Can a sexy rock star show a relationship-phobic ice skater that there’s more to life than gold medals?
When ice-skating’s bad boy Blaze first glimpses Drake, every fantasy he’s ever had flares to life. Not only is rock star Drake sexy as sin, his songs awaken a longing in Blaze that he’s denied for years. But Blaze Parker doesn’t believe in relationships—at least not those that last more than twenty minutes.
Drake Keys has dreamed about the sensual ice skater for years. When Drake is kicked out of his band because of his bisexuality, he drives across the country to finally see the man he’s had a crush on skate live.
Though the attraction is instant and intense, both Blaze and Drake have baggage that puts any relationship on thin ice. Blaze is driven by a long-ago betrayal to prove himself a champion, and Drake, uncertain about the future, hopes to resurrect his music career. As they take a road trip together, Drake romances Blaze, hoping to melt his heart and show him that love is possible… but not without some tough decisions.
Z. believes in soul mates, love at first sight, and overcoming all odds to find happily ever afters. Born in Upstate NY, Z. Allora and partner have spent the last fifteen years together traveling across the United States, the Middle East and Asia. These travels provide the inspiration behind many of the detailed settings and characters throughout Z.'s work. Z. received a Master degree in Psychology and Bachelor degrees in both English and Philosophy. (though Z's editors would probably question the English degree). Z. is both a writer and a huge fan of M/M romance as well as Yaoi. It is said the pen is mightier than the sword. Z. thinks all writers and publishers of M/M are promoting equality, since everyone deserves a happily ever after.
This one was fluffy and light, with a fair bit of sweetness and some fun moments of humor. Blaze is an Olympic figure skater with a bad moment in his past, and a determination to never be vulnerable again. Drake is a bisexual rock star who is told by his band's manager that it's okay to say he's bi, but not to actually be caught with a man.
Both men are famous, so they've seen each other in publicity and online, and they each had a little safe distance crush. But when Drake is kicked out of his band, he's completely at loose ends, and decides to go watch Blaze, his long-time crush, in a skating show. When they actually meet, it turns out that seeing each other in person does nothing to take the shine off their attraction.
This had the potential to be more angsty - Drake's loss of a lifetime dream in a moment of bigotry could have been a big mover for the story, but it's not. His reaction to that loss is mostly suppressed. Instead, he makes a project out of romancing, convincing and getting a smile from a baffled, irritated, and secretly lonely Blaze. Drake's confidence is a bit surprising, given what we saw of him prior to that point, but it does create a nicely contrasting pair of MCs. I also particularly liked the secondary characters, including Blaze's brother and Drake's best friend.
I liked the characters and even the diverse secondary characters of this one. Drake’s a sexy and confident musician, but he struggles to find love. Meanwhile, Blaze is brash and suffers no fools, but still aches from the loss of his parents and the betrayal of the first boy he loved. Drake’s best friend is a trans man, and his advice is always funny. Also, the few glimpses of the band that we get show them to be strong allies, for the most part. Blaze’s brother is a sweetheart, too, and an excellent guardian-turned-confidante. There are a couple stinkers, though, including a childhood nemesis who inexplicably makes it into Drake’s band and continues to reappear in his life. This guy was plain out irritating, and there were a few convenient plot coincidences regarding him that had me rolling my eyes. I have a feeling this is was a bit of a set-up in the event this book becomes the first in a series, but it made for predictable conflict.
So I didn’t dislike it enough to dnf, but skimmed through all the boring interactions (including the sex) to get to the story.
There is a difference between being someone’s friend/lover and being their therapist. Too many of the interactions in this book came across as patient/therapist, not friend/friend. And a lot of the dynamic was the therapisty person pointing out to the other one that person’s issues. Or that’s what it felt like. Lots of it was preachy/therapisty/didactic carry-on. I tend to agree with it all, but it was clunky as.
I am all for (good not crappy) therapy. I have a therapist. She’s great. But part of the whole point is that I toddle off to see her and we do our thing. We do not socialise. I do point out to my friends if I think something is going on with them - and if they want to talk about something, of course I talk about issue with them! But never as a counsellor/therapist.
The plot elements and the characters had potential, but the writing and dialogue gave me the shits basically.
I will not be reading anything more by this author unless Her writing changes.
This was a really fun read. I have to admit, I didn’t want to put it down. I really liked Drake and Blaze and felt the book did a good description of the ice skating world (I love ice skating at the Olympics!).
