Icing (Aces Hockey #2) by Kelly Jamieson

{I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.}

Review and Character Study Playlist

Release: April 19, 2016
Type: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Series: Aces Hockey #2

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m still on a sports romance kick. Which is totally OK in my opinion since it led me to Icing by Kelly Jamieson. I really enjoy Ms. Jamieson’s hockey books. The Heller Brothers series hit all of the right buttons for me and I truly believe it’ll be a series I reread over and over again. I enjoyed Icing just as much as the previous Kelly Jamieson books I’ve read; I might have even enjoyed it a bit more than the Heller books in some ways. Please note that I have NOT read the previous Chicago Aces series book and that seemed totally fine as I read through Icing since Jamieson gave us plenty of background on the characters, setting and the Aces.

The Good

• I totally adore hockey romances. If you like sports romance, or just hockey romances specifically, you really shouldn’t pass by a chance to read a Jamieson book. The author just gets everything readers love about sports romances: the vulnerability of the hero/heroine in the media spotlight, the game day routines and the pros/cons of dating a professional sports player. The complexities of the romantic situation are never glossed over with Jamieson. Instead, they are explored and taken into account for each and every hero and heroine that she tackles. I can’t recommend Jamieson’s books enough if you like sports heros.
• The meet-cute in this book was pretty awesome. Although Duncan and Amber meet quickly on the heels of Duncan’s previous relationship, it didn’t feel like a rebound. The lead-up to the initial date at the diner more than held my interest and the amazingness that was their first date was worth the initial wait and turmoil. The beauty of the romance genre is that we know what’s going to happen at the end, so the back and forth between Amber and Duncan and their feelings over getting rejected by one another made their coming together that much sweeter.

The Bad

• Something about the writing in this book didn’t flow for me. It felt choppy at various parts like I was reading an incomplete work or a rough draft. It certainly wasn’t the whole book or even most of the book, just a few scenes, but it spoiled one or two of the sexy scenes for me.

The Unique

• I’m not sure I’ve read a character like Amber recently. Sure she grew up with money, sure she grew up with privilege, but at the end of the day, even when Duncan says she wants to take care of her, she doesn’t budge and run to him with open arms. Amber wants to be independent and take care of herself. She concedes a little bit, but not much. I have to admire that in a heroine.

The Playlist

• The HEA for Duncan and Amber was just so sweet that I couldn’t pass up the chance to do a playlist entirely based on their HEA. Be forewarned: the musical style of the songs on this list is incredibly varied since I focused on lyrics.

I rate this book:

What did you think of Icing?
Are there any songs that remind you of Duncan, Amber and their HEA?

Buy On Amazon