Former figure skating queen Zoe needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach with the New York Legends. Unfortunately, she has to work with Chase who broke her heart 10 yrs ago.... Of course they start having lots of tension... and the attraction is undeniable too.

Love Zoe and Chase. The banter is top-notched. Enjoy their chemistry. Lots of fun and romance. The humour is terrific. Really enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an arc of this book.

I love romances with hockey and figure skating, and blending them together? Perfection. I read this book in one sitting, and I’m ready for the next in the series. I loved both main characters, Chase and Zoe, and the side characters were loveable as well.

We’re following two different timelines - the past (9.5 years ago) and the present. In the present, we follow Zoe, a former Olympic figure skater, as she navigates her way through her new job as a skating coach to a New York hockey team - the same team that her ex happens to play for. As she tries to win over her new team, she also tries to smooth things out with Chase so that she can help him with his skating issues.

In the past, we follow Zoe and Chase at a skating camp, where they meet and fall in love.

I’m impressed with this new series from Sarina. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, and I’m happy that she’s putting out more amazing hockey/sports romances.

One thing to note is that the writing for the past and present chapters are written differently. In the present, we have a first-person narrative from Zoe’s perspective. The past chapters are written in third person. The transition between the two was jarring to me, and I would have much preferred everything be written in first person with perhaps a subtitle saying whose perspective we were in (as it did change between Chase and Zoe).

All in all, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy second-chance romances sports romances with figure skating and/or hockey.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen
It’s the off-season. No NHL games. No highlights. No dramatic fights over puck possession. So what do I do? I read about hot hockey players falling for fiercely independent women who have zero time for their nonsense. Enter Chase and Zoe — and suddenly, my off-season is looking a lot more interesting.

Zoe is a driven, no-nonsense ice skating coach who’s worked hard to carve out a stable, drama-free life. The last thing she needs is to get tangled up with a cocky hockey player — especially not one who once made her feel like a fool and never really apologized.

But when circumstances force Zoe and Chase, professional hockey player and walking temptations back into each other’s orbit, the spark between them is very much not dead. There’s tension, history, grudges, and a whole lot of banter — and when feelings start to slip through the cracks, things get complicated fast.

Zoe & Chase: Second-Chance Tension Done Right

Zoe is sharp, practical, and has ice in her veins — in the best way. She’s the kind of heroine who keeps her guard up, especially around ex-flings who are too handsome for their own good. She’s focused on her coaching career and has no interest in playing emotional defense against Chase… again.

Chase is charming, slightly clueless, and somehow both cocky and genuinely sweet. He’s carrying a little career baggage, a lot of pride, and more emotional intelligence than you'd expect — when it counts. His arc is all about showing up, growing up, and finally saying what needed to be said years ago.

Their dynamic? Sizzling with unresolved tension, sarcastic quips, stolen glances, and that delicious “we shouldn’t… but we want to” energy. Slow-burn with a history. My favorite kind.

Sass, Spice, and everything nice

There’s no shortage of humor here — Zoe’s internal commentary alone had me grinning. She’s blunt, sharp, and painfully honest in her thoughts, especially when Chase pushes her buttons (which he does. Often. On purpose).

The side characters are fun, vibrant, and bring extra life to the story without stealing focus. And the worldbuilding around the ice — both Zoe’s figure skating world and Chase’s hockey universe — is well done without being overly technical.

And let’s be honest: the spice hits exactly when and how it should. It’s not over the top — it’s earned, intimate, and layered with real emotion. Just how I like it.

4 stars — because even when the rinks are quiet, my love for hockey romance is alive and well.

Thrown for a Loop gives you:

An ice queen coach with a sharp tongue and zero tolerance for BS

A charming, slightly regretful hockey player trying to earn his second shot

Banter that stings, kisses that melt, and tension that refuses to die

And the perfect off-season escape with heart, heat, and humor

Hockey may be out of season — but this romance? Absolute playoff material.

Thank you Netgalley, Forever Grand Central Publishing and Sarina Bowen for my eArc, I was under no obligation to review, all opinions are my own.

Review: Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen

This one was a total win—second-chance romance, sports tension, and just the right mix of heat and heart. Zoe and Chase have serious history, and their chemistry practically jumps off the page. I loved the mix of figure skating and hockey, and the viral video twist was so fun.

