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Red Hot Russians #1
Pairing Off
American figure skater Carrie Parker's Winter Games dreams were dashed when her philandering partner caused one of the greatest scandals in skating history. Blacklisted from competing in the United States, her career is over…until she receives a mysterious invitation and is paired with the most infuriating, talented—and handsome—skater she's ever met.
Russian champion Anton Belikov knows sacrifice. He gave up a normal life and any hope of a meaningful relationship to pursue his dream. And he's come close—with a silver medal already under his belt, the next stop is the gold. All he needs is a partner. While he's never forgotten the young American skater he seduced one long-ago night in Amsterdam, he never expected to be confronted with their past…never mind share the ice with her.
When what starts as a publicity stunt grows into something real, Carrie and Anton's partnership will test their loyalties to family, country and each other. With only a few months to train for the competition of a lifetime, can they master technique and their emotions, or will they lose their footing and fall victim to the heartaches of their pasts?
96,000 words
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2015
21 people are currently reading
1,156 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Harmon
9books295followersA life long fan of cats, tacos and happy endings, Elizabeth Harmon makes her home in the Midwest. A graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked as a library associate, a community college instructor, and as a journalist. When she’s not writing, teaching or talking books with library patrons, she loves to spend time with family and friends� especially when a good Chianti is involved. Her five-book Red Hot Russians sports romance series, is set in the world of competitive figure skating. The first book in the series, Pairing Off, is a RITA® Award Finalist.
Find her online at elizabethharmonauthor.com
Find her online at elizabethharmonauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
September 21, 2019
This was such a cute story. Then again I really enjoy this author writing. So far I never was let down.
This is a perfect read for all of you looking for an ice skating book with some light & fun premise and really cute leading couple.
As someone who has never skated in her life, I spend an awful amount of time watching ice skating on tv with my grandma when I was a kid. I have fond memories of it. So it was a no brainer if I would be interested in this book.
I love how these two found their home in one another.
Read Elizabeth Harmon, she is a good writer.
This is a perfect read for all of you looking for an ice skating book with some light & fun premise and really cute leading couple.
As someone who has never skated in her life, I spend an awful amount of time watching ice skating on tv with my grandma when I was a kid. I have fond memories of it. So it was a no brainer if I would be interested in this book.
I love how these two found their home in one another.
Read Elizabeth Harmon, she is a good writer.
February 16, 2015
As a HUGE fan of figure skating, I was super excited to see a new skating romance hit the shelves, and Pairing Off didn't disappoint. The majority of the book is set in Russia, and Elizabeth Harmon painted such a rich picture of the country and its people. I truly felt like I was in the story with Carrie and Anton. And let me swoon over Anton for a moment. I love me some beta heroes, and Anton was a wonderfully sweet, thoughtful, and patient guy. I really appreciated how much family meant to him.
One thing I would've liked to see was more detail in the skating competition scenes, particularly
One thing I would've liked to see was more detail in the skating competition scenes, particularly
March 16, 2015
Originally reviewed @ Angieville
I have my pal Li to thank for steering me in the direction of 's debut novel Pairing Off. She clued me in to its existence, pointed out that it featured Olympic figure skaters, and well . . . that was all she wrote, folks. I am a huge figure skating fan. And while I actually haven't read many books that focus on the sport, there was simply no way I was going to not read a book billed as "The Cutting Edge with a Russian twist." I adored that movie as a kid. As you can probably tell, I haven't been so much with the review writing of late. Happily, that is in no way an indication of how my reading has fared, because I have been reading up a storm. But lately I never seem to get around to sitting down and hashing it out. But with the figure skating World Championships coming up in a couple of weeks, I thought it was the perfect time to highlight this little gem.
Carrie Parker is fairly certain life as she knew it is over when her career as a pairs figure skater comes to a grinding and spectacular halt courtesy of a scandal involving her partner and a judge. Which is why she literally jumps at an unexpected and unusual invitation to travel to Russia and audition for a suddenly open position. What she does not expect is that the male partner will turn out to be a familiar (and wholly unwelcome) face. Anton Belikov is in need of a partner STAT. His longtime skating partner (and girlfriend) Olga has up and left him for greener pastures and a partner more likely to see her to the gold medal podium at the Olympics. Determined to achieve his dream and make a go of it without her, Anton warily follows his coach's advice and auditions the disgraced but unquestionably talented American. However, with the barriers of language, culture, politics (and a distant night only Carrie remembers) looming between them, success on or off the ice is no guarantee for this unlikely team.
I was just so taken with Pairing Off, you guys. From the very start, I could tell the story was going to wrap itself around me. Carrie is immediately sympathetic, and though the narrative touches ever so briefly on the long ago night she and Anton met, it is nonetheless clear to the reader how it affected both of them and how it will play an uneven but key role in their development as an actual pair. What I was not expecting was how deeply I would fall in love with Moscow and Carrie's experiences there. Harmon writes with great affection and joie de vivre when it comes to the streets and alleys, gardens and soaring architecture of the Russian capital. It is nothing short of a delight accompanying Carrie on her explorations, and I was so pleased that aspect of her new life was allocated adequate page time. Carrie's willingness to fight her attendant isolation and uncertainty in a foreign clime with an open and inquisitive mind and with consistent forays out into her new home endeared her to me even as it filled me with wanderlust. And as she learns the ropes of her adopted country, so does she learn the ways of her adopted partner. A favorite passage in which Carrie gets into a spot of trouble and calls Anton to help her out:
There is very little not to love about Anton. Yet I appreciated how slowly their relationship developed. He was still handling a long distance relationship with a girlfriend who abandoned him professionally. She was struggling to reconcile the man she sees before her with the one she spent only a handful of hours with years ago and who does not seem to remember her at all. Their respective families are complicated and play strong roles in shaping the way they see the world and the fears and hopes they harbor for their futures. There are layers upon layers between these two, and I relished the gradual dismantling and rebuilding they had to go through on their way to forming a firm and equal partnership. This quiet, romantic book is such a lovely read and one of my favorites of the year thus far.
I have my pal Li to thank for steering me in the direction of 's debut novel Pairing Off. She clued me in to its existence, pointed out that it featured Olympic figure skaters, and well . . . that was all she wrote, folks. I am a huge figure skating fan. And while I actually haven't read many books that focus on the sport, there was simply no way I was going to not read a book billed as "The Cutting Edge with a Russian twist." I adored that movie as a kid. As you can probably tell, I haven't been so much with the review writing of late. Happily, that is in no way an indication of how my reading has fared, because I have been reading up a storm. But lately I never seem to get around to sitting down and hashing it out. But with the figure skating World Championships coming up in a couple of weeks, I thought it was the perfect time to highlight this little gem.
Carrie Parker is fairly certain life as she knew it is over when her career as a pairs figure skater comes to a grinding and spectacular halt courtesy of a scandal involving her partner and a judge. Which is why she literally jumps at an unexpected and unusual invitation to travel to Russia and audition for a suddenly open position. What she does not expect is that the male partner will turn out to be a familiar (and wholly unwelcome) face. Anton Belikov is in need of a partner STAT. His longtime skating partner (and girlfriend) Olga has up and left him for greener pastures and a partner more likely to see her to the gold medal podium at the Olympics. Determined to achieve his dream and make a go of it without her, Anton warily follows his coach's advice and auditions the disgraced but unquestionably talented American. However, with the barriers of language, culture, politics (and a distant night only Carrie remembers) looming between them, success on or off the ice is no guarantee for this unlikely team.
I was just so taken with Pairing Off, you guys. From the very start, I could tell the story was going to wrap itself around me. Carrie is immediately sympathetic, and though the narrative touches ever so briefly on the long ago night she and Anton met, it is nonetheless clear to the reader how it affected both of them and how it will play an uneven but key role in their development as an actual pair. What I was not expecting was how deeply I would fall in love with Moscow and Carrie's experiences there. Harmon writes with great affection and joie de vivre when it comes to the streets and alleys, gardens and soaring architecture of the Russian capital. It is nothing short of a delight accompanying Carrie on her explorations, and I was so pleased that aspect of her new life was allocated adequate page time. Carrie's willingness to fight her attendant isolation and uncertainty in a foreign clime with an open and inquisitive mind and with consistent forays out into her new home endeared her to me even as it filled me with wanderlust. And as she learns the ropes of her adopted country, so does she learn the ways of her adopted partner. A favorite passage in which Carrie gets into a spot of trouble and calls Anton to help her out:
"I've never been happier to see someone in my life."
"What the hell were you doing?" he shouted. "Trying to get killed? I told you to stay near city center!"
She stared, looking for Anton, not this furious, wild-eyed stranger. "And you also told me about the park where I could go hiking! Look, I'm not your employee and I'll go where I please. I got a little lost. It could happen to anyone."
"But it didn't happen to anyone. It happened to you!"
Carrie felt her eyes grow wide. Was he suggesting she wasn't expendable? Or was his real concern the hassle of finding another Olga replacement? Much more likely. Her chest tightened and it was hard to breathe. "Yeah, well I'm sorry to be an inconvenience. If I'd known you were going to yell at me, I never would have called." She fumbled for her map and shook it open. "The subway's two blocks that way. Drop me off. I'll get home just fine."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not dropping you at subway," he muttered. "I was close by anyway. It's good you called."
"Otherwise you'd be auditioning new pair girls tomorrow."
He jerked his head around, and shot an angry look across the car. "Is that what you think I care about?"
"Isn't it?"
The tense silence was filled by the muffled sounds of traffic outside. Jaw tight, Anton turned his gaze back to the road. "You and I are in this together. Partners, like I said before." His voice softened. "Not just two skaters making tricks."
There is very little not to love about Anton. Yet I appreciated how slowly their relationship developed. He was still handling a long distance relationship with a girlfriend who abandoned him professionally. She was struggling to reconcile the man she sees before her with the one she spent only a handful of hours with years ago and who does not seem to remember her at all. Their respective families are complicated and play strong roles in shaping the way they see the world and the fears and hopes they harbor for their futures. There are layers upon layers between these two, and I relished the gradual dismantling and rebuilding they had to go through on their way to forming a firm and equal partnership. This quiet, romantic book is such a lovely read and one of my favorites of the year thus far.
April 11, 2016
At 50% into, the hero still has another girlfriend. To top it off, that relationship is not exclusive. He admits to the heroine near the end he never stepped out on Olga but was with OW when they would break up, which you get the impression was quite often. Olga was selfish and crazy, but he kept running back to her. It wasn't until about 60% he ends things with Olga. It's hard to have a romance when you aren't even in the picture, folks. The heroine is sitting on the sidelines though a big part of this book. Combined with her insecurities and daddy issues, this book just wasn't for me. "It's complicated" doesn't even begin to cover it.
Btw, the synopsis mentions the heroine finally gets to skate with the man she has always loved. Well, keep in mind when they first met in Amsterdam it was at a wild party. He was so drunk he didn’t even recognize the heroine when he saw her years later. Yet, that vague memory of that very brief sexcapade, moments after seeing each other across the room, supposedly stayed with him, as well. He referred to that encounter as his Amsterdam girl. It just didn’t seem credible or romantic to me. The whole supposedly life changing soul connecting moment lasted what seemed like a total of less than five minutes�.from the time they made eye contact. She was a virgin who gave it all up for a wham, bam, thank you m’am moment and considered herself in love with him from then on. It just felt too rushed and wrong on both their parts.
After reading the synopsis for the upcoming books, this entire series is a big miss for this reviewer. Here's to hoping others enjoy it. It’s just not for me.
Title: Pairing Off, Series: Red Hot Russians (Book 1), Author: Elizabeth Harmon
Book 1 � Pairing Off
Book 2 � Turning It On
Book 3 � Getting It Back
(This review is based on ARC generously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. No compensation was paid to the reviewer nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher.)
Btw, the synopsis mentions the heroine finally gets to skate with the man she has always loved. Well, keep in mind when they first met in Amsterdam it was at a wild party. He was so drunk he didn’t even recognize the heroine when he saw her years later. Yet, that vague memory of that very brief sexcapade, moments after seeing each other across the room, supposedly stayed with him, as well. He referred to that encounter as his Amsterdam girl. It just didn’t seem credible or romantic to me. The whole supposedly life changing soul connecting moment lasted what seemed like a total of less than five minutes�.from the time they made eye contact. She was a virgin who gave it all up for a wham, bam, thank you m’am moment and considered herself in love with him from then on. It just felt too rushed and wrong on both their parts.
After reading the synopsis for the upcoming books, this entire series is a big miss for this reviewer. Here's to hoping others enjoy it. It’s just not for me.
Title: Pairing Off, Series: Red Hot Russians (Book 1), Author: Elizabeth Harmon
Book 1 � Pairing Off
Book 2 � Turning It On
Book 3 � Getting It Back
(This review is based on ARC generously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. No compensation was paid to the reviewer nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher.)
January 11, 2015
3.5 Russian/American Pairs Stars * * *1/2
This had:
The love of Ice Skating
The feel of Russia and the beauty of its people, land and history.
The complexity of politics, family, secrets and hurt.
And the understanding of love for one another can be your home.
A gifted copy was provided by publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
This had:
The love of Ice Skating
The feel of Russia and the beauty of its people, land and history.
The complexity of politics, family, secrets and hurt.
And the understanding of love for one another can be your home.
A gifted copy was provided by publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
January 25, 2016
I was so invested in this couple--their tentative interactions, their growing friendship, the sexual tension that laced their every look--and the backdrop of ice skating in Russia only added to the romance of this novel. Admittedly, I will say that though I enjoyed this one a lot it did veer on the slightly dramatic edge towards the end, but it was never over-the-top and I appreciated that the drama did not exist between the leads but rather from outside sources. I would, for sure, recommend this because it's swoony, sweet, and a little something different from the typical hordes of romance reads.
January 27, 2015
This was great!
Very Minor Spoilers...
The writing was excellent and the characters of Anton and Carrie were lovely. I particularly liked Anton, who combined being a gentleman with kindness and a wicked sense of humour. Carrie was lovely as well, though more emotionally damaged than I expected, her innate kindness and open hearted nature had me invested in their relationship from the opening pages. I also liked the insight it gave into the world of pairs figure skating (particularly issues of nationality and citizenship about which I'd been largely ignorant), and though I'm cheesy enough to have wished for a different ending, I loved the future painted for them in the final chapter.
I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in romance, figure skating or Russia as all are given excellent representation here.
* ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review *
Very Minor Spoilers...
The writing was excellent and the characters of Anton and Carrie were lovely. I particularly liked Anton, who combined being a gentleman with kindness and a wicked sense of humour. Carrie was lovely as well, though more emotionally damaged than I expected, her innate kindness and open hearted nature had me invested in their relationship from the opening pages. I also liked the insight it gave into the world of pairs figure skating (particularly issues of nationality and citizenship about which I'd been largely ignorant), and though I'm cheesy enough to have wished for a different ending, I loved the future painted for them in the final chapter.
I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in romance, figure skating or Russia as all are given excellent representation here.
* ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review *
January 11, 2021
The first two thirds of this book was far stronger than the last third � I adored the figure skating and the development of their friendship and the exploration of a new and strange country. (I do wonder what the author’s connection to Russia is, because I know practically nothing about the country but completely bought this depiction.)
The last third fell apart for me. The heroine’s family drama was just all a bit much, and detracted from the really quite lovely relationship she was developing with the hero. It was an unneeded distraction. (And don’t even get me started on the mess with her ex-partner.)
Great hero. He was sweet and tender and stood up for the heroine and loved bright colors and had to learn how to put himself first and was really just quite fantastic.
Moving straight on to the second in the series.
CW: the heroine has a very unhealthy relationship with food, if not a full-blown eating disorder
The last third fell apart for me. The heroine’s family drama was just all a bit much, and detracted from the really quite lovely relationship she was developing with the hero. It was an unneeded distraction. (And don’t even get me started on the mess with her ex-partner.)
Great hero. He was sweet and tender and stood up for the heroine and loved bright colors and had to learn how to put himself first and was really just quite fantastic.
Moving straight on to the second in the series.
