this was soooo fun and enjoyable i had such a good time with this book! I love fake dating trope and i love hockey romance so put them together and its the recipe for my perfect book!! I love how much Elias cared for Sage and I love how fast paced it was, I never wanted to stop reading!

In book two of this loosely connected series, Elias is a hockey player struggling to prove himself and Sage is a ballerina trying to do the same. Eli needs to improve his media image and Sage wants to boost her social media visibility, so you guessed it- they concoct a fake dating scheme with no PDA allowed and no feelings. Unforeseen circumstances cause them to be roommates and they begin to realize things are spiraling beyond their control.

This book surprised me in how slow the slow burn was! I wasn’t expecting that for some reason. Both characters had quite a bit of past trauma to unpack and I’m glad that they focused on communication heavily upfront. The buildup tension was certainly strong, and I love fake dating combined with forced proximity. I liked the focus on found family as well. There is open door spice but not until later in the book. Fans of sports romance, fake dating, and new adult books will really enjoy this one!

Thank you to Bal Khabra and Berkley Romance for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this e-arc of Spiral! I loved Collide and I really enjoyed Sage and Elias's love story. The post grad struggle for success was so real and relatable. I loved watching these two characters let go of their struggles and be more free. The characters were super likeable and the tension was soooo good! I laughed, I giggled, and I teared up at times. I would definitely recommend for people who love sports romances!

Favorite part: "When one door closes, smash the window"

I can't wait for more stories by Bal Khabra!

“I’m a goddamn mess.” “You’re my mess.” Sage snorts. “Was that supposed to be romantic?” “It’s supposed to be me telling you that I’m here, and all of this—all of you, is safe with me.”

he wants her to have a favorite flower, so he buys her a new bouquet every week. !!!! he brushes her hair from her face like he hates that it obstructs his view. !!! i love them, your honor.

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-hockey player x ballerina
-toronto, ca 🇨🇦
-bunny patrol 2.0
-fake dating
-terms & conditions
-ROOMmance
-found family
-the boy cooks!
-#IsThisAKissingBook open door.

thank you berkley romance for the advanced copy!

thank you netgalley and berkley publishing group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

guyszszzzzz this one was hard. i did not like Collide (her first book) but i like Eli/Elias so i was honestly pumped for this! but i should’ve listened to my gut because this is (duhhh) the same exact writing as the first book.
~NO SUBSTANCE whatsoever, i felt no character development at all and i couldn’t grasp the main characters personality.
~the 🥴🤨piercing was SO out of left field. it definitely turned me off. how can a floppy haired grumpy? shy? (idk couldn’t figure it out) hockey player with no tattoos and CELIBATE.! have a 😳piercing. very very out of character.
~and about the celibate thing.. oh my god we get it. it was so annoying. i bet the word “celibate” is mentioned 50 times and everytime im just like UGH.
~toooooo slow burnt. and it was all because of the celibacy
~could have ended at chapter 39 (80%) but then it carried on for 6 more chapters and an epilogue. with unnecessary drama.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

i DID enjoy how fast and simple it was to read but it was not a good read tbh it was very surface level and had its moments but i felt nothing for their relationship.

Going into this book, I had high hopes because I connected so well with the first one, but the second edition to this series fell a bit short for me. It’s a well written book where the story was interesting and the characters were more than just superficial adults who faced challenges and grew from them, but to me, the issues and problems overshadowed the romance of the story.

There were little moments where I couldn't get enough of Sage and Elias. The banter was amazing and the way they connected made my heart melt. I wanted to love this book, but the highs for me were not enough to overshadow the lows. But those readers who are looking for a complex romance with layers to the story should check this book out. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC

I think this is a fun, easy to get into, spicy NA romance. Although I did enjoy this more than Collide, much like its predecessor, there was lots of angst where I’m not sure it was necessary or helpful to building the relationship forward. Also, for the first chunk of the book it felt like I was being told about their connection instead of seeing it be built. But I love how big Elias and Sage’s hearts were and I think fans of Collide will eat this up!

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC ❤️

3/5⭐️

Bal Khabra is a master at writing romances that make you kick your feet and giggle. From the get go, I was invested in Sage and Elias's fake relationship (though their chemistry made it clear they wouldn't be able to keep it fake for long).

I adored this book with my entire heart!!!!!!! It was such a pleasant surprise, and REFRESHING in the sports romance scene.

I LOVED the characters. Sage was such a fierce and hardworking person. I loved the portrayal of her strength and how selfless she was. Taking care of her brother without a single complaint while still focusing on such a demanding career? MY GIRL! And Elias, my tortured man. HE WAS SOOOO DOWN BAD IT WAS INSANE! But I loved getting to know about his past and how deeply rooted his trauma was in his actions. Seeing Sage learn how to ask for help and allow others to take care of her and Elias learn how to trust again was beautiful. Each of them found so much solace and LOVE in the other and it was beautiful to read about 🥹

I had some issues with the third act. I felt like a new plot point opened in the last 20% where I felt like another plot point could have been closed bc it never was? But it didn’t take away from my reading experience!!!!

YOU HAVE TO ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR!!!! A delicious slow burn between a hockey player and ballerina who are fake dating AND roommates. You will eat it up just like I did 😋

Diving into Sage and Elias story I was so ready to be back into this world Bal has created. Two very different people and their fake dating shenanigans completely sucked me in from the very beginning. Sages outgoing and sunshine personality with also a quiet fierceness was just was Elias needed who has been coasting through the past couple years. I love that Sage challenges him from the very beginning and open Elias up to things he hasn’t before. The fake dating aspect was adorably cute and so well written I found myself falling more and more in love with them through every chapter. Some of my favorite moments in this story are the slow moments of them getting to know each other and care for one another. Sage has lived her life taking care of everyone else and I love that she gets to experience someone caring for her. From self care nights to showing up at her performances, taking time to find her favorite flower and being there when nights get too hard. The author had the perfect blend to sweet and spicy by adding in those moments that have you begging for me more of these two. From the hilarious banter, and found family tropes I love that this story was a warm hug I can’t wait to dive back into on release day.

Struggling Ballerina meets the Celibate rookie Hockey Player. Let’s just say i devoured the book up. Sage is called to be a replacement dancer at a charity event, and during a dating auction that is taking place, Elias bestfriend Aiden encourages Sage to bet on him in order to get Elias out of the sticky situation. Later resulting in a fake dating pact.

The temptation between these two was slow burning, and worth the wait. But It was also refreshing to see a male character trying so hard to not cross the line of his celibacy, after facing so much media backlash.

I also loved Sages character because despite her rough family background, and struggling to stay afloat within the ballet community, as well as being the niece of a very wealthy coach. She doesn’t give up or take handouts. She’s a fighter with lots of spunk. Both complete polar opposites yet complimenting each other so well.

This book was honestly not the most exceptional to me I was a little let down by their love story. I found the characters separately very interesting and enjoyable to follow but their romance was not my favourite and while I did enjoy many parts of this book the lack of chemistry really did take me out of it multiple times. I really loved collide so I had high hopes for spiral but I think collide is still my favourite!

Absolutely loved Elias and Sage. From the way they met through an auction, to fake dating, to learning to love themselves and each other. Both characters grew so much in this story by leaning on one another and learning to accept their pasts to move through their future together. Sage is one of my new favorite FMCs, her open-book attitude makes you laugh out loud and love her resilience despite all she overcomes. Overall great read. Definitely recommend if you love sports romance (especially hockey), fake dating trope, and strong, sassy female main characters.

4.5/5 stars

something i’ve always appreciated about bal khabra’s books is that she takes her time, it’s never rushed, the characters development is always the priority. she gives us the quiet moments, the cute moments, the *gasp* scandalous moments, all while continuing the story arc flawlessly. from start to finish this book was EVERYTHING and more

tropes:
- sport romance
- fake dating
- found family
- NHL hockey player x ballerina
- he falls first
- forced proximity
- opposites attract
- slow burn


the book has a slow burn essence yet it feels so quick and overall just right! the pace is perfect and i especially love that this book isn’t rushed/gives us all of the quiet moments from the beginning. the plot is well thought out and i couldn’t imagine it going any other way

elias is genuinely the PERFECT book boyfriend!! for starters, he cooks, he has spa days with her, he always takes care of everyone around him, is so loving, and oh did i mention that he cooks??? yeah he’s the man of my dreams!

sage is so charismatic, determined, and is over all the eldest daughter to her core. i just wish i would give her the tightest hug and tell her it’s gonna be ok, but im sure elias has me covered in that department. she is also soooo witty, open, and loves to make elias squirm. she’s so so funny and says everything on her mind and it’s so refreshing!

as always, thank you to berkeley romance for the free book, this is a completely honest review and i am so honoured to have read it early. it was—and still is—a highly anticipated read for me! thank you thank you thank you!

Love me some fake dating trope & this book was no exception. It was cute, fun, and overall so much better than Collide (in my personal opinion!). The characters were so cute and it was spicy in some parts, but overall I liked this book a lot more for the plot than anything else!

This book you can tell that Bal is coming into herself as a writer, and I feel like she'll just keep getting better! Cannot wait to see what comes next!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Spiral is the second book I’ve read by Bal Khabra and I enjoyed it so much more than Collide. I like the romance between our two main characters and their back stories were interesting. This hits all the right notes of a sports romance for me without being overbearing (I definitely think that hockey are the best). I liked how out female main character was a ballerina – I don’t think I’ve read any romances like that.

I’ll definitely read more from this author and I recommend this to any sports romance fans.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

ARC REVIEW: Unfortunately I just don’t think this book was meant for me. I had a hard time connecting to the two main characters and the pacing seemed all over the place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bal Khabra for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC! I love a good hockey romance and this was too cute! Also fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and the whole “no falling in love” thing!!!! Chefs kiss. Loved the vulnerability between the characters. Absolutely loved it!!!

This was a super cute story!! I felt like I really connected with Sage and that she was a relatable character. She has so much depth to her as a character that I think many readers will connect with as well. We also loved Eli, he was such a caring MMC and I loved their relationship. I loved this book much better than I did the first book.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first book. Sage and Elias the main characters were so cute, I really liked the struggling ballerina and hockey player who needs to spin his image with the media. They meet at an actuation and after going on a date for charity they decide to fake date to benefit each other situation.

I personally liked both characters and the struggles they both went through. I liked that though this is a slow burn there is immediately chemistry between the mc's even after they make guiding rules for the fake dating. I liked how possessive and assertive Elias was especially during the steamy scenes. I love the found family in this book and that we got to see more of Aiden and Summer from the first book. Overall this is a cute sports romance that's steamy and an easy read. Thanks to Berkley for this arc!

Read for:
- Sports romance
- Fake dating
- Ballerina/hockey player
- College romance
- Found family