Once again, can I just state that figure skating romances are da bomb? Okay, now that that's out of the way, let me get to the actual book...This came to me as I was perusing lists of figure skating books in the wake of absolutely loving From Lukov with Love. I picked up Pairing Off and a couple of other titles off the list hoping for good things, and overall I feel that Pairing Off delivered.
Our main characters are Anton and Carrie, Russian and American pairs figure skaters, respectively. The two met and had a, erm, romantic encounter when they were teenagers competing in junior games, and then completely lost touch. Years later, Carrie has been banned from US figure skating after her partner initiates a sex scandal by sleeping with a judge in exchange for high scores. Hoping for a new start in Russia--not in high competition, but at least in something that can keep skating in her life--she finds herself paired up with Anton, who doesn't recognize her from their encounter years before, and whose partner ditched him for another skater, though the two of them remain romantically involved. But while Anton doesn't remember Carrie, Carrie certainly remembers Anton, and the two find themselves drawing closer both to each other and to Olympic dreams.
This was a solid sports romance novel. The setting--modern Moscow--is unusual for an American romance novel, and I quite liked it. The figure skating aspect is wonderful. Carrie and Anton are a pair that don't immediately click, and they have to work to get to know each other. It's not a hate-to-love relationship, but it's certainly one that has a rocky start, partially due to their past and partially because of Anton's more reserved character. There are some good side characters here, too. Initially Carrie seems to be hated by the entire figure skating community, American, Russian, and otherwise, but she slowly finds friends in Russia, though not everyone falls over themselves to get to know her--which is good, because I didn't want this to turn into Everyone Loves Carrie. Olga, of course, is a Class A bitch and you have to wonder about why Anton stays with her for so much of the book despite their long connection, but she's not the only one who doesn't fawn over Carrie (though no one else is perhaps quite so venomous).
What I didn't like was Carrie's Tortured Past and her dynamics with her father. I think one or the other would have been more than adequate here. But Carrie blames herself for the suicide of her mother, and takes responsibility for her father's political career almost entirely on her own shoulders, which was ridiculous. I know that people get survivor's guilt, or blame themselves for things they can't control, but the length of time that this was drawn out for and the melodrama that surrounded it was completely out of proportion and took away from some of the better aspects of the book. And what was up with the sudden paparazzi storm? That seemed larger than life, as well...
Overall, I liked this one. It was a solid start to a series. The second book (Turning It On) involves reality TV and I'm not sure that's really up my alley, so I might skip to the third book (Getting It Back) since there's not an overarching plot, but I'm definitely interested in more books in this vein!
4 stars out of 5.
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