Arc Review
Overall Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
- Friends To Lovers
- He Falls First
- Covert Pining (Of The Best Kind)
- Forced Proximity
- Hockey Romance
- Small Town
- Fall Vibes
- Dual POV
- Closed Door/Clean Romcom, Kisses Only

Welcome to the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series, seven authors, seven short novels, and one charming town, welcome to Maple Falls where heartwarming love stories live. Our sixth book of the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series is ‘Love at First Skate’ written by. Ellie Hall.

Ted and Harlow have been best friends since high school moving into college and then into their everyday lives. Ted is an NHL hockey player who has been benched due to an injury and is desperate to get back on the ice. Harlow is a lawyer who has just quit her job because she’s tired of being treated poorly and she never really liked the job but family pressure made her stay as-long as she did, but just as Harlow is walking out of this conference room after quitting she hears her named being called apparently she’s won a weekend getaway in a raffle when she gets home she calls Ted to tell him all about it. Coincidentally it’s in the same area as a charity hockey game that Ted is playing in to prove to his coaches he’s ready to be put back on the ice. They take it as a sign to go and they go together. Will this getaway change the whole dynamic of their friendship? Read ‘Love at First Skate’ now to find out.

This is my sixth book of the series I can’t believe theirs only one more to go after this.
I have to say that the chemistry between Ted and Harlow is unmatched you can just tell that they’ve been best friends for so long and I love how the author included them having their own inside jokes it made it way more realistic. I love how Ted was only a big old Teddy Bear for Harlow just one big softie for her to every one else he was Ted the Bear not to be messed with just obsessed with that.

I liked to wrap this up by giving a huge thank you to the author Ellie Hall along with NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book, I had a good time reading it.

Have I found my almost perfect October read? YES!

Love at First Skate is just so cute and loveable that you can't stop reading it. I love the friends to lovers arrangement, the small town vibes, the tension and most of all the hockey. Seriously Love at First Skate is one of the most heartworming stories I've read but it's a little rushed. Or should I say not rushed enough? The problem here is that the plot other than the romantic is barely existing. We don't get any family drama in the background (ok, almost don't mentioned because there's a brother of MMC), we don't have many hockey nights (I get it's the off season) but mostly the characters just wonder do the other loves them too. And then they forget to act on it. But if we just focus on the loving part it's kind of accurate. Ellie Hall captured the real fear of losing one's best friend and gaining a whole new future. I would defenitely reread this book some time later.

A friends to lovers romance, the story of Teddy and Harlowe. I liked how it was told from both points of view,and look forward to the next books in this series.

Teddy and Harlow have been best friends for years. Teddy is ready to take their friendship out of the friend zone, but Harlow is worried about losing the one constant in her life. Can these two best friends become more? You'll have to read the book to find out how they get to their HEA, but I will say this is a cute romcom book that I very much enjoyed and a great addition to this series. Well done and a strong 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Can best friends become more if they are willing to take the leap? Cute little contemporary romance, no spice. This was a quick read with it being the 6th in the Love on Thin Ice series (series with various authors). This was my first introduction into the series and I didn't think I was missing to much by not reading the previous stories but it would have added to the story with the secondary characters. I enjoyed the story of Harlow and Teddy and how Teddy was more of the one to step up first into the relationship. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a fast and light read and Harlow and Teddy realize they love each other more than just the best friend type. The setting is excellent in this series and the Hockey storyline is right on point.

Pick this one up if you are looking for a lovely romance.

Ted and Harlow are childhood best friends, who have feelings for each other but are scared to rock the boat. And for most part they have been successful in hiding their feelings, till they get stranded in a cozy cabin together.
This is a part of multi authors Love on thin ice series, and features many of the characters from other books. It’s a cute friends to lovers read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Xpresso book tours for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Cute and enjoyable. Can’t wait for the next book.

They say love is messy. Turns out, friendship is too. Especially when you’re stranded in a cabin with your best friend and hearts are on thin ice.

Such a fun, easy read. It’s not very long so it didn’t take me long to read it. It feels rushed but I think that could have been solved if the book was longer.

Well……
Ahhhhhhh, how actually cute was this!!

Ted and Harlow are best friend have been since high school over collage and later in life both have had either not had relationships or failed ones that have lasted no longer then weeks.

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.
Do I recommend this? HELL YES!!

Thanks netgalley and Ellie Hall for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Love at First Skate is book 6 in the amazing Love on Thin Ice series by Ellie Hall.
This series has been the best sweet small town hockey rom-com!
I’ve enjoyed this series since book one and with each book I’ve fallen so in love with these characters and the authors writing.
I loved this sports romance book! It's a delightful and heartwarming story, perfect for the fall season.
I loved being back in Maple Falls with Harlow and Teddy.
An amazing best friend’s to lovers story with all the sizzle and chemistry, but without the spice.

Thank You NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Love at First Skate is the 6th book in the Love on Thin Ice series, which is a series of small town romcoms with each volume being written by a different romance author. This one is by Ellie Hall.

The series centers around hockey players taking part in a charity hockey competition in the small town of Maple Falls, though in truth actual hockey events make up on a small part of the various stories, so if you aren’t a fan of the sport don’t worry because the true focus is on the various relationships. This volume focuses on Ted and Harlow, who have been longtime BFFs. And while their relationship has never been romantic it quickly becomes clear that each of them has thought about the possibilities and both are denying their true feelings, but will they risk their friendship for something more? This wasn’t my favorite of the series but it was still enjoyable.And while there are a number of subplots, at its core this is a sweet romantic story of two friends finally deciding that what they’ve wanted is what’s been in front of them all along. I'd like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Love at First Skate.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1VZYL0F1NESRQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, however the characters and storylines overlap.
They've been best friends for years. Will sharing lodging force them to see more or ruin everything. Both dealing with fear, what does it take to overcome?.

