Book Review: Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux

At First Sight: Courtney has dreamed of following the steps of her mentor and coach Emily into Olympic gold, and she's one half of a competitive figure skating pair with good chances to make it into the Vancouver Olympics... if she and her partner Mark can push themselves a little more during the olympic season.

Emily and her husband Sergei have been coaching her and Mark since they were kids... so they feel a little betrayed when they agree to coach their rival team, brother and sister Josh and Stephanie.

Having Stephanie around is never pleasant, but Josh is another story all together. He's kind and shy and slowly forms a friendship with Courtney that has the potential to turn into so much more...

Second Glance: Crossing the Ice was fun. I always find I have lots of fun with these books from Jennifer Comeaux centered around the world of figure skating.

I really liked Courtney, she was smart and funny and a good competitor, she really worked hard for what she wanted in life and appreciated all the sacrifices her parents made for her. She didn't take skating for granted.

Josh I liked too, he was really nice and I'm all for nice guys, his shyness made lots of sense to me, even though he was rich and attractive, he had never really been allowed to express much of what he was made off.

Also, I liked the fact that the book didn't gloss over what it meant for them to be on rival teams, and where their loyalties laid. The book went there with the jealousy and insecurity I'm sure lots of figure skaters experience.

Aside from that, I really liked all the other characters in the story - except for Stephanie - it was lovely to catch up with Chris and Liza and Emily and Sergei from the Edge Series, I loved how the author incorporated them without letting them overpower the story. And Sergei and Emily's twins, Quinn and Alex, are the MOST ADORABLE kids ever!

And I was left very excited for whats coming next for these two.

Bottom Line: Highly recommend Crossing the Ice, to figure skating fans and just regular people in general looking for a sweet romance. And, as I said, I'm very excited for Courtney and Josh' continued story. 

 

Book Tour: Fighting for the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux

At First Sight: Emily is living her dream, she's one half of one of the top rated pairs skating teams and has a great partner in Chris (who keeps her calm during the competitions, something she never managed to do before pairing with him), and is married to her handsome coach Sergei and has a real shot at winning in the Torino Olympics.

Aubrey is also living the dream, she has a great partner in Nick, and great coaches and she's one half of the top rated US ice dance team. If it weren't for an ill advised one-night stand with a Canadian skater - who now won't leave her alone - her life would be awesome.

Until their skating ring is destroyed during a freak snow storm, and both Audrey and Emily (and their respective teams) are forced to decamp to Boston as they get ready for nationals and the Olympics.

But with their last chance at Olympic Glory in sight, life is not done sending them curve balls.

Second Glance: Fighting for the Edge is the last book in the Edge trilogy, which up to now has following Emily as she fell in love with Sergei; but this time around we also get to see Aubrey's perspective.

I have to say that I liked this change, and the fact that it was very easy to identify who was talking - because Emily's POV is in first person and Aubrey's in third - and this made the pace of the book a little more brisk, which I really liked, plus I liked seeing these two girls with similar dreams but who are at very different stages in their lives, even though they are the same age. It was a nice contrast.

And, for the most part, I really liked the book. I love the world of figure skating, and I loved being inside it from two skater's perspective - though it was a bit eery since I remember both Torino and Salt Lake with perfect clarity, so I was, like, Whoa! sometimes when they talked about the games.

My one concern for the book came later on, and I can't really discuss because it goes deep into spoiler territory, but yeah, it made me question how realistic some of the things were.

But, on the other hand, I totally loved Chris and Sergei. 

Bottom Line: Save for that thing, I really enjoyed and loved the book, it was easy to slide into the world and easy to read (I mean this in a good way) and it was a lovely visit with friends I hadn't seen in a while. I also liked that it wasn't as dramatic a story as the two previous ones, so it was just a lot of fun to read. In any case, I really recommend Fighting for the Edge for anyone who likes sports books, and skating books in particular. 

2/3

Tour Schedule

 Fighting for the Edge Two friends. Two dreams. One night that changes everything… Ice dancer Aubrey London scoffs at romance. She’s focused on winning a medal at the upcoming Olympics and uses that as her excuse to avoid serious relationships. But when she and longtime friend Chris Grayden are thrown together by unforeseen circumstances, Aubrey finds herself questioning everything she's ever known about love, complicating her life both on and off the ice. 

Pairs skater Emily Petrov embraces romance. She and her husband Sergei still act like honeymooners two years after their wedding. As Emily’s coach, Sergei provides constant support while she prepares to challenge for gold at the Olympics. But Sergei’s support might not be enough to help Emily overcome the one challenge she never saw coming. 

With the Games only weeks away, Emily and Aubrey are on the verge of realizing their dreams. But one snowy, stormy night sets in motion a series of events that will test them in ways they never imagined, giving them more to fight for than Olympic medals.  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Praise for Fighting for the Edge "Emily and Aubrey's final challenge is Jennifer Comeaux's greatest victory. Both touching and suspenseful, Fighting for the Edge is a game changer that will have fans of the series giving both the characters and the author a standing ovation once they've turned the last page. If I could pass out medals, Jennifer would earn gold for writing my favorite romance of all time." - Jenna at Jenna Does Books 

 "Jennifer Comeaux puts you in the action, makes you smell the ice and hear the roar of the crowd during the nail-biting competitions, and she's a master at creating first love jitters in your stomach from the steamy scenes that are so hot without being explicit." - Christina Jean Michaels, author of Epiphany   

Author Jennifer Comeaux

Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. There aren't any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she's a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is travelling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing.

