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Carve My Heart: A steamy sports romance full of sizzling chemistry and scorching Olympic heat
If you love sizzling chemistry, real athletes, and stories that carve as deep as the tracks on ice—this one’s for you.
The first time they meet, she’s the woman in his way—snow in her hair, defiance in her eyes, heartbeat thundering after a collision that wasn’t entirely accidental. The air between them hums like a starting gate about to drop. One glance, one touch, and the world narrows to breath, heat, and the sting of cold air on bare skin. He smells of wax, adrenaline, and trouble. And she’s already losing balance.
Thomas Kern isn’t just fast. He’s the man the mountain bends for; Austria’s golden boy, the face of the Olympic dreams. Fearless, focused, and just a little lonely behind the charm that wins every press conference.
Katharina Berger built her career on keeping emotions off the record. As the team’s new PR specialist, she’s here to manage stories, not become one. She’s sharp, ambitious, and far too aware of what happens when sparks fly between athletes and staff. But when their paths cross again—months after that unforgettable night on the glacier—the chemistry is back, sharper than ever, right when the world is watching.
As the season hurtles toward the Olympics, crashes, comebacks, and team banter blur every line between control and chaos.
Falling for him could derail her career.
Needing her might cost him his focus.
But in a sport where perfection hurts, and passion keeps you alive, some risks are worth taking.
Carve My Heart is a spicy, slow-burn sports romance with rom-com energy and Olympic-level tension—perfect for readers who love witty chemistry, equal parts partners, and the thrill of real-world sport.
👉 Grab your copy today and dive into a world where competition sparks connection, and love carves deeper than any track on ice.
The first time they meet, she’s the woman in his way—snow in her hair, defiance in her eyes, heartbeat thundering after a collision that wasn’t entirely accidental. The air between them hums like a starting gate about to drop. One glance, one touch, and the world narrows to breath, heat, and the sting of cold air on bare skin. He smells of wax, adrenaline, and trouble. And she’s already losing balance.
Thomas Kern isn’t just fast. He’s the man the mountain bends for; Austria’s golden boy, the face of the Olympic dreams. Fearless, focused, and just a little lonely behind the charm that wins every press conference.
Katharina Berger built her career on keeping emotions off the record. As the team’s new PR specialist, she’s here to manage stories, not become one. She’s sharp, ambitious, and far too aware of what happens when sparks fly between athletes and staff. But when their paths cross again—months after that unforgettable night on the glacier—the chemistry is back, sharper than ever, right when the world is watching.
As the season hurtles toward the Olympics, crashes, comebacks, and team banter blur every line between control and chaos.
Falling for him could derail her career.
Needing her might cost him his focus.
But in a sport where perfection hurts, and passion keeps you alive, some risks are worth taking.
Carve My Heart is a spicy, slow-burn sports romance with rom-com energy and Olympic-level tension—perfect for readers who love witty chemistry, equal parts partners, and the thrill of real-world sport.
👉 Grab your copy today and dive into a world where competition sparks connection, and love carves deeper than any track on ice.
421 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Mara J. Ova
3 books3 followersMara J. Ova writes contemporary romance that burns hot and cuts deep, where love is always tangled up with risk. She’s the creator of The Carved Heart Series — stories set in the high-speed, high-stakes world of alpine skiing, filled with dangerous slopes, fearless women, and men who know exactly how to make you weak in the knees.
All of her books connect inside the Maraverse, a universe where athletes, dreamers, and daredevils chase glory — and just as often, stumble headfirst into love.
A lifelong skier and devoted fan of the Alps, Mara brings adrenaline-soaked settings to life in her romances, from frozen mountainsides to rushing rivers. And when the writing day is over, she’ll never say no to a glass of crisp, dry white wine.
All of her books connect inside the Maraverse, a universe where athletes, dreamers, and daredevils chase glory — and just as often, stumble headfirst into love.
A lifelong skier and devoted fan of the Alps, Mara brings adrenaline-soaked settings to life in her romances, from frozen mountainsides to rushing rivers. And when the writing day is over, she’ll never say no to a glass of crisp, dry white wine.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2025
I had a lot of fun reading this ARC and learning about a sport I knew zero about. I don’t care for snow so skiing is foreign to me. You can tell author is very familiar with skiing and the different tournaments leading up to, and including the Olympics. Told in dual narration, I really liked our fmc, Katharina. She was dedicated to her job and succeeding by making a name for herself. MMC was a bit harder for me to like. He was just so cocky when they first met, not even remembering her name. I don’t know, it struck me wrong. He grew up and grew on me by the end. Was pretty darn steamy too, enjoyed authors writing and the story kept me invested in our mc’s. Thanks to BookSirens for this ARC, the opinions are my own.
December 6, 2025
Review:
Carve My Heart is a book I wanted so badly to love — and in many ways, I truly did. The first 60–65% absolutely shines. Thomas is written with such exquisite restraint: the longing, the tension, the slow-burn yearning, the emotional hesitancy that gives way to depth. Those chapters were brilliant. They’re what kept me turning pages and what made me feel so invested in these characters.
But the novel struggles under the weight of 320 pages of silence and miscommunication. I understand why the author structured the emotional arc that way — Thomas is inexperienced, afraid of loving something beyond ski racing, and learning how to be emotionally present — but the execution sometimes felt repetitive and unnecessarily prolonged.
There are also some pretty significant continuity errors throughout the book that pulled me out of the story more than once. A tighter revision pass would have strengthened the overall flow and consistency.
The spice, for me, was the least effective part. Not because it existed, but because it didn’t feel true to the characters the author had built. Both the FMC and MMC suddenly felt a bit out of character in those scenes, and the emotional tone didn’t match the careful tension that had been so beautifully crafted earlier.
Still — the emotional heart of this story is strong. Thomas is compelling, flawed, soft, and learning. The early chapters had that magnetic yearning that I loved. The concept and the emotional core were incredible; the execution was uneven. I skimmed the last 25% of the book due to repetition alone.
A solid read with real potential, and an MMC I won’t forget anytime soon.
Carve My Heart is a book I wanted so badly to love — and in many ways, I truly did. The first 60–65% absolutely shines. Thomas is written with such exquisite restraint: the longing, the tension, the slow-burn yearning, the emotional hesitancy that gives way to depth. Those chapters were brilliant. They’re what kept me turning pages and what made me feel so invested in these characters.
But the novel struggles under the weight of 320 pages of silence and miscommunication. I understand why the author structured the emotional arc that way — Thomas is inexperienced, afraid of loving something beyond ski racing, and learning how to be emotionally present — but the execution sometimes felt repetitive and unnecessarily prolonged.
There are also some pretty significant continuity errors throughout the book that pulled me out of the story more than once. A tighter revision pass would have strengthened the overall flow and consistency.
The spice, for me, was the least effective part. Not because it existed, but because it didn’t feel true to the characters the author had built. Both the FMC and MMC suddenly felt a bit out of character in those scenes, and the emotional tone didn’t match the careful tension that had been so beautifully crafted earlier.
Still — the emotional heart of this story is strong. Thomas is compelling, flawed, soft, and learning. The early chapters had that magnetic yearning that I loved. The concept and the emotional core were incredible; the execution was uneven. I skimmed the last 25% of the book due to repetition alone.
A solid read with real potential, and an MMC I won’t forget anytime soon.
Want to read
November 14, 2025Thrilled to announce that my first sports romance full book is out.
What inspired me to write it? I missed ski racing not only in the romance genre but in fiction in general.
There are a few great mysteries by a former ski racer, Marc Girardelli (only available in German), but not a book like this.
As an alpine skiing journalist, I had to write it. English-speaking readers deserve these stories, as the US nation has so many heroes and especially heroines who will undoubtedly shine during the Winter Olympics 2026. The sport is fascinating, and the ski racers are sexy as hell. They know no fear, race at 140 km/h with little to no protective gear, and their thighs are steel. So, they are perfect for the sports romance genre.