CW: the heroine has a very unhealthy relationship with food, if not a full-blown eating disorder
August 12, 2020
Nice stormy slow burn love story
I really enjoy them both❤️❤️❤️❤️stars
Re read 2020 08 11
Well this is super cute 🥰
I really enjoy them both❤️❤️❤️❤️stars
Re read 2020 08 11
Well this is super cute 🥰
April 21, 2018
3.5 stars. While this started off a little slow, I enjoyed it overall. Carrie is a disgraced ice skater after her previous partner was found sleeping with a judge to get placement. Anton is a Russian skater who wants her to be his partner, not realizing they met before and she's the girl who he met years ago and had been infatuated with. The writing is good and makes me want to check out her other books. Their relationship starts off bristly and slowly warms up so that you believe their story. They both have well built backgrounds and ex partners that you'll love to hate. There are a couple tropes in this one that were actually pretty well executed but I won't give it away because it was a surprise to me when it was introduced. It was entertaining and I enjoyed reading about all the skating elements. I especially liked the Russian aspect because the reader saw it in the foreign perspective as well as the native. Solid story and I'll happily continue this series.
March 21, 2018
I liked the skating, but the romance was tepid. The antagonists were very flat characters, and I don't even have words for how over the trope of 'other girls are threatening and evil' I am. I'm sure there are plenty of people who could enjoy this for what it is, but it really wasn't for me beyond the good descriptions of ice skating.
July 25, 2016
Lunges, pivots, turns, spins, Salchows, loops, flips, Lutz jumps, axel jumps, singles, doubles, and triples. It’s okay if these terms don’t mean a whole hell of a lot to you. I’d consider myself a casual fan of ice skating. When I see a skating competition on television, I definitely watch. Plus, watching The Cutting Edge throughout the �90s was a formative romantic and figure skating touch-point—as it was for the earlier SBTB reviewer, and our author, Elizabeth Harmon, who specifically pitched her story as “The Cutting Edge with a Russian twist.�
Though, to be fair to both the film and Harmon’s original story, I found her novel to be significantly more interesting and nuanced than that tagline might suggest. The story has ice skating and romance, sure, but also a nuanced one-night-stand, mistaken identity, cultural differences, class issues, celebrity culture, fame, deceased parents, suicide, politics, cheating, scoring scandals, publicity stunt romance, jail time, and, supporting all of those minor and not-so-minor hiccups on the road to Happily Ever After, a sweet and slowly developed love story.
In Pairing Off—the first of three in the Red Hot Russians series—Elizabeth Harmon manages to convincingly pair off Carrie, a pseudo-Southern-belle and disgraced competitive figure skater, with Anton, a working-class Russian and more experienced figure skater. After her first draft, Harmon jokingly recalled, the Southern-meets-Russian elements felt like “Steel Magnolias visit the USSR,� but as she refined the broad strokes and further developed characters, some of that cutesy charm and opaque veneer was removed. In the final product, I certainly didn’t feel like Carrie’s hometown culture defined her in any stereotypical way, which was nice (though I do recall one reference to Tara in Gone with the Wind that seemed to stand out and not mesh with the story). Mostly, though, it was simply part of her backstory and her family history was more important to her early character development than anything else. Perhaps even more important than their divergent national backgrounds. The real contrast for our potentially star-crossed couple comes from the fact that Carrie is a more private, independent, and distrustful person when compared with Anton, who is more open and grounded by a large family and support system, but has his own baggage. Luckily, those aspects serve to complement one another and help the two characters grow into themselves, and into love.
Olympic figure skating is the impetus for the story, and Harmon does a nice job of creating a plausible but elite universe. Harmon skated as a child, gave it up as a young teenager, and returned to beginner lessons as an adult a few years ago, all of which I believe lends the book’s details credence while remaining accessible and interesting to a variety of readers. Like with many competitive sports, dance, and performance focused narratives—from Bring It On to The Cutting Edge to Remember the Titans—there are the standard challenges, benchmarks, setbacks, and successes. I always love it when a sports or competition story hits that point in the narrative arc where the main characters decide to change things up at the last minute, either due to some external complication (i.e. stolen routine!) or some sort of internal development or realization that the “standard� way is not authentic to the characters in question (i.e. this isn’t who we are and it’s not fun anymore!). I could easily visualize, and even hear, the more upbeat and exciting training montages once Carrie and Anton start mixing things up on the ice, trying new music and costumes, even bringing in new coaching help (this is different from the standard early training montage in which we see our protagonists fail, and try, and fail, and get a little better). If I could see it so clearly, Harmon did a pretty good job setting the words in motion for her audience.
In a story like this, I don’t think we can ignore the elephant in the room: those pesky and tense U.S.-Russian dynamics. (Yes, this is a post-Cold War world, but problems and tensions persist, as I hope most of us know.) When we consider how authors recreate the atmosphere in a Regency romance, for instance, the author’s knowledge presumably is achieved through reading and research rather than personal experience. Perhaps unfairly, I find myself occasionally using a more stringent evaluation when an author sets a story in a contemporary setting, particularly given the fact that there are such real-life complications in American and Russian relations. Mostly, I was worried that clunky references (or, conversely, the potentially glaring evasions) to realistic political and cultural dynamics would take me out of the enjoyment of the romance. This is a problem I rarely have to concern myself with in most romances, whether it is because of the subgenre or the established conventions (I just don’t think these sorts of conventions exist with contemporary Russian-American romances that are not mob-related and/or romantic suspense?). That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by both the appreciation Harmon showed for Russian culture and also the difficulties and blowback an American who skates for the Russians might experience.
Try to imagine the tightrope: Carrie begins as a somewhat-disgraced figure skater hailing from the South whose politician-father is running for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats. Though it’s not pervasive, some of the obstacles to the happy ending concern this issue as Carrie, her father, and the press navigate these international waters. Anton and Carrie aren’t blind to their own cultural and national blindspots, though they’re treated lightly and generally dismissed with an “at least we’re not politicians� rationale. The most cutting dialogue we hear comes from a local Georgian (the state, not the country) radio personality who is attacking Carrie’s father through her:
"Seems little Commie Ann—excuse me, Carrie Ann—after she got caught cheatin� and disqualified here, up and moved to Moz-cow, became a Russian citizen and is now going to compete for them in the Winter Games� Folks, I am just disgusted. Les Parker calls himself a patriot. But what kind of patriot lets his daughter renounce her country and move to Russia so she can prance around on ice skates with some communist fairy-boy? That don’t sound like a patriot to me� But what the hell do I know? I’m just a good ol� boy."
While this is perhaps the most vitriolic prose we have to endure, again, I commend the balance in writing what is primarily a light-hearted romance that nonetheless acknowledges some of the imagined and plausible political complications of such a (somewhat) tangled love story.
While Harmon hasn’t visited Russia herself, she’s explained in an interview that one of her favorite things about this writing process was becoming acquainted with Russia and its people; along with research, she got in touch with a Moscow-based blogger and his wife, who together helped her strike the right tone for Moscow and flesh out Anton’s character (including speech patterns). Harmon reflected that she, together with the Moscow couple she corresponded with, sought to counter some of the less than favorable impressions Americans often have of Russia. As Carrie explores Moscow and Russia as a tourist, and then a resident, she brings us with her. We also enjoy Anton’s native perspective, which I imagine Harmon’s reading, research, and friends helped her recreate. From the police presence and need for carrying papers in public, to the urban legend or joke that if an American tourist stands too close to Lenin’s tomb at night, he might just come out and grab him or her, to the descriptions of the local cuisine (beyond stereotypes), these details felt authentic. Russia becomes a critical supporting character in the story. Despite what I consider the importance of Russia itself as the story develops, ultimately it is the theme of finding “home� with loved ones, rather than within any particular borders, that is the enduring theme. Thus, the epilogue ends on a tried-but-true “home is where the heart is� note, with a pregnant Carrie and Anton sharing this exchange:
"She rolled her eyes. 'I look like a house.' 'Not house. Home. The only one my heart will ever need.'"
I, too, might have rolled my eyes a little bit, like Carrie, but I also smiled to myself afterward. I don’t always want my romances this sweet, but this was an enjoyable and immersive Olympic skating romp with likable characters and lots of fun details. It combined familiar plot elements in a different setting and managed to avoid many sensational and stereotypical landmines in what I imagine could have been tough international terrain.