Damn, I love Z Allora's Rocking Thin Ice. There's just so much to enjoy about this story. Drake and Blaze's relationship makes for a super fun read. A rocker and a figure skater, oh hell yes!
Blaze is considered "the untouchable ice princess," never wanting more than a hookup. He never takes chances, never risks himself; he's a voulnerable and fearful man. He may be out now but he hides behind his snark and one night stands.
Drake, meanwhile is bisexual, which means dealing with some issues at times, including an ex. He's a man who wants an emotional connection with someone instead of hookup. Having been fired from his band, he takes the time to travel and meet the intriguing figure skater. He's long fantasized about the sexy skater and doesn't hesitate to pursue him. With the help of an accidental pot laced brownie incident, things start off for the couple.
Drake's pursuit of Blaze is entertaining, full of surprises and awkward moments. Despite avoiding relationships, meeting Drake slowly changes everything for Blaze. The pace at which the lines start to blur is fantastic. Both men have fears they're able to overcome with the help of the other, which always makes for a entertaining read. Their struggle to face these fears and accept love is beautiful and flows seamlessly.
It's a story of instant attraction, hesitancy, and a whole lot of baggage. Their relationship is memorable and enchanting. Both men make enormous development through the course of the book, and the romance is emotional and enjoyable.
Their story explores the bullshit involved behind the scenes in the music industry, as well as the politics of homophobia in figure skating. I definitely enjoyed both of these aspects.
The author doesn't skimp on the humor. Omg, Drake's parents are hysterical, making for an entertaining coming out scene. Truly a remarkable moment.
The author also includes some emotional and tender sex scenes, which are absolutely amazing. My favorite is the one that includes the beauty in the gift of rimming someone you love. It's a powerful scene for sure.
Rocking Thin Ice is a tale of beautiful surrender. This slow burn romance is definitely a great Z Allora read.
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
This is a sweet, slow and angsty story about the relationship between a rock star and a figure skater. As the bad boy of figure skating, Blaze sacrificed his privacy and any kind of a personal life in his quest for Olympic gold. It’s only after he achieves his lifetime dream that he starts to realise how much he’s missed out on. Rockstar Drake has had a crush on Blaze since he was a teenager. When his band kicks him out, Drake drives cross country for a chance to see his favourite skater perform live.
Blaze and Drake are fantastic characters. When they meet, Blaze’s cocky on-ice persona hides his insecurities and fears while an accidental pot-brownie overdose leaves Drake a little bit too honest and vulnerable. I loved the instant connection between these two and I love how much they actually have in common with each other. There is some heat in the story but the focus is on the intimacy that slowly builds between Blaze and Drake.
My only reservation about this story is the pace and the lack of action. This is a slow read and the connection between the two men is full of angst and hesitation. Considering they both have fascinating jobs, I find it hard to understand the lack of excitement in the story. Most of the story happens while Blaze is on a break from training after the Olympics and Drake has been dumped from his band. The men have way too much time to talk themselves round in circles, analysing every detail of their lives and relationships. Some relief comes in the form of a short road trip and a family wedding - but I did find this a bit tedious at times.
I enjoyed this story overall, but it is a slow read. I love the characters - both Blaze and Drake are wonderfully complicated and beautifully written.
Though I have heard of Z. Allora, I had never indulged in one of her books before. I am glad that Rocking Thin Ice became my first book of hers and was an introduction to the smooth writing of this author. This sweet, telling book followed the journey of guitarist Drake, from his crush on Olympic hopeful, ice skater Blaze Parker; the man he'd most like to have babies with. Through the years, Drake discovered he was an equal opportunity type of man who could not shake his thoughts of Blaze no matter how much time had passed. Or, how much his band manager tried to suppress that part of himself. When he was ousted from his band, Drake found a way to make himself happy. Happiness led to Blake.
His life had been consumed. From being outed by a jealous team member to making a comeback. Now Blake had it all in the palm of his hands. Yet, true happiness alluded him. Finding the rocker he too was crushing on at one of his shows; realizing that Drake had consumed the products of one of his fans, Blake stepped up to the plate to help him. What followed was the love of a lifetime. Drake introduced Blaze to all that he'd been missing in life and in turn, Blaze made Drake happiest.
