I received this book for free from Love Notes PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Rhode Tremblay is Nashville’s Naughtiest Hockey Player—at least, that’s what everyone believes after the Tenerife Debacle.
With a thigh tattoo that’s catnip for women and a wicked smirk that needs a warning label, everyone flocks to the NHL’s resident bad boy. Sure, Rhode accidentally set a yacht on fire while bringing a woman to the brink of ecstasy, but that happened over a decade ago. Now, at thirty-three, Rhode’s searching for something real. He’s ready to get down on one knee for the right person, but he has one rule—no dating anyone under thirty.
Philomena “Nina” Alstyne has sworn off men who look like fallen angels on skates.
The feisty art student is done molding herself to fit someone else’s life after her relationship fiasco. At twenty-two, Nina’s last semester of college is about her pottery dreams. Except, when one fateful accident forces Nina into a faux situationship with Nashville’s (Supposed) Naughtiest, all her curated plans crumble like a fragile sculpture.
Rhode falls first, and he falls hard.
There’s only one problem… Rhode thinks he’s fake dating a thirty-year-old doctor. As secrets get revealed, his biggest temptation quickly becomes off-limits, but Nina soon realizes the cross-stitching cat daddy is what the chaos in her soul craves—and Nina’s fiery passion might burn hot enough to melt Rhode’s icy boundaries.

When I read the book blurb of ‘Icebound’ a little while ago I knew this was a book I wanted to read myself. So when I saw the ARC sign up, I signed up as fast as I could. And luckily for me I got picked, and received the ARC shortly after.

In ‘Icebound’ we meet Rhode Tremblay a Nashville Hockey Player, and Philomena “Nina” Alstyne an Art student living with her sister. Rhode has never been able to shed the name ‘playboy’ which he got in his twenties. Even though he hasn’t been like that for years, and is now in his thirties and possible at the end of his Hockey career. Rhode and Nina meet unexpectedly and from the moment they meet there seems to be something between them. But they are both at very different parts of their lives, and they don’t have a lot in common. Not to mention Nina really doesn’t like Hockey at all, and might have told Rhode a little lie about her age. But somehow these two can’t seem to stay away from each other.

From the moment I started reading ‘Icebound’ I was hooked. The two main characters Rhode and Nina couldn’t have been more different. And although Rhode hasn’t been the playboy he once was, he isn’t used to woman not being interested in him. And Nina definitely isn’t interested. Or at least that is what she want’s Rhode to think. This made for some very funny moments that made me laugh out loud. It was easy to picture these two characters and I enjoyed getting to know them.

The best part about ‘Icebound’ was that it didn’t go the way I anticipated, and the characters weren’t perfect. This made for two relatable characters and I loved that. The chemistry between Rhode and Nina was amazing. Sparks definitely flew.. but mostly it was a slow-burn romance. I really enjoyed the Hockey aspects as well. Their where some great and funny moments between Rhode and his teammates and the relationship between Nina and her sister was interesting to say the least.

Impressively, this book seems to be the first book by this author. And I’m definitely in awe! ‘Icebound’ was the perfect mix of humor and romance. Add some steamy moments, some great friendships, a character with anxiety problems which I really could relate to, a guy who falls first.. and to me this book was perfect. I honestly loved everything about it. And I can’t wait to read more by this author. If she can write this as a first novel.. Jeez.. I see a new auto-buy author in my future!

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About Meredith Trapp

Meredith is a professional daydreamer that writes romance stories full of spice, smooches, and swoons. She lives in Texas with her favorite person, one lazy poodle, and a plethora of dying house plants. When she’s not writing, she’s reading about hockey players, possessive billionaires, or faeries with large wingspans--she's not picky when it comes to fictional men. You can usually find her walking beneath the Texas sun or spending time with her family at the lake. To stay up to date on Meredith's upcoming projects, connect with her on social media

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram