I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Samantha Evans has always been career driven, but when her biological clock raised it's head, and with the death of a beloved friend, and owner of her local bookshop, she is now reconsidering it all. Quitting her job when she is overlooked for promotion in favour of the boss’s inept nephew, Sam needs a change of pace, and luckily there’s an opening at the store. Though he may be a NHL hot shot, Nick Hawke is recovering from an injury, and grieving his grandmother. At a loose end, he has until the season starts again to reorganise the store, and find a competent manager to take his place. Working with Samantha is both a dream and a nightmare, but not one he wants to end any time soon.

Well, this book was as fantastic as Amy's previous one, if not better. When I saw she had another book releasing soon, I was desperate to get my hands on it, and Sam and Nick were the perfect couple for this story. Samantha was such a strong character, who knew that as a woman in a male dominated industry she had to fight for what she wanted, but she didn't realise that the corner office and car was not that, but rather a family instead. I loved seeing her embrace her vulnerability and the way she found true friendship, and then love, with Nick. Nick may have been an NHL athlete, but his injury and losing his grandmother had made him really think about what he wanted from the future. He and Sam hit it off right away, and their banter and quips were excellent. I was just hooked on this book, and had to read it in one sitting because I needed to see our couple get their happy ending. Such a perfect book, and one everyone needs to get their hands on!

The first thing I wanted to say was how hilarious it was to read a book where part of a woman's reproductive tract is a starring character! The FMC's eggs are so funny! Part of this book felt a little fantastical. I mean a woman never gets the corner office, 2x pay and a company Porsche! The bookstore romance with a professional hockey player is completely believable! The body positivity aspects were wonderful and very relatable. I found the spice a bit different. It was open, but quick, which was disappointing. So much buildup! Overall a fun read!

Big thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood books and Amy Andrews for a copy of this book. This is my honest review.

The characters, Sam and Nick have known each other for many years through Birdie. When Birdie passes away, Nick, leaving his NHL team for a while, comes to deal with her bookstore. What he didn't expect was Sam. Sam is wanting babies, her eggs keep begging to be used... which to me is the weirdest part of this book... the constant talk of her eggs. Will Sam and Nick work or will Nick go back to the NHL?

Thankyou for accepting me to arc read this book
I really enjoyed this story and the tropes.
Hockey romances and bookstore romances are my favourite, so with those two concepts joined together made it a really good story

Samantha thinks she has everything she wants but her life is consumed by work and her biological clock is ticking.
But when she's forced to take time off due to her boss's nephew, she knows it's only time before they'll be begging her to come back and fix what went wrong. 
But when her neighbour's NHL grandson, Nick, bought her shop after her passing, an opportunity a rises for her to keep busy, but working at the bookstore might not be all that will keep her busy. 
I loved Nick's soft character and Sam's determination. But it was this that made them compliment each other. 
This novel was written with a dual point of view which allowed us to know what both characters were thinking. 
I love Andrews style of writing and the laugh-out-loud funny moments in this novel.
I found this novel teaches us to find our happiness and spoke to me a lot while I was reading it. 
Another fantastic novel by this author, who is definitely on my go-to list.

Spicy, funny, complicated, great story and fabulous characters. Easy read for a lazy weekend . Recommend for lovers of a quirky romance!

Overall a cute read. I love a good rom com, particularly a hockey romance. Always a fun vibe and the elements of the bookstore? So cute.

I did find the dialogue to feel a bit forced and choppy, same with the plot. The story felt more forced rather than organic as it progressed. A lot of exposition dumping rather than introducing information as a part of the story. I felt this somewhat detracted from the story itself as it felt like I was being taken out of it to learn about the past rather than learning with the story. I also found all the talk about her eggs to be really odd and kind of off putting. It feels like it's detracting from who she is as a person and boiling her down to some biological need,

I did really enjoy the chemistry with our leads though and thought they were fairly well fleshed out.