One click and discover all of Blaze's firsts and these two men's adventure toward forever.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Dreamspinner Press Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club
~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~
Given how much I enjoy sports romances and ones involving rock stars, this was always likely to be a win for me! Interestingly both leads are taking downtime from the heights of their career commitments when they meet, so we get to see them without most of the usual thrills and frills. This makes it a fascinating combination of public figure off duty, but still with all the hangups that come from being used to the superficial life that they normally lead.
We get Drake, a rock star who is ready for commitment, and Blaze who's trust was broken young, who is only prepared to rely on his brother, Luke. Somehow following a rather funny laced-brownie affected introduction, these two start something. Neither dare define the something, but somehow it is enough to keep them testing the waters for more. It makes for some degree of slow burn, although they are pretty much inseparable from day 1, so it is a confusing relationship for us as well as them!
I really enjoyed the side characters, from Taylor to Anna, they all contributed to helping each man recognise what they could see so clearly. If you like seeing behind the fame, the glory and the hard work, then this will be a book for you.
This is every bit as cheesy as I expected it to be and even more so. I loved it WAY more than I thought I would. It's literally just a big happy wish fulfillment dessert and that's exactly what I needed right now. This miiight be a lowkey spoiler but it earned a whole extra star simply by
Aside from content, the writing was a little simple and the characterization was pretty hamfisted. There was a bit of tell rather than show, and we get a whole buncha background that we didn't necessarily need, but I still enjoyed those parts. The time jumps were a little confusing, but I liked skipping right to the good parts. The humor was entertaining and kept me engaged and the low stakes conflict kept things interesting while preventing them from being painful or difficult.
Such a sweet love story! This was a light and fluffy read. Blaze was so closed off to connection but Drake was patient and never pushed him. I loved that the epilogue was 5 years into this future, it was so satisfying.
Ugh. Cliché groupies, cliché weed, cliché sleazy manager. Just not for me. Continued...to 28%...and now we have need for an editor. It's the push-pull paragraphs of " I want him, no I don't." Only continuing because I like Drake. DNF at 50%. Just too much to overlook.
Reviewed for Rainbow Gold Reviews. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Now I have read several different types of stories from Z. Allora and they are all different in a way. There’s been sci-fi and I have loved both of her series that revolve around rock stars. I really loved her Entwined Dreams series, too. In her books there is always a good love story, sometimes a little kink, and definitely some sexy times as well. You get that in this book, but it is at a slower pace. The characters get a real chance to know each other and their love comes naturally.
Blaze Parker is an out and proud skater, even if he was dragged out of the closet without his consent. He carries himself with air of confidence and he dares to do moves that challenge his athleticism, and he gives flawless performances that are a finger to the homophobic judges from countries still in the dark ages. I feel like the author modeled him after several different figure skaters to form the perfect one. However, Blaze’s path to two Olympic medals wasn’t easy. First, was that he lost his parents young, and he still carries around that grief. His older brother took care of him, and Luke Parker is just an awesome guy. He is supportive of Blaze through all things and I love the close relationship between the brothers. Second, when Blaze was a rookie figure skater, he wasn’t accepted by his fellow skaters and one of them tricked him into revealing his sexuality with a tape that caused Blaze to have to take a break and get a new coach. Once he got back to competing, Blaze had more invested in winning, or perhaps more invested in beating those who used him and outed him. But with two Olympic appearances behind him and a break coming up, he is at loose ends.
Drake Keys realized he was bisexual in high school and he would drool when watching Blaze skate. His parents were really cool when he came out and he has a trans best friend whose little sister introduced him to his love of figure skating. Drake’s talents were of the musical variety, and after school he ended up in a band touring the country. Bisexual was considered hip, but his manager and one fellow band member didn’t want him to act on his feelings and made sure to play up his hookups with girl groupies. Even though Drake did fall into rockstar cliche’s like sleeping with groupies, he wasn’t really satisfied with the one night stands or a polyamorous relationship that he wasn’t in to, that got him kicked out of the band. Drake is also at loose ends.
Both Drake and Blaze are fans of each other on social media and Drake finally decides to meet the skater in real life. Now I have to say that I love Blaze and I feel for him with his definite baggage. He isn’t quick to trust anyone but his brother and coach and relationships last for 20-30 minutes for him. Drake is my favorite character, though. He is patient and kind, and really the kind of guy that anyone who likes guys would want. Drake really wants to find that one that he can commit to and have a forever with. It isn’t easy for Drake to break through Blaze’s walls, but he stays strong. They avoid anal sex for awhile in order to really develop feelings for each other, though they do have other kinds of sexy times. Really, this is one of the sweetest love stories that I read from this author. I was in love with them falling in love and sighed internally while reading this book more than once. At the end of this book, I was left with a feel good feeling that I couldn’t wait to share in my review.
