REVIEW: Spiral by Bal Khabra

Spiral by Bal Khabra: Being the team rookie is really not all that easy and if anyone can attest to this it would be Elias Westbrook. With his big NFL break Elias had hoped to have settled right in with the Toronto Thunders but it would seem that the tabloids are frothing to get his picture but for all the wrong reasons! With the press and the fans hounding him with his personal life and the fact that he is yet to sore his first professional goal, Elias needs to flip the script and fast, enter Sage Beaumont, the coach’s beautiful ballerina daughter.

While Sage is magical on the stage, she is having a hard time landing her dream role in Swan Lake because of her lack of social media presence! With Sage having a total lack of media attention and Elias having the complete opposite problem the two decide to strike up a deal, they will fake date, so that Sage can get some of the media attention that comes with being around Elias and in turn Elias will be able to get the press to stop commenting on his relationship status and give him a chance to focus his attention on the ice… its really a win win situation for both of them, all they have to do is stick to their rules and they will be golden… well that is until feelings begin to form and rules begin to be bent… can these two make their fake relationship into the real deal without anyone getting hurt?

LOVED!!! I had really enjoyed reading Collide but Spiral has easily taken the spot of the cutest sports romcom. This book combined two of my all time favourite tropes; fake turned real dating and sports romance, and let me just tell you Khabra blended these two tropes into the perfect cute, sweet, steamy romance read to start of the year! Now before I can dive any further into my review, I have to take a moment to appreciate this beautiful purple cover, not only does it look so pretty but it depicts out two main characters exactly how I would have imagined them to be.

I absolutely loved Sage, she gave of determined boss girl vibes. I really liked that she was the more outspoken of the pair and that she knew that she had to take charge of her life if she wanted to make her dreams of being a ballerina a reality. While she was motivated and very career driven, she was also absolutely hilarious. I loved her humour and the sass that she brought to the table. I really enjoyed getting to see her character grow as the book progressed and allowing herself to open up to the people around her. Now for our swoon worthy hero, Elias, if there is one thing that Khabra knows how to do brilliantly, it is to craft the most loveable hero out there and this was most definitely the case with Elias. I loved the fact that Elias was this more reserved almost shy hero who was this big hockey star. Eli was such a sweet, kind and caring hero and I loved how we got to see him opening up to Sage and really getting to see his character take shape. We really get to understand that there is so much more to him than just being a hockey player and the reason why he doesn’t like to lose control.

Eli and Sage made one of the cutest couples out there, their hope of keeping things completely business was doomed right from the very start and I absolutely loved getting to see them slowly tearing down each others walls. There was such a nice build up in their relationship from friends to lovers and getting to see their playful banter and chemistry ramp up as the book progressed. I really liked this couple and how genuine their connection felt. I also really liked the supporting characters in this book, we get to see a bit of Summer and Aiden but also get introduced to some new characters that I really liked.

Spiral was just incredible, as far as sports romance novels go this is easily up there as one of the best! I loved every single moment of reading this cute fake turned real, hockey romance. A total must read!!

Book Info:

Publication: January 28, 2025 | Berkley | Off the Ice #2

Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. With a growing fan base and too many expectations on his shoulders, he’s struggling to make his first career goal. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.

Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Aurora Ballet Theatre, but her lack of popularity online leaves her at a major disadvantage for securing the lead role. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.

Soon enough, the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection. But before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they’ll call it quits.