I really enjoyed this hockey romance, the characters' honesty and vulnerabilities.
Off the ice this was a wonderful love story, two characters totally opposite in personalities. The introvert and the extrovert.
I will say I wanted a bit more at the end on Mabel and her new career.
All in all I truely enjoyed this read :)

Ice hockey player Ben close to being named team captain, but first he needs to come out of his shell and believe in himself so he can be the voice of the team to media and supporters. His best friend's sister Mabel - outgoing, bubbly and confident - agrees to help him manage his fear of public speaking.
It turns out that Mabel had a teenage crush on Ben, and all those feelings are coming back as they work together.
Ben and Mable are likeable, with believable vulnerabilities, but the story does lack depth and the plot is rather predictable - but hey, it's a hockey romance with brother's best friend and a great way to escape the outside world.

I always like a good hockey romance, and Crossing the Line by Kelly Jamieson is an easy choice for that criterion. Mabel, an outgoing librarian, moves in with her twin brother after a recent breakup and unexpectedly reconnects with her childhood crush—Ben, a professional ice hockey player and her brother’s best friend.

The author has masterfully woven a heartfelt romance between the main characters while highlighting important aspects of relationships, adding depth to the story. The characters are well-developed, and even the side characters seamlessly enhance the reading experience, making the novel even more enjoyable.

If you love hockey romances with well-rounded characters, strong chemistry, and an engaging storyline, I highly recommend Crossing the Line.

Lots of tropes, a fast paced story, and so much spice!

Note Trigger Warnings per author:
- Past toxic relationship
- Serious motor vehicle accident involving secondary characters
- Death of a child of secondary characters


What happens when your childhood crush is your brothers best friend and you are all living in the same apartment?

Will Mabel survive crashing on her brother's couch knowing the man she can't stop thinking about is a few feet away?

Will Ben ignore his friends warning and pursue Mabel? Will he be able to be more outspoken or remain introverted and lose the one woman he can't stop thinking about?

A fabulous book if you are looking for a spicy hockey romance read with a great character and plot arc.

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read Crossing The Line early.
We are introduced to mabel, who's a bright light, full of energy working in her dream job as a librarian. That is until her boyfriend makes an automation, him or her bestfriend.
Ben, is a NFL hockey player who happens to be living with mabels brother, his bestfriend since school. Ben can be very shy and stuck in his head. When the opportunity arises to become the team captain, Ben is worried he won't be confident to lead them to victory.

I loved the duel pov, getting to see how both characters go through challenges together and separately

Brothers best friend, hockey romance - can I say more… What more do you want or need!?
I love that the big brawling hockey player was shy and don’t like the public eye and the cute librarian girl was the outgoing one - it was a welcomed chance!
The romance between the two was cute and I enjoyed how supportive of each other they are.

A hockey romance, the story of Ben and Mabel. She is staying with her brother and so is Ben, and when he needs help with public speaking he turns to her to help. Will they become more than friends. Looking forward to more books in this series.

Crossing the Line by Kelly Jamieson offers a fun and steamy twist on the brother’s-best-friend trope, set against the backdrop of the high-energy world of hockey. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and the slow-burn tension builds nicely throughout the story. The romance has plenty of heated moments, and fans of the genre will enjoy the familiar dynamic of forbidden attraction and the eventual swoon-worthy payoff. However, while the characters are likable, they don’t always feel fully developed, and some parts of the plot can feel a bit predictable. Still, for those who enjoy a quick, spicy romance with a touch of sports, Crossing the Line is an enjoyable, though not groundbreaking, read. It’s a solid choice for a light, fun escape.

From the start of the book I was pretty offput by the interactions between people. Everyone calling Mabel crazy and cooky. Like she’s the undesired weirdo. Or in the case of her ex Julian. He sounds like a tool and manipulative narcissist. It didn’t really get better the further in either. I thought it was a negative base for the new guy to come into the scene. I was wrong. The brothers and family are kinda jerky too.

Absolutely fantastic read from start to finish I could not put this book down a definite must download you will not be disappointed

::| Crossing the line
By Kelly Jamieson
Chapter 2 Page 15
Ben
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

[ I'm silent. There aren't many people I'm comfortable with to spill my guts to, but Smitty is one of them. I've known him the longest of any of the guys on the team, even though we played on different teams for years. We were good buddies as teenagers, stayed friends as pro players, and hung out and trained together every summer when we went home. But still I hesitate. “I'm not cut out for a bunch of PR stuff. I'd be the face of this organisation, and you know what that means. Make speeches, press conferences, ribbon-cutting bullshit.”]

Mabel has everything she could possibly want, a great job that she adores, a loving partner, a home that gives her happiness and contentment, everything people want in life.. so why did she feel something was wrong?
Why does she feel dread coming home to a house she shares with Julian? Her partner, the one she trusts the most?

