Author: Keira Andrews
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 88 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Gay figure skaters keep their relationship secret–and end up on thin ice.
Misha Reznikov has an Olympic gold—and a secret lover who just happens to be the silver medalist. Now that their competitive days are over, Misha and former rival Dev Avira are setting up house in LA and giving their relationship a shot in the real world. They agree that keeping their romance strictly under wraps is best for their pro careers and Misha’s family back in Russia. So what if Dev hasn’t told his parents, and they never eat out for fear of being spotted? It’s not perfect, but they’re together.
But as they prepare for a special holiday skating show on Christmas Eve in Dev’s hometown, tension builds. How long can Misha and Dev keep their love secret–and what happens if one of them wants to stop hiding?
Review: What a wonderful book. Holding the Edge is the continuation of Cold War, where we met Dev and Misha and watched them fall in lust. Misha’s voice tells the story as they step away from competition and the international spotlight, and begin to build a life together – quietly.
” We may not be competing anymore, but we are still in the skating world. There are rules, even if they are not written down.”
This conflict between who and what they are, and where they want to be, is the driving force of the story. As Dev and Misha get closer emotionally, the heat of their physical relationship is very powerful. It’s sexy and good, and binds them closer together to a point it is hard to hide their ‘coupleness’.
Keira Andrews takes the time to develop the characters secondary to the MCs, adding layers and depth to the story, giving it a richness that adds to the impact of the story upon the reader. I was drawn into their world and was invested in their hope for the future. I have never skated and have only been in a rink once, but I could clearly see their world and be a part of it. I fretted and worried about them, I hurt for them, and I was angered by the politics that pressured them to remain hidden, as too did their own fears. Keira is very successful at writing from Misha’s POV. There are wonderful Russian flavors that scent the story, leading to the holidays and the touching conclusion.
This is a powerful and timely story, with many overtones – but the strongest feeling I had was excitement. I was glad to be a part of the story and had to immediately reread the whole book to see if it really was as good as I thought. It was great to see the lust from Cold War develop into love in Holding The Edge….I think I have another favorite Christmas story too. Keira Andrews has just become an auto-buy for me.
You can buy Holding the Edge here:
