A spicy slow burn sports romance.

✔ 2 POV
✔ Ice Hockey Hero
✔ Aspiring Ballerina Heroine
✔ Fake Date

Elias Westbooke and Sage Beaumont will find their lives suddenly connected when a charity auction turns into something more. Will anyone believe they are a real couple with all the baggage, secrets, and drama?

When Sage's ex becomes Elias' teammate will she be able to survive what happens next?

Both are struggling to prove themselves to achieve their dreams. Each has their own rituals and rules. Somewhere along the way Elias and Sage will discover they don't have to struggle faking things. Will they find the courage to tell the other how they really feel?

With all the secondary characters I'm curious if we will see more from Elias and Sage in another book in the future.

First, I want to say thank you so much to the author and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so cute, and I found it to be super easy to binge. I honestly enjoyed reading this one more than the first one, and I think that's because they were mostly out of the college setting and in the world as adults, Eli being a player in the NHL and not for a college team. Less of the dramatics when it's not set in a college atmosphere.

I loved the dynamic of both Sage and Eli being athletes. Sage a ballerina, and Elias a professional hockey player. I think this linked them together well in the sense of their real relationship and helped them relate to each other more and see each other in similar lights. Also, both of them coming from broken families really brought them together as well. Different circumstances, but they still understood each other all the same. I absolutely adored Eli as the MMC, he had such a care-taker mindset and that is just *chefs kiss* in the book boyfriend handbook. He wanted the best for Sage always, and he wanted to be the one to give it to her. I am excited to see where the rest of this series goes! Solid 4 star read.

This was a great follow up to Collide! I really enjoyed Sage and Elias as characters and it was so fun to watch them fall for each other. This one is a slowburn but it feels appropriate for the characters and their connection.

The fake dating element was fun and I really liked that Elias went out of his way to take care of Sage even when they were fake dating. He really went out of his way to show that he appreciated her. I liked that they shared big career ambitions and supported each other.

I would have loved to see a bit more about race in the book. We hear from Sage that it has been hard to have body positivity as a ballerina but I would have liked to see more about what it was like to be black in a largely white art like ballet. I would have also liked to hear a bit about any challenges of being in an interracial relationship.

Overall, I found this a really fun read! If you are a fan of a new adult romance, slowburn or fake dating this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spiral by Bal Khabra follows Sage, an aspiring ballerina, and Elias, a mislabeled pro hockey player. The two strike up a deal to fake date so that Elias can focus on hockey and no longer be called a womanizer and Sage can gain some much-needed social media traction to add to her ballerina resume.

This was such a sweet read and definitely kept up with book one in this series in terms of enjoyment. I really loved that the author flipped the characterization of Elias on its head--even though he's a hockey player, he isn't portrayed like most pro athletes are. He was sweet and gentle and I really loved his character! And Sage was no less engaging, she was determined and confident and I loved seeing their relationship develop.

Overall, I gave this book four-stars because I loved the plot, the writing was great, and the characters were endearing. I think this definitely solidified Bal Khabra as an auto-buy author for me! Highly recommend :)

i have a feeling that this author just might now be for me or i just read this book at the wrong time. i enjoyed collide, but the fmc i absolutely could not get behind. i has such high hopes for this one…however, i could not get myself to connect with these characters. it seems like a great quick & light read! i wanted to love it so so much like everyone else, but i just couldn’t. i have been reading a bunch of hickey romances recently, so i don’t know if this one was just too similar to a few i read or what. if you liked collide, then definitely read this!

3⭐️
"In this instant, all that matters is the warmth of her presence and the reassurance that she’s here with me."
I really wanted to like this more, but sadly it just didn't work for me. A contemporary fake-dating story has to have a REALLY solid reason for fake-dating in my opinion, or else it just feels childish and stupid. And this did not have a solid or well executed reason

I also just felt like the main characters lacked any sort of chemistry. By the end of the book even their conversations still felt silted and awkward

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

Kicking myself for not reading this sooner!
cuz how fricken cute was this one? 🥹

Eli is so thoughtful. I was sold on this man when he was Googling ballet moves and bringing her extra glue and crystals lol.

And Sage is such a badass - I love how outspoken and unapologetically herself she is. Good and bad and messy. She owns is and it’s kinda a superpower lol

After a sporting event auction - both Sage and Eli realize that if they pretend to date, it will benefit them both. Eli needs the media to butt out of his personal life and Sage is hoping that by ‘dating’ Eli, his fame will help her get noticed by some ballet big wigs.

The perfect fake dating set lol

He’s a pierced golden retriever?! Might be a new fav combo of micro tropes lol HELLO

He bakes and cooks and when Sage says she doesn’t have a fav flower, he buys her different ones each week to see which she likessss. Bye

HE MAKES HER DIABETIC BROTHER SUGER FREE CUPCAKES

GET. GETS. A. SAGE. PLANT. TATTOOO.

