Review: Shining Through by Elizabeth Harmon

Shining Through by Elizabeth Harmon

Release Date: October 2, 2017

Series: Red Hot Russians #4

Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance

The Biggest Season of her Career…
America’s sweetheart Tabitha Turner is on track to win figure-skating gold in the Winter Games. Her family has sacrificed everything for her career, but the pressure is taking its toll. Burned out and living a lie, can Tabitha let off a little steam without melting the ice?
The Last Chance of His…
Russia’s bad boy of skating Daniil Andreev is determined to prove the toughest thing about him is his competitive fight. When Tabitha tempts him to help her take a secret walk on the wild side, he gives her a taste of the freedom she craves, never expecting that one unforgettable night could turn into something more.
Two Hearts on Thin Ice…
Chicago, Vancouver, Paris… the international figure skating season unfolds. Tabitha and Daniil compete and fall in love, but as the pressure mounts in a make-or-break season, can they set aside their painful pasts and spiral into a shining future together… or will their dreams shatter like thin ice?

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Shining Through is the fourth book in the Red Hot Russians series but it can be read as a standalone. I’ve read the second book in this series (you can read my review of Turning it on here) and honestly, after reading Shining Through, I think I need to go back and read the complete series!

Tabitha is America’s golden girl, some call her The Ice Princess and she has a high chance of winning a gold medal on figure skating. The ultimate dream of any athlete. But Tabitha is starting to slip, after all everyone’s expectations are high, her trainer, her family, her country, but the highest of them all – her own. She wants to make it up to her family, after all that they sacrificed for her career, but she can’t seem to find her passion while performing, she’s struggling to connect with her inner self and to let her emotions shine in the rink. Even though her technique is flawless, she finds herself at odds with her program and she knows she has to get it all together to really have a chance to win gold. She’s aiming for perfection but she feels she is still far from it.

Daniil is the hottest bad boy in the rink, a figure skater too, he’s known to get in trouble from time to time, oh well – most of the time. But Daniil is determined to succeed, he wants nothing more than to compete at his best level yet and to get a place at the Winter Games. He knows he’s far from perfect but his competitive nature, his anger, his passion sets him apart from his competitors. He takes it all and leaves it all, flawlessly executed, in the rink. And he absolutely loves to prove people wrong!

Tabitha watches Daniil practicing and loves his passionate and emotional performance, she knows Daniil has in his program what she’s been lacking and she’s drawn to him even before knowing who he really is. Daniil watched one of Tabitha’s interview during a troubling moment in his life and thinks she is stunningly beautiful, he actually hopes he gets to meet her and when he does… sparks are flying and their chemistry is undeniable. But… can they have a future together?

I loved how Elizabeth Harmon characterized both Daniil and Tabitha physically and emotionally. I have both of them perfectly pictured in my mind! There were a lot of secondary characters which some times could be a little distracting, even though I really enjoyed Tabitha’s sister and the coaches/choreographers moments. Daniil and Tabitha’s love story is unique, I loved the figure skating world: the pressure, the hard work, the competitiveness, the hopes and expectations. And mostly I loved how two strong characters that were fighting to reach their dreams, deeply needed one another to achieve something even more important than that: their true selves. Absolutely delightful!

If you love a heart warming romance I highly recommend Shinning Through: with hot Russians, intense chemistry, well developed characters, a not so glamorous figure ice skating world and a Winter Games competition, you won’t be able to put it down.

                                                    

I love stories that give a fresh take on classic themes, and feature characters and locations not often seen in romance. Give me a lovable, if less-than-perfect heroine, a gorgeous hero with a heart of gold, take them a little off the beaten path and I’m a happy girl.

I read a variety of genres– romance to horror and just about everything in between. I am a member of Romance Writers of America. I have worked as a freelance journalist for a number of local publications and am a contributing writer to Romance Writers Report.

When I’m not writing, I love to ice skate, bike ride, hang out at the beach or on my front porch. I love vintage homes, adventurous cooking, spending time with my family and traveling.

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