did the chemistry between the FMC and MMC.

The writer didn't seem to know what direction to take some of the conversations. From lines of swearing (which is fine) to saying "I'll be darned" and "poop project." I get not every book needs to have swearing all the time and understand that some readers might refrain from that, but there felt a lack of consistency. Same with the spice. I mean "doinkitude"?? Not every book needs to have spice but it felt so stilted here that it almost would have been better to have a fade to black, especially with how the characters acted and communicated. Also, the FMC slut shaming referring to skank. At least the "friend" Janet pushed back there. I say "friend" loosely because I have a lot of issues with her, but is it 2024 and we're still using the word "skank"? Or even discussing slut shaming in a book?

I was not here for the miscommunication trope, which was all over this, or the pacing.

Some things I noticed that I'm assuming will be fixed by the editors are formatting and spacing between letters, but it didn't take me out of the book because I know this was an eARC. I will say there's a line where the FMC, Alyssa, is talking about says "Alyssa told me when she called about tonight" and Alyssa is supposed to be referring to Vanessa. Again, I had to reread it a few times because I was confused in processing. There are a couple conversational situations like that in the book as well where I was not sure who was discussing what at one point. Since this an eARC, again, i'm going to assume edits are continuing to be made.

I will say i liked how the author approached the MMCs grief. That it's not a linear process and it can feel all consuming and that there is no timeline on how one handles that. The priority of mental health for the MMC and how his team supported and rallied with and for him constantly was lovely to see.

Tropes:
PTSD
Grief
found family (MMC)
hockey romance
miscommunication

I will put here what another reviewer said so respectfully, "although this book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it or resonate with it. Ultimately, this just wasn’t what I was looking for in a romance book which hindered my enjoyment in reading." I really wanted to do though, this just wasn't it.

This is a cute hockey romance. The hockey romances seem to be a hit these days. They are cute. This story follows Alyssa and Nick. Nick an NHL player who suffered loss and has a tough time moving on. And Alyssa an interior designer working for a not so nice boss. The two work together to design the perfect space for Nick but it isn’t always easy.
I think I wanted a little more from these characters. Although it was a good story, I didn’t really feel the connection or the love. Maybe it was too rushed? I’m not sure but a little more would have been great. I did like that it was in duel POV. And I did like and enjoy that they did get their happy ending. It is a quick read and if you love romance and hockey I do think you’ll enjoy.

Such a cute read. Hockey is the it sports romance right now and it’s so fun to read. I’m loving it just as much as everyone else and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it. This was just as good and an easy read.

Hockey romance is one of my all time favorites when it comes to romance books so I had to read this one. The characters and the problems that they have are very real and so relatable and I felt myself connecting to the characters. I absolutely love the cover of the book. I felt this book was super easy to read would read this again thanks NetGalley and the publishers for a copy

I love hockey romance, so I was excited to read this one! I also love characters that face real struggles and are able to overcome them and I enjoyed this book so much for having both the hockey romance and the struggle! Fun to read and I am excited to recommend it to library patrons! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

For this to be Katie Kennedy debut romance book I’m am impressed.

I love a hockey romance. The hockey side of this story was great.
This is a story of grief and growth. And being able to more on. I always wonder how writers get this part on paper. Katie did a brilliant job. Nick Sorensen story brought tears to my eyes with the first few chapters I read.
I loved that Nick had his parts of this story and so did Alyssa.

Overall a good story. Super easy to read and has really likeable characters.
I would recommend it to friends.

My only issue with it was the formatting, the paragraphs, the sentences didn’t flow sometimes. Maybe because it wasn’t in book format when I read it? I’m not sure. This did make a big impact on my reading experience. I found myself going back a lot to reread.

I understand this is author Katie Kennedy’s debut into adult romance, and it’s not a bad effort.
I love the cover, I’m a sucker for these cartoon-style ones. It’s very cute!

I initially struggled with the pacing of this and combined with it being written in third person POV, the first 30% was a hard ‘slog’ to get through.
The pace did pick up after this, though and didn’t seem an issue after this point.

The characters were fairly well developed, some more ‘little’ moments between the two main characters wouldn’t have gone amiss, as I didn’t feel like their chemistry was really ‘there’ at points.
I really liked the hockey player x interior designer dynamic. That was a fun addition.

I liked the story and the underlying themes of overcoming grief and the journey to acceptance.

There were a few typos throughout this, and the wrong characters name was used at one point in a sentence, which made for confusing reading.

There are some spicy scenes in this, but they aren’t the main focus, and aren’t graphic or lengthy.
This is a decent debut into adult romance, I do feel like there are some areas that could be better developed, but if still recommend this one to fans of hockey romance/ slow burn: found family lovers!

Thank you to Alcove Press and Katie Kennedy for a digital arc copy of Hearts on Thin Ice in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Hearts on Thin Ice is a sweet, adorable romance story that shows how we should cherish each other and each moment of our lives. The characters in the book were relatable and well-developed. Overall all a romance to lose yourself in for a HEA - chemistry was a little lacking but still easy, nice read.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press!

I know absolutely nothing about hockey, but enjoyed this quick, entertaining read. Nick and Alyssa are both damaged in their own way, but help each other find the light and levity the world has to offer in this workplace/sports romance.

I generally enjoyed the story and I liked the plot. However, some parts of the story seemed rushed and there was some miscommunication which didn't really make sense. It wasn't clear why Alyssia repeatedly turned Nick down until the last chapter which was frustrating to read. It needed more insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Katie Kennedy for the chance to read the arc

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There wasn't very much chemistry between the two main characters, but there were other parts of this book that I enjoyed a lot.

This story follows Nick and Alyssa. Nick is a professional hockey player who recently went through a traumatic event. He lived through a plane crash, he was the only survivor, his five best friends and team mates died in the crash. After months of recovery Nick is ready to play again, this time on a new team.
Alyssa is an interior designer hired to decorate Nicks new apartment. She has an evil boss that she’s trying to prove herself too as well as some past trauma of her own she’s still working through.

The two butt heads a lot to start, but eventually begin to help each other through their traumas.

This story was a lot heavier in some parts than I had been expecting but balances it out with plenty of humor and romance and even spice

As a fan of hockey romance, this was a good time! I really enjoyed the plot and the way the story moved along. My biggest hang up, though, was I struggled to really care about the characters. The chemistry just wasn’t really there for me.

Thank you so much to Alcove and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange of an honest review!

There were some solid moments here and I enjoyed that she was able to pop in some funny moments throughout the book. This book had a lot more substance than other hockey romances I've read, and I appreciated the detail and care she went into when talking about trauma, PTSD, and mental health.

The main issue I had with this, was that I didn't find it to be romantic whatsoever. The chemistry was lacking between the two main characters and I found a lot of their dialogue to be childish.

I enjoyed the discussions of art history though! This story was sweet, but just fell flat for me in a few areas.