A feel good hockey romance that will leave you with the warm and fuzzies and asking yourself when's it gonna be my turn!?
This is book is a little bit of a slow start and the smut leaves you wanting more. However, I love how the story develops, watching Coco and Logan fall for each other is goals, I adore how they interact with each other and how Logans treats Coco and poppy like the queens they are is everything.

I’m so confused on this book. The premise of this book sounded interesting, but it missed the mark for me.

There were so many unrealistic aspects to this book. Like the MMC having his phone on him during a professional hockey game? That would never happen.

Over half the book also takes place with her in the hospital, which really doesn’t allow them to really get to know each other. Also, I’m confused on when they actually hooked up for the first time. Was it in the hospital (kinda weird) or way later in the book?

The FMC didn’t want him to pay for anything or take any handouts, yet she was happy to accept all his gifts in the hospital?

The FMC also gets mad at the MMC at the end, but I also think he has a right to be upset too?

This one just wasn’t for me. I feel bad giving a bad review, but this one was tough for me to get through.

The Cutting Edge, by Lisa Daily, is a fun, lighthearted, rom-com with a sporty undertone. I know very little about hockey or competitive ice skating and learned a few behind-the-scenes things about each. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to review.

Cute story. The characters were likeable and the banter between them was funny. I liked the figure skating aspect of it but there wasn’t much. I’m a huge hockey fan so bonus points for having the Washington Capitals in the story (even if they lost). Poppy was adorable. Overall, it was a quick fun read.

✨ 4 STARS ✨

“life loves a good spin - and sometimes, those unexpected turns on the ice lead to breathtaking reversals of fortune.”

the cutting edge follows an olympic skater named coco’s journey with love and fortune as she finds her way back to the olympics. when she’s accidentally injured by a cute nhl hockey player and full time dad, she ends up spending weeks in the hospital getting steered away from her lifelong goal.

figure skating + ice hockey + single dad + lucky charm + dual pov + he falls first

this was a really quick simple read for me and i thought the storyline was very cute and fun. i’m also a florida gal so i think i’m biased bc i love st pete BUT i actually really enjoyed the book. famous hockey players are allowed to hit you on the head and ruin and save your life simultaneously and spoil you and fall in love with you in a hospital in like three days!

the side characters were fun too and him being a father wasn’t like oddly or obnoxiously mentioned in the book which i appreciated. i would’ve LOVED to see more of coco’s skating journey intertwined with the romance since she was basically injured the whole book and it focused a lot more on logan’s career and success. it also would’ve been nice to have more backstory on some parts like coco’s ex boyfriend randomly showing up for one page or checking back in on mrs. marcum since coco was sooo worried about her in the beginning, etc.

with all of that being said, i am a fan and will read the rest of the series next year and my rose colored glasses are on and y’all can’t tell me ANYTHING about coco and logan because i fell in love with them so easily bc it was SOOO easy and happy and perfect and the joy of books is being allowed to appreciate unrealistic love.

First, thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Daily and Siesta Key for this ARC.

Coco Charmont is a former Olympian figure skater who is currently working as a skating instructor. One day, her youngest student Penny's father is late picking her up, turns out, he works in the same arena. When she decides to deliver Poppy to her dad, she gets a surprise, and wakes up in the hospital. Turns out, Poppy's dad is NHL hockey star Logan Rivers, and he had just hit her in the head with a hockey puck. Could this accident have been fate? Logan has been in a scoring slump for a few games now, but with this chance encounter his luck seems to have changed. Unable to get her out of his head, Logan showers Coco with gifts and attention while she's trapped in the hospital, and the two seem to have quickly building chemistry. Could this chance be the luck they've both been looking for?

