Tuesday 13 January 2015

Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux ~ Blog Tour Review

As a part of the Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux Audiobook Blog Tour run by YA Bound Book Tours I listened to and reviewed the audiobook version of Crossing the Ice, a NA contemporary romance story.



To check out the rest of this blog tour go here for the official schedule.

I was provided with a review copy of the audiobook via Jennifer Comeaux - however, all opinions expressed in this review are purely my own (to find out more, please visit my disclaimer page).

Book Details

Title: Crossing The Ice (Ice #1)
Narrated by: Emily Stokes
Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins 
Publication date: August 3rd 2014 
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Clean Romance, Sports


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My Review

My rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

'I skated to the ice door and snapped on my guards.

It was going to be a long two months of rehearsals if I had to pretend I didn't love skating with Josh. I didn't know if I could even pull that off. 


It was a knock against Mark because I'd always enjoyed having him as my partner. When we skated together, I loved the athletic excitement of it.


But when I'd partnered with Josh, I'd felt something new, something I couldn't quite grasp yet.


Al I knew was I wanted more.'


Synopsis: Falling hard never felt so good.


Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though...

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross? (x)

My thoughts on the audiobook


If you are not a fan of audiobooks, you will be one after listening to Crossing The Ice.


I, personally, was not a huge fan of audiobooks before Crossing The Ice. I'd listened to both the Divergent and Pride and Prejudice audiobooks before (to name a few), and found that I couldn't quite connect with the storytelling. 


This, however, was not a problem with Crossing The Ice. Jennifer Comeaux's genius melds flawlessly with Emily Stokes' talented voice, giving readers an unforgettable audiobook experience. I could have listened to it for hours! 


Emily Stokes has a gift for taking on the characters and their different voices, whether male or female. And this is rare in audiobook narrators, let me tell you. I've always found that male narrators never get the female character voices right, and that female narrators often try too hard to sound 'macho' whilst voicing the male characters.


But Emily's voice is spot-on. My favourite character-voicing was Sergei, one of Courtney's coaches. Emily put on an light, fluid accent that in no way sounded stilted or forced. The other characters were also voiced with emotion - the essence of each character shone through, whether it was Courtney's vulnerability, Josh's quiet nature, Stephanie's witchiness, or the cutesy loveable characters of Sergei and Em's twins. Every character was represented perfectly.


The storyline itself was everything a contemporary romance should be.


It didn't throw the romance element in my face. It didn't make Courtney a sappy female who falls for the one guy she can't have. 


Instead, it focused on showing the characters' many facets - making them real to the reader/listener. I was also thrilled to see that Courtney and Josh worked on their friendship way before they considered being together romantically. It's nice to see a logical progression, a steady climb to the romance, rather than a 'girl-sees-guy-instant-love' plotline that is far too commonly used in NA fiction nowadays.


The plot itself was also a surprise. You kind of expect any fictional sport-centred book to make its main protagonist the main champion in every aspect of their sport. Sort of like all your typical Disney movies and Hollywood storylines - you know the type! A girl/guy does a sport, fails once, has a training montage over several months, believes in themselves, and succeeds at the final hurdle.


No spoilers, but I will say that Crossing The Ice stays true to its authentic feel. It's doesn't give readers Hollywood-cheesiness, rather it gives them a sense of realness that is refreshing to experience. It deals with real-life issues that many stories gloss over: funding/finances, family struggles, long-distance relationships, parental expectations, personal expectations, and the highs and lows of a life in the spotlight. 


It was also really funny!


I love a book - and an author - with a sense of humour. And Crossing The Ice is sprinkled with witty remarks that are sure to bring a smile to your face. 


And if you're a fan of 'kissy time', you'll also be pleased to know that there are some very swoon-worthy kiss scenes in Crossing The Ice ;)


Enjoy your own immersive literary experience and be sure to grab your copy of Crossing The Ice on audiobook today! 



Take a sneak peek at the audiobook by listening to the clip below:



Author Bio: Jennifer Comeaux

Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. 

There aren't any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she's a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating.

One of her favourite pastimes is travelling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing. Jennifer loves to hear from readers!

Visit jennifercomeaux.blogspot.com for contact information and to learn more about her books.



Connect with Jennifer via her:



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Have you read Crossing the Ice, or do you plan to? Let me know below!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the amazing review and for being part of the tour!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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