At the end of this book, time is fast forwarded, and we get glimpses as the two have new experiences with each other. they are short parts, but we get just what we need to see how the two are doing until the big definitive HEA. It is just enough info without extending the book overlong. While I think this book might be a little different from Z’s other books, there is still a solid romance I’ve come to expect. I definitely recommend reading this author and this book.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a slow burn build up but it is so worth all the build up because even though it is not explosive from the beginning, it will definitely ignite all the feels will reading it. I really enjoyed how two people from WAY different aspects of life come together to find something so amazingly special. These two men have such different outlooks on relationships only to come together and find a common ground. This book was such an amazing read!!
Blaze is a figure skater. When he was eighteen a horrible betrayal happened to him only to put him as gay to the world and in turn it almost ruined his career. After a couple of years off he came back only to work his butt off to get to the point years later where he has a chance at the Olympics. Because of the betrayal, he does not believe in love of relationships. Hook ups are ok but nothing more. So when his idol and secret crush, Drake shows up at an exhibition skate, he is blown away by the man being so down to earth. Especially after believing the stereotypes for rock stars.
Drake has followed Blaze’s career from the beginning. He is a huge fan and always has been. Drake is a guitarist for a rock group called Midnight Shadow. The one thing that the manager of this group has made clear to Drake is, even though he is bisexual, he is not allowed to act on it. After a very public fight with his short term girlfriend about a threesome the two partook in together, she was not happy that he enjoyed the man that joined them. So for this reason, the manager dropped Drake like yesterday’s news.
After being fired, Drake decided that was his perfect opportunity to watch one of his idols skate. Neither man ever expected this meeting to eventually, maybe turn into anything more. But this just may be what the future holds for these two men. They may just find the one thing in the other that they have both been missing. Only time will tell as they spend more and more time together.
This was such an incredible read. I truly enjoyed this book. It is one of those books that leaves you feeling all gooey inside after reading it. Definitely a recommended read!!
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
I really like Z. Allora's writing, it's smooth and very descriptive. I usually learn something new and interesting about other cultures and sex practices from her books, especially if they are set in exotic locations around the globe. I really liked this book but did not love it. It was too smooth, events that could have created heartbroken moments did not get exploited, the biggest obstacle turned out to be the wooing process and convincing Blaze to let go of his commitment phobia and trust issues. I do like low angst books but there should be something else to hold my attention, to root for the budding romance and sigh happily when the finish line is reached. I can't put my finger on why it did not happen with this particular book, though there was nothing wrong with it either. I liked both MCs, figure skating is the only sport I ever followed, and rock musicians usually do it for me too. Maybe the entire process was too smooth and too sweet to feel like one misstep would break the fragile love/trust blossoming. I don't know. I did like supporting characters too. Maybe everything was too picture perfect, even screw up Dixon who might get his own book next... I can't say I was disappointed either. This book is a perfect read if you want something light, fluffy and heartwarming as a break between the fare of angst and heartbreak. I do plan to follow Z.' new books when they will come out.
This was actually a lot different than I originally thought it was going to be, that was not a bad thing at all, though. The characters were great and I spent time giggling at a lot of cute sections.
Blaze is the kind of character I love to read about. He is sweet and funny but has a lot of hurt in his past that keeps him guarded against people getting close to him. His skating is a different kind of sport than what I’m used to reading but I loved reading about his performances and the descriptions of the acts.
Drake is the sexy guitar player who has a heart of gold and isn’t afraid of admitting who he loves, and I love that he has such supportive friends and family.
Rocking Thin Ice is my first book my Z. Allora and I really enjoyed my time reading it and meeting these characters, and I can’t wait to see what else Z comes out with.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
From that review:Rocking Thin Ice by Z. Allora is a sweet, easy to embrace contemporary romance. For me, I found it to be a quick read, full of engaging characters, an interesting plot and a lovely romance. It skates, pun intended, on the edge of a instant love, but as both characters have flirted in various ways with each other over the years, it feels like their attraction and love comes more naturally, regardless of time.
What a fantastic story. Over coming fears and letting oneself live a little when everything was all about accomplishments and being at the top. Recommend this to anyone who loves slow and steady.