Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 334 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

f at first you don’t succeed, DO NOT try, try again. At least not when it comes to dating a hockey player.

When Naomi met Camden Cole on Oakley Island, she assumed he would be gone in a week or two like any other tourist passing through.

Perfect for a fun summer relationship. A temporary one.

As a single mom to ten-year-old Liam, she’s not holding out hope for husband material and is way too skittish about commitment to consider more.

So when both Naomi and Liam start getting too attached, she cuts Camden loose. Better to end things before either of their hearts could get broken.

But the joke’s on her—they broke anyway.

As an added punchline (and gut punch), her job relocates her to the town of Harvest Hollow—where Camden plays for the Appies.

It’s FINE, Naomi tells herself. He’s a professional hockey player with a busy career. Their paths will never cross.

And they probably wouldn’t have—if not for Liam’s newfound hockey obsession.

Now, Naomi is right back where she was last summer—with the same feelings and the same desire to protect her and Liam.

But when Camden wants to go all-in with her and Liam, is Naomi ready to stop running?

As You Ice It is a closed door hockey romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.

This is part of the Appies hockey romance series, featuring Just Don’t Fall, Absolutely Not in Love, a Groom of One’s Own, Romancing the Grump, Runaway Bride and Prejudice, and When Alec Met Evie. These books are standalones but may be best read in order. Related If All Else Sails.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

OH HOW I ADORED THIS BOOK.

This was a huge surprise to me that this story was coming and y’all, I NEEDED it and didn’t even know it. I loved seeing Naomi and Camden’s love story get its own book. It was incredibly soft and tender. It’s low angst but high tension and filled with alllll of the communication. This book brought me peace every time I picked it up.

And getting to see the entire Appies team one more time was hitting me in the feels. The group texts and friendships make this book. I love how large this family is and how they treat and love each other through the highs and lows.

AND DO NOT WORRY, DO NOT FEAR, the jersey moment there and it was *on fire*. BLESS SPORTS ROMANCES.

Overall audience notes:

• Hockey Romance
• Language: none
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: low
• Content warnings: a loved one with early on-set dementia

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