A cute, fun, mildly spicy, brother’s best friend, hockey romance. I found it to be cute, but not all that, ya know?

There was a big focus on the difference between introverted and extroverted people which was interesting to see. We see introverts in books, but I’ve never seen a bigger introvert than Ben. It was similar to the grumpy/sunshine trope honestly with how opposite Ben and Mabel were.

It was a cute quick read :)

I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked at hockey romance, and brothers best friend.
This was a beautifully written love story, and the spicy scenes were well written. It was not ALoT of smut so I wouldn’t necessarily class this as erotica, but it was an amazing love story. I would recommend this book to people for sure!

Mabel and Ben were cute together. Mabel is a free spirit. Ben is a hockey star who is an introvert. He asks her for help to get better about public speaking as he is in the running to be the team captain but starts to fall for her. Big issue- Mabel is his teammate (and best friend's) sister. Overall, low angst, sweet and fun with good steam. The characters felt young with some growing up to do but overall, a fun way to spend a few hours! Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an early read.

The off-limits brother’s best friend trope is so fun in Crossing The Line. Loved the social anxiety rep.

Would warn other readers about the mentions of past verbal/emotional abuse as well as off-page fatal car accident.

Thank you Net Galley for the arc!

I started off really loving this book, there’s so much to love. I loved best friends bother trope, forced proximity, and emotionally vulnerable FMC. I love the silent love from the MMC. There’s a lot of great things about this book and it’s a quick read!

The only thing that knocked it down for me is the infant death….it felt unnecessary and somewhat glossed over. I didn’t find it taken with appropriate care that I would’ve liked to see.

The first book in what I hope is a new series, focusing on the Ben Antonov of the New Jersey Storm and his teammate’s twin sister, Mabel Smits.

Ben and Mabel have know each other since high school, yet they don’t really know each other as well as they think. I enjoyed getting to know Ben and Mabel, and watch their relationship evolve from an uncomfortable reunion to friends and more.

Each of these characters had issues to overcome, and together they each grow and mature a great deal. Ben develops into a strong leader for his team on and off the ice. Mabel overcomes the gaslighting and confidence crushing impact of her former boyfriend.

A few of Ben and Smitty’s teammates were introduced and crumbs left that will hopefully turn into books for some of them!

I received a free ARC from the author; and I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.

THANK YOU THE BOLDWOOD BOOKS AND NETGALLEY for sharing me the arc of Crossing The Line.

Hockey Romance YES and also brother's best friend YES, with mutual pining from childhood UMM!!! yes yes yes yeszzzzz sign me up 🙌✨😎.
I read Crossing The Line in a single day, it completely had me. I loved the plot and the characters : Mabel and Ben. And how they understood each other. The tension 🥵😘 and chemistry between them was amazing 🤗🥰. I loved how the author showed vulnerability side of Ben and how he came across it with help from Mabel.
3.5 stars 🌟
Negative : I felt like it was missing something maybe the romance spark was less. Also spicy scenes were not spicing 🤐😑.
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Hoping this is a series and we get Smitty's and other hockey player's book too 📚🧡🏒.
📖
𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝘼 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩. 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩.

I love a good hockey romance, this was enjoyable and I thought Mabel and Ben were good characters but this isn’t a book that is memorable for me. I finished it over a week ago and not thought about it since which speaks volumes to me.
It was a quick read and a good filler for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Kelly Jamieson and Boldwood Books for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Ben and Mabel are really cute together. I love the way they help each other and make each other better. Ben, with Mabel's help, turns his awkwardness around. Mabel learns she isn't too much. I love their history. It is really.cute that Ben was so intimated by Mabel.in school. I hope we get a book for Marek, Mabel's brother. This story was well written, cute, sweet, emotional and fun. 4.5 stars

Not what I thought the book to be about. Not sure I entirely clicked or connected with the characters of this story. Seemed too drawn out in areas and under developed in others.

I did stop at 32%. not my kind of book.

Spoiler Alert

I really enjoyed this book. I mean who doesn’t love a hockey romance novel? Not to mention your brothers best friend trope!
The characters are relatable and I love the dynamics between the 2 main character. Though Ben is quiet, and introverted, there are some super sweet moments between him and Mabel.
One aspect of the book that I always applaud authors for including is domestic violence and though Mabel doesn’t endure DV in the physical way, it still highlights what a person goes through in other forms of abuse. I love when a novel also shines light on everyday issues such as this.
Overall I give this 4/5 stars and would recommend to family and friends.