Ugh like I said, I should have read it sooner! And I’ll be diving into the next release as soon as it’s out 🙌🏻

Say the word Hockey Romance and I am there! Hockey player x ballerina with a fake dating trope—complete with a strict no-PDA rule and the ultimate promise that they absolutely cannot fall in love. What made this story truly shine for me was the slow burn and the intense tension that came with their forced proximity. Elias and Sage carried so much emotional depth, and watching them gradually open up to each other was adorable. Their vulnerability, their past struggles, and the way they found solace in one another made every moment between them feel raw and real.
I’ve read my fair share of fake dating tropes and that ever-present question—"Is this real, or is this still fake?"—was handled beautifully here. The transition was seamless; you could truly see the lines begin to blur. And Eli? The way he respected Sage’s boundaries from the very start, the way he really tried to follow the rules… but, of course, rules are meant to be broken.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I fear I am very conflicted. I wanted to read Spiral and give Bal Khabra another shot after I disliked her debut. However, there were so many details in this book that stuck out like a sore thumb.

First, we're told he's painted as a play boy by the media, but he has only been spotted once with one woman?? Who worked for the hockey team anyways?? Then later we're told the media thinks of him as a sweet guy with a heart of gold... So which one is it in the media? Playboy millionaire nepo baby? Or heart of gold?

Also... Does not scoring actually, like truly, pose as a reason to kick him off the team? Considering he is constantly playing well with assists? I wish I could ask a hockey person this. Does not scoring during a season, DESPITE playing well and gaining many assists truly pose as a real reason to remove a rookie from the team?

His piercing gave me the ick. I'm sorry 😭

Also - how did miss girl not get in trouble for burning her apartment to ash?? At one point she mentions not having insurance, and another mentions having renters insurance. Then, early in the story mentions having a broken stove that she won't ask her landlord to fix because they'd make her pay for it. But, then she didn't have to pay to have her apartment fixed and cleaned after it got super burnt?

I did like parts of it but these things stood out like a sore thumb and I couldn't get them out of my mind.

First, special thank you to Berkley Pub for the ARC. I literally was shocked since I always get denied by this publishing group.
As for Spiral- a fake dating/ friends turn to lovers trope with competitive and talented characters. Eli is a hockey player and Sage is a ballerina. Both are physically disciplined, mentally determined in each of their passion. I love the first part of their relationship. The interaction was fun, witty and entertaining. When it unfolded, it got predictable and rushed and a little bit boring. It was a fast read, feel good and easy liked book. There is apparently more in the series from this author but each can be read as a stand which is a plus!

This was such a fun, banter-filled, romantic new hockey romance! Love the dancer/athlete dynamic, the closeness this pair develops, and the evolution of their romance.

I'll be honest, this was not what I wanted out of this book. I got about halfway through before DNFing it. I did not like it. The romance felt very forced and not at all genuine and the characters fell really flat. I wanted more from this book. But I didn't get it, unfortunately.

I thought this book was really cute!! I enjoyed the chemistry and dialogue between both of the characters, and I felt like Sage and Elias were both very relatable. I adore Sage and how determined she is about everything in life. And I love Elias for recognizing everything Sage needed. Personally, I just wish there was more of a smooth storyline. The chemistry was definitely there, but the story itself felt choppy. It didn't feel super organized. If the story had flowed better, I would have definitely given it a higher rating because I really liked the emotional depth.

Sadly missed the date to download before it was archived but loved the first book in the series!! Will hopefully either buy or borrow a copy!

This was pretty cute! Sage and Elias unfiltered was a cute way to put it!

Some parts made me pause and not care for how they were written. Two parts in particular felt a bit icky to me, but they’re pretty quick moments.

Thank you Berkeley for the ARC!

Spiral was a great second book in the Off the Ice series by Bal Khabra. I really enjoyed Sage and Eli's story and getting to see all the characters from the first book as well.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

As much as I adored Collide, Spiral somehow made me fall even more in love with these characters and Bal Khabra's writing. Watching strong female characters find love and be allowed to be themselves is so beautiful to watch.

I thought the pacing of this story was great, and nothing felt rushed or too drawn out. These two didn't fake it for a single second!

The chemistry between Bal Khabra's characters is always so believable, and it never feels like there's too much insta-love going on. The connections are authentic and make the stories so heartfelt.

Overall, an amazing read and I will be adding anything and everything this author writes to my TBR immediately!!

This was soo cute! I love how this series feels like a comfort. Seeing these two together are perfect and the tension is just soo delicious! I loved every minute.

ok this was a very complex fake dating trope AND I LOVED IT. starting it off with an auction that Sage saved him from being taken by a stalker fan was such a good way to have them introduced. plus the fact that her uncle was the GM and hated Eli was so funny. (also I love the name Sage, it's so earthy and unique) I like that they did have initial attraction, but then he was an idiot so there was tension built up for when they were "forced" to fake date. AND you add forced proximity on top of all that? I can't believe they held out for so long. I admire the patience and self-control. But I really loved how Eli and Sage helped balance each other. They both really needed someone to take of them, and I'm really happy they were able to do that for each other.