Alisa has spent her entire life preparing for the Olympics. Pair skating is all she knows with the trust, the precision and the years of building a program designed for one the fight for gold.
But after a heated Norwegian championship and a rivalry that sparks both on and off the ice, everything unravels. Her partner won’t be able to compete at the Olympics, and Alisa is forced into an impossible give up her dream or start over in singles skating just months before the Olympic Games.
Singles are brutal. The jumps are harder, the competition fiercer, and her rivals suddenly have the advantage. With her country’s Olympic quota uncertain and political tensions threatening their participation, even qualifying is no longer guaranteed.
And complicating it all is the one skater she shouldn’t be thinking about — her rival, whose presence lingers long after the music stops.
As the Olympics draw closer, Alisa must rebuild her body, her program, and her sense of self, knowing that one mistake could cost her everything.
Gold was always the goal.
However her heart now craves entirely different thing.
This book contains mature themes and trigger content. Not suitable for younger readers.
Dari A. Malaunt writes fantasy and romance that blur the line between light and darkness.
Her stories explore love, power, and redemption through characters shaped by their inner battles, some born from the darkest corners of the soul, others reaching for something softer. No matter the world, she writes with intention: to make you feel, to make you question, and to leave a mark that doesn’t fade with the final page.
She is the author of the "Horns Unveiled" romantasy duology, "Unrequited Love" dark romance trilogy, "Divine Destinies" dark romantasy series, "Worshipped by Darkness" paranormal romance series, and "Blades & Hearts" sports romance.
When she’s not writing, she’s learning, evolving, and chasing the next story that refuses to be forgotten.
To find out more, follow @dariamalaunt on Instagram and @dariamalauntwrites on TikTok.
This was my first time reading a story centered on figure skaters and such high stakes, several scenes genuinely gave me goosebumps! That’s how I know a book has touched me!
I’m incredibly grateful to the author for giving me both Alpha and Beta access to this book. Experiencing the story twice!!! in its raw and evolving form, made me feel more involved than I’ve ever felt with an ARC copies. There’s something special about reading a story while it’s still imperfect.
The book is structured in several parts, each focusing on a defining moment in the main character’s life. The narrative dives deeply into her journey instead of her girlfriend and that's totally okay! And at times I felt like I was watching a beautifully crafted romantic documentary about two figure skaters falling in love. The realism was stunning!!!
The romance is meaningful, but what impressed me most was that the plot takes center stage and it's actually really powerful. In so many modern romances, the plot fades behind the relationship, but here it’s the opposite, and I absolutely loved that! The story is full of unexpected twists; I usually guess them early, but this time the author truly surprised me. Bravo, Dari!
The portrayal of professional sports is another highlight. Even though I’m not someone who typically enjoys heavy technical detail, the author explains everything with such clarity that I never felt overwhelmed. Instead, I felt like I was floating gently through the world of competitive figure skating, watching it unfold with vivid clarity.
Overall, it’s superb! I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves sapphic romances, figure skating and sports-centered narratives.