"An engaging read for sports fans and romance lovers alike." —Kirkus Reviews*

*"Finding Her Edge shines from the high-stakes backdrop of professional ice dancing. With thrilling athleticism, compelling family dynamics, beautifully drawn friendships, and a relationship . . . or two to root for, this story set on the ice is sure to ignite dreams and warm hearts.” **—Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of *A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

"Finding Her Edge captures the magic of a second-chance romance and tosses it into the pressure-cooker of world-class ice skating along with an irresistible combination of fake dating, family drama, and a shot at winning a life-changing gold. There is no one better than Jennifer Iacopelli when it comes to providing a realistic glimpse into the lives of elite athletes while crafting a romance chock full of heartbreak and hard work." *—Sarah Henning, author of Throw Like A Girl and It's All In How You Fall

***"A deliciously readable stay-up-all-night look into the world of professional ice dancing. With sparkling banter and a shippable couple (or two or three) Finding Her Edge is a perfect mix of sports drama and romance. I couldn't put it down!" ****—**Cameron Lund, author of The Best Laid Plans and *Heartbreakers and Fakers

***"Iacopelli combines the high-stakes, high-pressure world of elite ice dancing with a romance (or two!) that will leave readers swooning and ready to grab their skates to hit the ice!" ****—**Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of *House of Salt and Sorrows

Autorentext

Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave, ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were L. M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett, both of whom wrote about kick-butt girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-butt. As a high school librarian, she frolics all day with her students, books, and computers and writes at night while cheering on her beloved Yankees. She is also the author of Break the Fall. Follow her online @jennifercarolyn.

Klappentext

A NETFLIX SERIES

A swoony romantic novel following an elite ice dancer caught in a love triangle with her new skating partner and an old flame.

**“This story set on the ice is sure to ignite dreams and warm hearts.” —Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow**

Adriana Russo is figure skating royalty, born to gold-medalist parents and an equally talented sister. Adriana’s dream? To conquer the Junior World Championships and uphold the family legacy. But when the family’s legendary skating rink faces financial ruin, everything she’s worked for is at risk.

Training with her new partner, Brayden, sparks an idea: let the world believe their on-ice chemistry isn’t only for show. The fake-dating gains traction, and Adriana realizes maybe she actually is falling for Brayden. But then her past crashes into her present and changes everything, when Freddie, her former partner**—and first crush—**reenters the scene.

As the biggest competition of her life draws closer and her family’s legacy hangs in the balance, Adriana is torn between the future she’s worked so hard for with Brayden, and the one she gave up long ago with Freddie. Will she find her edge and claim her place at the top, or will her heart lead her in a different direction?

Leseprobe

Chapter 1

The pair floats across the ice, hands clasped together, skates scraping against the surface in perfect synchronicity.

Or, at least, they’re trying to.

“Okay!” I shout, my voice hoarse after a long day of lessons. Despite my aching legs, I’m circling around them on my ownskates with a smooth, natural glide that, hopefully, they’ll be able to mimic one day. “Keep your grip firm, but not too tight. Don’t pull her with you, Jackson. Remember, she’s smaller than you. You need to adjust your stride to match hers.” The two eight-­year-­oldsI’m coaching are getting used to holding hands and skating together, one of the foundational basics of ice dance.

My voice echoes up into the rafters of Kellynch Rink of Greater Boston, the place I’ve spent more time in than my own home. It practically is home. My sisters and I were on skates before we could see over the boards surrounding the ice, because that’s what you do when you’re born a Russo.

“He’s not pulling you along anymore, Sadie, so you have to stay with him,” I remind her after he stops yanking at her arm and she drifts behind.

Finally, they fall into step, her shorter legs stretching a littlelonger, his longer legs striding a little shorter, and from my vantage point, it looks like perfection.

“That’s it!” They beam up at me, still holding hands. “Great job.”

Sadie barely comes up to my hip, and she casts her eyes longingly at my legs. “I wish I was as tall as you, Adriana. I wouldn’thave to stride so long.”

“You’re perfect exactly the way you are. Make sure you stretch tonight, especially your feet and ankles. Gotta keep them nice and strong for when I see you two again.”

“Ugh, that’s so long from now,” Jackson whines as I lead them off the ice.

“Not too long,” I say, clicking my skate guards on as soon as I pass through the gate. “Just until after Worlds.”

“That’s forever*,”* Sadie says, probably because when you’re eight years old, two months is an eternity.

To be fair, even at sixteen, it feels like forever for me, too, because by then Junior World Championships, the biggest competition of my life, will be over. It can’t get here soon enough. My ice dance partner and I qualified for the second year in a row, but this year, we finally have a great shot of winning gold. So two months from now, I’ll either be a World Champion . . . or not.

Right now, though, I’m a coach. I’ve been picking up more and more lessons in the last couple of years, trying to do my part to keep the lights on.

I wave to Sadie’s and Jackson’s moms as we approach them outside the rink. They’re sitting in the parents’ viewing area adjacent to the lobby. Banners cover the walls, citing the successes of the skating club in the half century it’s been open.

“Ah, Adriana!” Sadie’s mom says, racing up to me, her strides way faster than the ones her daughter can produce on the ice. “I’m so glad I got to see you before you left!”

“Oh,” I say with a small smile.

“Please tell Elisa I said good luck! We’ll all be watching her!”

I don’t let my smile slide at all, but instead let it grow. “Of course, I will.”

“You must be so proud of her. Your big sister going to theOlympics, what an accomplishment. Your father must be ecstatic.”

“He is.” I hold that smile, big and tight across my face. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it won’t be the last. Olympic Games trumps Junior World Championships, obviously. Elisa is a ladies’ singles skater, and their careers tend to peak way younger than ice dancers. Four years from now, if everything goes as planned, I’ll be headed to my first Olympics.

“Well, we don’t want to keep you,” Sadie’s mom says, her eyes darting around the lobby, probably to make sure she didn’t miss Elisa or Dad. Jackson and his mom are already gone.

“Sadie, great job today. I’ll see you when I get back.”

I lock the door…