Review Tour: Ice Cold Player (Beyond the Ice #1) by Nikki Hall

Title: Ice Cold Player
Series: Beyond the Ice #1
Author: Nikki Hall
Release Date: February 23, 2024

A deal with the devil...

Gavin

Anyone but her. Eva Adams—the entitled, picture-perfect cheer princess. Incapable of empathy, patently manipulative, and absolutely beautiful. I can’t afford her drama—I just want to play my last year of hockey without being kicked out of TU, but there she is on my first day back. Crying. In a weak moment, I make her an offer. An agreement I never thought she’d take. Except she surprises me, and now I’m faced with a dilemma. Protect my secrets…or win the girl.

Eva

Anyone but him. Gavin King—the rebellious, coffee-slinging hockey god. Arrogant, irreverent, and way hotter than he has any right to be. Despite the lady tingles, I’d be happy to spend my last year at TU without seeing his face—or his tattoos—again. It should be easy. I have cheer, I have my friends, and I have nowhere to live. To my eternal frustration, he offers me a solution…for a price. When I take the deal, I can’t help wondering what else I’ll give him before the end.

Ice Cold Player is the first book in the Beyond the Ice series of interconnected standalones featuring the hockey players of Teagan University—an enemies to lovers, he falls first, forced proximity, college hockey romance with plenty of heat.

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Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own. 

This book was such a great start to the Beyond the Ice series. I didn't know this before reading it, but this series is a spinoff series to the Wild Card series. I am definitely going to have to go back and read that one!

Nikki Hall had a smooth and relatable writing style that I totally meshed with straight away. The plot was exciting and extremely compelling. I loved the premise and it really delivered an amusing story. 

I was able to connect with the characters straight off the bat. They had lots of depth and felt distinct in their personalities. I enjoyed the character development and the journeys of the characters. The secondary characters were great and made me want more from this series. Oh, and we can't forget the most darling character, Henry. I love quirky and unusual pets in stories. 

The romance in this book is a slow burn with lots of angst. The enemies-to-lovers trope is played out very well. I loved how Gavin and Eva slowly grew a connection that blossomed into more. Their chemistry was so powerful and undeniable. The romance kept me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, this was a riveting enemies-to-lovers college sports romance that definitely made its mark. I really fell for this author's writing style and fleshed-out characters. I am excited for more in this series and to check out this author's backlist. If college sports romance is your jam, this book will fit the bill. Especially if you are in your hockey romance era, like me.

Nikki Hall is a smart-ass with a Ph.D. and a potty mouth. She writes happy ever after stories with found families, sassy heroines, and strong men who love their women hard. Coffee makes her happy, messes make her stabby, and she’d sell one of her children for a second season of Firefly. You can find all her contemporary sports romance books at www.nikkihallbooks.com.

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