Crossing the Ice (Ice #1)
by Jennifer Comeaux

“Falling hard never felt so good.

Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?” (Goodreads)

From the first paragraph of this book I knew I would enjoy the story. It is always refreshing to read a well written story and Jennifer Comeaux did just that with Crossing the Ice. The characters are well developed and as the reader, we are immediately introduced to the character of Courtney and soon after, Josh. Courtney is focused on her skating and picking up the pieces of a failed relationship, and Josh, along with his sister, are on a journey to the Olympics, which pits him against Courtney.

I do not know much about figure skating, except that I can watch it every four years during the Winter Olympics and that Meryl and Charlie are the reigning champions for pairs. Oh wait….I also watched The Cutting Edge numerous times in the 90s, so I know what a toe pick is. Does that make me knowledgable enough? Probably not, but Comeaux has plenty of knowledge on the sport and she draws a beautiful picture of this sport in her book. I could picture the routines and hear the music, and when it was competition time I was right there in the rink with Courtney feeling all of her nervousness, excitement, and insecurities.

I love the relationship between Courtney and Josh and could not wait to find out what happened to them and their relationship. Relationships on their own are hard enough, but add in being on opposite ends of a competitive sports, partners and siblings who disapprove of any type of interactions, and then an impending separation, how will this relationship work.

Through all the difficulties of training for the Olympics and various competitions the two fall for each other and we sit on the edge of our seats and bite our nails waiting to see what happens. This is a whirlwind story full of angst and excitement that kept me enthralled from the first view of the ice until the final page. Big kudos to Jennifer Comeaux on writing a great story that anyone can read and enjoy.