A review by moni_reads
Cruising on Ice by Kerry Evelyn

4.0

This is the first book of the author's that I've read & I would like to read more from her. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series. This is book 1 of the Palmer City Voltage Series & is a standalone, though characters from the author's other books appear so readers who have read them will appreciate that & new readers will be curious to read those stories as well. The book's blurb lets you know what to expect. It's a good & sweet friends to lover first person dual pov sports romance.

To celebrate her birthday & making the national cheerleading team, Taylor has planned to go on a cruise with her sister. It's been a lifelong wish of hers & something fun for her to do before she begins grad school. When her sister is sick & Kingston takes her place as Taylor's traveling companion, Taylor is unsure if it's a good idea to spend close time with the man she's been crushing on for years. Being the younger sister of Kingston's best friend & Taylor's own insecurities make her believe that friendship is the only be possible between them. But, spending time alone together makes her rethink what she thought. While Taylor may doubt that Kingston could return her feelings, she never doubts what kind of man he is. What I liked about her was how supportive & uplifting she was towards him & in her dreams to become a sports psychologist.

While Kingston has had success with his minor league team, his goal is to make it to the NHL & stay there for good. When he hears no word from his agent after having a great game in the minor league championship game which his team won, he begins to doubt himself once again. To serve as a distraction & hopefully make her trip better, he agrees to go on the cruise with Taylor. Even before the cruise he had begun to notice his feelings for her but being with her in close quarters makes him accept what he already knew. What I liked about Kingston is how he didn't waste time in taking action once he accepted his feelings for Taylor. He was already caring & considerate towards her but those actions became stronger & he didn't back down when conflict arose though he respected her wishes.

As expected from the friends to lovers trope, the romance is a sweet slow burn & the transition of their relationship felt natural. They both were supportive of the other & wanted the best for each other. Their longing for the other was mutual so you never had to worry about how they felt for each other. The romance is clean, though some thoughts & words were innuendos. The conflict is minimal &,though it had been building, it did feel as if it was for the sake of the story to have something to resolve given that it happened when everything had been going problem free & how it happened as the story was nearing its end. Readers may not like Taylor's reaction but her reasoning, especially when she voices her thoughts out loud, can be understood. The conflict does create the tiniest bit of angst but it doesn't last too long. The ending also left me wanting a bit more but, overall, this was a good start to the series & introduction to the author for me making me wanting to continue the series.