Book Review ~ Skate The Line
5 Stars | 4 Spice
Focus on Rhodes Volkova & Sunny Edwards
Book 2 of the Blue Devils Hockey Seires
QUICK REVIEW
I loved this book! This is a must-read for hockey romance fans!
The build up of Rhodes and Sunny’s relationship was incredible, and Ellie is such an awesome kid. This book was fun, flirty and a little emotional at times. I laughed, literally, out loud so many times.
With humor, heart, and a touch of angst, this book earns a spot in the top 10 hockey romances!
FULL REVIEW
SPOILERS AHEAD ~ SPOILERS AHEAD
Writing and Plot
One thing I love about how S.J. Sylvis writes, is how good she is at showing rather than just telling. The subtle detail and subtext she always manages to create just brings the pages to life. I can always hear the exact tone her characters use when they speak and I can feel what they’re feeling. Reading an S.J. Sylvis book is like truly being a fly on the wall in that world, and this book was no exception.
Single-Dad romances aren’t my favourite tropes, there are some really good ones out there don’t get me wrong, but it’s just not a trope I enjoy to often. This book however, I loved.
The build up of Rhodes and Sunny’s relationship felt realistic and something you could really see happening. It wasn’t cheesy or too stereotypical, it was organic and that’s a testament to S.J’s writing.
Characters
Another thing that makes this book great is Ellie, the daughter. I think something single-dad romances get wrong a lot is how childish that make the kid. Now, yes, I know they are children, but a lot of the single dad books I’ve read, it feels like the kid doesn’t have a personality of their own. Like they’ve just been plucked from what everyone assumes a kid would act like. But, Ellie is a fully formed person, not just a child. You can see her personality shining through and growing like you do with kids in real life. She wasn’t the perfect child or the really bad one, she floated in the middle like all humans do.
Ellie’s abandonment issues were shown really well at the start without telling us that’s what it was (again, S.J is very good at that).
I loved Sunny. She’s someone who always has a smile on their face, and loves making others happy. You’d never know what was going on inside her or the pain that she’s been through. A character I would love to be friends with.
Rhodes is a great character. Even though he is a bit grumpy at the start, you can tell that’s not truly who he is. Again, without directly telling us, you can feel that he’s become this way because of the sudden pressure that was put on his shoulders. Once he had someone to help take that pressure off, the real Rhodes shined through. I also love the touch of Russian. True to hockey because not all players are American, and it just added that extra little be hotness dust onto Rhodes.
Overall, a great read.
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