One Night on Ice

Samantha lives for her work – and at her work in the local Civic hall. From remembering the magical times with her parents and sister there seeing shows, to the current discounted meals and quite frankly, 3rd tier acts they now book – the Ice Show promises to bring the center back to it’s former glory, if only momentarily. The assistant to the ‘manager, Samantha is suffering from a severe dearth of self-confidence and a drastic need to function within a very small box and routine. Compared to her older and much more ‘out there’ sister, she’s that quiet and reliable shadow in the background – solidly plugging along to a specific goal. Uncomfortable with new people, confrontation, standing up for herself – you name it: she’s the logical one who manages orders, smooths ruffled feathers and is always there. But with a ‘wonderful’ idea that his ‘girls’ skate during intermission with programs and ice-cream, Samantha grudgingly accepts, even as she’s not skated for years. With the ice show on, they’ve snatched practice time and the star of the show, Jimmy, is not only handsome, but he wants Samantha to skate more – so much so that ‘after hours’ he’s convinced her to skate with him to ‘help him out’ with seeing if teaching is what he wants to do after retiring from shows. But, with an alcohol problem in his past, and a current partner who wants to sabotage him – he’s got lots going on – all of which make him even more scary to Sam. But - she’s discovering that she’s falling for him – something that with his encouragement and solid backing of her taking over the managerial position has brought a new bounce to her step. Baggot manages to make even the most timid of characters speak to readers and bring us inside their heads. She’s easy to like – even if you wish she’s be less timid, and far less judgmental where Jimmy is concerned – but perhaps a bit more strident with her sister. Who is off the chain selfish and dramatic – and you see that Sam just uses her sister’s drama to be the ‘quiet one’. With her caring for Gobolino the stray, her coming alive on the ice as her confidence grows with each solid skate – the sweetness here can’t be denied. Even when everything appears to go utterly pear-shaped and the signs are all negative. With lots of help, a ton of heart and a wonderful recognition of Samantha’s finding her own two feet and voice, the story gives plenty to laugh about, cheer for and enjoy. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my ow responsibility.