🏒Breaking the Ice📚by Amy Andrews
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review!
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️
💭My thoughts: Samantha is career driven but at thirty years old she wants more so she takes a leave from work, because she claims her eggs are cheeping at her (yes her eggs from her ovaries). Nick, a hockey player who took over a second hand bookstore, hires her and becomes a friend, setting her up on blind dates. She ends up not finding any men in her demographic, over lots of disastrous attempts. Of course, it’s Nick she has the hots for. This book was pretty slow burn and not so much hockey. The cover was a little misleading, but I did like how bookish the plot was. They made each other read the books they like and it made them see things differently. Samantha was just really insecure in some ways I found relatable, but her mentioning her eggs every other page was a little annoying. I did like that her sister Bec was pushing her to put herself out there and was always rooting for her, as sisters should do, but she meddled a lot. Even though it ended up working out, it just felt like Samantha wasn’t mature enough and very impulsive. The book wrapped up a little too fast in my opinion, but it was a cute ending nonetheless.

What I Thought
This wasn’t good. There was a mish mash of “hot” topics that were thrown in to make it feel like it was checking all the boxes – body positivity, toxic masculinity, running out of time to have children, hockey, bookstore, etc…. The characters are flat and uninteresting; there is no chemistry between them and their banter is cringeworthy. This definitely was not for me and I DNF after 8 chapters/ 25%.

*thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for access to the ARC*

Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews talks about Samantha, a high powered career woman who finds herself managing the bookshop alongside hockey player Nick Hawke.

Firstly, the premise of the story was really promising, I loved the idea of a cute bookshop romance between two people who find themselves in close proximity due to the circumstances. However, there were a couple of things that bothered me.

Samantha and her ever-present eggs: I think had the eggs had any more mention, they probably could be credited as their own character. The first time it was not that funny, by the end, I was thoroughly bored of hearing about her eggs and their endless input on her life.

Many women all around the world deal with being reminded of their “biological clock” and I personally think this would have been a great opportunity to instead talk about the unfair pressure women deal with to have kids by a specific age and how the actual metaphor of this so-called “biological clock” is really patronizing and sexist.

I also think that the problem with how the story tackled this issue is that it never feels like Samantha actually wants kids, she more feels she should have kids? Never in the story do we see her talk about why she wants to have them apart from appeasing her eggs. All of this then ends with her making some out of character decisions about her career that furthered just confused me.

Another thing that bothered me would be some of Nick’s behavior in the story that is seemingly glazed over. The scene where he’d be a willing sperm donor between lesbians as long as “he gets to watch” is an unfunny and unnecessary addition that propagates fetishizing lesbians. It adds nothing to the overall story and I personally don’t see why it needed to be added at all.

But what I did like about the story would be its talk about body positivity and Samantha’s slow journey into feeling comfortable with it during intimate moments with Nick. I think it’s important to show that years of struggling with your body doesn’t disappear suddenly just because someone tells you they like your body. It was nice to see this gradual progression of Samantha becoming more confident and Nick being patient as she initiates doing more in the bedroom.

Overall, the story wasn’t bad I think there were just moments I wish were fleshed out more. I also think there were so many good ideas that were drowned out by repetitive references.

°book review°
 
Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews is a blend of humor, romance, and heartfelt moments.
 
Nick Hawkeye Hawke, an NHL player recovering from a potentially career-ending injury, takes it easy and works at his grandmother's bookshop. However, Samantha Evans decides to switch jobs from her stressful corporate life to working at the bookshop, which forces Nick and Sam to work together. As they navigate their newfound friendship, they find themselves in the "friend zone" as they try to resist their desire for each other.
 
Their arrangement starts off as purely business, but as they spend more time together, sparks fly, and they find themselves battling unexpected emotions.
 
This book had laugh-out-loud moments, but those were at the expense of Samantha's dates. The way she spoke about the date to Nick was entertaining. Their chemistry is electric; however, Nick and Sam are determined in things that they want (do they really want what they want?) which is causing them to turn a blind eye to the blessing that is in their front.
 
I liked Bec and her meddling ways. This was a slow burn. Amy Andrews created engaging dialogue that keeps the story lively and entertaining but at times cringey. The book explores themes of trust, self-discovery, and the importance of family and love.

I wanted more of sports and spice. I was not a fan of Sam and was irritated with her talking only about eggs and almost throughout the story. Also her lack of confidence in her ody and self was disappointing. Nick was all towards curvy people and body positivity but the way he spoke about the one date who had less curves was irritating, why can't body positivity be for all shapes.

I was not happy with any decisions that either of them took. Both of them were immature for someone in their 30s. Overall I was not a fan of this book.

This was a really fun and exciting read with a great premise. I found myself chuckling a lot at the chemistry between our two leads. It was a really nice slow burn and it was a fun journey to seeing their passions blossom into so much more.