4 ½ Stars for this hockey romance!

This is a cute romance that had me laughing-out-loud. I loved Mabel, she had her own style and wouldn't change for anyone ... even her controlling boyfriend. It was a nice change that the hockey player wasn't a "player" and in fact, he was quite shy. But yet Ben had a heart of gold and would do anything for the ones he loved. I was rolling on the floor laughing when he tried to break out of his shell and speak to random people ... you'll see what I mean. Then there's the steam ... Ms. Jamieson sure knows how to write it!

Ben is a NHL player and moves in with his best friend until his condo renovation is finished. But when his friend's little sister needs a place to stay, she ends up at her brothers place. Ben thought that Mabel was quirky way back when ... now, she's still a little quirky, but she's stunning. Then there's that unspoken rule ... stay away from your best friend's little sister. Mabel leaves her boyfriend, quits her job and moves in with her brother until she can get back on her feet. The only problem is Ben! She had a huge crush on him when she was a teenager ... and apparently that hasn't changed.

I received an ARC courtesy of Boldwood Books through NetGalley.

This was an amazing book to read. I loved the second chance part but also the teammate's sister trope. But what I loved most about this story is that both were dealing with issues and they were there for each other. The whole hockey team was great together and I've loved all their interactions. There were some funny moments when they lived together with her brother.
I would absolutely read this book again

Crossing the Line is another highly enjoyable hockey romance from one of my go-to authors in the genre, Kelly Jamieson. Easy to read with hidden depths, this one made me laugh and cry both.

Though not completely perfect—the use of newer slang definitely took me out of the story and had me side-eyeing my Gen Alpha kid, for example—this book was nevertheless fun to read because of Ben and Mabel. Opposites on the surface, the common ground they find as each struggle to discover out who they are when out of their comfort zone makes their romance all the more rewarding. Simply put, they are adorable together. Their roles are flipped from what one might expect in a sports romance—he's the awkward introvert, she's the lives-out-loud type—but they are far from caricatures. Instead, they’re relatable and that makes it impossible not to root for them.

There is much about this world that I would like to see expanded on—fair warning, there is one moment in particular that is heartbreaking and that I would’ve liked to get more closure on—so I am hoping that this is just the first foray into this new hockey team of Jamieson’s, starting with Mabel’s twin, Marek, please!

This was actually a really cute romance book, which I didn't expect from a sports romance but it was a pleasant surprise. I also liked that the extrovert and introvert roles were reversed.

Thank you NetGalley for this digital ARC

3⭐️

This was fine. It’s not one that I would jump to recommend but it’s not a hard pass either. The characters were relatable and the story was okay, there was just something off for me.

I absolutely loved this book! It was heartfelt, inspiring, steamy, and funny. Mabel's quirkiness kept me smiling and laughing. Ben's shyness was adorable. They had a beautiful connection. I loved how they accepted each other for who they were. They also helped to show each other that they were worthy of love just the way they were.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this early copy of Crossing the Line! This is a super cute brothers best friend hockey romance where the MMC and FMC help each other grow and over come so over their fears like public speaking and trusting again. Ben is a swoon worthy MMC who will protect those he loves and his teammates! Mabel is a quirky and fun FMC who doesn’t change for anyone and grows to not be scared of being herself! This book is perfect for anyone who likes sports romances!

Having read some other Hockey books from Kelly Jamieson, I was happy to pick up Crossing The Line. And although it has the familiar crush on brother’s best friend trope, I still enjoy Kelly’s story.

Even more, because in this case it is the tough hockey star, Ben, who is the shy one and Mabel the outgoing one. I like how Kelly gets to weave some more mature and real life themas into her stories. They give the characters more depth and feel. So, in all, a great read.

Wonderful characters and a sappy story. Perfect for a cold winter day. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc

I really enjoyed reading Crossing the Line!
Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Sure the story is quirky….but, I enjoy reading a quirky book once in awhile. Because I need to laugh out loud, smile and swoon instead of gasp, cringe and be terrified from my usual thriller reads. Crossing the Line was the perfect book for me to read during winter break.
Main characters, Mable and Ben, are just adorable in so many ways. The chemistry between them is on point. A introvert and extrovert put in a forced proximity situation….what can go wrong?????
All in all, a very entertaining, funny and, spicy read.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.