"Out on the Ice," by Kelly Farmer
COntemporary Lesbian Sports Romance
1 Smooch ~ Cozy
2 Smooches ~ Warm
3 Smooches ~ Simmering
4 Smooches ~ Red-Hot
5 Smooches ~ Scalding
Book Blurb
Don’t miss this tender and funny contemporary romance from debut author Kelly Farmer.
Caro Cassidy used to be a legend.
During her career, Caro was one of the best defense players in women’s hockey. These days, she keeps to herself. Her all-girls hockey camp is her life, and she hopes it’ll be her legacy. Sure, her new summer hire is charming and magnetic, but Caro keeps her work and personal life strictly separate.
Amy Schwarzbach lives life out loud.
Amy’s as bright and cheerful as her lavender hair, and she uses her high-profile position in women’s hockey to advocate for the things she believes in. Ten weeks in Chicago coaching a girls’ training camp is the perfect opportunity to mentor the next generation before she goes back to Boston.
Letting love in means putting yourself out there.
When the reticent head coach offers to help Amy get in shape for next season, her starstruck crush on Caro quickly blossoms into real chemistry. As summer comes to an end, neither of them can quite let go of this fling—but Amy can’t afford a distraction, and Caro can’t risk her relationship becoming public and jeopardizing the one thing that’s really hers.
My Review
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review. All thoughts and views are my own.
Out on the Ice is author Kelly Farmer’s debut novel, and it was a delightful one indeed! Amy and Caro were an adorable match that caught my heart early on. This is a slllooooooowww burn romance, but the relationship between them is so dang cute and real that the story never sags because of the slower paced romance aspect.
I read this book immediately following a MM romance about hockey and can officially say I know more about hockey after these two books than I’ve picked up throughout my entire adult life just, ya know, adulting. (Which isn’t saying much, because I am anything but a sports person.) That being said, while this book is heavy on the hockey—so might theoretically not be the best fit for non-sports lovers such as myself—I believe Farmer does a good job of toning it down just enough to make it something us non-athletic types can still wrap our noggins around. I might have preferred a bit less on a purely personal basis, but I think what’s in there is important to the story and therefore I wouldn’t actually recommend it be removed. Plus, I’m all about learning new things, and what better environment to do so than within the pages of an engaging romance between two beautiful women??
The writing in this book was tight and easy to read. Farmer built a stable world and likable characters, including several side characters that served their purpose but didn’t get in the way. Amy was a ray of sunshine that kept a smile on my face, while Caro was a doll who understandably had some reservations about making her and Amy’s relationship public.
Overall, the story works very well. It’s a light, fluffy romance but with a punch of heart. I’d definitely recommend it to all lovers of lesfic, but most especially those who can get down with some detailed hockey and fun-loving gals!
Kelly Farmer
She/Her
Kelly Farmer (she/her) has been writing romance novels since junior high. In those days, they featured high school quarterbacks named Brad who drove Corvettes and gals with names like Desireé because her own name was rather plain. Her stories since then have ranged from historical and contemporary male/female romances to light women's fiction to LGBTQ+ romance. One theme remains the same: everyone deserves to have a happy ending.
Kelly was a 2015 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Finalist in the Contemporary Romance category. She is past president the Chicago-North Romance Writers and is also a member of Women's Fiction Writers Association.
When not writing, she enjoys being outside in nature, quoting from Eighties movies, listening to all kinds of music, and petting every dog she comes in contact with. All of these show up in her books. She also watches a lot of documentaries to satisfy her hunger for random bits of trivia. Kelly lives in the Chicago suburbs, where she swears every winter is her last one there.
Connect with Kelly below!
So, what are you waiting for? Out on the Ice is available for your reading pleasure on or after its release day on August 24th, 2020! Get your copy today!! 📖