Just one warning: the book is mostly for romance readers who enjoy more plot and believable characters, rather than fantasy-fulfilling books. I love those books, too, but have no idea how to write them. So, my books are filled with sex, sparkling tension, but also thrilling scenes and complicated emotions. I believe that even non-romance readers, who love sports, would find them enjoyable. But I have to wait for reviews to know exactly who this book is for. I know who I wrote it for. Now, it´s up to you to judge how I did.
The book is currently on a launch sale and is free in KU. It works without the prequel, but if you want to try my narrative style, the prequel is the perfect starting point.
What inspired me to write it? I missed ski racing not only in the romance genre but in fiction in general.
There are a few great mysteries by a former ski racer, Marc Girardelli (only available in German), but not a book like this.
As an alpine skiing journalist, I had to write it. English-speaking readers deserve these stories, as the US nation has so many heroes and especially heroines who will undoubtedly shine during the Winter Olympics 2026. The sport is fascinating, and the ski racers are sexy as hell. They know no fear, race at 140 km/h with little to no protective gear, and their thighs are steel. So, they are perfect for the sports romance genre.
Just one warning: the book is mostly for romance readers who enjoy more plot and believable characters, rather than fantasy-fulfilling books. I love those books, too, but have no idea how to write them. So, my books are filled with sex, sparkling tension, but also thrilling scenes and complicated emotions. I believe that even non-romance readers, who love sports, would find them enjoyable. But I have to wait for reviews to know exactly who this book is for. I know who I wrote it for. Now, it´s up to you to judge how I did.
The book is currently on a launch sale and is free in KU. It works without the prequel, but if you want to try my narrative style, the prequel is the perfect starting point.
December 9, 2025
I love sports romances, but this was my first skiing romance and it's definitely a subgenre I want to read more of. I loved the fast pace and contstantly moving from place to place that came along with the downhill skiing season.
The first half of the book was fun and kept me very entertained. I didn't feel a deep connection with Katharina or Thomas, but I understood them as characters. And I really appreciated Kat's dedication towards her career - there are too many romance books where she ends up giving up her career for the man and I was glad this didn't fall into that category. I'm not big on insta-love, but I did appreciate their chemistry in the beginning.
But then things kind of fell apart. Both characters (although mostly Thomas) suddenly had major personality disorders and started doing things that we hadn't seen from them before and it all seemed very out of character. And I really appreciate that Thomas had flaws, but he became completely unlikable to me. There was a line, and he crossed it (haha, unintentional skiing joke), and after that I really couldn't forgive him for the way he treated Kat.
In addition to my dislike of Thomas, there were some general grammar and writing issues that made it hard to fully embrace the book. The dialogue was fairly stilted, and there were grammatical mistakes that at first seemed like an interesting style choice, but later seemed more like it needed another editing pass.
Overall, I thought it was a fun book and I really liked the premise, but the characters and their relationship let it down for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The first half of the book was fun and kept me very entertained. I didn't feel a deep connection with Katharina or Thomas, but I understood them as characters. And I really appreciated Kat's dedication towards her career - there are too many romance books where she ends up giving up her career for the man and I was glad this didn't fall into that category. I'm not big on insta-love, but I did appreciate their chemistry in the beginning.
But then things kind of fell apart. Both characters (although mostly Thomas) suddenly had major personality disorders and started doing things that we hadn't seen from them before and it all seemed very out of character. And I really appreciate that Thomas had flaws, but he became completely unlikable to me. There was a line, and he crossed it (haha, unintentional skiing joke), and after that I really couldn't forgive him for the way he treated Kat.
In addition to my dislike of Thomas, there were some general grammar and writing issues that made it hard to fully embrace the book. The dialogue was fairly stilted, and there were grammatical mistakes that at first seemed like an interesting style choice, but later seemed more like it needed another editing pass.
Overall, I thought it was a fun book and I really liked the premise, but the characters and their relationship let it down for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 5, 2025
I loved this story from beginning to end with the characters and their chemistry together and the story line. Also how it incorporates the 2026 Olympics. I haven't read until now any story like it, I loved how the story was told. and the steamy and other scenes were also great. But the characters were amazing and also I learned a little more about a sport I didn't know much about before, and it'll defiantly be something I watch in the next Olympics. I highly recommend this book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews