- Paperback: 482 pages
- Publisher: New Generation Publishing; 1st edition (1 April 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1907461272
- ISBN-13: 978-1907461279
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,371,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Breaking the Ice
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
When routine driven box office assistant Samantha Smith meets the stars of 'Skating on Broadway' her life is turned upside down. Immediately attracted to the infamous lead skater Jimmy Lloyd, Samantha does her best to deny her feelings. But when all you can do is burst out laughing and hyperventilate every time you're under pressure, keeping things under wraps is a hard task. When the future of her beloved Civic Hall is threatened Samantha must rise to the challenge to ensure its survival. Constantly scrutinised and criticised by her zany sister Cleo and her brogue wearing boyfriend Jeremy, can Samantha save her job, save the Civic Hall and stop her panic attacks just long enough to give her away her heart?
About the Author
Mandy Baggot is a married mother of two and Breaking the Ice is her second novel. Excess All Areas was published in 2008.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
An agoraphobic, virginal box office attendant who is prone to panic attacks and insecurities meets a recovering alcoholic, celebrity ice-skating sensation, with their only common ground being the dying Civic Hall, doesn't immediately strike you as a recipe for an entertaining and romantic read but Mandy Baggot pulls it off well with a light touch . The problems are dealt with in an easy way, keeping the story light hearted and fun without digging so deep that they become overbearing.
Breaking the Ice follows Samantha Smith, a shy 24 year old who has more issues than the back catalogue of `Hello' magazine and whose entire life revolves around the running of the Civic Hall. Initially, I wasn't sure if I would be able to cope with Samantha and her nerves for an entire novel, but as I read on I got to understand her anxieties and quirky reactions to stressful situations, making me warm to her.
Jimmy Lloyd, heart throb ice-skater was cool, down to earth, sexy and `wantable' despite his public image, previous track record and rehab visit. He is patient and understanding of Samantha and her issues. Through their joint efforts to keep the Civic Hall open, the story moves on and it becomes apparent that they have more in common than they think. Aware of this, Jimmy just needs to convince Samantha to believe in herself and to trust him.
Samantha's older sister, Cleo is outgoing and flirty, her rather full sex life the polar opposite to Samantha's. However, ultimately both women are looking for the same thing, although they may not necessarily know it.
The relationship between Samantha and Jimmy is set against the backdrop of the Civic Hall being closed and the skating tour performing there. Samantha's safe and secure world is threatened while Jimmy's comeback is not a bed of roses with behind the scenes tension and a plot against him.
Can the Civic Hall be saved?
Can Samantha overcome her panic attacks and allow herself to love?
Can Jimmy fight his demons and win?
Can Cleo find love amongst her lovers?
Read Breaking the Ice to find the answers in an entertaining, feel good and easy to read novel.
Breaking the Ice follows Samantha Smith, a shy 24 year old who has more issues than the back catalogue of `Hello' magazine and whose entire life revolves around the running of the Civic Hall. Initially, I wasn't sure if I would be able to cope with Samantha and her nerves for an entire novel, but as I read on I got to understand her anxieties and quirky reactions to stressful situations, making me warm to her.
Jimmy Lloyd, heart throb ice-skater was cool, down to earth, sexy and `wantable' despite his public image, previous track record and rehab visit. He is patient and understanding of Samantha and her issues. Through their joint efforts to keep the Civic Hall open, the story moves on and it becomes apparent that they have more in common than they think. Aware of this, Jimmy just needs to convince Samantha to believe in herself and to trust him.
Samantha's older sister, Cleo is outgoing and flirty, her rather full sex life the polar opposite to Samantha's. However, ultimately both women are looking for the same thing, although they may not necessarily know it.
The relationship between Samantha and Jimmy is set against the backdrop of the Civic Hall being closed and the skating tour performing there. Samantha's safe and secure world is threatened while Jimmy's comeback is not a bed of roses with behind the scenes tension and a plot against him.
Can the Civic Hall be saved?
Can Samantha overcome her panic attacks and allow herself to love?
Can Jimmy fight his demons and win?
Can Cleo find love amongst her lovers?
Read Breaking the Ice to find the answers in an entertaining, feel good and easy to read novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The storyline of Breaking The Ice is very light making it an easy read. Although there wasn't much depth to the storyline this is made up with the detailed characters in this book. Samantha and Jimmy's characters are what truly make this book an enjoyable read. Samantha comes across as a very gentle character having lived a very sheltered life, it felt as though Samantha was trying to live her life through her sister. We see Samantha build her trust in Jimmy and start to try new things and we can feel how nervous she is often with a panic attack looming and we just hope that she doesn't get hurt.
This is the ideal book to read in between books as it is an easy and reasonably quick read not to challenging, ideal for sitting in the garden on a Sunday. The only thing I think lets the book down a little is the cover of the book. I don't think the cover of the book is appealing and it doesn't give the book the justice it deserves.
I like that Baggot has taken a typical chic lit style scenario with the famous guy falls in love with the plain Jane girl but has then weaved this is in to a different storyline featuring the ice skating which was a topic I have not read about before and which I enjoyed. Baggot also brings in an unexpected light hearted humour to the book which usually occurred when Samantha is coming out of her comfort zone!
This is the ideal book to read in between books as it is an easy and reasonably quick read not to challenging, ideal for sitting in the garden on a Sunday. The only thing I think lets the book down a little is the cover of the book. I don't think the cover of the book is appealing and it doesn't give the book the justice it deserves.
I like that Baggot has taken a typical chic lit style scenario with the famous guy falls in love with the plain Jane girl but has then weaved this is in to a different storyline featuring the ice skating which was a topic I have not read about before and which I enjoyed. Baggot also brings in an unexpected light hearted humour to the book which usually occurred when Samantha is coming out of her comfort zone!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Meet our heroine Samantha, London based, almost West End box office assistant, at Civic Hall. Slightly neurotic, uber efficient and overwhelmed by social situations. She's been working at Civic Hall for the last 5 years, is committed to her job, loves the history behind where she works, the shows and not to forget the regulars.
Meet the hero, Jimmy Lloyd, once a gold medallist ice skater, now on tour with "Skating on Broadway" (playing at the Civic Hall) and a recovering alcoholic.
The dilemma: unbeknownst to the motley crew at the Civic Hall, the local council's Art budget isn't big enough to keep 2 entertainment venues open in the same area. Could this be the end of Civic Hall? Can Jimmy help "Sam" to save her second home?
The book opens with Samantha stuck in her work freezer, surrounded by 4000 tubs of Berry Fruits ice cream, courtesy of her incompetent boss, Dave. We quickly learn that despite her title, Samantha has many hats on at work, which leaves her with little time for herself. There is quite a lot of comparison to/history about her older sister Chloe - her opposite; blonde, outgoing and the a bit of a sexual predator. I'm not sure how necessary that was to the story, as we learn more about Chloe as we go on anyway, but once I got past what was an initial hiccup for me, I really got into the story. I loved the subtle introduction of the two main characters to each other, their time on the ice and how they helped each other out. Samantha's character definitely evolves throughout the book and could it be that Jimmy is much more boy next door than the tabloids would have you believe? As usual Mandy manages to intersperse her writing with humour (how many times have you used a mannequin as a battering ram, sober?) and once again managed to include an unexpected twist to the story. Without giving too much away, as reunions go this wasn't what I was expecting and I loved how the scene surprised me.
I'm not sure why this was Mandy's book I left to last. Growing up in the 80s, I love the romance around ice skating, Torvil and Dean and getting my yearly fix of Dancing on Ice. I've even donned the skates myself and taken a couple of classes! I'm glad I finally round to it though and for those of you missing DOI, look no further, this book has enough lean bodies, leotards, sequins and blindfolds (!?!) to keep you hot, hot, hot until next season!
Meet the hero, Jimmy Lloyd, once a gold medallist ice skater, now on tour with "Skating on Broadway" (playing at the Civic Hall) and a recovering alcoholic.
The dilemma: unbeknownst to the motley crew at the Civic Hall, the local council's Art budget isn't big enough to keep 2 entertainment venues open in the same area. Could this be the end of Civic Hall? Can Jimmy help "Sam" to save her second home?
The book opens with Samantha stuck in her work freezer, surrounded by 4000 tubs of Berry Fruits ice cream, courtesy of her incompetent boss, Dave. We quickly learn that despite her title, Samantha has many hats on at work, which leaves her with little time for herself. There is quite a lot of comparison to/history about her older sister Chloe - her opposite; blonde, outgoing and the a bit of a sexual predator. I'm not sure how necessary that was to the story, as we learn more about Chloe as we go on anyway, but once I got past what was an initial hiccup for me, I really got into the story. I loved the subtle introduction of the two main characters to each other, their time on the ice and how they helped each other out. Samantha's character definitely evolves throughout the book and could it be that Jimmy is much more boy next door than the tabloids would have you believe? As usual Mandy manages to intersperse her writing with humour (how many times have you used a mannequin as a battering ram, sober?) and once again managed to include an unexpected twist to the story. Without giving too much away, as reunions go this wasn't what I was expecting and I loved how the scene surprised me.
I'm not sure why this was Mandy's book I left to last. Growing up in the 80s, I love the romance around ice skating, Torvil and Dean and getting my yearly fix of Dancing on Ice. I've even donned the skates myself and taken a couple of classes! I'm glad I finally round to it though and for those of you missing DOI, look no further, this book has enough lean bodies, leotards, sequins and blindfolds (!?!) to keep you hot, hot, hot until next season!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Breaking the Ice by Mandy Baggot
Samantha Smith is a shy, self-conscious, single girl who likes the settled routine that her job selling programmes and ice-cream in an old fashioned theatre provides. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nikki Bywater
A Turning the Pages Review
You can also read my review here: [...]
Combine a story about an everyday girl, a 'has-been' gold medal skater and a wonky-eyed cat, and you have the perfect setting to... Read more
Combine a story about an everyday girl, a 'has-been' gold medal skater and a wonky-eyed cat, and you have the perfect setting to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Turning the Pages
An enjoyable story
Breaking the Ice revolves around Samantha Smith and her dedication to her job as a box office assistant and general dogsbody at the Civic Centre. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Vincent-Northam
Wonderful
I got this for kindle and it is a great read. It is interesting and romantic, exciting and everyday. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Thinker
`It was almost a date. It was the closest thing she had had to a date...
Meet Samantha Smith: 24 years old, still a virgin (scared off men permanently since `the nipple ring incident') and a complete workaholic. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nicola F (Nic)
Time well spent
Breaking the Ice
Mandy Baggot
I won this book in an email competition and I'm glad that I did! Read more
Mandy Baggot
I won this book in an email competition and I'm glad that I did! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Shazjera
Characters draw you in - you may not be able to put it down!
I have enjoyed the storyline of this romantic novel. I found the characters really drew me in, all in their individual ways. Read more
Published 16 months ago by mrs
Breaking The Ice
Breaking The Ice isn't a particularly unique Chick Lit novel but it is a book you can easily get lost in. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Leah Graham
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