I really wanted to like this story, it had the premise for a great romcom. A hockey romance and a figure skater? a cinnamon roll love interest? single devoted dad? but I just couldn't find myself getting past the issues within the storyline. I couldn't grasp how Coco didn't already know that Poppy's father was an NHL hockey player, especially when they work in the same stadium. Or how Logan didn't know an Olympian was teaching his daughter how to skate, that would be a big selling point. I feel like more research should have also been done into the NHL, I couldn't follow the timeline provided in the book. Daily would say "Few weeks" so often that it would appear months have gone by but NHL playoffs last four weeks. I was also put off by the third act, this introduction to a cheating ex felt random when coupled with the previous talks of her having relationship issues only because she would choose her skating over them. His random stumbling on the couples first date, the dialogue between the ex and Logan, the kind of break up. It all felt a bit forced and awkward.

I know this is an ARC, but I really feel like this could use a proofread for editing. There was line duplication, even full paragraph duplication, a few typos, an image of a hockey stick and puck randomly inserted in the middle of some chapters. I imagine this is meant to be breaks in the story but it wasn't used consistently. There would be missing breaks where time has passed and it would become jarring and confusing, responses to conversation that appear to be missing and it was hard to differentiate texts and conversation, where there would be missing quotation marks. I also don't know if it was just uploaded incorrectly to NetGalley but the entirety of the book was italic and aligned to the right edge of the document, as well as entirely blacked out unless I changed the appearance in my kindle.

Again, I really wanted to like this story, it has all the building blocks for a really fun light sports romance, but I do feel like it needs more research and time.

2.5/5- ARC

At first I was entertained. By the end I felt like I was being punished.

There were a lot of grammatical and structural issues that I can only assume were fixed before the official copy was sent out. But reading this copy with these issues made it a little painful at times.
There were so many character traits that the author wrote then dropped. Like the fact Coco was obsessed with her elderly neighbours health but once she started seeing the MMC she literally never mentions her again? Or the MMC being a father but he literally hands the kid off to the nanny for like 80% of the book. Also, is the skating career in the room with us?
I think making her career such an integral part of the FMC’s story made no sense for the setting of the book, with about 60% of the book spent in the hospital.
The third act breakup wasn’t hashed out well enough, and therefore made little to no sense and because it happened so late in the book it kinda felt like the author forgot to do one and so just made it up quickly.
The “spicy” scene felt super out of place, there’s like 0 foul language in the book before this and the first sex scene is a fade to black.
Weirdly, this book for me could’ve been 50/60 pages longer just to allow for dialogue and character’s thought processes to be fleshed out a little better. Because this book did show great promise.

I’ve been on a roll with sport romance lately, so when I saw The Cutting Edge was available on NetGalley, I thought why not? After all, a hockey player and a figure skater always seems like a great mix. Yet, I really struggled through this book. Yet, it was just not for me.

I guess it just didn’t really fell like much was happening in this book. They suddenly were so into each other that they were willing to do some pretty stupid stuff for each other. Her presence affected his playing right away? It just felt cliché and superficial, and to be real, a little cringe for me. It just didn’t really impress me, and I almost gave up on the book so many times. And there was no spice to make up for the story.

So yeah, that one wasn’t for me. I just didn’t find it to be what I wanted.

This book started off strong with the slightly gruesome meet-cute taking place within the first few pages, but then the pacing of the book took a turn for the worse. It slowed down considerably with more than half the book taking place in a hospital room, which was just unnecessary. I actually had to go back to read the synopsis because I thought I was reading the wrong book. It felt as if the book could’ve been cut to the last 30% of pages and call it finished.

I, personally, am not a fan of the insta-love trope, but I felt the author could’ve built the relationship better if she had sped up the hospital portion of the book. It felt very materialistic at times due to a fixation on the male main character’s hockey salary and his propensity to spoil the FMC with lavish gifts as a way to woo her.

I very much loved Poppy as a supporting character and was sad that she was missing for a large chunk of the book. The author could’ve utilized the bond between Poppy and Coco to cement Logan’s feelings for Coco.

I feel like this had such an opportunity to be great, but just missed the mark. Entirely too much of the book takes place in the hospital. It kinda put a damper on everything. They barely knew each other and somehow built this amazing chemistry in a hospital room? It was so slow too.

Not at all a fan of miscommunication. It wasn't necessary. Honestly, the only thing I truly loved in this book was Poppy.

*thank you to NetGalley for access to this ARC*

Things I Liked:

-The banter between Coco and Logan: The author’s ability to write banter between them shows a lot and it was enjoyable to read. I could feel the sense of chemistry and bonding and how they related to one another in many ways. Personally, their conversations in the hospital were some of my favorite scenes of the book.

-The tale of two outcomes with Coco and Logan’s careers as professional athletes: I found it interesting to see the way the author placed one successful character with someone who is still finding her way towards success. I think many sports romances always focus on athletes beginning their careers or seasoned famous professionals, but it is nice to also see the tales of someone who has all the talent to succeed but things like money are factored in.

-Logan and Poppy’s relationship: I found their interactions also quite adorable, seeing how much of a devoted father Logan is despite his busy and often stressful career. I also thought the portrayal of Poppy felt mostly accurate to how a child would sound, with the excitement and wonder that comes with being a child.

Things I Didn’t Like As Much:

-The insta-love and fast pace of the romance: I am a huge fan of the “he falls first” trope but in this case, his feelings maybe just came on a bit too strong too early. I definitely enjoyed their banter but it would have been nice to see it really progress forward before becoming a deeper relationship just so that the reader could really see that progression in their relationship.

-The many undertackled elements of each main characters’ backstories: There are so many little things mentioned in passing that seemed to be such important elements to each of their characters and it is a shame it is not talked about further. It would have been interesting to delve into Coco’s past relationships or even Logan’s history as not only a way to better build out their characters, but as a way to also show the reader more about them

-The drama that was over before it was really ever there: I don’t mind lighter hearted romances and I personally liked the kind of way the novel strayed from the most typical issues that come with a sports romance, but when it came to the main crux of issues, they almost fizzled out before anything could happen which felt like a missed opportunity. I personally wished these conflicts were just fleshed out a bit more, only so that when they do get back together, there is a bigger sense of relief and happiness to it.

Overall, the story truly was cute and delivers what it intends, a romantic comedy that will make you smile. I do think my main gripes would really be there could be so much more to the story if there was just more written. The author has set up these really cool characters and there could have been even more to them if just given more room to be talked about.

Cute hockey romance.

Single dad Logan accidentally knocks out his daughters ice skating coach - who also happens to be an well know Olympic ice skater.

The premise is cute , insta love from Logan and Coco isn’t far behind. The book has so much potential but fell a little short for me.

I felt like the story was Quite slow paced for a large portion of the book when she was in the hospital and then rushed through other parts which could have been developed more like when we met Cocos abusive ex partner and Logan protects her .

No real Spice to speak off it’s more fade the black which is fine and I only mention it as a lot people often want to know how spicy books are .

I did get this book as an unedited version from NetGalley so there were lots of mistake through the book but I’m hopeful they were picked up during editing.

I really enjoyed this book. I love a hockey romance, like many on booktok right now.

Being hit I the head with a hockey puck was definitely a new premise for me in a romance novel. I loved Coco's care for Mrs. Markham in the beginning, but then she's really not followed up with all that much. Also, she becomes Mrs. Markle in Chapter 40?

The third act disagreement wasn't my favorite and seemed a bit weak. I know it's just fiction, but the Olympics storyline for Coco at the end does seem to gloss over the work that goes into being a professional athlete. Also do athletes have Patreon or should it have been a go fund me?

The chemistry of the two MCs was the best part of this book. I'm in for any type of lighthearted heartwarming romance.

Overall, I had a fun time reading and look forward to Cam & Lana's story.