There’s plenty of banter, stubborn feelings, and emotional baggage, but also a ton of growth and swoony moments. If you love a strong heroine, a broody (but secretly soft) athlete, and a redemption arc that sticks the landing, Thrown for a Loop delivers.

A new hockey series from Sarina Bowen? YES, PLEASE! What a fun start to the series, too! Thrown for a Loop was a great time from start to finish. It was sweet, funny, slightly tragic without being too sad, and romantic.

Zoe and Chase have a brief history that left them both burned. They have gone years without speaking or seeing each other. That all changes when Zoe takes a job as a skating coach for Chase's professional hockey team. Neither is excited to be working with each other. It brings up good and bad memories for them both. Being thrown together on a special project has them facing all those memories and coming to terms with everything that went down while getting to know each other as adults.

I loved everything about Zoe and Chase's romance. Their situation was awkward and made for a lot of funny and sweet moments. I even liked the looks back at how they met and the relationship that blossomed and then died out as teens, which says a lot because I'm not a fan of flashbacks. The whole set up for their romance was entertaining and swoony. I also loved the side characters who supported them along the way. Zoe's new co-workers and Chase's teammates were a lot of fun. I can't wait to get books for more of them.

Thrown for a Loop was a book I didn't want to put down. I truly wasn't ready to be done with this cast of characters when the books ended. I'm happy to know I'll get to see them again in future books. Those books can't get here soon enough.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance.

Ten years after they last saw each other Zoe and Chase are thrown together as a hockey skating coach and hockey player who is having a tough year.

The flashbacks really helped move this story and gives the reader the ‘before’ between Zoe and Chase.

This is a first in a new series, but if you’re a longtime fan of the author, you’ll see one of my favorite characters make multiple cameos (I just love her!).

Bowen continues to be one of my favorite authors of hockey romances, she not only creates characters that readers fall in love with, but ones they can easily relate to. The side characters also really give the story something extra, and I can wait to see where this series takes us.

As soon as I had the chance to read Thrown For A Loop, I took it... and I absolutely loved it. I devoured it, couldn't put it down.

Chase Merritt and Zoe Carson met at a skating camp when they were teens. They started a sweet relationship, but their break up was so devastating they didn't speak ever again. After an incredible career as a figure skater, Zoe has landed a coaching job at the Legends, New York hockey franchise. After so many medals, she has now to win the players trust and to gain their respect, but it won't be easy because Chase is one of them, and he still despise her.

Zoe and Chase are funny, kind, and driven. Their tension and attraction are palpable, but they can't move forward together if they don't clarify what happened in the past first.
I've enjoyed their journey, it was a pleasure to see them get over their misunderstandings and to build a more mature and stronger relationship because they deserve their happily ever after.

Sarina Bowen wrote a new hit with her engaging storytelling, exciting sports scenes, and charming characters. It was a nice touch to tell the present story through Zoe's pov and the past through Chase's one, it set a good flow, also giving more depth to the story and the characters.

I can't wait to continue the series because there are other two players I'm curious about.

Thrown for a Loop is a cute, sweet and engaging second chance romance. Zoe is a professional ice skater who has been to the Olympics and Chase is a pro hockey player. They first meet as teenagers while working at a camp and their friendship/relationship grows from there. Unfortunately, they part ways under less than ideal circumstances. Now, they are going to share the same ice again, with Zoe as Chase's skating coach.

I enjoyed this story from beginning to end and had a difficult time putting it down. Zoe and Chase had fantastic chemistry and it was clear that their feelings from all those years ago were ever present. Although the past revolved around bad communication, and sometimes stories like that don't work out for me, I think the author did a great job with the reunion and Zoe and Chase were able to communicate and work out the past without a repetition of poor communication and missed chances.

I loved getting to know this group of friends and I am so looking forward to the next book in the series. This author writes truly great sports romances and Thrown for a Loop was no exception.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh, my. Talk about a book I couldn’t put down…Zoe and Chase hooked me from the very first page. Second chance romance between the figure skater who has never felt good enough and the hockey star who fought tooth and nail to find his way to the top, with Bess Beringer cameos from the Brooklyn Bruisers series? This did NOT disappoint.