When the Ice Melts: (Climbing Higher Series #1 -- Contemporary Christian Fiction Novel) by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm

When the Ice Melts: (Climbing Higher Series #1 -- Contemporary Christian Fiction Novel) Reviews

• 
  theliterateleprechaun

  How do you bounce back after losing a chance at an Olympic gold medal?
  
  I can only imagine how devastating it must be to work for years perfecting your skill, only to lose out by tenths or hundredths of a second. I’ve always been curious about how this knowledge affects a professional athlete. What does it do to their sense of identity?
  
  If you’ve always defined yourself by your dream and it’s suddenly taken away, who are you NOW?
  
  Ashlyn McKayla Ohm examines why we continually value and seek to identify with our accomplishments. To do so, she introduces us to the Miles sisters, Avery and Addisyn. Avery is the protective older sister with a solid connection to God. Addisyn is feisty and acts before she thinks. She’s a competitive figure skater on her dream to the Olympics and has sacrificed her principles for someone who claims he can make her a star. The Miles girls have had a tough start to life (their backstory is available for free in a novella on the author’s website) and have become estranged, knowing nothing about each other and with no way to contact one another.
  
  When Addisyn’s Olympic dreams are shattered, she hides out in Whistler, Canada to search for the answers. She meets Darius Payne, another athlete who is struggling with the outcome of a reckless choice. Whistler proves to be the perfect place to decide ‘what next’ … until her past comes calling with an attractive offer.
  
  I enjoyed this beautiful faith story about broken dreams, desperate decisions, sibling love and relentless grace. It was good to be reminded that sometimes, losing our dreams means finding ourselves.
  
  *Although I could appreciate the significance, I was initially slowed down by Avery’s choice of the Hebrew name for God, El Shaddai. For any B.C. readers or anyone who’s been to Whistler, they’ll notice a few tiny inconsistencies. Neither will stop me from reading this series!
  
• 
  Caitlin Miller

  A lovely book about pursuing your dreams and knowing when to let them go, understanding what love and forgiveness are, and the importance of family relationships and never giving up on those you love. When the Ice Melts has it all—faith, romance, and powerful truths.
• 
  Gretchen Garrison

  "I can't expect God to overlook a horrible choice that was all my own fault. That hurt a lot of people."
  "Overlook? Certainly not ... I'm talking about forgive."
  "To overlook a sin is to sweep it under the rug and allow it to fester in darkness. To forgive is to call it out, acknowledge it - and then heal it."
  
  This is a powerful book about the mistakes we make, the consequences that can follow but more importantly the forgiveness we can find.
  
  Addisyn let go of everything to be an ice skater. She concentrated on the be the best she could be as well as on her manager who she had a personal relationship with despite her sister's concerns. That is another part she let slide - she destroyed her relationship with her sister because of her decisions.
  
  Some might consider Darius to be hiding. The life he is living now is certainly different than from several years ago. He may not recognize it, but he is punishing himself for the path he followed for a season.
  
  Can Addisyn find a new way? Will Darius be able to move on? Is redemption even possible?
  
  This is a contemporary fiction book with some elements of romance, a bit of suspense and also a bit of the supernatural. The power of prayer and restoration is definitely a key element of the story. I think the different parts worked together to form a beautiful story.
  
  As someone who used to love watching Olympic figure skating, I loved that part of the book. Adventure and risk are also a part of the plot. Overall, this was such a great storyline. I really enjoyed the book!
  
  I was provided an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I wanted to write a review.
• 
  Missy

  I love when I find a Faith based book that I love. One that I can read and feel the spirit of God through. This is a beautiful story of God’s Grace. Looking forward to more stories from this author!
• 
  Erin

  When competitive figure skater Addisyn Miles suffers a devastating defeat at Eastern Sectionals, her dreams of making the Olympic team appear to be over. Especially with a coach who seems to have given up on her as well. Feeling she's lost everything, she flees to the mountains for refuge.
  
  Darius Payne is hiding a secret. But when he meets Addisyn, all the pain from his past seems to melt away. Who is this girl and how ca she capture his heart so quickly?
  
  When figure skating coach Brian Felding realizes he's let a genuine talent slip through his fingers, he begins searching for her. But is he more concerned about his own future or Addisyn's?
  
  This novel is highly introspective with strong spiritual themes. As a figure skating fan, I love a good skating story, though there does need to be a healthy suspension of disbelief when it comes to Addisyn's possible Olympic journey. I thought the author's writing was strong overall, though less might have been more effective when it comes to certain emotions and the number of point of view characters. The story does wrap up some things but leaves room for a sequel, which I would love to read.
  
  I would recommend this book for fans of winter sports and contemporary fiction with a strong spiritual arc.
  
