4.5 Stars. 
 This is a strongly-written New Adult M/M sports romance which features elite amateur skaters. 
 Alex Grady is a taciturn skater determined to win gold at the Olympics. He came to skating late, but has worked really, really hard to make it to the top, winning US Nationals in the previous season. He has a new coach, Mrs. C, who is a former Russian champion, and gives Alex the tough instruction he needs. It's an Olympic year and he's training in Toronto, isolated from his family in New Jersey, making few friends of his training mates. 
 Matt Savelli, one-half of a partners team, is an attractive man, one that Alex can't help but notice. Looking is all Alex really wants. He's known he was gay for most of his life, but he's never had a boyfriend. Alex's out to his family, but he keeps his sexuality private, fearing some judges may lower his scores out of prejudice, especially with hypermasculine skaters tearing up the ice with all their huge jumps. Plus, dating someone would just take time away from training, and Alex can't afford it. His family's financial situation is very much dependent upon Alex's performance. 
 Still, as Alex interacts with Matt, he recognizes that Matt's not the model of perfection he projects. Their friendship grows, a bit. And, when a tragedy occurs on the ice and Matt's partner is injured, Alex is there to pick Matt up from his depression, encouraging him to skate singles for the first time in years. Not only that, they connect in a way Alex never has with a man before. The competitive atmosphere is exciting as Alex and Matt both strive for their personal Olympic dreams. At the end of the day, however, Alex is focused on winning gold, and he messes up with Matt, big time. 
 I really enjoyed all the skating bits. I'm (at best) a casual figure skating fan-I appreciate its beauty, but it's not really my thing-yet I didn't feel lost, or overwhelmed with the sport bits. The story is one of setting goals, and reaching for them over all other parts of life, and that self-sacrifice is something I do really connect with. Alex's life has a combustive energy, with his no-filter mouth and his solitary habits. He's socially-awkward and abrasive, as a result. Matt stayed away at first because of that, thinking the Alex was a big jerk. He isn't, really, but his shell is tough to crack, and he's petulant at times with a horrid habit of lashing out when frustrated. That said, he does make amends, and his tender heart is revealed in lovely ways over the second half of the story. 
 There's also a sweet bit of sexual exploration here, because Alex begins the book as a virgin, and Matt takes care of that bit of business. Both sweet and tender, and hot and dirty, loving are on the menu, folks. There's also some heartbreak, and a lot of personal growth in store for Alex. I loved that he began the book as a prickly young man, and ended as a freaking teddy bear.