Though, to be fair to both the film and Harmon’s original story, I found her novel to be significantly more interesting and nuanced than that tagline might suggest. The story has ice skating and romance, sure, but also a nuanced one-night-stand, mistaken identity, cultural differences, class issues, celebrity culture, fame, deceased parents, suicide, politics, cheating, scoring scandals, publicity stunt romance, jail time, and, supporting all of those minor and not-so-minor hiccups on the road to Happily Ever After, a sweet and slowly developed love story.
In Pairing Off—the first of three in the Red Hot Russians series—Elizabeth Harmon manages to convincingly pair off Carrie, a pseudo-Southern-belle and disgraced competitive figure skater, with Anton, a working-class Russian and more experienced figure skater. After her first draft, Harmon jokingly recalled, the Southern-meets-Russian elements felt like “Steel Magnolias visit the USSR,� but as she refined the broad strokes and further developed characters, some of that cutesy charm and opaque veneer was removed. In the final product, I certainly didn’t feel like Carrie’s hometown culture defined her in any stereotypical way, which was nice (though I do recall one reference to Tara in Gone with the Wind that seemed to stand out and not mesh with the story). Mostly, though, it was simply part of her backstory and her family history was more important to her early character development than anything else. Perhaps even more important than their divergent national backgrounds. The real contrast for our potentially star-crossed couple comes from the fact that Carrie is a more private, independent, and distrustful person when compared with Anton, who is more open and grounded by a large family and support system, but has his own baggage. Luckily, those aspects serve to complement one another and help the two characters grow into themselves, and into love.
Olympic figure skating is the impetus for the story, and Harmon does a nice job of creating a plausible but elite universe. Harmon skated as a child, gave it up as a young teenager, and returned to beginner lessons as an adult a few years ago, all of which I believe lends the book’s details credence while remaining accessible and interesting to a variety of readers. Like with many competitive sports, dance, and performance focused narratives—from Bring It On to The Cutting Edge to Remember the Titans—there are the standard challenges, benchmarks, setbacks, and successes. I always love it when a sports or competition story hits that point in the narrative arc where the main characters decide to change things up at the last minute, either due to some external complication (i.e. stolen routine!) or some sort of internal development or realization that the “standard� way is not authentic to the characters in question (i.e. this isn’t who we are and it’s not fun anymore!). I could easily visualize, and even hear, the more upbeat and exciting training montages once Carrie and Anton start mixing things up on the ice, trying new music and costumes, even bringing in new coaching help (this is different from the standard early training montage in which we see our protagonists fail, and try, and fail, and get a little better). If I could see it so clearly, Harmon did a pretty good job setting the words in motion for her audience.
In a story like this, I don’t think we can ignore the elephant in the room: those pesky and tense U.S.-Russian dynamics. (Yes, this is a post-Cold War world, but problems and tensions persist, as I hope most of us know.) When we consider how authors recreate the atmosphere in a Regency romance, for instance, the author’s knowledge presumably is achieved through reading and research rather than personal experience. Perhaps unfairly, I find myself occasionally using a more stringent evaluation when an author sets a story in a contemporary setting, particularly given the fact that there are such real-life complications in American and Russian relations. Mostly, I was worried that clunky references (or, conversely, the potentially glaring evasions) to realistic political and cultural dynamics would take me out of the enjoyment of the romance. This is a problem I rarely have to concern myself with in most romances, whether it is because of the subgenre or the established conventions (I just don’t think these sorts of conventions exist with contemporary Russian-American romances that are not mob-related and/or romantic suspense?). That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by both the appreciation Harmon showed for Russian culture and also the difficulties and blowback an American who skates for the Russians might experience.
Try to imagine the tightrope: Carrie begins as a somewhat-disgraced figure skater hailing from the South whose politician-father is running for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats. Though it’s not pervasive, some of the obstacles to the happy ending concern this issue as Carrie, her father, and the press navigate these international waters. Anton and Carrie aren’t blind to their own cultural and national blindspots, though they’re treated lightly and generally dismissed with an “at least we’re not politicians� rationale. The most cutting dialogue we hear comes from a local Georgian (the state, not the country) radio personality who is attacking Carrie’s father through her:
"Seems little Commie Ann—excuse me, Carrie Ann—after she got caught cheatin� and disqualified here, up and moved to Moz-cow, became a Russian citizen and is now going to compete for them in the Winter Games� Folks, I am just disgusted. Les Parker calls himself a patriot. But what kind of patriot lets his daughter renounce her country and move to Russia so she can prance around on ice skates with some communist fairy-boy? That don’t sound like a patriot to me� But what the hell do I know? I’m just a good ol� boy."
While this is perhaps the most vitriolic prose we have to endure, again, I commend the balance in writing what is primarily a light-hearted romance that nonetheless acknowledges some of the imagined and plausible political complications of such a (somewhat) tangled love story.
While Harmon hasn’t visited Russia herself, she’s explained in an interview that one of her favorite things about this writing process was becoming acquainted with Russia and its people; along with research, she got in touch with a Moscow-based blogger and his wife, who together helped her strike the right tone for Moscow and flesh out Anton’s character (including speech patterns). Harmon reflected that she, together with the Moscow couple she corresponded with, sought to counter some of the less than favorable impressions Americans often have of Russia. As Carrie explores Moscow and Russia as a tourist, and then a resident, she brings us with her. We also enjoy Anton’s native perspective, which I imagine Harmon’s reading, research, and friends helped her recreate. From the police presence and need for carrying papers in public, to the urban legend or joke that if an American tourist stands too close to Lenin’s tomb at night, he might just come out and grab him or her, to the descriptions of the local cuisine (beyond stereotypes), these details felt authentic. Russia becomes a critical supporting character in the story. Despite what I consider the importance of Russia itself as the story develops, ultimately it is the theme of finding “home� with loved ones, rather than within any particular borders, that is the enduring theme. Thus, the epilogue ends on a tried-but-true “home is where the heart is� note, with a pregnant Carrie and Anton sharing this exchange:
"She rolled her eyes. 'I look like a house.' 'Not house. Home. The only one my heart will ever need.'"
I, too, might have rolled my eyes a little bit, like Carrie, but I also smiled to myself afterward. I don’t always want my romances this sweet, but this was an enjoyable and immersive Olympic skating romp with likable characters and lots of fun details. It combined familiar plot elements in a different setting and managed to avoid many sensational and stereotypical landmines in what I imagine could have been tough international terrain.
August 14, 2016
Carrie Parker's promising career in pairs figure skating collapsed in a scandal when her arsehole of a partner was caught in bed with a judge. Most people just would not believe she had nothing to do with his transparent attempts at cheating. So when Carrie receives an invitation from a Russian trainer to compete for that country, she decides to accept. She's shocked to discover her prospective partner is Anton Belikov, one of Russia's best, and the man with whom she had a one-night stand several years earlier.
Turns out Anton doesn't recognise Carrie. Even though that night was as earth-shattering for him as it was for her, he was a bit hazy (this happened in Amsterdam, so you can guess what was going on!) and she looked completely different. But even not recognising her, he's always admired Carrie's skating, so when his long-time partner deserted him at the last minute for a partner she felt gave her more of a chance for a medal, he asked his trainer to try to get her as his new partner. After all, it seemed like a bit of a sign that both would be partner-less at the same time.
Carrie's first reaction is to turn around and leave. How can she skate with this man? But she's eventually persuaded to stay, and the work starts.
It's hard. Carrie is initially expected to basically slot into the old partner's slot and just learn the routine that was prepared for Anton and Olga (the previous partner). Problem is, Olga and Carrie are completely different kinds of skaters. Carrie is used to just adapting herself to her partner's preferences (remember, arsehole previous partner), so at first she doesn't complain. But when she and Anton start warming up to each other and actually start talking, their partnership really takes off, both off and on the ice.
I really liked a lot of this book, and a lot of it was down to the setting and setup. Harmon clearly loves Russia. The title of the series, Red Hot Russians, might suggest the sort of icky essentialisation found in so many Harlequin Presents book, where the hero's background (Sicilian! Latino!) serves only as a shorthand way of indicating that he's alpha and macho. This is a much more thoughtful book than that, though, and the setting is much more than a way of screaming "Exotic!". I really can't say how authentic the Russian characters or the setting are, but they felt distinct and vivid, and that was enough for me to enjoy this a hell of a lot.
And I just loved the whole ice skating element, which is a huge part of the book. We get as much of the skating partnership as of the romantic one. I'm not the world's biggest ice skating fan, more the kind that will only watch it when the Winter Olympics are on, but this was just fascinating to me. Again, no idea about the accuracy or verisimilitude, but I loved reading about it.
The romance, unfortunately, while starting out pretty good, didn't quite live up to the rest. The problem was mainly about the characters separately, rather than with how they interacted.
Anton felt a little bit passive, particularly in his relationship with Olga. He's been unhappy with her for years. He mentions he stayed with her after her constant cheating (albeit having agreed on a non-exclusive relationship) because he didn't want to harm their on-ice partnership. Fair enough. But as the present-day section of the book starts, she's dumped her as a skating partner, and he's still travelling to see her every weekend, I'm not quite sure what for. He doesn't even seem to be in it for the sex. He does do the right thing in the end, but I really don't get why he didn't do it much earlier, other than the author wanting to maintain the tension of Carrie thinking Anton is taken.
As for Carrie, she feels a bit naive and almost stupid. She just doesn't get the potential implications of what she's doing, when they really seemed pretty obvious. Her dad is a Southern politician, and his constituents have a little bit of a problem with his daughter pairing up with a Russian skater and (gasp!) taking Russian citizenship. No big surprise. The Cold War might be over, but I can totally see people still having that distrust (my quite right-wing parents, born in the 40s, still call anyone who's too left-wing for their tastes a "bolche", for bolshevik). So it was obvious that Carrie's actions would have consequences on her father's career, but Carrie just doesn't consider it at all. Even worse, the narrative very clearly takes Carrie's side, implying this is something she couldn't have predicted. Sorry, but no. She really should have known her taking up Russian citizenship was going to go down like a lead balloon with her father's conservative Southern voters, rather than be so terribly surprised. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have done it, just that she should have done it after considering the consequences.
The other issue is that sometimes the book felt a bit rough (it's a debut, and it shows). Mainly this showed in how crudely Harmon created conflict in the second half. There's plenty here that could be really interesting, like cultural differences and the stress of trying to pull off a comeback with the press in both countries against Carrie. Instead, Harmon has Carrie decide that because of her relationship with her dead mother she can't get close to anyone and must therefore push Anton away. It made very little sense to me and was, frankly, a bit tedious. Harmon should have trusted that what she had was more than enough, rather than trying to suddenly introduce this new element right at the end.
All that said, there's a lot of potential here, though. In addition to what I described about the ice skating and the setting, Harmon at times does quite interesting things. For instance, I was initially a bit annoyed at Olga's portrayal... the bitchy other woman who lies, cheats and manipulates. I do think it could have been done a bit more subtly, but then Harmon provides some more layers for her, and she did start making sense as a character and becoming much more interesting. There's loads of little touches like that going on, enough that I'd definitely give this author another chance, and not just because the next book also features ice skating and a Russia setting!
MY GRADE: A B-.
Turns out Anton doesn't recognise Carrie. Even though that night was as earth-shattering for him as it was for her, he was a bit hazy (this happened in Amsterdam, so you can guess what was going on!) and she looked completely different. But even not recognising her, he's always admired Carrie's skating, so when his long-time partner deserted him at the last minute for a partner she felt gave her more of a chance for a medal, he asked his trainer to try to get her as his new partner. After all, it seemed like a bit of a sign that both would be partner-less at the same time.
Carrie's first reaction is to turn around and leave. How can she skate with this man? But she's eventually persuaded to stay, and the work starts.
It's hard. Carrie is initially expected to basically slot into the old partner's slot and just learn the routine that was prepared for Anton and Olga (the previous partner). Problem is, Olga and Carrie are completely different kinds of skaters. Carrie is used to just adapting herself to her partner's preferences (remember, arsehole previous partner), so at first she doesn't complain. But when she and Anton start warming up to each other and actually start talking, their partnership really takes off, both off and on the ice.
I really liked a lot of this book, and a lot of it was down to the setting and setup. Harmon clearly loves Russia. The title of the series, Red Hot Russians, might suggest the sort of icky essentialisation found in so many Harlequin Presents book, where the hero's background (Sicilian! Latino!) serves only as a shorthand way of indicating that he's alpha and macho. This is a much more thoughtful book than that, though, and the setting is much more than a way of screaming "Exotic!". I really can't say how authentic the Russian characters or the setting are, but they felt distinct and vivid, and that was enough for me to enjoy this a hell of a lot.
And I just loved the whole ice skating element, which is a huge part of the book. We get as much of the skating partnership as of the romantic one. I'm not the world's biggest ice skating fan, more the kind that will only watch it when the Winter Olympics are on, but this was just fascinating to me. Again, no idea about the accuracy or verisimilitude, but I loved reading about it.
The romance, unfortunately, while starting out pretty good, didn't quite live up to the rest. The problem was mainly about the characters separately, rather than with how they interacted.
Anton felt a little bit passive, particularly in his relationship with Olga. He's been unhappy with her for years. He mentions he stayed with her after her constant cheating (albeit having agreed on a non-exclusive relationship) because he didn't want to harm their on-ice partnership. Fair enough. But as the present-day section of the book starts, she's dumped her as a skating partner, and he's still travelling to see her every weekend, I'm not quite sure what for. He doesn't even seem to be in it for the sex. He does do the right thing in the end, but I really don't get why he didn't do it much earlier, other than the author wanting to maintain the tension of Carrie thinking Anton is taken.
As for Carrie, she feels a bit naive and almost stupid. She just doesn't get the potential implications of what she's doing, when they really seemed pretty obvious. Her dad is a Southern politician, and his constituents have a little bit of a problem with his daughter pairing up with a Russian skater and (gasp!) taking Russian citizenship. No big surprise. The Cold War might be over, but I can totally see people still having that distrust (my quite right-wing parents, born in the 40s, still call anyone who's too left-wing for their tastes a "bolche", for bolshevik). So it was obvious that Carrie's actions would have consequences on her father's career, but Carrie just doesn't consider it at all. Even worse, the narrative very clearly takes Carrie's side, implying this is something she couldn't have predicted. Sorry, but no. She really should have known her taking up Russian citizenship was going to go down like a lead balloon with her father's conservative Southern voters, rather than be so terribly surprised. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have done it, just that she should have done it after considering the consequences.
The other issue is that sometimes the book felt a bit rough (it's a debut, and it shows). Mainly this showed in how crudely Harmon created conflict in the second half. There's plenty here that could be really interesting, like cultural differences and the stress of trying to pull off a comeback with the press in both countries against Carrie. Instead, Harmon has Carrie decide that because of her relationship with her dead mother she can't get close to anyone and must therefore push Anton away. It made very little sense to me and was, frankly, a bit tedious. Harmon should have trusted that what she had was more than enough, rather than trying to suddenly introduce this new element right at the end.
All that said, there's a lot of potential here, though. In addition to what I described about the ice skating and the setting, Harmon at times does quite interesting things. For instance, I was initially a bit annoyed at Olga's portrayal... the bitchy other woman who lies, cheats and manipulates. I do think it could have been done a bit more subtly, but then Harmon provides some more layers for her, and she did start making sense as a character and becoming much more interesting. There's loads of little touches like that going on, enough that I'd definitely give this author another chance, and not just because the next book also features ice skating and a Russia setting!
MY GRADE: A B-.
June 4, 2022
I don't usually read books with protagonists that are athletes, but this one really blended the skating portions into the romance. There was a good blend of the day to day tasks of training, the recovery time after training sessions, and the competitions themselves.
The relationship between Anton and Carrie was alright. It was more of a second chance romance, as opposed to the typical enemies to lovers trope.
Overall, I found Carrie's character development and her self-growth while living in a foreign country to be the highlights of this book
The relationship between Anton and Carrie was alright. It was more of a second chance romance, as opposed to the typical enemies to lovers trope.
Overall, I found Carrie's character development and her self-growth while living in a foreign country to be the highlights of this book
March 1, 2019
While being exiled out of everything she loved due to her skating partner sleeping with the judges she is forced to start again. But this new start might just be what she needs to succeed.
I really enjoyed the friendships and relationships and the skating was so beautifully described i felt like i was seeing it first hand.
I really enjoyed the friendships and relationships and the skating was so beautifully described i felt like i was seeing it first hand.
March 6, 2018
I love the Winter Olympics. I love Winter sports. I'm Canadian and we are winter! This was the first time in a long time I really got to watch a lot of the events so naturally, that led to me wanting to read something Olympic themed. There didn't really seem to be many fictional books about the Winter Olympics, this one has it briefly and the plot sounded cute so I thought YES WHY NOT (though lol Lake Placid? I know there was an Olympics there in 1980 but this isn't a period piece. But I guess if Bejing can get two Olympics why not? I'm guessing they didn't go with Pyeongchang for legal reasons? ANYWAYS...I digress, it doesn't really reflect the plot).
Going into this I expected some mindless fluff with some really hot sex... I mean the series is called Red Hot Russians (tho tbh I don't normally associate Russians with sexy). What I got was two very believable and realistic leads and a romance I was rooting for. Both Carrie and Anton felt like real people to me which I really liked. Anton is also very much one of my book boyfriends now. He isn't perfect which is a reason to love him in itself, but he's loving and kind. He cares so much it got me swooning.
There were a lot of tropes I was worried this book would fall into. Early in the book it's obvious that Carrie and Anton have feelings for one another but he's still with Olga. I was worried it would become a love triangle and he'd cheat on Olga with Carrie. I don't care if the one girl is a horrible garbage monster I abhor cheating. Luckily it didn't go that way, in fact they don't hook up because of Olga even though Anton knows he needs to break up with her. I was also worried that Olga would then become a jealous person out for revenge. And while it's clear she doesn't like Carrie we don't really have a spiteful woman vs the good girl.
The marriage plot was a little bit weird and rushed, even if I'm all for a marriage of convenience plots. I think this one could have had a bit more build up instead of A FAN WAS HIT BY A CAR AND THINKS YOU'RE AN ITEM AND SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO GET MARRIED THIS WEEKEND AND NOW WANTS YOU TO HAVE A VENUE SO YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED.
The ending also feels super rushed. They go from the wedding to the Olympics and then it's over? While I like the fact they didn't medal (can't always get what you want) after spending all the novel building up to that moment... I kind of wish there was more. More tension... more something. I'm not sure what. I also wish we got more with Carrie's family, since again there was so much build up and then...
This book was also way more emotional than I thought it would be. Carrie and Anton both have a lot of baggage - Carrie in particular but it's dealt with in a realistic way without making you feel overwhelmingly sad. Still, I became very attached to these two, and I'm very disappointed they aren't the main characters in the other books in this series.
But hey, Carrie and Anton did get a happy ending so I'm happy!
January 25, 2018
Recommended to me by Randee!
This read was perfect timing - with Tonya Harding and the upcoming Olympics in the news, I was ready to dive in to the world of professional ice skating. I loved the quiet and brooding hero Anton, but did find that the 'stunt' they do a bit forced. Overall a really fun read!
This read was perfect timing - with Tonya Harding and the upcoming Olympics in the news, I was ready to dive in to the world of professional ice skating. I loved the quiet and brooding hero Anton, but did find that the 'stunt' they do a bit forced. Overall a really fun read!
March 6, 2015
Anton and Carrie's story begins in Amsterdam, they're both teenagers, young athletes at a party, sharing neither language nor their names, but sparking a connection. They're brought back together years later when both Anton and Carrie have been treated abominably by their skating partners, by switching partners and with a scandal that destroys Carrie's career as an American skater respectively. They both have a second chance to achieve their dreams though by working together. Their journey is rocky as they struggle to build trust, a relationship on the ice, to perfect their programs.
Anton is strong, generous, loving - a little too loving when it comes to his ex-partner/current girlfriend, the vile Olga, but it shows how deeply he cares and how he sticks by his commitments. Carrie is dedicated, kind and gentle, haunted, and both brave and timid. She was brave to leave her country, to travel halfway across the globe to a country where she didn't know the language, culture and knew no one. But she also allows her father to control her life, to keep his secrets, to endure his condemnation. I liked watching her evolution over the story. Trust and honesty don't come easy to her and she has to work through her past if she wants any chance of happiness with Anton.
I loved Anton and Carrie together as friends - they're generous with their time and their support - and especially as romantic partners. They're a lot alike. Both fiercely loyal, both hold on too tight to relationships that cause them pain, but once they realize that they deserve better both are willing to fight for what they want. They face many obstacles to a life together - their nationalities, her family, her secrets - and someone is going to have to make a sacrifice.
Moscow was almost another character. Following Carrie around Moscow, seeing Red Square, churches and many other sights, I found myself Googling pictures so I could see what she did. I look forward to reading more by Elizabeth Harmon and see what she has in store next in the Red Hot Russians series.
Disclosure: ebook provided in exchange for an honest review
Anton is strong, generous, loving - a little too loving when it comes to his ex-partner/current girlfriend, the vile Olga, but it shows how deeply he cares and how he sticks by his commitments. Carrie is dedicated, kind and gentle, haunted, and both brave and timid. She was brave to leave her country, to travel halfway across the globe to a country where she didn't know the language, culture and knew no one. But she also allows her father to control her life, to keep his secrets, to endure his condemnation. I liked watching her evolution over the story. Trust and honesty don't come easy to her and she has to work through her past if she wants any chance of happiness with Anton.
I loved Anton and Carrie together as friends - they're generous with their time and their support - and especially as romantic partners. They're a lot alike. Both fiercely loyal, both hold on too tight to relationships that cause them pain, but once they realize that they deserve better both are willing to fight for what they want. They face many obstacles to a life together - their nationalities, her family, her secrets - and someone is going to have to make a sacrifice.
Moscow was almost another character. Following Carrie around Moscow, seeing Red Square, churches and many other sights, I found myself Googling pictures so I could see what she did. I look forward to reading more by Elizabeth Harmon and see what she has in store next in the Red Hot Russians series.
Disclosure: ebook provided in exchange for an honest review
April 4, 2016
I love figure skating, so figure skating + romance = :-)
After her pairs partner is discovered sleeping with a judge, American Carrie Parker finds herself in the midst of a scandal—and minus a partner. Who will ever want to pair with a reputed cheater?
Turns out one hot Russian, Anton Belikov, does. Carrie travels to Moscow to meet her new potential partner, but is ready to had back to Georgia (the state, not the country) when it turns out that Anton is the drunken boy she gave her virginity to some four years earlier. Anton, though, doesn't seem to remember her, and ultimately Carrie decides that her own feelings shouldn't stand in the way of Anton's chance at winning a championship & competing in the Olympics (turns out his girlfriend/skating partner dumped him when a more accomplished partner became available).
Hated this casting of Carrie's decision as all about ANTON ("Because Anton is a wonderful skater who shouldn't miss Lake Placid. Olga left him in a terrible situation and he doesn't deserve to be treated that way"), rather than about her own drive and ambition and desire. Yuck!
Also seemed pretty improbable that Carrie's father, who was running for US Senate from a southern state, had no idea what his daughter was up to.
But the slow-developing romance between Carrie and the very sweet Anton was a real pleasure. Anton only gradually realizes how his discomfort with Carrie is affecting her skating; after he decides treat her like a colleague, rather than resent her for her initial reluctance to skate with him, their pairing blossoms into friendship. And when Anton finally realizes that Carrie was the girl from four years ago, the girl he hasn't been able to stop dreaming about despite his relationship with the difficult Olga, the romantic tension tightens...
Will be interested to read further books in the series (keeping my fingers crossed that the author can avoid the anti-feminist self-sacrificing rhetoric in her female characters)
After her pairs partner is discovered sleeping with a judge, American Carrie Parker finds herself in the midst of a scandal—and minus a partner. Who will ever want to pair with a reputed cheater?
Turns out one hot Russian, Anton Belikov, does. Carrie travels to Moscow to meet her new potential partner, but is ready to had back to Georgia (the state, not the country) when it turns out that Anton is the drunken boy she gave her virginity to some four years earlier. Anton, though, doesn't seem to remember her, and ultimately Carrie decides that her own feelings shouldn't stand in the way of Anton's chance at winning a championship & competing in the Olympics (turns out his girlfriend/skating partner dumped him when a more accomplished partner became available).
