This is such a cute series!
I love how all of the stories are based around a charity hockey game in Maple Falls.
Harlow and Teddy's story was a cute grumpy/sunshine!
It was a cozy, cute read!
These books don't have any spice, which is a little boring, but the stories are still cute!
I would definitely recommend this series!

Hockey romances are still having their moment, and this recently released multi-author series capitalizes on that. If you aren’t familiar with multi-author series, each book can stand alone, but they all share a common setting. Protagonists from one book will likely be side characters in another. Stores, events, and side characters will also be repeated, allowing multiple views of the setting.

This particular series revolves around a hockey team that is put together as a fundraising event for a ranch that serves underprivileged children, with a limited season of games against a Canadian team. The Ice Breakers are based out of the small-ish fictional Western Washington town of Maple Falls (not to be confused with the real town of Maple Valley).

Unlike the Appies series, each of these books was written by a different popular sweet romance author, each with her own style. There are some differences from book to book, but nothing so serious as to mar the series.

Similar to the Appies series, all of the female main characters exist beyond their potential as romantic partners. They have actual lives, careers, and struggles.

The male main characters have various reasons for their singleness at the beginning of the series. Several have (mostly undeserved) reputations as serial daters. All are dedicated to hockey.

The situations that get the various couples together are varied and interesting. Of course, there is an element of predictability: when there are two POV characters, you know they’ll end up together. The question is: what will happen to them before they get there? Will there be a third-act breakup, or will there be something else that tests the relationship?

I find that the passage of time is a bit confusing. There is a Halloween party mentioned in several of the books, and there’s a corn maze and haunted house at Maple Fest. There is pumpkin spice everything. The Ice Breakers practice together for a while before the first of their five games, but the space between games is a bit fuzzy. Days? A week? It all seems to be over before Thanksgiving though. Especially since some of the epilogues mention Christmas lights.

Also…what’s wrong with an otter as a mascot? (If you know me, you know I adore otters.)

Possible objectionable material:
Very mild cursing. Various issues such as parental divorce or neglect, alcoholism, death of a parent, chronic illness, infidelity, sexual harassment. This is hockey, so there are injuries and the occasional fight. People drink. This is closed door romance, so we don’t see more than passionate kisses. There is a hint that sex happens.

Who might like these books:
Romance fans, hockey fans, hockey romance fans. Anyone who likes well-written books where characters grow and develop over the course of the story.

These books are also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-hockey-romcom-era-continues.html
Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing ARCs in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:
This is the one I clicked with the least. There’s plenty to like about it, but it just didn’t do it for me like the other books. I had a difficult time connecting with grumpy Harlow. We get a little bit of her backstory. But some of the hints are give us unfulfilled curiosity. Likewise with Ted…why is he the way he is?

Their friendship is cute. Ted has been there for Harlow since elementary school, despite distance and time. He is the one who rescued her from an ice-skating accident when they were young, and he’s the one trying to help her get through her lasting trauma from the incident. And he’s the one who acknowledges deeper feelings first. There’s no third-act breakup, merely the ebb and flow of their ability to wrap their minds around taking their long-lasting friendship to a romantic relationship, with all of the risks inherent there.

There are some things, however, that do bother me. Things like the couples massage scene. Who wears a bathing suit for a massage? Has the author ever had a massage? On orders from my orthopedist, I do, and believe me, that’s not how my massage therapist works.

There’s also a scene right after Ted and Harlow are in a hot tub. They haven’t changed yet; Harlow is in a bikini and a towel. And then Ted says, “she stuffs her hands in her pockets.” That’s some bikini!

There are a few mentions that Harlow is in roller derby, but nothing really comes of it.

After a goal, Ted says, “we get the points”. No. One goal=one point.

This, more than the rest, really messes with my sense of time. The first of the two games mentioned says the Ice Breakers won. There’s plenty to indicate that this is the first game they played, but [spoiler] the Ice Breakers lost their first game. The other game described, the final one in the series, is accurately described.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this before release!

Harlow is a lawyer and walks out of the family firm, fed up of being treated like dirt.
Teddy is a NFL player and after an injury is desperate to get back on the ice.
Harlow wins a raffle for a Weekend away and tells Ted about it, coincidentally it’s in the same area as a charity hockey game that’s his planning to play to prove to his coach his ready to get back on the ice.

After both dancing around eachother something happens that makes them have no choice but to be brutally honest with eachother but will it ruin their friendship forever.

The chemistry between these two is so there and at some point I just wanted to scream because all you want is them to really see eachother.

I liked the coziness of this novel and there were many funny moments here. The masseuse scene was hilarious. But the back and forth, will they/won't they got old fast when it was the entire book and only 10 percent of the book is they will.
I actually found the FMC almost unlikable because of soooooo much hesitation. Too much of it turned it into a non plot and a snooze fest for me.

I had high hopes for Love at First Skate, and while it was cute, the story ultimately fell flat for me. Harlow and Teddy have been friends since grade school, even attending college together, but they have been living in different places for the past few years. Harlow works as a lawyer for her recently deceased father, even though being a lawyer isn't her true passion. Teddy is a professional hockey player trying to make a comeback after a knee injury. Harlow wins a romantic getaway for two, which coincidentally takes place in the same location where Teddy will be playing for a charity hockey team.

There were so many elements in this story that it almost felt unbelievable. For instance, how could Harlow win a romantic getaway to a small town in Washington while living in Oklahoma, at the same time her best friend is joining a charity hockey team there? It seemed a bit far-fetched. Additionally, the hockey aspects of the book didn’t make much sense, and it felt like the author had looked up every hockey-related term to include in the story without having a genuine understanding of the game.

I did enjoy the sweet moments between Harlow and Teddy, but these moments were few and often overshadowed by external circumstances. Overall, I liked the story, but I wished it had been more developed and less rushed. I would like to read the other stories in the Love on Thin Ice series, as Maple Falls seems like such a charming small town.

Teddy and Harlow have been BFFs for years, but something changes during their trip. Although Harlow wants everything to stay the same, Teddy is torn. Will Harlow be brave enough to give love a chance?

I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley.

love this multi author series, and the town it takes place in and al the characters, this installment was cute and fun

I’m loving this multi author hockey romance series and this time it’s Ted (Teddy) and Harlow’s story in Love at First Skate ( Love On Thin Ice #6) by Ellie Hall. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won’t be the last.
Teddy and Harlow are best friends and they have been friends forever so when he heads to Maple Falls for a charity hockey tournament and she has just walked away from her boyfriend and her job it makes perfect sense for them to spend some time together in this small town. What follows is a cute, heartwarming story as Teddy and Harlow go from friends to lovers.
This is a well written story with wonderful characters and it’s a great addition to the series. I’m reading this series completely out of order but I’m still loving every one of these reads. Maple Falls is a town I would love to live in and catching up with the other hockey players always adds some depth to the books.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

At this point there is nothing more to say than READ THIS SERIES! I love all the books so much. I don't want it to end!

The next installment of the Love on Thin Ice multi-author series tells the best friends to lovers story of Teddy and Harlow. Recent developments of Harlow getting dumped by her boyfriend, quitting her job and Teddy realizing that he has caught feelings for his best friend make for the perfect opportunity for them to redefine their relationship.

Another great addition to this series, Love on Thin Ice, I love that this series is set in the same world but every book is written by a different author, it’s a great way to find new authors. You don’t need to have read the previous books, they can all be read as standalones or in any order.

This was a great read, I absolutely loved Teddy and Harlow as characters, I’m not always the biggest fan of the best friends to lovers trope but it worked really well with these characters. A really sweet, cosy, cute read set in the picture perfect Maple Hills, a real feel good read.

It's rare that you can jump into a series and still thoroughly enjoy the book, but this is one of them !
#6 in the series but #1 to me and I was still able to fall in love with the characters.
Friends to lovers is such a sweet story and will never get old for Me ?

I enjoyed this book very much! It was the first time I read one by this author. I enjoy the friends to lovers troupe and love when the characters have history and a backstory. I also liked that even though there was tension the spice level was low, so I could focus on the story and the characters instead of weeding through unwanted certain acts that many add to their books. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Love at First Skate is a contemporary hockey romance novel written by Ellie Hall. It is book six in the Love on Thin Ice series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books in order to read this one, but characters do intersect throughout the series.

Summary: Harlow is dumped by her boyfriend and quits her job-all in one day.

She didn’t actually like either, but now what is she going to do?

Maybe winning a free vacation to Maple Falls is just what she needs-especially since her best friend Teddy happens to be playing a charity hockey tournament there.

Teddy has been in love with Harlow for years. Can he finally figure out how to tell her-without losing her friendship forever?

My Thoughts: I liked it, and I didn’t.

I liked the characters and how much fun they had together.

I didn’t like the constant angst from both of them throughout the book of how much they liked each other but were afraid to admit it. It dragged out a little too much.

Overall, though, it was a decent story and goes well with the rest of the series. It was just more of a one-time read for me.

This book was independently published, and I received a free digital copy in exchange for my review. Thank you.

This story is a fun story about best friends to lovers that end up sharing a cabin for a weekend causing the two to realize that maybe there is more to their friendship. Although this is a hockey book, a lot of this book is off the ice and gives you a good small town romance vibe.

I liked how both characters struggled with family issues. Usually, one MC has the family trouble while the other has a great family relationship. In this story, both have issues and I felt that it drew them together better because it gave their story an "us against the world" kind of feel.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teddy and Harlow have been best friends since elementary school. As the last two singles in their friendship group their relationship has only gotten stronger. When Harlow wins an all expense paid vacation to the small town of Maple Falls, Teddy tags along. Will their time away prove men and women can in fact be just friends, or will it unlock desires they have been trying to suppress?

Love at First Skate by Ellie Hall is the sixth book in the Love on Thin Ice series. This is a multi-author, interconnected series. While this series features character crossovers, each novel is written as a standalone and does not need to be read in any particular order.

If I had to name one trope as my absolute favorite, it would be friends to more. Love at First Skate is one of the cutest examples of friends to more romance. I adored Harlow and Teddy’s relationship, no matter their status. Their banter was witty, their chemistry palpable, and their ability to better one another was undeniable.

Read this book for:
-hockey player MMC
-grumpy FMC
-forced proximity
-he falls first
-lots of Princess Bride references

Special thanks to Netgalley and Ellie Hall for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was given this ARC read by NetGalley. Here is my honest review! This book was super cute, very easy & simple story to follow. I'm personally not the biggest fan of best friends to lovers trope, but it was still a fun time. I'm very thankful I got to read this book & l'd recommend this to someone who is looking for closed door, hockey romance recommendations!

I have been eating up this hockey series. I love all the writers takes on each of the characters, and it is so nice to read everyone's story. Ellie Hall's story about Teddy and Harlow is perfection. Their friendship is so sweet and I love how in manifests into love. Maple Falls is giving all the vibes in this series and no one should miss it.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Love at First Skate by Ellie Hall

I have loved read the maple hills series and like the rest of the books, found this very sweet, an easy read and cute! I found parts a little slow but overall a really lovely read and as a whole series something I’d definitely recommend! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this!

This was a cute story and the continuation in the maple hills series. I am enjoying this series and can't wait to continue. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC