My Review:

This book was one of my Romanceopoly picks for 2025. I had been meaning to read much more Sarina Bowen and I decided to go with this one. I have to say that this one was definitely a disappointment. There is so much drama which I should have expected with it being an older contemporary a bit. But I think what disappointed me the most was the abortion discussion in this one. I didn't really see this mentioned in reviews so I just wasn't expecting it at all. But if you are triggered by talk or mentions of abortion then I would be mindful. And while it doesn't have full on abortion, it is enforced and discussed as an option even though its never fully followed through.

This book was truly heartbreaking. The hero thinks he will inherit a disease that killed his mother and is killing his brother. You see how tormented the hero is about it. You also sense how much he is divided about a future. Now I will say that when the hero finds out that our heroine become pregnant from a fling they had being snowbound, he doesn't treat her very good and really tries to manipulate her into having an abortion. Now she doesn't know what he is struggling with, not even his coach who is like his father even knows the truth about his situation. Now while you empathize with his situation I also don't like the way he treats Willow. He is truly cruel in some scenes and that might not be for everyone. I think what contributed to my lack of enjoyment in this story was his horrid treatment of her in the end there.

Overall while I liked this one, I didn't love it and I honestly wouldn't really recommend it to others. I am curious though about the series and might continue on with these books. But will definitely due my research before picking them up as I am not a fan of the abortion talk in it.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads . Can I tell you all just how much I love Sarina’s cold weather sports men? The guys in the Ivy Years series are incredible, so I had pretty high hopes for Dane. Despite some dickish moments, I found myself in love with him well before the end of this book. I love when books put two characters together in a situation they can’t escape from – be it something simple like seatmates on a bus or plane or something more complicated like with Willow and Dane in this book. I like to watch the bonds that form when two characters have some type of forced interaction for a long period of time. It’s fascinating to me. There was undoubtedly a spark between Willow and Dane. It could be the start of something lovely, but while Dane is happy keeping each other warm, ahem, it can’t go past one night. He doesn’t do relationships. Willow’s ok with this, in theory. But, their “one night” of passion is just the beginning for this couple. Some connections you just can’t shake. I really liked Willow. She was a good, strong heroine. She’d had her heart broken before, but she didn’t let that get her down. She was intelligent and driven. After the unexpected happens with Dane, she shows her true strength. I admired her. It wasn’t an easy situation and his reactions hurt. But she was strong enough and mature enough to realize she could do whatever she needed to on her own. Dane be damned. Dane was struggling with his demons. That much was clear from the very beginning. It was because of those demons (and the way he pushed people away) that made it a little difficult for me to connect with him. He was hot-tempered and really quite mean to Willow at times. I understood WHY he was like he was and I felt sorry for what he was struggling with, but he didn’t make it any easier on himself by pushing everyone away. His character growth throughout the book was great, however. When the full reality of his situation became clear and he became the man he was trying to hide away for so very long, that’s when I came to fully crush on him. There was a great man behind all those walls he put up. It just took him awhile to appear. Coming in from the Cold definitely hit on some heavy subjects, but did it without ever becoming too angsty. Without getting spoilery, I just have to say how much I appreciated the realistic level at which issues were faced in this book. There were emotional moments – and I might have shed a tear or two – but they weren’t overwhelming. These moments were nicely balanced with some sexy times and even a few humorous scenes. It was easy to get wrapped up in the lives of these characters and their friends. Dane’s coach and Willow’s best friend Callie were great characters I can’t wait to see more from in the future. The next book in the series, Falling from the Sky, is Callie’s book and I can’t wait for this fantastic lady to get her own story. Note: Unfortunately this title isn't available for purchase right now. Harlequin scrapped their Harlequin-e line, but Sarina will be publishing again soon. :) You just might find out more about that in just a few days, right on this blog. Stay tuned...