**3.5 Stars**I'm on a sports kick lately with my books, and especially into girls playing hockey!! (Perhaps because I'm spending 3 days a week at the ice arena with my daughter!) So Ice in my Veins was particularly appealing. I struggled with my thoughts on this book for quite awhile. I was torn between feeling inspired and feeling frustrated. And in the end, I enjoyed the story more than the negative aspects. Christine has to overcome a lot in this book. Her passion is hockey, and her family isn't exactly supportive. (Because she's a girl.) They've told her flat out they'd be more supportive if she was into figure skating or gymnastics, but she's driven to be the best at hockey. She puts herself out there and gets a try-out with a Men's team in Canada (basically like triple A baseball - the farm team to a farm team...) Her story is incredibly inspiring, and despite all their flaws? So are the guys on her team! You can't help but love them.Kelli Sullivan has a strong story, for the first half of the book. Unfortunatly? After about the halfway point it really feels like an info dump. We follow Christine into middle age, which to me is too much. Starting with a 16 year old and following her until her own children are half grown?? Too much to fit into one book! And I can't write this review without addressing the grammar and spelling. It's as if there was ZERO editing - not even a reread - on this book. An example that sticks with me? Fanominally instead of Phenomenally. (And that's just one of many.) So with better editing alone? This book would have easily been better. In the end, this was a great story - worth the read. I read it in an afternoon, so I was definitely hooked to see what happened. The author did a fantastic job of showing the dark and dirty side of hockey - the infidelity, the sexism, the partying. She stayed true to her characters, and overall had an enjoyable story. I enjoy reading books by first time novelists. There is a first time for everyone and for most they are full of bad reviews. For Indie writers and self published authors, it's worse. I love reading their novels because it's like breathing new life into a dull market. I believe it's the trends that kill me. One vampire series does great and a million writers follow hoping for their books or series to hit it big. It becomes about the money. This novel has not been properly edited. That is obvious from the start. This original story is refreshing to read. I really loved that fact that it was different from anything out there. It's also nice to see a young girl who goes after what she wants and doesn't let others get in her way. It's the type of young adult book I don't mind that my daughter reads. Some of the smut these young girls read today sickens me. At least the main character in this novel has principals and not out there competing with other girls to sleep me guys. I read one of my daughters novels a while back the name escapes me now but it was basically about two girls who compete to sleep with the most guys in a summer. Let's just say we had to have a talk after I read that one. Books like Ice in my Veins are enlightening . It was a great one day read. I read it on the bus going to and from work and it entertained me. I can over look the typos and spelling mistakes. I make lots of them on a daily basis. I love to read and have tried to write in the past and it's just not in the cards for me. I commend this first time author for her courage to put herself out there to be critized. I feel it's important to support first timers. Also it's good to read poorly written books once in a while. If you don't then how can you appreciate the masterpieces.
Do You like book Ice In My Veins (2010)?
I love hockey and I loved reading about it, but the writing style was terrible.
—beedoes
Interesting idea but a dryly written story.
—starriexan