I received a copy of this book from the author. Review voluntarily given.

This is book #6 in the multi-author hockey romance series, Love On Thin Ice. Each book follows a specific couple and can be read as stand alones, but they are much more enjoyable if you read them all. There is such a great small town vibe with lots of fun characters that we get to see from book to book.

Love At First Skate is Ted (Teddy) and Harlow’s story. They are best friends to lovers and I really enjoyed their connection. They have been friends for so long that they truly know and love each other on a deep level and you can see and feel that in the way they are so comfortable together. All of the little nudges, joking together, loving looks, and the fun they have even in the awkward moments gave such a sweet and swoony feeling.

I will say this one feels the most disconnected from the others. There didn’t seem to be enough interaction with other characters we have been seeing throughout the series, and it had so little hockey that it almost doesn’t seem right to include as a hockey romance. It is a quick read, yet somehow still managed to feel a bit slow. It was a good slow initially because all of their fun friend adventure moments were great, but then it suddenly rushes through and is over. It just didn’t seem to flow well. I wish it would have been a bit longer and given more of their interaction with the other people in Maple Falls and the hockey team that is the focus of the series. It is still a great read, I just don’t feel like it’s quite as well written and connected as the others so I can’t give it the same rating.

All that being said I did still enjoy it and would still recommend it. Especially if you’re reading the series and/or looking for a quick, enjoyable palate cleanser.

Thank you to Xpresso Tours and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Teddy and Harlow have been best friends since grade school. Only best friends, as they've proven everyone wrong who said such a thing was impossible. Sure, they've had moments of long looks and accidental confessions while under medication, but truly, they're only friends. Then, in a moment of clarity, Harlow quits her job and immediately wins a couples romantic retreat. She decides to take her best friend, of course, and inadvertently blurs the lines between them, while she wonders if they can be both friends and in a relationship.

*******

This was okay, but it was kind of all over the place. Despite the book being novella length, we have career changes, trauma from a life-threatening event, a massive separate career decision, family drama on both sides, a charity hockey game, and a friends wedding to get through. Everything being tossed together meant there were constantly external threads getting in the way and barely any momentum in the love story itself. It felt so incredibly slow and took until 80% of the book before progress actually happens between them, and even then, it's kind of dry.

It felt as though we were supposed to believe that because Teddy and Harlow were best friends, and all of their friends were already married, we should be convinced of their impending love story. Instead, the chemistry was non-existent and overly forced. It was Harlow's viewpoint about how attractive and nice Teddy is, and Teddy's viewpoint constantly lamenting that they're only friends and she's perfect. There was no slow burn or overly interesting developments. Just realizing feelings and questioning those feelings over and over again until they finally agreed to those feelings. Then we get a weird proposal and awkward epilogues to wrap everything up.

By the end of the book, I was wondering why such little time was actually spent building up tension and chemistry and instead focusing on external plot points. The author spent a lot of time going into too much over-explanation of obvious terms and throwing similies into everything she could that I wasn't invested in the couple itself. They told us a lot about how they felt, but they didn't really show us, and that made the book a slog to get through. I haven't read any other books in this series, but I'd hope she'd focus more on the characters themselves and making them less two-dimensional than on all of the plot points floating around.

I personally wouldn't read this author again, as the authors voice and writing style did not appeal to me.

*********

Thank you NetGalley and Ellie Hall - for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve loved everything Ellie has written that I’ve read so far and this wasn’t an exception. Teddy and Harlow. Friends to lovers! I just loved seeing both their sides with being scared to say something to the other. Teddy is a sweetheart! This is part of a series but can be read by itself but I do suggest reading the whole series! I have one left to read and they have all been so good!

Received this via NetGalley for an honest review

Unfortunately I wound up not finishing this one 🫤

Perhaps I personally am not the intended audience (maybe this book is meant for readers new to the romance genre or just getting into reading), but I didn't feel like there was much substance here. I loved getting to know Harlow and Teddy - I think they're both great characters. I made it 62% of the way through before calling it because of how much I liked them, but the story didn't feel fully fleshed out and like there wasn't much depth.

I would have loved to get to know both Harlow and Teddy more on their own, and for there to be more distinction between the two in their narration styles, before the events that take place - for there to have been a bit more to them.

Again - this may just not be the book for me, or I'm not the intended reader for the book. Maybe I'd have a different opinion reading the five books that came before this one. Ultimately, in my opinion, - it seems like a cutesy friends-to-lovers hockey romance that stays surface-level

Love At First Skate is a charming and humorous romance that gives us the best friend to lovers trope beautifully. Teddy and Harlow are relatable characters, the setup is perfect for exploring their friendship and the attraction that blooms between them. The way they support each other through their struggles makes the story feel genuine and heartwarming.

I absolutely loved the humor in this book; it had me laughing out loud several times. Despite the funny moments, the story is also sweet and filled with meaningful conversations. The characters are well-developed and communicate openly, which adds a mature layer to their relationship. The banter and flirting between Teddy and Harlow make their connection even more enjoyable, creating a perfect balance of fun and romance.

This was my first book in the series, and for sure it won’t be my last. I’m eager to explore the other stories and characters in the series. If you enjoy a funny and sweet romance with well-drawn characters, Love At First Skate is definitely worth a read!

A best friend’s romance. A really sweet story set in maple falls 🍁 if you are looking for a lighthearted cosy romance I would definitely recommend. This series is so cute!!

A sweet hockey romance with no spice.🤍

The book felt a little slow for me even though it’s such a short one. But their bffs-to-lovers story was cute!