Breaking the Ice is a hockey romance that focuses less on the sport (the mmc is out on a injury) and more on Nick taking on the responsibilities of his grandmother's second hand book store. When his neighbor comes by the store, he learns that Sam is between jobs and offers her one. The job is only temporary though, as Sam has her sights on getting her accountant job back in a couple of months after the nepotism, and thereby the sexism, wears off and they come crawling back for her. In the meantime, they decide to friend zone their relationship, this is, until they don't.

A lot goes on this book. Injured hockey player rehabbing. Accountant leaving the job where she's been training her boss's worthless nephew. Sudden management of a bookstore. Forced proximity. Biological clock ticking. Body and self-esteem issues. There are so many other things that would make this list longer. This seems like a long list but the author does a great job weaving it all together and Breaking the Ice is a great book for the most part.

There were some cringey scenes, awkward dialogue, and missed opportunities for growth and maturity. The first couple times we hear her eggs "talk" added an element of amusement but after a while, I was over the internal discussions with them. While I understand Sam's biological clock is ticking, the dates she goes on are disastrous. I wish she'd had a couple decent dates, at least. She deserved to have fun occasionally.

Overall, the book was entertaining. The characters may not have been 3 dimensional but they weren't boring or uninteresting. Sam seemed like a typical 30-year-old who comes to the abrupt realization that her corporate job is unfulfilling. She seems fun but has huge self-esteem issues. The continued bad dates don't help with that. Nick is resistant to fall for Sam in any capacity other than friends-with-bennies. She's planning kids and going back to her old job. He's not the family type and will be going back to his hockey team in a few weeks.

I enjoyed their banter, slow-burn chemistry, and compatibility. When they finally give in to their basic urges, we get a little bit of steam. This book has likable characters, descriptive world-building, and a fun story. I found Breaking the Ice to be a quick read that flows well, pulls you in, and keeps you engaged.

This book was fantastic, I loved it sooo much!!!
These 2 main characters (Nick and Samantha) were in each other lives for years, but just by walking past each other or by his grandma talking about him. But now he is taking over his grandma's bookstore after her passing (Birdie was an important person in so many people's lives and so was her bookstore). He needs an employee for when he goes to his physical therapy (rehab for his injury from hockey) and Sam just quit her job. There is so much more to this and you are gonna have to read the book for all the info but this is just temporary.
For me, this was a quick read and it held my attention.
The chemistry, flirting, bickering and blind dates were all great and soooo much fun to watch (read) BUT there is one annoying part to this book and it is mentioned a ton of times. Sam's chirping eggs, just wait til you get to them. I think it's a funny part that the author was trying to add but to me it was dumb. The first few mentions were ok and even kinda funny but it went to too long. But I still loved this book and was happy I read it.

This was a fun set up; i loved the injured hockey player taking over his grandma's bookstore. Sam and Nick had good chemistry, but the tone of the humor in this romcom did not work for me. It felt a little shallow and juvenile and I couldn't handle the personification of her eggs. I didn't feel like either character was particularly well-developed and I wanted to know both of them in a deeper way! That said, it was a fast read and had some genuinely fun antics!

This was a good book, the first of hers I read and I could really sense that I may like more or her books. Thanks for letting me read this book.

Sam has always focused on her career to the exclusion of everything. When she sees the promotion she craves slipping away to a lesser candidate, she critically looks at her life and wonders if other things are more important. The death of a good friend, the loss of her life focus, and a chance meeting alter her immediate career path. Working in her late friend's bookshop is therapeutic, but working with Nick, a successful Ice hockey player, is not. I like the slow-burn chemistry and eventual passionate romance between Sam and Nick, the story's contemporary relevance and the bookshop setting. However, the romance doesn't feature much sport besides Nick being a hockey player. Sam is a complex character who frustrates the reader at times. I enjoyed the ending, which believably reflects the couple's emotional journey.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Well written, full of wonderful tension, and shenanigans; this story follows Sam who was just forced out of her corporate job that she has dedicated every waking moment of her life to. Her faithful friend and owner of the used bookstore in her building just passed away and in her place is her grandson the beauty hockey playing god. Hawk is here on a leave from the NHL because of an injury and is running his grandmother's used romance bookstore. In a moment of genius he offers her a job but now they are forced to work closely together and see much more of eachother.
This book features a plus size female main character who struggles to see past the internalized diat culture and beauty standards that are forced on women. This subject matter was handled delicately.

I have to start by saying I feel I was perhaps in the wrong age bracket for this book, I feel its more suited to 30 & under. The premise is good and I think a younger audience will definitely find it more relatable and enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking the Ice even though I was a bit disappointed that there was no sports content as I'd anticipated there would.

Despite that, the relationship between Samantha and Nick is gorgeous and their story is really sweet.

For the reader, the writing is on the wall as they head in to their 'bargain' but the realisation between the characters takes longer.

In the interim, we are treated to some humorous scenes as well as some intriguing characters.

All in all Breaking the Ice is a lovely way to spend a few hours on an autumn afternoon.

I enjoyed this book about an injured hockey player and an expert accounting executive. She was in burnout and she'd had to prop up her boss' nephew who just didn't get it.

Nick kept his grandmother's used bookstore open and hired Samantha while she was on "sabbatical." He was very attracted to Sam's generous body and he admired her personality. But she was on a mission to meet someone and to get pregnant. He planned to go back to his team and he certainly didn't want to have babies.