  This review originated at
  http://reviewsbyerin.dreamwidth.org
• 
  Frances Dall'Alba

  An inspiring read when two sisters reconnect and start again. They deal with the bad and the good choices they've made along the way. They build strength from adversity and a rotten upbringing, and they use strong faith to help them back on the right path. It doesn't end with a certainty that a romance will happen, but I'm going to believe it does.
• 
  Stacey

  When the Ice Melts is a captivating, inspirational story of God's forgiveness and second chances. The descriptions of the scenery and towns made me feel like I was there. As a kid, I would watch figure skating on tv and marvel over the skaters' abilities. Reading this book, I could see the figure skating in my head as I was reading the scenes. The characters were easy to love - except for the one who isn't supposed to be, of course. This is a very engaging book and I can't wait to read the next one.
• 
  Emily Hoisington

  A gripping contemporary novel about identity, family and the power of redemptive love. When the Ice Melts features two sisters who share a dark past but are estranged due to choices that have torn them apart. After Addisyn, the younger sister, who is a competitive figure skater, loses the chance to compete in the Olympics, the soul crushing disappointment takes her on a journey that will reunite her with her sister and with her sister's God- El Shaddai, the God of the mountains. 🏔
  
  You would never guess this book is the authors debut novel- it's engaging, inspiring and thoughtful with deeply emotional characters and strong settings. Her descriptions of Whistler, B.C. and Estes Park, Colorado made me feel like I was there and the successes and struggles her characters experience make them relatable and all the more lovable. ❤️
  
  I am so excited for this book to grace the world! Not only will it entertain and engage you but it will draw you deeper to the God who loves each and every one of us and yearns to give us a second chance. I can't wait to read what comes next from this author!
  
  I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Eric Ruthford

  Recently I finished Ashlyn McKayla Ohm’s When the Ice Melts, a powerful book that fits into the Contemporary Christian Fiction and Sisters Fiction genres. It came out last month and is definitely worth a read and the author is worth following.
  
  The main character in this story is Addisyn Miles, an elite figure skater who’s in the midst of a career interruption on her path to the Olympics. After she and her sister, Avery, escaped from their abusive father, Addisyn threw herself into figure skating, finding new confidence and success.
  
  The primary question in this book is how people recover from abusive relationships and other traumas. Avery’s approach is to withdraw into prayer in the mountains, which makes her a challenging character to follow as it takes about a hundred pages before she actually talks to someone who isn’t a dog. Addisyn’s approach is to get into a new abusive relationship with her figure-skating coach. And then there’s Darius, a caring guy who wants to honor his parents’ memory, but he has a hard time relating to others.
  
  The book is an intriguing blend of romance elements and personal drama. A romance is over when the couple reconciles, but this book leaves you guessing, is the book going to be over when Addisyn figures out what to do about her sister, the thoughtful guy, the mean guy, her career, or God?
  
  There are a few soft spots in the book – Darius’ backstory has some holes in it, leaving his current issues a little confusing. Also, given how cash-strapped most of the characters are, there are a surprising number of last-minute cross-country plane tickets purchased. And there’s one thing in the book’s promo blurb that drives me nuts – it says Addisyn escapes to the Canadian Rockies when she goes to Whistler. (It’s in the Coast Range, 500 miles to the west.)
  
  But these are minor problems. All in all, it’s a good book, and you should look it up. One cautionary note about the title – if you type When the Ice Melts into Amazon, you want the one with the cover of a woman in the gray shirt carrying ice skates above a picture of the mountains. Don’t click on the When the Ice Melts cover with the woman wearing a red bra while holding ice skates. That one’s a non-fiction book about an elite figure skater who reaches a juncture in her career and takes an, um, different path.
• 
  Sonya Wasden

  This is a new author to me but I enjoyed the story very much.
  
  Avery and Addisyn were sisters who lived with their cruel father. When Avery had enough, she took her younger sister, Addisyn, and moved to New York City. Avery was still a child herself but she did her best to care for her sister and provide everything she needed at great self sacrifice. Avery had a belief in God but Addisyn did not. When Brian, a famous figure skating coach, came to sweep Addisyn away, Avery was left with nothing but pain.
  
  A few years later when Addisyn began to see that Brian was not her Prince Charming but instead was selfish and self-absorbed, she had to get away to find herself and by doing so, began to see that the great sacrifice Avery had made for her. She wanted her sister's forgiveness, if not her love.
  
  There is so much to this story including forgiveness, discovery and love. I really want to see what happens with Darius. I hope there is a second story to continue his story.
  
  I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
• 
  LINDA BASS

  OH MAN, I found myself crying when Addisyn didn't listen to Avery and left with the smooth talking Brian to pursue her Olympic dreams of getting the gold medal in ice skating. Even though Avery had taken her younger sister and fled to New York from their abusive father, worked two low pay jobs, cut coupons to make her money stretch Addisyn never appreciated her efforts but only harp on telling her about God. I liked that Avery walked and talked with God and prayed for her sister. The best part was when the sisters searched for each other in New York, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO READ BOOK TWO!!
  
• 
  Havelah McLat

  The story was well done. I learned a lot about skating and how the competition works and got into characters' heads and their POV. It definitely has faith content, redemption and love and second chances. Only thing about this book that kept me from hitting five stars is pacing. The pacing was slow and it took time for me to get into the story. Overall, I really enjoy it. And I thought the sisters reunion was a beautiful way to wrap the story. I hope to see the sequel for Darius and Addisyn. They deserve a happy ending.
• 
  Lauri Gentry

  I took a chance on a NTM author and I book I had heard little about and oh was it worth it! A story about sisters separated after a fall out. Addison is about to realize her dream when it all comes crashing down. Avery embarks on a new life in a new location until the past walks into her life reminding her of the sister she lost. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't stop turning pages. I love how the love of God, second chances and redemption is woven into the story. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
• 
  Brain

  Personally not a religious person but it blends well
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  Tambra

  Excellent book, Great book about Ice Skating I loved it. Cant wait to read more from this new author.
• 
  Kim Cantrell

  Estranged sisters- will they find each other again?
  Lost dreams- can they be found again?
  2 men to choose from
  God or the world
  What will Addisyn choose?
  A good read, not preachy, realistic