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Review: From Ice to Grace - The Heart of a Ranger #2

From Ice to Grace book cover on blue background

It's fun when you can sense a story building in the background of another one, and that's exactly what happens in From Ice to Grace by Ann J. David, the second book in the The Heart of a Ranger series.

It's quite evident that sparks are flying between Declan and Avah in their previous interactions, making this next book a must-read to discover what happens next!

Book Synopsis

He’s one bad hit away from blowing his career. She’s one heartbreak past trusting again.

Declan Murphy: The ice used to be the only place I felt steady—where I could hit hard, keep my head down, and pretend the past wasn’t catching up. But now I’m one bad decision away from losing it all. My spot on the team. My place in the league. My grip on who I’m becoming. And the one person I can’t seem to avoid? Avah Johansson—my best friend’s sister and the woman who sees straight through me. Sparring with her used to be harmless. Safe. But when everything starts to unravel, it’s Avah who ends up in the middle of my mess… in more ways than either of us planned.

Avah Johansson: After my world shattered, I ran to New York for a fresh start. I didn’t expect to find myself stuck in emotional limbo—or spending half my time snapping at one of my brother’s teammates just to feel something again. Declan Murphy is loud, infuriating, and everything I swore I didn’t want. But when circumstances force us into a marriage of convenience, I begin to wonder if God’s using the most unlikely person to bring me back to the healing I’ve been avoiding.

Now, stuck between pretend and something real, we’re facing more than just a fake marriage—we’re facing the truth. About pain. About forgiveness. And maybe… about grace we both still need to find.

Source: Author's Website

Book Thoughts

If you’ve read From Ice to Home, you’ll recognize Declan as Lucas’ teammate on the New York Rangers and Avah as the sister to EJ, another Ranger. Though this book can be read as a standalone, Declan and Avah's interactions in the previous book in the series are not to be missed. From innocent zingers to deeper barbs, their relationship starts a little earlier than in this book, making me quite excited to get to read their story. Their tempestuous interactions result in more to the story and I love how Ann J. David fleshed out their characters and circumstances so that it took on further twists than I expected.

There is a lot packed into this book involving how God works in their lives to turn them from constantly insulting one another to sacrificially loving one another; prepare yourselves for quite the journey! If anything, this book speaks to how we are not beyond God's redemption and love. It imparts biblical truth head-on, without shying away from the consequences of how our lives can turn out when we wrest control away from Him. Readers who enjoy grittier Christian fiction will find this enemies to more hockey romance a glimmer of what it looks like to move from being at enmity with God to amity between us and Him as a result of what Christ has done for us.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍

Book Quotes

Somehow I’ve made it through this week without losing it. I’ve been calm, like God is steadying my heart. Hannah gives me an encouraging smile. “My mom always tells me that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He’ll nudge you, remind you, give you wisdom but He never forces you. He never leaves you with guilt or shame, or manipulates you. He loves you, and He wants what’s best for you.” For almost a year, I’ve allowed myself to forget that God is the only One who can settle my heart. Scripture says that the enemy deceives. And the cruelest part of it is you don’t even know you’re being deceived. Thanks to God’s grace, He opened my eyes. 
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