5 stars

I'm in love with Sage and Eli. Sage is strong and confident, but it's hard to put herself first. Eli has trust issues; with fame, a lot of people try to use him. Poor Eli. They both heal each other, and reading their story is wondrous.

I can't wait for Revolve. Dylan's book

This was cute. I am always a fan of the fake dating trope so I knew I'd enjoy this read. I loved how wholesome the found family aspect was and I do love me a good slow burn so this had a really great combination of some of my favorite romance tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

I want to preface this by saying romance is not my typical genre. That being said, I greatly disliked this book. Ballerina and hockey player? Incredibly overdone. Poor girl and rich boy? I see it everywhere. There was nothing unique about this book and it didn't say anything new. It felt like a reproduction of popular books for sales and I did not enjoy it at all. The best thing I can say about it is that it's forgettable so at least I don't have to remember it....

Big big nope, this author is just not for me. This felt gratuitous for no reason and the characters didn’t seem to even make sense together. Their “banter” was just normal conversation and I couldn’t buy their connection at all.

Bal Khabra’s Spiral, the second book in the Off the Ice series, is an exploration of two individuals, Elias and Sage, striving to achieve their dreams of hockey and ballet stardom while navigating the complexities of public life and personal relationships. Its blend of romance, character development, and real-world challenges makes it a swoon-worthy read for fans of sports romances, especially those of us who appreciate the fake-dating trope intertwined with the found family trope, professional sports and performing arts.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Spiral
Pub: January 2025
Written by: Bal Khabra

I loved this story! It was so refreshing to see Spiral set in Toronto! I love reading about places that are familiar.

I loved the chemistry between Elias and Sage. They both have differing personalities, each person has their challenges and motivations, and histories, yet they couldn't be more perfect for each other!

Both Elias and Sage were both working hard to navigate the beginnings of their careers. The novel explored themes of love, resilience, and self-discovery. I really admired the characters for how focused and dedicated they were to their craft. Even when faced with so many challenges, they persevered, learnt to accept help, and got through it stronger.

It was a a compelling blend of romance, sports, and personal growth.

A definite must-read! I'm excited for Khabra's next novel, Revolve, coming out in October 2025.

I'm a sucker for hockey romances, even those that are not so well-written, but I found the writing in this one to be very good and really enjoyed the character development of both lead characters. I also really enjoyed that the FMC was a ballet dancer, and not a figure skater, etc. like many authors like to do. Really lovely ending and very nice read!
Thanks, Netgalley!

loved this book! It was such a great sports romance. I had never read from this author before but always saw her books on social media so I am thrilled that I was offered an arc. I really loved the relationship between Elias and Sage, I think it was such a perfect setup and I was entranced by the tension between these two characters. I enjoyed their character backgrounds and felt like both of them had really good character arcs. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

This hockey romance is heartwarming, swoon worthy and fun. Sage and Elias are both great characters with their own struggles and insecurities. I loved Sage. She is fiercely independent, selfless, loyal, and unique. I really like her relationship with her brother and her uncle. I really enjoyed the development of her relationship with Elias. Their journey is emotional, sweet, steamy and beautiful. I definitely enjoyed this read!

I've been reading a lot of hockey romances lately and unfortunately, this was not one of the better ones. How would Elias not know about Owen? I thought that plot line was kinda dumb. Sage not taking any help from her uncle was also a bit much. I wouldn't read another book by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — “If I could handcuff you to myself, I would.” Say less, Elias.**

After LOVING Collide, I was so excited for Spiral. This one is a slow-burn, fake-dating romance between a struggling ballerina and an NHL rookie desperate to fix his public image—and it somehow made my heart flutter and melt all at once.

Elias Westbrook is the ultimate green flag: protective, soft, thoughtful, and assertive (especially during the steamy scenes 👀). His love language? Acts of service. From daily flowers to baking for her diabetic brother, this man understood the assignment. Sage was also such a standout character—sunshiney but layered, strong but vulnerable. Her story, her heart, her bond with her little brother? Loved every second.

Their chemistry? Instant. The slow burn only made their connection feel even deeper, and I adored the rules-to-lovers tension. Plus, we get fake dating, found family, accidental roommates, and a little college romance backdrop.

If you love:
💘 Sports romance
💃🏻 Ballerina x hockey player
🏠 Found family vibes
📚 Steamy but sweet slow burns
…then this one’s a must. I’m still emotionally recovering. Send Elias immediately.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

Bal Khabra's follow-up to Collide, Spiral has all the same ingredients to make this book a hit. With enjoyable characters and a cute romantic story, Spiral should be placed on your TBR if you love hockey romances.

3.5/5

I had fun reading this book. It was such a fun lighthearted read but it did unfortunately drag out in the last 10% which resulted in some points being deducted as I wasn’t being engaged anymore

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

What a read! It put me in my feels and rekindled my love of romance or should I be clear and say sports romance. The book follows Elias a hockey player and stud for the Toronto Thunder whose reputation is scandalous. To savage his relationship he enters a fake dating relationship with ballerina Aurora .But soon the lines become blurred. It's perfect for fans of fake dating. Delightful.

overall had a good time but I just wish there'd been bigger consequences for all the antagonists like wdym [REDACTED] didn't get ratted out wdym [REDACTED] just embarrassed himself and that's it (in my French vanilla fantasy he had a heart attack and died LMAO) also where the heck did Owen go LMAO

I was worried about this book when I first got it because I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book. However, I wanted to give this book a chance and I'm so happy that I did! This book was funny, emotional, a little spicy, and was full of so much heart. The characters were well flushed out, the story developed nicely and it was overall just a great book. I can't wait to read the third book!

This was such an enjoyable book! I always love a hockey sports romance, but mixing it with ballet worked out so good! I loved both the main characters, and the story was really well written. Definitely one I can recommend!

2nd in a series and I really liked it. I wish some of the characters in the first book had showed up more in this one to tie it together

This is my second Bal Khabra novel, and I'm loving her niche of sports romances centered around diverse characters! Most of the popular books in this genre feature white main characters, making this a refreshing read. Having said that, the characters' races don't form a focal point of the story, it’s just a fact of their lives. I appreciate that Khabra takes the liberty to modify her fictional world in this small way.

The romance is sweet, almost a slow burn. I loved the fake dating trope (it's my favorite, so I might be biased here!). The plot kept me engaged, and I found myself falling more and more in love with Sage and Elias's relationship, even more than with either character individually.

4⭐️ for the strong relationship development and growth portrayed!

I’m really enjoying this series, and I loved the ballerina/hockey player trope! The fake dating setup made a lot of sense—he needed to improve his image, and she needed to build a social media following to help her land a lead role in ballet. I was a bit surprised by how quickly their relationship shifted from fake to real. The stakes were well established, and I think there was potential for more angst or denial of their feelings before they fully gave in. Because of that, I found myself wondering what was really keeping them apart, and I lost a little interest near the end. That said, it was more of a trope preference than an issue with the characters or writing, which I still enjoyed!