But slowly, finally, they decided to have sex while he was still there. And each fell in love, but kept that fact to themselves.

It's a fun book and I enjoyed reading it. There is some sex in the book so it's not for everyone.

This book unfortunately didn’t hold my interest. It’s well-written, but there’s very little actual romance in it. There’s a bit of flirtation, but the story almost entirely focuses on the heroine’s bad dates and lack of physical intimacy as she attempts to find a husband she can have babies with. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews is a sweet sports romance that takes place in a bookshop. If you are a frequent reader of Ms. Andrews, know that this is not as spicy as her books usually are.

Sam is distressed when she starts hearing her biological clock ticking and her eggs chirping at her. Meanwhile, her never ending corporate job has become so much more stressful thanks to an inept underling relative of her boss who is out for her job. Admitting to her boss that she is hearing voices in her head pushing her to start a family, he forces her to take time off. Then her favorite bookstore owner, Birdie, dies. NHL star Nick "Hawkeye" Hawke is recovering from a career-threatening injury when his grandmother dies and his family asks him to manage her cozy romance bookshop. Learning that his neighbor just left her high-stress corporate job for a slower pace and has knowledge about the store, he hires her to help him out with the store. Despite their efforts to stay in the friend zone, their undeniable chemistry and slow-burn attraction become impossible to ignore. After getting to know each other Sam confides in Nick about her chirping eggs and the shortage of the correct demographic men to help potentially hatch those eggs. Nick helps Sam with some blind dates, dates that turn out hysterical. As the lines blur and they become friends, what they both thought they wanted changes Sometimes it takes a birthday, vodka, and a whole pack of Oreo’s to admit what they really want and what they want their future to look like.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#BreakingtheIce #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks

I truly struggled to get through this book and was left pretty disappointed. I liked the premise of the book, but the writing fell flat, and the story was drawn out.

Breaking the Ice is a hockey romance centered around two characters in their 30s running a bookshop together. After years of working overtime and dating terrible men, she gets fired and decides to have a baby when her eggs start cheeping. Nick is a pro hockey player who gets injured and ends up running his grandmother's book store after she passes. The two end up working together not only at the store but to secure a man to give Samantha a baby.

The majority of the book was both characters going on dates with other people. Both of them wanted each other but refused to act on it. They didn't get together until roughly 90% in and then they let it fizzle out just 5% later. Both MCs then go out with other people again.

I found the characters to be frustrating and quite immature even though they were in their 30s. Any time anything romantic happened between Samantha and Nick, the next day she would either pretend it didn't happen or avoid him for days. And for a book that advertised as body positive, both MCs were incredibly judgmental of any other persons appearance.

Thank you to Netgalley and BoldWood for the ARC.

While there were a few things that i enjoyed in the book, unfortunately for the most of it, the writing made it hard for me to like it as a whole. It had a lot of potential but the execution didn't match.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

1.5 stars. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. On paper these tropes would be my cup of tea but I didn't really like the execution. I found Sam very immature and her eggs were mentioned way too many times in the book. I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Sam and Nick.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha has a clear plan for her life until her biological clock starts ticking and her work rival undermines her. Now, while she is waiting for the rival to implode, she is working at her favorite bookstore and looking for Mr. Right. That would be fine, but the store's new owner is a huge distraction. She has had a crush on him for a while. He doesn't want kids and will be heading back to his NHL team soon, so he is not Mr. Right. He does become a good friend, in spite of the pesky chemistry between them. Feelings start to be caught on both sides, but they cling to their plans. Can Sam's meddling older sister spare them the impending heartbreak?
This book has a ton of tension and delicious banter like all of this author's books. You can see the sparks shooting off the page. Sam is a realistic character because she has an ongoing love/hate relationship with her body that makes it difficult for her to trust. Nick develops a plan to help her with that, and it is both lovely and hot. I couldn't put this book down because I enjoyed the characters so much.

Breaking the Ice is definitely a slow burn romance, and although typically I adore this type of book.... I did find myself struggling to get into this story unfortunately.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.


Sadly, I was not able to get passed 25 pages for this title as I really really disliked Samantha. I also did not enjoy the constant egg talk. Her "baby crazy eggs" were mentioned in what seemed like every page and it was tiresome.

I didn't really enjoy the last book i read by this author but wanted to give her another chance.

In this book, Nick and Samantha are brought together, working at the bookstore of a relative of his and friend of hers. Sam, having recently taken a leave of absence from her job, is on a one track path...to motherhood. Nick initially offers but since the two have started to beco.e friends, they opt for him to set her up on blind dates instead, before realizing maybe they are what's best for each other.

The character development was messy, the FMC's obsession with her "whining eggs" got to be insufferable by the third mention (and it was mentioned multiple times a chapter) the interludes at the beginning of each chapter didn't really make sense or fit, and they were in a different font and I was unclear what the author was trying to convey by this.

All in all, with more character depth, smoother transitions and chemistry between the MCs, this could have been a story i would have loved but ultimately this author i think is not for me.


Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

A slow burn romance book, spent the first ~ 75% of the book waiting for the action to happen and once it did it was quickly the end of the book. Overall I liked the plot and characters but I’m not racing to read any future releases.

Thank you for the arc, I did find this book quite enjoyable, I wouldn’t exactly describe it as a sports romance as the mmc doesn’t actively play hockey on the timeline of the book. I liked that it was mainly set in the bookshop and the side characters were lovely. The mentioning of the fmc’s eggs did get a little repetitive but I still enjoyed the book ☺️