Hated this casting of Carrie's decision as all about ANTON ("Because Anton is a wonderful skater who shouldn't miss Lake Placid. Olga left him in a terrible situation and he doesn't deserve to be treated that way"), rather than about her own drive and ambition and desire. Yuck!
Also seemed pretty improbable that Carrie's father, who was running for US Senate from a southern state, had no idea what his daughter was up to.
But the slow-developing romance between Carrie and the very sweet Anton was a real pleasure. Anton only gradually realizes how his discomfort with Carrie is affecting her skating; after he decides treat her like a colleague, rather than resent her for her initial reluctance to skate with him, their pairing blossoms into friendship. And when Anton finally realizes that Carrie was the girl from four years ago, the girl he hasn't been able to stop dreaming about despite his relationship with the difficult Olga, the romantic tension tightens...
Will be interested to read further books in the series (keeping my fingers crossed that the author can avoid the anti-feminist self-sacrificing rhetoric in her female characters)
February 13, 2017
I was so excited after finding Pairing Off. FINALLY, a contemporary sports romance centered on a sport I actually care about: figure skating! The plot however was filled with way too many of the types of conflicts I loathe to read about i.e. political mumbo jumbo, annoying exes and douchey parents.
I did like Anton and Carrie and how they pushed each other out of their comfort zones. Anton stopped letting the wishes of others dictate the way he lived his life and Carrie learned to let go of the darkness of the past and embrace a brighter future. While their romance was bogged down by all the eye rolling drama going on, I felt that Anton and Carrie's connection was genuine and really sweet.
And of course I especially enjoyed the figure skating lingo mentioned throughout which, fair warning, could probably read like Greek, or Russian, if you're not familiar with the terms.
Conclusion: YAY for originality premise-wise. NAY for the overall execution of it.
I did like Anton and Carrie and how they pushed each other out of their comfort zones. Anton stopped letting the wishes of others dictate the way he lived his life and Carrie learned to let go of the darkness of the past and embrace a brighter future. While their romance was bogged down by all the eye rolling drama going on, I felt that Anton and Carrie's connection was genuine and really sweet.
"Belong," he said, lingering over the word. "It's funny thing for you to say. Because from the very start, it's how I've thought. The morning I left for Amsterdam, all I could think of was this strange, beautiful American girl whose name I didn't even know. Someone I would never see again, but also would not forget. Seemed crazy, but now makes perfect sense. We were meant to skate together, lubyimaya, time just wasn't right back then. But since very first night, I've belonged to you."
He belonged...to her.
The power and truth in those simple words took her breath away. Anton was the man she'd been born to love, and who's been born to love her. Different lives, different languages, different countries---it didn't matter. Their hearts had recognized one another from the very start."
And of course I especially enjoyed the figure skating lingo mentioned throughout which, fair warning, could probably read like Greek, or Russian, if you're not familiar with the terms.
Conclusion: YAY for originality premise-wise. NAY for the overall execution of it.
January 29, 2016
Oh dear. It had all the elements, but just wound up an overly tense mess. I loved the skating, and the details about the skating world feel true to life. I've lived in Eastern Europe and the details about that felt very true to life as well. Plus, the hero in this story is lovely, lovely, lovely
So what went wrong? Partly it was the bad guys - in particular the heroine's parents and the hero's girlfriend - because they were such stock characterizations that they could have come from any number of cheap TV shows or paperback novels. Overly mean in incredibly generic ways.
But mostly it's the heroine who has a Dark Secret which she clutches to herself and worries nearly continually about. She is this too-skinny, continually anxious, worry monger. She doesn't make friends, she spends all her free time alone, and consciously not eating. She is scared of going inside churches because darkness of some kind, although she's fascinated by them. She has a gray, nearly sunless apartment. She has a miserable relationship with her nasty family. She gets bad headaches all the time...etc.
Meh. Just too damn much. We did not need all this drama. We had ice skating! We had life in a foreign country! We had a legitimately sexy, sweet guy! Plus, did I mention ice skating!
So, great idea for a book, got tangled up in the gnarly execution.
So what went wrong? Partly it was the bad guys - in particular the heroine's parents and the hero's girlfriend - because they were such stock characterizations that they could have come from any number of cheap TV shows or paperback novels. Overly mean in incredibly generic ways.
But mostly it's the heroine who has a Dark Secret which she clutches to herself and worries nearly continually about. She is this too-skinny, continually anxious, worry monger. She doesn't make friends, she spends all her free time alone, and consciously not eating. She is scared of going inside churches because darkness of some kind, although she's fascinated by them. She has a gray, nearly sunless apartment. She has a miserable relationship with her nasty family. She gets bad headaches all the time...etc.
Meh. Just too damn much. We did not need all this drama. We had ice skating! We had life in a foreign country! We had a legitimately sexy, sweet guy! Plus, did I mention ice skating!
So, great idea for a book, got tangled up in the gnarly execution.
June 16, 2016
3.5/5
I think there were too many stories that got rushed at the end and didn't come together with enough time to do them justice. I enjoyed the romance a lot, but I was left a little disappointed by the last 10-15%, particularly based on Carrie's family, since her father is Pretty Much The Worst and I don't buy
I think there were too many stories that got rushed at the end and didn't come together with enough time to do them justice. I enjoyed the romance a lot, but I was left a little disappointed by the last 10-15%, particularly based on Carrie's family, since her father is Pretty Much The Worst and I don't buy
September 8, 2019
First of all, I have to come clean. Sports romances aren't my thing so maybe I was a bit biased reading this. (Although if you check my read books I've read some of the style that I liked more)
I felt like this was a test for the author to see how many romance tropes she could fit in one book. Which, ok, I love me some tropes, but I got a bit of whiplash.
The characters were charming, but I didn't feel like that was enough to make me more than lukewarm this book. I guess in the end Anton was too perfect and Carrie's issues were too meh for me to not find it annoying whenever she assumed he'd act a certain way when it was obvious he wouldn't.
All in all it's an ok book, though. If it's your thing definitely read it.
I felt like this was a test for the author to see how many romance tropes she could fit in one book. Which, ok, I love me some tropes, but I got a bit of whiplash.
The characters were charming, but I didn't feel like that was enough to make me more than lukewarm this book. I guess in the end Anton was too perfect and Carrie's issues were too meh for me to not find it annoying whenever she assumed he'd act a certain way when it was obvious he wouldn't.
All in all it's an ok book, though. If it's your thing definitely read it.
March 18, 2021
So cute! Me encanta el patinaje artístico sobre hielo, cuando era más niña y veía lo poco que ponían sobre ese deporte por la tv pensaba que lo mío era fatalismo geográfico, porque me gustaba mucho un deporte que no tiene nada que ver con el sol del Caribe. Después la vida me puso por delante otro deporte totalmente contrario, e igual me enamoré, pero en el fondo es como dicen el primer amor no se olvida... Por eso me complació mucho leer esta historia, además de que no sé porqué, salvando las diferencias, me recuerda tanto a Tessa Virtue y Scott Moir... 🥰
March 7, 2021
3.5 but I’ll round up. Very enjoyable melodrama with pairs figure skaters that have fantastic chemistry and pretty decent slow burn. The heroine’s dark secrets could be a bit much at times, but fortunately they didn’t spoil the third act.
The Moscow setting was also interesting - it felt authentic (idk if it actually is, but it felt like it).
The Moscow setting was also interesting - it felt authentic (idk if it actually is, but it felt like it).
March 9, 2018
I love figure-skating so when I saw this I had to give it a try even though I read very little contemporary romance these days. I found the characters sympathetic: Anton especially was a sweetheart. I enjoyed the Moscow setting.
Quibble: It took Anton too long to break up with Olga IMO.
Quibble: It took Anton too long to break up with Olga IMO.
February 10, 2024
Kinda lost the plot tbh
February 25, 2015
This book is described as "The Cutting Edge with a Russian twist" and it's an apt description as it engendered in me the same heartwarming, feel-good feelings as the movie. From its immensely likable main couple to the colorful cast of secondary characters to the vivid depictions of the rigors of ice skating I was fully immersed in this story from the first page to the last. The descriptions of Moscow further enhanced my engrossment in this story and as an homage to the city it was a beautiful addition to the already emotionally engaging storyline.
