Life on the Edge
Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.
Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.
Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It seems that lately I have struggled with rating books, and this is another one. This book has a lot going for it. A nice older young adult romance, ice skating, and it’s completely clean! This is the most exciting part of the book for me. No profanity, and no sex scenes! Your teenager can read this, and your mother-in-law can, too. I have to say that Sergei and Emily are great together, and you can sense the chemistry from the start. Not only that, Sergei is a fine coach, and he is a real man. I’ll let you read the book to understand what is implied there!
This is your typical young adult romance. Don’t expect anything out of the ordinary, and you can bet there will be a lot of “sappy” romance. Yes, if you follow my reviews at all, you know that is something I always point out. But at least Sergei is sweet, and nothing horrible happens between them. There is a bad guy, and I wasn’t expecting it, but all’s well that ends well. I was glad that not everything ended according to everyone’s dreams–no spoilers from me.
If you like sweet, clean romances and/or figure skating, this would be a perfect book for you. Quite seriously, what you see is what you get, but it is a nice, quick read for any quiet evening.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
Excerpt
Mom’s eyebrows were still raised as she returned to her seat. I stayed standing and tapped Sergei’s arm. “Can we talk for a sec?”
I led him away from the table to a quiet spot near the entrance. A couple of Canadian ice dance coaches passed us, and we swapped brief hellos. I retreated further into the corner and looked up at Sergei.
“What was your dad angry about?”
Sergei rubbed the back of his neck and let out a frustrated sigh. “He wasn’t happy that he left work and now you’re not skating.”
I laughed dryly. “So, now he has something else to hold against me.”
“No, it’s not you.” Sergei touched my cheek. “He doesn’t even know you. It’s just him… and the way he is.”
“When you said he’s not a ray of sunshine, you weren’t joking. He didn’t even shake your hand.”
“He’s never been good at expressing emotion.”
“I’m sure glad you got your mom’s personality.” I tugged on the end of Sergei’s purple tie.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, but I could feel the tension in his body. What else could go wrong on this trip? With two days left in St. Petersburg and three more in Moscow, I was almost afraid to ask that question.
Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life On the Edge, her first published novel.
When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see a different side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Jennifer is blessed with a wonderful family and many friends who have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a published author.
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1 Comment
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Thanks so much for the great review and for hosting me on the tour!