This book will most definitely give you all the feels despite the noisy eggs. That did make me laugh a lot. I can safely say my eggs have never been noisy, but if you are Samantha, well then you are in trouble.

This was a nice slow burn, despite both liking each other, nothing happened for a while and everything was just built upon. Both have to leave behind their passions, and start again, and start life again, and they are just there for each other.

Some of the dates that Samantha went on were funny. And it was funny to watch Nick squirm knowing how he felt. Life would be so much easier if everyone was honest about their feelings, but then we wouldn't have a story!! I wasn't happy when they both went their separate ways but in a way that was good for them - made you see what you were missing out.

It was a tale that made me smile and I was wholeheartedly behind these two and looking forward to my HEA.

Barely spicy, male female, contemporary romance. It's too bad that you would never guess the female lead was supposed to be a curvy girl with thick thighs from the book cover. Very random but cute premise - hockey player running his recently passed grandma's book store and hires her favorite customer as a bookseller because she has lost her accountant job. Sweet and cozy read, but the eggs/biological clock stuff that started as quirky got old. Lots of tension and some brief smut with a bit of a rushed ending.

The blurb for this states SPICY… yeah, I think whoever wrote that hook needs to look up was “spicy” means, because Breaking the Ice is not it. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad book – far from it – but I’d expectations going in that weren’t fulfilled. Hence the rating.

I adored the premise when I was offered this book and that does pay off. It’s really sweet and I loved the juxtaposition of the tough hockey player inheriting a romance book shop. The sparks between the characters really flew as well.

I found Nick an adorable hero. Sam was okay, but the constant mention of her “chirping eggs” was overdone. I did get the impression she was more into Nick as daddy material rather than lover. That said, the slow burn was genuinely hot. Just not spicy levels of hot.

Andrews’ prose is fabulous, though. Breaking the Ice steams along with the right balance between description and action, and her characters are all very realistic. The setting is cosy – it’s a bookshop, after all – and I did like how Nick and Sam found comfort in each other after their recent losses.

My last thought is that the story ends somewhat abruptly. Either a little more in the last chapter or an epilogue would have finished it nicely. I don’t believe there’s a second book, but maybe?

Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

NHL hot shot, Nick Hawkeye Hawke has 4 months to recuperate from a potentially career ending injury. All he has to do is take it easy and keep things low key. So, looking after his grandmother's beloved second hand romance bookshop and working very closely with the ruthlessly efficient Samantha Evans is just what he needs right? Wrong!

Career driven Sam has impulsively decided to swap her highly stressful corporate job for a slower pace in her favourite bookshop at the exact time her biological clock has started to tick. And she wants absolutely none of that. But when your boss is a hot hockey superstar and you can’t stop daydreaming of him being your baby daddy, forced proximity takes on a whole new meaning.

With temptation around every book shelf, Nick and Sam find themselves skating on thin ice until they put themselves firmly in the friend zone. But the more they try to resist their slow burn, the more they want each other. How long can they stay in the zone until one of them breaks the ice?

Previously published as Risky Business

My Opinion

Nick is running the family bookshop whilst he recovers from an injury that has threatened his NHL career. Samantha is taking a break from her corporate job. The chemistry is obvious from the beginning. My only issue with this book was that I would have liked an epilogue, but overall this was an enjoyable book. At less than 300 pages this was a relatively quick book to read.

This was my second book by Amy Andrews and both have been entertaining reads.

Rating 4/5

Another great Amy Andrews sports romance!

I love the previous books I’ve read by Andrews and she’s given us another excellent and unique one here - a devoted romance reader who leaves her toxic workplace to go work for the son of her beloved late romance bookstore owner, who takes over after her passing. Birdie’s is a local hot-spot for ladies of all ages, and Sam is a regular.

When Nick takes on running the shot while rehabbing from a hockey injury, no one quite knows what will happen to the store, least of all Sam, who up and leaves her high-powered job after one too many old-boys-club incidents can’t be overlooked. Nick and Sam have met over the years when he was home visiting, and the slight friendship becomes a whole lot more when in close proximity at the small store daily, and Sam has been looking at him differently now that her biological clock has started ticking, loudly.

A lot of fun and I definitely recommend it! If you’re a fan of hers, you’ll love it as. Much as I did with the fantastic banter and chemistry. If you haven’t read her before, you’re in for a treat!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the early copy. This is my honest feedback.