Ben is an introvert who struggles to make his voice heard. He overthinks and prefers his own company, even in groups of people he knows. He sees everything but says nothing. His life is on a tilt at the moment while he crashes at his best friends place, waiting for his own place to become available.

What happens when the introvert clashes against the extravert?

This is a tale of twisted affection, self-love, emotional balance, and the right timing for perfection, delicately wrapped up in this bundle of a spine-tingling, charming book. I must admit the spice I didn't think would be appropriate because of the vivid pictures it created, but wow!! What an author. What a story. What a book!

A huge thank you to Kelly Jamieson, Boldwood Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. |::

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

Ben and Mabel had a lot of potential, and I was interested in this title as I enjoy a slightly forbidden story.

Unfortunately, this one was a slow burn that lost me in the middle of the story as it was so slow I started to lose full interest in the story. I saw what the author was trying to do, to build on the friendship, but for me it left me feeling disengaged from the story.

I am unable to recommend this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kelly Jamieson for a copy of this ARC.

This is a hockey romance where you have the girl falling for her brother’s best friend. Ben is a quiet, introverted hockey player that has everything he needs to be team captain. Except the talking part. He gets offered the job as captain but must be ambassador for this company that helps children of abuse. He is not good at talking to at all so he decides to hire Mabel.

Mabel is his best friend’s sister. So, she is staying with her brother too for some time till she can get back on her feet after leaving a toxic relationship. When she gets to her brother’s place, she sees that her old high school crush is there. She ends up on the couch while looking for a new job and place to stay. Mabel decides to help him with his issue, and they end up starting a relationship.

This book made me laugh and made me cry. It was nice to see the struggles and growth of both characters. You get to see Ben learn that he can talk to others and do great at it. With Mabel, you watch her find who she used to be and be something even greater. Overall, I would say that if you want a laugh out loud book that gets you in your feels and has hockey pick this one up.

I will say do check the trigger warnings if you have experienced a toxic relationship, been abused.

Ben is a hockey player who wants to be captain he is currently living with his best friend. Mable leaves her narcissistic ex boyfriend and has to live with her brother. The book is definitely a slow burn book but is a good hockey romance. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this.

I absolutely love Sports romance. I liked it but did not love it love it. I love the tropes, especially Brother's best friend. I loved the equation as a friend but i did not feel the chemistry between the MC's. But all in all it was a sweet easy read. Like a few parts and could connect with the social awkwardness. As i said the book was nice, the plot and writing were good but the depth in the book was on a down low.

I really enjoyed Crossing the Line, it has some of my favorite tropes including hockey romance, and brothers best friend. I enjoyed this book but I might have just read it at the wrong time because I thought it was mid.

Ben & Mabel made the perfect couple who balanced each other out with Ben being an introvert & Mabel being an extrovert. She was helping him be more comfortable speaking with others & they stopped fighting their attraction to each other. They finally felt that someone finally got them & accepted who they were but it wasn’t easy after what they both experienced in the past. This was a fun, emotional, entertaining book with wonderful characters that you will absolutely enjoy!! A must read!!

A Heartfelt Hockey Romance

I adore Ben and Mabel. They are complete opposites but accept each other for who they are. Mabel is loud, eccentric and a complete extrovert, while Ben is shy, quiet and an introvert. It was beautiful to see these two open up to each other and to learn to trust each other. This feel good, hockey romance is heartfelt, emotional and sweet.

A delightful slow burn hockey romance where the MFC falls for her brothers best friend (and fellow hottie hockey player). YES PLEASE! I found Crossing The Line to be a delightful indulgent read. Ben is a socially awkward cutie that should vulnerability which I appreciated. Mabel reminds me of that perky hippy friend that you just love spending time with. This combination made for a fun read.

I would absolutely review the trigger warnings before going into this book. There is an undisclosed child loss that is not warned about, and in my opinion should be removed. It did not advance the story and is extremely offputting in what should be a light hockey romance read.

Steamy Level: 2.7/5

Mabel had a crush on her brother's best friend, Ben, in high school and tried everything to get his attention while he did his best to avoid her. It's been ten years since and she's happy to never see him again. But when she breaks up with her boyfriend and needs a place to stay, she doesn't realize Ben is staying with her brother already and still giving her the cold shoulder as usual.
Ben may have been one of the popular guys on the hockey team in high school, but he's a shy introvert and has trouble knowing what to say. Mabel's outgoing energy just makes him even more tongue tied so he did his best to avoid her. Now he's living in the same condo and is becoming uncomfortably aware of his attraction for her. When his coach puts him on the short list to become captain next year, he knows he needs help and Mabel would be the perfect "extrovert coach".
These two were so great together, accepting each other for exactly who they were and supporting each other. I relate so much to Ben, being such an introvert myself, that I felt connected to the characters. I liked the behind the scenes with the rest of the team also. The story was a bit predictable but I was happy with their HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.