Thrown for a Loop

A New York Legends Hockey Romance

By: Sarina Bowen

Narrated by: Brooke Bloomingdale, Ryan Hudson

A hockey player and a former figure skater get a second chance at love in this hot sports romance from a USA Today bestselling author, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace, Elle Kennedy, and Grace Reilly.

Zoe Carson, former figure skating queen, needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach. An NHL gig with the New York Legends is her big chance. Unfortunately, that means facing off against the star player who broke her heart ten years ago. 

Chase Merritt knows his game is off, and he’s on the verge of losing sponsors. But he doesn’t need the ice princess from that intense college summer showing up and telling him what he’s doing wrong—even when she’s right.

On the ice, they’re magic. Off the ice, they’re nothing but heat and stubbornness, and everyone on the team is enjoying the show. But when an old video of Zoe and Chase’s figure skating routine goes viral, they’re forced to work together more intimately than ever before. Can the two get it right this time or will the whole world watch them crash and burn?

Hockey Player vs. Figure Skater for the Win

There’s something magical about Sarina Bowen’s hockey romances. I loved this book and getting to know this new hockey team. It’s the first one in a new series, so I’m really looking forward to the other characters getting their own stories.

The hockey player vs. figure skater is a win-win for me. I like when both main characters are athletes. And this one combines it with a new coach vs. player dynamic and a second chance setup that includes animosity between them but intertwined with glimpses of their past and how they got here.

I think Brooke Bloomingdale did a wonderful job in this one. I very much enjoyed listening to her and I think she was a great Zoe. But I didn’t have the same feeling when it was Ryan Hudson’s turn. He felt flat and I didn’t particularly like his narration. He has a nice voice though. I still think it’s a great listen and would recommend it to people who love hockey romance and hockey players falling for figure skaters.

Could not stop listening

I really tried to stretch listening to this book out, I really did. I wanted to make it last. But Sarina did it again by writing a book that I just couldn’t put down. I became so fully invested that I wanted to search YouTube for the video to watch. This story will be one that I go back to listen to again and again.

second chance romance at it's best ❤️

Zoe and Chase meet as teenagers, their love was combustible, life isn't always fair. Ten years later and a failed marriage later Zoe find herself in Chase's orbit again. You can feel the push and pull of their chemistry as Chase and Zoe find their way back to each other

A fun easy to follow hockey figure skater romance

A sweet, not too raunchy skating romance. I will listen again shortly. I also enjoyed the narrators.

So enjoyable!

Author Sarina Bowen did a live Zoom interview hosted by a bookstore whose name I've forgotten now, sorry. The good thing about the live Zoon interview and discussion is that it gave me the incentive to sit down and try to read all day. I didn't finish it by the time of the Zoom interview, but I read a good chunk of it.

My favorite aspect of this novel was the second chance trope and how the flashbacks were done by Ryan Hudson, the male actor and the current day story was done only by Brooke Bloomingdale, the female voice actress. Sarina Bowen mentioned in her Zoom interview why she chose to write it this way, and I think her style choice was a good gamble. I also liked the ice skating details and reference to the classic ice skating movie, The Cutting Edge.

My Bookbub tags: Original / Page-turner / Romantic / Entertaining / Easy-to-read / Wonderful characters / Happily-Ever-After