I am a hockey romance girl so I wanted to love this book so much. It is not a super long book but it just felt like it dragged and it was so hard to keep interested in it. The premise of the story is great but the execution was not so great. I feel like the majority of the story took part while the FMC was in the hospital from the accident and it just didn’t lead to much development in my opinion. I ended up DNFing the book about 45% of the way through for two reasons: one I could not stay interested in it and two if really needs some more editing work because there are parts that are missing words or repeated and it made the book a lot less enjoyable

Logan Rivers, a professional hockey player for the St. Pete Slashers, is facing a performance slump. To help him, Olympic figure skater Coco strikes a deal with an assistant coach to act as Logan's lucky charm in exchange for covering her training expenses. This plan seems to work well, with Coco clearing off her debt and the Slashers gaining a winning streak. However, Coco has been deceitful about her intentions and is unsure about confessing to Logan. She plans to keep her secret hidden until the playoffs end.

Review:
I just couldn't stop reading this book! I was really cheering on Logan and Coco - they just clicked so seamlessly. They're perfectly suited!
I absolutely adore Poppy! She's truly mature beyond her years and her sense of humor is just wonderful. I have a special affection for the father-daughter bond she shares with Logan. It's heartwarming and precious.
Ice hockey might not be very popular in the UK, but wow, I was totally captivated by Logan's game! It's such an intriguing story that I am dying to delve deeper into. I'm totally hooked! I am now craving for more ice hockey and figure skating experiences. And I absolutely must find out what's in store for Cam and Lana. Eagerly awaiting the second book.

Overall, this was a cute and quick read.
I received a copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm going to be completely honest and is that this book has been quite interminable. It's only 200 pages, but it was practically a world away. And I don't really feel like it's something about the story itself because I do think it's written in a fairly enjoyable way, but I didn't really end up connecting with the story as much as I would have liked, and I think that's on me.

First, it doesn't say so in the synopsis, so I didn't know that I was going to find a single father trope. Just because it implies that we have a quasi-main character who is a child. Maybe this makes me look bad, but I don't like it when I feel that the child gets all the attention because I'm here for the romance. So here I feel like the little girl gets a lot of attention (also not like other books where only the little boy gets the attention). But I do feel like it doesn't end up being exactly what I need to get hooked on a book.

Secondly, I think it all unfolds too quickly. When you have only 200 pages to develop a romance, it falls too easily into instalove, and I personally don't like that. Here it had been like 2 weeks, and it was already all wonderful, “were so in love” kinda way and honestly, that doesn't go with me and that's why I don't think I can really enjoy the story.

I would have loved to love the characters and enjoy them, but I feel like the book just wasn't for me. It has elements that made me not connect with the story and when that happens, the reading becomes very heavy even when the book is very short, and it’s written in an easy way.

REVIEW
cw: mention of death, anxiety
When single father and NHL star Logan Rivers accidentally concusses Coco Charmont, his daughters' ice skating coach, he's mortified. But as he gets to know her better, he realises she's not only the woman he wants but also his good luck charm.
I've read another of Lisa Daily's books and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was excited to read a hockey/figure skating romance by her. I'm not sure what happened here, but the blurbs on Goodreads (which had a completely different female lead's name) and NetGalley didn't really represent the storyline here until around the 60% mark. It's only then that the lucky charm element really comes into play. Before that, the entire story takes place in the hospital after the first chapter. I do wish we'd had more figure skating content. As it was, Coco was in the hospital for almost 70% of the story, so the bit we did get felt shoehorned in and over-simplistic. That said, generally I enjoyed the story, and the idea was good because hockey players ARE super superstitious. I liked Logan and Coco's chemistry throughout, and Poppy was adorable on the few occasions she was around. Logan was also a sweetheart, and I liked that Daily addressed the financial burden that a lot of Olympic-level athletes face. I also enjoyed the amount of in-play hockey content, BUT there are some inconsistencies... At the start of the book, Coco says she doesn't know what Poppy's father does and didn't even know he worked at the same facility as her, but then a couple of pages later she suddenly knows he's a superstar NHL player. I also couldn't work out how the accident happened. There's plexiglass and netting around the goals, which is where I'd assume a pro hockey player would be aiming a slapshot, not at a door. Also, NO-ONE in the NHL would be allowed to sit on the bench during any game (let alone one that decides post-season) with their mobile phone, repeatedly texting, least of all the superstar captain! I didn't understand the point of the 3rd act breakup, or the random ex that hadn't been mentioned at all previously, other than to add drama, so I'm going to pretend those didn't happen. I was intrigued by Lana and Cam, and liked the idea of their story, although it felt shoehorned in at the end (there could have been a couple of scenes between them to add authenticity earlier in the story).

Overall though it was a cute romance, if uneven at times in plot structure.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥.5
Emotional Rating: 💓😂🙈🙄😬🤔🤷🏻‍♀️🥰😍🤷🏻‍♀️😬🤔😉😒💓🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. The Cutting Edge is out now in the UK*

p.s. Notes for editing: It's Tonya Harding, not Tanya. It's Gretzky not Gretsky.

First of all, I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion and I’m thankful for the opportunity, but unfortunately this book was not for me. 😔

I have been obsessing with hockey romance for a while now, so I really wanted to love this book. When I read hockey romance/single dad trope, I was super excited. The fact that it had the word steamy on the title made it even more appealing. 🔥

The premise sounded intriguing: a figure skating teacher gets accidentally hit by a puck by none other than a famous hockey player who ends up being the single dad of her student. So there was an instant attraction and I was here for it, but it didn’t do it for me. 😕

I reached 47% and I felt like they overextended the hospital thing. I get that it was part of the story on how she got hit by a puck, but I think that was already too much. And if you are selling me a book with the word steamy on the title and I have reached that percentage with nothing but a kiss… you get my point. And don’t get me wrong, I love slow burns and even enjoy books without spice, but I wanted to make a point on how the title is really telling there will be smut. 🙈

I think the story could have flowed faster in the events that occurred in the hospital and moved to a home recovery or something similar. Maybe then I would have been more invested in the characters and their relationship. But for some reason, this book didn’t do it for me and I’m sorry. 😢

I ended up DNF it at 40-something percent 🙈

Like always, just because I don’t like it, it doesn’t mean you won’t. Maybe you will enjoy it more than I did and find something that I missed. So give it a try if you are interested in this trope and let me know what you think. 😊

Thank you Netgalley, Siesta Key House, and Lisa Daily for the review copy.
Very enjoyable read. I loved the way the author built each character, well this us a hospital romance as more than 70% of things happen in the hospital.
Good one.
💥💥💥 3/5

Summary:
Logan Rivers, a professional hockey player for the St. Pete Slashers, is facing a performance slump. To help him, Olympic figure skater Coco strikes a deal with an assistant coach to act as Logan's lucky charm in exchange for covering her training expenses. This plan seems to work well, with Coco clearing off her debt and the Slashers gaining a winning streak. However, Coco has been deceitful about her intentions and is unsure about confessing to Logan. She plans to keep her secret hidden until the playoffs end.

Review:
I just couldn't stop reading this book! I was really cheering on Logan and Coco - they just clicked so seamlessly. They're perfectly suited!
I absolutely adore Poppy! She's truly mature beyond her years and her sense of humor is just wonderful. I have a special affection for the father-daughter bond she shares with Logan. It's heartwarming and precious.
Ice hockey might not be very popular in the UK, but wow, I was totally captivated by Logan's game! It's such an intriguing story that I am dying to delve deeper into. I'm totally hooked! I am now craving for more ice hockey and figure skating experiences. And I absolutely must find out what's in store for Cam and Lana. Eagerly awaiting the second book.

Thank you Lisa daily and netgalley for this ARC