Hockey romances can feel like a dime a dozen these days, but one author you need to have on your radar is Bal Khabra. She released her debut: Collide and is now giving us the follow-up: Spiral.
Whether you're a newbie to the hockey romance world or have loved them for years, Bal Khabra is giving us something fun and fresh. There is no denying some of the greats when it comes to hockey romance books, but Bal Khabra is quickly carving out a name for herself.
Let me start by saying that if you haven't read Collide, it's best to read it before going into Spiral as it will introduce you to our love interest and also give some backstory about who certain characters are in the story. While it's not necessary, I highly recommend it as I adored the first book.
With that being said, I'd like to thank Berkley for sending me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one.
Spiral will have you falling love all over again.
Spiral was released less than a year after Collide, but honestly, this is one book where I forgot how connected things are. Going into Spiral, we're getting Eli's story who plays on the same professional hockey team as Aiden who is the love interest in Book 1. Moving away from hockey for a second, this is mostly about Sage.
Sage is an aspiring ballet dancer who is trying to balance her dance career, taking care of her brother and not asking for help. She ends up getting roped into bidding on a date with Eli who acts like an absolute jerk to her at first. Eventually, the two go on a date but it doesn't seem like things are going to work out for them.
Sage suggests fake dating to help his playboy reputation and help her online presence as a dancer yet Elijah declines. Eventually, Elijah ends up talking about her to the media, and from there, the fake dating games begin. If you're looking for steam, this book does have its fair share but mostly the book is focused on the two of them working on themselves and coming to terms with their feelings.
Bal Khabra does bring the spice rest assured, but what I loved most about this book was how much we learned about Sage and Eli. Sage ended up basically parenting her brother from a very young age and she still feels very protective over him. Eli's family history isn't that much better and we watch as the two slowly start to unlearn previous bad habits and learn to be better for the other person.
We also see Sage and Eli reach some incredible career milestones as well. Spiral truly came out of nowhere for me as I adored this book so much. If you're craving some hockey romance with a lot of heart and some spice, then you'll love Spiral. Plus what better time than the present to go back and revisit Collide, too?
I'm truly excited for this world Bal Khabra has built within her Off the Ice series and I can't wait for what's to come.
Spiral by Bal Khabra is out now where books are sold.