BookOwl

3.5/5 stars   *Spoiler alert!*   I’ve been on a bit of a hockey-themed romance tear this month— no, I don’t know exactly why. Canadian Boyfriend was the second of these after Icebreaker , and was a mixed bag for me, earning it a (very subjective) 3.5 out of 5 stars.   “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.”   One of the things that I appreciated about both Icebreaker and Canadian Boyfriend were candid descriptions of mental illness and the therapy process. Open discussions about mental health and mental illness in books? Characters bettering themselves through the tough process of therapy and healing? Sign me up!     Perhaps the 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars rating was due to the overreaction I felt one of the characters had to a revelation another one of the main characters gave, one that originated during her lonely teenage years.    Aurora Evans once worked at a coffee shop in the Mall of America,...

4/5 stars   *Spoiler alert!*   Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is my latest entry into what I consider the wilds of the romance genre. It was a cute and very spicy college romance between a hockey player and a figure skater, both looking to make names for themselves post-graduation.   “‘ It’s not porn. It’s a romance book that happens to have a little bit of sex in it.’”   A little bit , Hannah Grace? Haha. This one had a lot of spice to balance out the sweetness and heartbreak. Mind you, these are all consenting adults, and it’s none of my business, but let’s just say my college experience was very different . Therefore, I spent most of the book with my cheeks beet red, but I enjoyed the genuine respect and care Nate and Anastasia developed between them over the course of the book.   “ I'm in love with her determination and her commitment, her soft side, the way she manages to tell me exactly how she's feeling and why, no matter how uncomfortable it might ma...