SUMMARY

From USA Today Bestselling Author Gigi Blume comes a new, standalone sports romance featuring a surly hockey star and the figure skater who has it in for him.

Sometimes you have to play dirty to score big.

OWEN:

I’ve never met a challenge I couldn’t deke out—until Emily Brooks blasted into my world with all the subtlety of a slapshot to the face.

When an underwear incident (don’t ask) gives Emily ammunition for her gossip blog Blades After Dark, I’ve become her very reluctant muse. Perched on her Zamboni with a crafty smirk on that gorgeous face, she’s determined to turn my life into one big penalty box.

Not only does this woman have an Olympic-sized grudge against me, she cheered—yes, cheered—for the other team.

When I find out she has a secret she doesn’t want out, it’s gloves off.

I’m tempted to toss her right into the sin bin, but she’s skating circles around me.

In a catsuit. (don’t ask about that, either)

But now the championship cup’s gone missing, and we find ourselves sleuthing in closed quarters—despite Emily’s stubborn determination to keep me at stick’s length.

Now I can’t stop thinking about that stolen kiss, and I want another taste.

Am I playing for keeps? Or am I the one who’s being played?

EMILY:

My Olympic figure skating dreams got toe-picked, but driving a Zamboni at the Toronto Blizzard Dome has its perks—like not being recognized.

Beneath the cloak of anonymity, my words do what my skates used to; they slice with precision—in my late-night hockey blog.

Enter Owen Jablonski, the cocky star player with more notches on his hockey stick than all the pucks in Canada. Yet he singles me out to—get this—come on to me.

The gall. But the pen is mightier than the skate blade, so they say.

Do I have reasons for slamming Owen’s name against the boards? Yes, I do.

And when a funny post about him goes viral, can you blame me for finding Owen’s flustered face a little bit delightful?

But instead of a simple exposé, Owen turns the tables on me and brokers a twisted deal: polish his precious public image in my blog in exchange for his silence on my identity. It’s extortion with a side of sultry glares.

And secret kisses against the wall.

He’s maddening, infuriating… a reeaaally good kisser.

Now I’m stuck in a reluctant pact with Owen. Stack on a mystery and the sting of his smoldering kiss on my mind, the heat between us might just melt all the ice in the rink.

He’s not what I expected, or wanted. How fiercely protective he is. How he insists I wear his jersey. How my heart flips when he stands up for me.

Or the way his eyes rake over me with want.

Oof. Is it getting hot in here?

I need to body-check my feelings before Owen scores more than just goals.

Lace up your skates and get ready to laugh, cry, and swoon. Head Over Skates is just the ticket for those who love their sports RomCom served with a side of snark, witty banter, and just a hint of mayhem.

🏒 Enemies to Lovers
🏒 Protective MMC
🏒 Figure skater FMC
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 Who did this to you trope
🏒 Wall kisses
🏒 Zamboni rides
🏒 Amateur sleuths
🏒 Fake dating

Image and summary from Goodreads.

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REVIEW

My first audiobook and Libby borrow of the year was Head Over Skates by Gigi Blume. I always enjoy searching Libby to see what is available to me and borrowing if I don’t already own the book which is how I found Head Over Skates. This one seemed like a perfect lighthearted book that would have been easy to listen to while I was doing some housework.

This story follows Emily and Owen who find themselves navigating personal challenges, romance and some emotional moments it has all the ingredients of a sweet contemporary sports romance. Add in the fake dating trope and it’s a great read for me.

One thing I really enjoyed was how easy it was to listen to. The audiobook was well narrated and it wasn’t a book that demanded all my attention where I’d need to rewind it back a bit if I missed something. Thats what I’m finding I like about audiobooks, I’m able to do other things while listening to a book and be able to pay attention to both the book and what I’m doing.

I liked both Emily and Owen as characters but I didn’t really feel a strong emotional connection to them. Now this could have been because it was an audiobook and I’m still getting used to listening to the story progress rather than just seeing the story progress as I read it but I still overall enjoyed the story. There were some cute moments and it was a fun and easy read to get through.

This was a 3 star read for me so if you’re in the mood for a low stakes sports romance and see this available on Libby, it could be worth adding to your Libby holds list.

-Rachelle

I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf