“because i know no matter where i am, i'll always be home as long as i have her.”

oh bal u never disappoint and when i say never i mean it since the very first time i have read collided i already knew that i needed more because bal’s writing’s truly addicting like her characters… she’s just one of my favourite authors in the end… if she announces something i’m in but we aren’t surprised aren’t we?

firstly do i love this one more than collided? don’t ask me because my emotional attachment can’t choose right now!

there are a lot of reasons about why u should go and read this book or let’s say the entire series… i could simply start by saying no third act break up or talking about the act of services or idk the family found part that always ate… and i could just go on by mention the tension between sage and elias or the healthy communication… and well if u know u know!

i would like to suggest you to just go and start without reading much of anything and just read the book because trust me it’s way better!

sage’s such a strong and lovely character her development it was so good and well deserved and i’m so happy to see her happy with elias because yes he was always there for her and helping her but he also needed sage in a very intimate and deeply way that even he didn’t knew he needed before actually knowing her and so it was very touching sometimes to read about their healthy and lovely relationship!

least but last the side characters and the crumbs about the next couple because uhm yes i need more and have u seen the cover of the third book??? a masterpiece but we aren’t surprised in the end!

A lot of thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for the e arc of this book in exchange of my honest opinion!

the BEST. this book did not disappoint. bal is an amazing author and i was very fortunate to read this before release! eli and sage are such cuties! i can’t wait to see this in stores

I love a fake dating romance and this one did not disappoint. Super fun, great characters, engaging and so enjoyable to read!

This was such a fun read! Of course any romance book with fake dating has my heart.
Elias and Sage were both complex characters who leant on each other to overcome their own baggage/demons.
I loved the pacing of the book, not too fast. The coming together of both characters was so organic and cutereeeeeeeee.
I’m actually now obsessed with sports romance books!!!!!

My only negatives were, this character was black but was full on neck blushing? I think that threw me out of the story, as I questioned is this even possible unless they’re light skinned????

This book is the 2nd in the Off the Ice series and is a fake dating sports romance following ballerina Sage and NHL rookie hockey player Elias. I went into this book cautiously, as I was not a huge fan of Collide (the first book in the series), but it’s safe to say this one greatly surpassed my expectations!

This book was so sweet! It actually made me cry from how sweet it was (and it’s very unlike me to get emotional at a romance book!) I thought the characters were great. They both had fully fleshed out backstories and personalities. Both main characters had good character development, on an individual level as well as together as a couple. I also loved the friendships and family in this book too. I felt like there was good attention to detail in the writing.

I did think that certain plot points disappeared too quickly and could have been explored slightly more. Additionally the pacing felt ever so slightly off towards the end. The book went on slightly longer than I expected.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I loved the characters and the chemistry between them. I can’t wait to continue this series with the release of Revolve in October 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

It was a fun read but I’m afraid we’ve seen it all. I don’t expect any unique aspects in romance nowadays, so for what it’s worth it was a fun read and will definitely recommend to everyone who likes the genre

Sage and Elias are too wholesome for this world. I think I loved this even more than Collide (but I still love Summer and Aiden so much) This time I loved that they’re two athletes, and especially the ballet side of it!

He’s the ‘I want to take care of you in every way’ and she’s the ‘I’ve taken care of myself and all the people I love since forever’, I live for that so much especially when it’s a fake dating trope and they finally give in to each other!

The banter between them and Elias’s friend group is simply the best, I’m so happy Sage finally found people she could be herself with! Both characters are so strong and come from difficult childhoods so I really liked that we got to discover that and learn more about them!

Overall a really cute book with sometimes some difficult moments to read due to trauma but loved every single thing from it!

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for the early copy!

I was hooked from the start with Sage and Eli. I really liked the banter between the two of them and how that evolved throughout their relationship. I thought the set up for the fake dating was really well done and I loved the bonus little bit of forced proximity as well. I loved the way that these two grew together and how they allowed for growth - there were some really swoon worthy moments from both parties. I did feel like the end was a bit rushed with all the Swan Lake stuff and I would have liked to have been introduced a little bit earlier to make the impact a bit greater.

Overall though, this was a great second book and I was so happy to be back in the Off the Ice world with these two.

This was a cute hockey romance between a professional NHL player and an aspiring ballerina. He is so down bad for her throughout the book. He will do absolutely anything and everything to stay in her life. Elias is the quiet and caring guy that would do whatever Sage asks. Sage is super independent and strong willed but she secretly l9ves someone taking care of her. They are a match made in heaven. Definitely read this if you like good banter, fake dating, and professional sports.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are really strong and I just loved the connection they had 🥹 at first I was a little unsure if it was going to be for me but come the end I had completely changed my mind!

people pleaser/ i can do anything on my own girlfriend 🤝 let me take care of you boyfriend

i loved sage and elias’s story, unfiltered 🥺 their journey was so soft and cute, i adored seeing them let each other in and take care of each other, both their relationship and their individual journeys were so heartfelt, funny, made your heart clench at times, but absolutely perfect

and the found family in this series is, again, absolutely everything!

also a petition for sage’s brother to be a main character in a spin off series PLEASE!!

Thank you NetGalley for kindly gifting me this book, I'm so grateful and after reading the book, I'm even more grateful. Did I immediately preorder this book after reading it? ABSOLUTELY YES. Elias and Sage literally captured my heart and I just adored them. The chemistry was good, the banter was good and I just loved them

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you loved Collide. This one was definitely on par with it and I don't say that easily. Sometimes the second book isn't as good as the first but I might even say I enjoyed this one more

After dnfing book 1 I was unsure how I’d feel about this one, but I really enjoyed it! And it makes me feel like I just read ‘collide’ at the wrong time—I might give it another go at a later date!

Elias reminded me of Ryan Shay from ‘the right move’ which I absolutely loved. If you loved that book as much as me then definitely give this one a go🤭 Sage was such a strong FMC that was not afraid to speak her mind and tell people exactly what she wants, I loved her. The banter and chemistry between them had me kicking my feet! While this is fake dating, it didn’t feel like they were faking any of their interactions. They were clearly smitten early on <3

Spiral was so good!!! I loved it more than Collide. If you are looking for a sports faking dating romance, this is it. I'm forever a sucker for a hockey romance and this one was so cute. I really liked both characters and I just love to see ballet portrayed in books (from someone that did ballet for 22 years, it really feels super special).
While sometimes the book felt too fast, even thought it's a slow burn romance, I love the way the characters communicated and how their relationship evolved. The chemistry between the characters was absolutely everything.
If you are looking for a steamy sports romance, this is it.

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing and Bal Khabra for the arc for this book.

I was a bit skeptical going into book 2 as I found books one a bit harder to read even though I did enjoy it. But this book from start to finish gripped me and made me excited to continue reading it while also dreading it ending.

I receive this as an ARC from NetGalley and was so excited to read it, as I had just finished the first book, Collide.

I loved Sage’s character, a bright light who is unapologetically herself, but this book read like the first in the series rather than the second. Collide developed so many side characters - Kian, Amara, Cassie, Sampson, but Elias had very little introduction other than that he cooks for everyone and that Amara had a crush on him. Then to introduce a brand new character for the FMC seemed strange.

There were also so many parallels between this series and Liz Tomforde’s books, particularly the lesser known Selfish series. I understand there are only so many stories to be told within these tropes, but it felt very similar.

I liked the way Elias cared for Sage and genuinely wanted to see her thrive. I didn’t love the dynamics within the relationship though, I understand that they both had traumatic back stories, but I felt like Elias’ was a bit flat, which meant his behaviour didn’t seem believable at times.

That said, I would still read the next instalment, as I really loved Collide and think there is great potential, but Spiral perhaps just didn’t suit my taste.

So sweet, so wholesome, so swoony!! One for the Sports Romance fans who also love fake dating, this is a wonderful joyous read!

I am at a loss for words, and the only one that comes to my mind is "perfection". I believe that you know when a book was written for you. You feel it. And Spiral was written for me. It was perfect from beginning to end, and I can't thank you enough, Bal Khabra, for writing this masterpiece and the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an arc. This book from now on holds an extremely special place in my heart, and I feel so lucky that I got to read it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Spiral follows Elias, an NHL rookie battling media pressure, and Sage, a ballerina struggling to build her career. After Sage saves Elias from a date with a stalker, they decide to fake-date. What starts as a façade gradually transforms into a genuine connection as they navigate their personal insecurities and public lives.

With its strong character growth and authentic chemistry, Spiral is a perfect read for fans of sports romance and fake-dating tropes. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

Argh I really enjoyed this! I enjoyed collide so I loved this one more. Elias and Sage were both great characters, and I felt the secondary characters were stronger in this. I loved catching up with Aiden and Summer, and Summer and Sage’s friendship was feel good happy 🥰

It had a great amount of sizzling scenes in, but the story was really good too, just highly recommend!