When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see another side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Jennifer is blessed with a wonderful family and many friends who have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a published author.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Pinterest

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/19/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Book Review: Edge of the Past by Jennifer Comeaux (Blog Tour)

Warning: This review will contain spoilers regarding the previous book in the series Life on the Edge

At First Sight: Pairs figure skater Emily is happily planning her wedding to her coach Sergei while training for the Grand Prix Finals and World Championships. She knows the timing is a little less than ideal but she and her partner Chris have won ever competition they have entered so far; and it has taken her and Sergei a lot of work to get people - like Em's mom - to accept their relationship. 

When the Grand Prix Final takes them all to Russia, Emily is excited about finally meeting Sergei's parents and seeing the place where he grew up, even if going to Russia makes her wonder and worry about Elena, the woman Sergei once loved and with whom he skated for many years before her father  ended their career.

Em tries to tell herself that it's all going to be okay, that the ghosts will stay in the past and her future with Sergei will be golden. But there is nothing to prepare her for the shock of actually meeting Elena and realizing what happened to the baby she and Sergei were forced to give away as teenagers.

Suddenly, Em's relationship with Sergei - which used to be a source of comfort and strength - is more shaky than ever.

Second Glance: So, last year I read Life on the Edge and I loved it, even though I had a few issues with it as well. And something very similar happened with Edge of the Past.

I enjoy the writing, I like Emily and Sergei and Chris and a number of other characters populating this book - even if Emily was a bit too dramatic this time around, and Sergei often acted without considering all the repercussions of his actions - and I certainly love the world of figure skating. But there were little things that kept jumping at me now and then.

It took me a little while to get into the story because the beginning is a little slow - at least it felt that way compared to the previous book - and then this big thing happened and for a great chunk that followed the story kept going round and round about this thing.

While I was reading it didn't bother me (at least at first), but when I think about it, it was kind of the same situation repeating itself: Sergei did something rashly (but with good intentions), Emily was shaken and unsure about it, Sergei was largely unaware of the effect of his actions on Em.

And that was probably my biggest issue with the book: I didn't like Sergei very much for most of this book, he came off as thoughtless (though well meaning), and having loved him on Life on the Edge, it was kind of hard.

I did like that I could see Em growing up a bit more, and that she didn't treat lightly the situations she was going through. 

Bottom Line: Maybe there was a lot of drama in this book and I wasn't expecting it, but I didn't enjoy this Edge of the Past as much as I thought I would. I still enjoy the series very much, and I'm happy to hear there might be a third book because I like the characters, the world and the writing. It's just that maybe I was expecting too much of this one. 

2/3

This review is part of a blog tour hosted by I'm a Reader Not a Writer, and there is a Tour Giveaway, just scroll down to see it.

Tour Schedule

Life on the Edge

Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.

Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Edge of the Past

Emily's skating career and personal life have never been more golden. She and her partner Chris have won every competition they've entered this season, and she's found the man of her dreams in her coach Sergei. But when one of the biggest competitions of the year takes Emily and Sergei to Russia, Sergei's past explodes into the present and makes Emily doubt everything in their future.

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes &Noble

Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/24/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Book Review: Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux

At First Sight: At nineteen, Emily is one half one of the most promising teams of pairs figure skating, even though she only made the move from singles to pairs the year before. She and her partner Chris dream of winning olympic gold at Salt Lake 2002.

And they seem to be on a good path thanks to their coach, Sergei a former junior world charmpion who left Russia after his career ended suddenly and mysteriously. 

Sergei is young and handsome, and Emily has always liked him, but known he was out of limits. Until they start spending more time together coaching a novice team, and the spark that was there from the start begins to grow. 

Second Glance: I kept the summary short because I don't want to accidentally spoil anymore. Life on the Edge starts in 2000 and covers about 2 years of Emily's life and career. 

I'm a huge fan of figure skating so I was super excited to read this book, and I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it a lot. I was engrossed from the start and I liked Emily and Sergei and the other skaters and it was easy to just enjoy the reading experience. 

I did have some frustrations though, mostly because a the beginning you don't know why Emily left singles skating, and that kind of nagged at me until I found it, there was no reason for it not to be mentioned earlier though. And I grew so frustrated because everyone made such a huge deal of Emily and Sergei dating and at first I couldn't see why since she was 19 and he 25. I never felt their interactions were skeevy or sketchy or creepy or anything of the sort, so I was like "Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?".

But as the story progressed and I got back into the 2000 figure-skating-world frame of mind, it was easier to understand why it was such a big deal: reputation was everything back then since the judges could very well just give you whatever score they liked since the score system wasn't as detailed as if it's now. In fact, it was because of a big scandal during the Salt Lake winter olympics that the score system began to change

I still thought it was too big of a fuss about it, but it was easier to believe. 

Other than that, I really enjoyed the book, even though it was completely PG and I sometimes wished there was a bit more in the romance front. 

Bottom Line: All in all, I really liked Life on the Edge and I'm really looking forward to reading Edge of the Past, the follow up book where we get to see more of Sergei's past. Don't think you need to be a figure skating fan to like the book, but if you are it'll add a little something extra for you.

PS - To read another perspective on Edge of The Past check out Ashley's Review @ Book Labyrinth. I first heard of the book from her ;)

Ps - I'm not sure when Edge of the Past comes out, I heard it was in November but haven't found an actual date. So if you know, please let me know!
Update: Per the author, Edge of the Past comes out November 27th!