After reading my last book, which was quite an intense WWII novel, I needed something completely different and this book provided that! After all, this is a funny, spicy sports hero, bookshop centred romance.
Sam is an ambitious career woman who is aiming to go even further up the chain - she is determined that the coveted corner office is going to be hers. She also suddenly has a ticking biological clock. She has gone from being a woman who had no interest in having children to being obsessed with the idea of meeting Mr Right and having babies...now.

The one person who she turns to to help her find the right guy is Nick. Nick is an injured NHL star who has been asked by his family to run his grandmother's beloved romance bookstore until he gets back to his hockey career. Sam is a big romance reader and she has long loved visiting Birdie's bookstore, so when Birdie passes away she is relieved that the store will still be operating, although she is concerned that Nick will make wholesale changes.

When Sam quits her job after her boss promotes his smarmy nephew, she finds herself working at the bookshop, alongside Nick. Sam is a bit curvy and Nick is a handsome professional athlete so she thinks that there's no way that he could possibly be interested in her. He also does not want kids, so he doesn't meet her brief. She therefore asks him to help set her up with blind dates to help find the man who does.

We follow Sam as she goes on date after date, with Nick watching on wondering why she doesn't see how attractive she is. And when Sam and Nick do give into their attraction, the chemistry leaps off the page.

I loved that Nick and Sam were able to share their reading with each other. Whilst Sam is a diehard romance reader with a penchant for pirate romance, Nick loves Westerns and they challenge each other to read each other's preferred authors.

My favourite of the secondary characters was definitely Sam's straight talking sister who often called Sam out on her shortsightedness when it comes to her life, and definitely when it comes to Nick.

Whilst I thought that this book was a lot of fun and I liked it a lot, there was one aspect that was overdone for me and that was Sam's eggs, as in her reproductive system. They were described as being mutinous, as cheeping, noisy, talking and recalcitrant, and that is just in the first chapter. Whilst it was fun at first, by the end of the book it was too much.

These spicier, sports romance are a little out of my current reading zones, but I will be happy to read more of these from Amy Andrews, not least of all because she is an Aussie author. This book was previously released under the title Risky Business. I will be interested to see if her next release is another re-release or if it will be something new.

.I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and the Bookish Books Reading Challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 3.5/5

From the very beginning, Nick and Sam have undeniable chemistry that lights up the page. Although they’re drawn to each other right away, the slow-burn tension keeps things simmering, and that build-up makes their connection even more satisfying in the end.

Nick is such a sweetheart—supportive, kind, and so wonderfully body-positive. His gentle encouragement really helps Sam open up, and it’s heartwarming to watch him help her work through her insecurities. Sam’s journey has some over-the-top moments (the constant "egg" talk had its cringey parts), but once you settle into the story, it becomes a fun, steamy, and feel-good romance.

The ending felt a little abrupt, and an epilogue would have added a nice, tied-up conclusion. Still, Breaking the Ice is a memorable and enjoyable read that’s sure to please romance fans!

Samantha Evans has hit a wall with the progression of her career. All that’s left is to become a partner and secure a corner office and a sleek sportscar. Her life is leaning towards boring as she works long hours and spends her free time reading and visiting her local bookshop. Birdie, the bookshop owner, sounded like a real treasure, but she didn’t make it into the story, as news of her death was featured in the opening pages. Her passing made way for the arrival of her NHL star grandson, Nick.
I felt drawn to Samantha as her determination at work was enviable. Having spent a few years working in marketing, I am well aware of how challenging it is as a career, but I am equally aware of the ticking of a woman’s body clock; perhaps not to the degree of hearing my eggs cheering, but I completely understood. Naturally, Samantha was looking for a forever guy and not just an occasional hook-up. With that in mind, she agrees with Nick that he should help her by arranging blind dates with friends of some of his brothers. This led to a series of comedic moments that ultimately produced a tension between Samantha and Nick that couldn’t be ignored.
Nick was the typical All-American sports star, and I am more than familiar with his type. He has his pick of women and can always find a date. His secret love of reading and willingness to tackle a new genre while introducing Samantha to cowboy stories was refreshing. I loved his willingness to be vulnerable and yet professional.
I shall leave that there for fear of including any spoilers, but I can promise a real treat to any readers. I stayed up ridiculously late with this one as I just needed to see how it would turn out, although I pretty much knew where it was going. A solid five stars from me, and I will seek out more from this author.