American skater Carrie came from a family of wealth with a father more concerned with appearances than his daughter's feelings. Growing up she had plenty of heartache that took away her confidence and left her untrusting of others. A recent debacle starring her pairs partner has left her reeling even more and trying to start over in Russia with new partner, Anton. Her past connection with this new partner though could once again lead to conflict as the attraction she felt for him is as intense as ever, but as she doesn't want to be seen as the other woman she keeps her feelings hidden. As the pressure to succeed keeps mounting she finds the support of Anton the only thing she can count on in a world where she feels all alone. With the Games only a few months away, and with pressure coming from her father and blackmail from her ex partner battering away at her self-confidence, she'll need Anton's support more than ever. But will it be enough to win or will she feel like a disappointment once again? Carrie's an immensely likable girl whose self-confidence has taken a beating. She never felt good enough and hides behind a facade of the sweet Southern girl when she longs to speak out. With Anton though she slowly comes out of her shell. She carries guilt over events blown out of purportion but she closes herself off for fear of them coming to light. Her family is more concerned with their future than hers which sets her further adrift until Anton and his family take her to heart. She's a kindhearted girl hurt by those who should've protected her and it's not until she goes half-way across the world that she finds a real family who support her wholeheartedly.
Anton was always made to feel inferior to his glamorous skating partner. When she dumps him he finds Carrie to be the perfect partner as she too was seen as inferior in the skating world. He admired her loyalty though and knew she'd give her all to see them succeed. She also engenders surprising feelings in him from the moment they first met that have them soon becoming more than friends. As Anton works to earn Carrie's trust and to get her to lower her emotional walls, the truth comes out about their past connection which makes her even more important to him. To prove his commitment he's willing to sacrifice his promise to win by upending Russian tradition. Will it pay off in a gold medal, and more importantly will they stay partners off the ice once the Olympic flame is extinguished? Anton is a delectable hero, truly caring and supportive. He's a romantic man in his words and deeds and I loved his broken English and self-deprecating humor. He's loyal to family and to others who don't deserve him and in Carrie is someone truly in need of loyalty which had me rooting for them.
The romance here is a slow burning one as Anton is with someone else at the beginning. The connection between Carrie and Anton slowly builds as they move from friends into lovers and it had me captivated. The sexual tension is quite apparent from the start though and intensifies in subtle touches, glances, and flirty banter as the story progresses and once they finally give in to each other it's richly rewarding. These are two immensely likable characters dealing with pressures from the sport and from family and only together will they survive the drama. The skating scenes are numerous and vividly detailed and I worked up a sweat reading about all the work leading up to their competitions. Moscow too plays a big role in this story as readers are lovingly taken on a tour of the city. As Anton escorts Carrie throughout the city their romance flourishes in a sweet and sensual journey to HEA. The colorful cast of secondary characters, both heroes and villains, further enhanced my reading experienced and have me excited for more action on and off the ice.
American skater Carrie came from a family of wealth with a father more concerned with appearances than his daughter's feelings. Growing up she had plenty of heartache that took away her confidence and left her untrusting of others. A recent debacle starring her pairs partner has left her reeling even more and trying to start over in Russia with new partner, Anton. Her past connection with this new partner though could once again lead to conflict as the attraction she felt for him is as intense as ever, but as she doesn't want to be seen as the other woman she keeps her feelings hidden. As the pressure to succeed keeps mounting she finds the support of Anton the only thing she can count on in a world where she feels all alone. With the Games only a few months away, and with pressure coming from her father and blackmail from her ex partner battering away at her self-confidence, she'll need Anton's support more than ever. But will it be enough to win or will she feel like a disappointment once again? Carrie's an immensely likable girl whose self-confidence has taken a beating. She never felt good enough and hides behind a facade of the sweet Southern girl when she longs to speak out. With Anton though she slowly comes out of her shell. She carries guilt over events blown out of purportion but she closes herself off for fear of them coming to light. Her family is more concerned with their future than hers which sets her further adrift until Anton and his family take her to heart. She's a kindhearted girl hurt by those who should've protected her and it's not until she goes half-way across the world that she finds a real family who support her wholeheartedly.
Anton was always made to feel inferior to his glamorous skating partner. When she dumps him he finds Carrie to be the perfect partner as she too was seen as inferior in the skating world. He admired her loyalty though and knew she'd give her all to see them succeed. She also engenders surprising feelings in him from the moment they first met that have them soon becoming more than friends. As Anton works to earn Carrie's trust and to get her to lower her emotional walls, the truth comes out about their past connection which makes her even more important to him. To prove his commitment he's willing to sacrifice his promise to win by upending Russian tradition. Will it pay off in a gold medal, and more importantly will they stay partners off the ice once the Olympic flame is extinguished? Anton is a delectable hero, truly caring and supportive. He's a romantic man in his words and deeds and I loved his broken English and self-deprecating humor. He's loyal to family and to others who don't deserve him and in Carrie is someone truly in need of loyalty which had me rooting for them.
The romance here is a slow burning one as Anton is with someone else at the beginning. The connection between Carrie and Anton slowly builds as they move from friends into lovers and it had me captivated. The sexual tension is quite apparent from the start though and intensifies in subtle touches, glances, and flirty banter as the story progresses and once they finally give in to each other it's richly rewarding. These are two immensely likable characters dealing with pressures from the sport and from family and only together will they survive the drama. The skating scenes are numerous and vividly detailed and I worked up a sweat reading about all the work leading up to their competitions. Moscow too plays a big role in this story as readers are lovingly taken on a tour of the city. As Anton escorts Carrie throughout the city their romance flourishes in a sweet and sensual journey to HEA. The colorful cast of secondary characters, both heroes and villains, further enhanced my reading experienced and have me excited for more action on and off the ice.
December 30, 2017
This review is of “Pairing Off�, book #1 in the “Red Hot Russians� series by Elizabeth Harmon.
The book begins with a hook-up between a man and a young woman in Amsterdam. That hook-up will play a significant role later on.
Seven years later, at the World Figure Skating championships, the American champion pairs team of Carolyn Ann “Carrie� Parker, the heroine of the book, and her partner, Cody DeWylde, are stripped of their gold medal due to a scandal. Humiliated, Carrie flees to Russia to become the partner of Anton Belikov, the hero of the book, a Russian pairs skater whose former partner of 10 years, Olga Zelenskaya, has joined forces with a new partner.
When Carrie and Anton begin practicing, things don’t go well for them, and their coach, Galina Borisova, raises the possibility of replacing Carrie. This change does not occur; one that does, however, is Carrie and Anton changing their long program from Evita to a James Bond program, much to Galina’s dismay.
As the book goes on, Carrie and Anton realize that they have much more in common than just skating, falling in love with each other and later marrying.
Despite their many challenges, Carrie and Anton make their marriage a success and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside:: Ms. Harmon did a phenomenal job bringing me as a reader into Carrie and Anton’s world; it wasn’t always pretty, but it was emotional. They are both wonderful, fully developed characters who have issues-mostly with their respective families- but found a way to work through them and find love with each other. I especially learned a great deal about the male partnership side of skating, which is usually ignored by many in the skating community. “Pairing Off� doesn’t have a Cinderella ending, which I was afraid it would and appreciate that it doesn’t. If Ms. Harmon is so inclined to not be chronologically correct, there is a young teenager in the book who wishes to be a pairs skater who would be perfect for her own book. Ms. Harmon appears to adopt from several sources: the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the "Cutting Edge" movie franchise, a little dash of the 2010-2014 television series "Make it or Break it" and Russian pair skating history.
Downside: There isn’t a great deal to criticize here, but the Winter Olympics are being staged in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018, NOT in Lake Placid, New York (which staged the 1980 Winter games). This may not bother other readers, and it didn’t bother me that much, but I found this kind of factual inaccuracy to be unnecessary. I feel Ms. Harmon could have devoted more time to focusing on the skating, which feels at times to be glossed over.
Sex: A few love scenes that were fairy hot, especially the last one.
Violence: Carrie’s father threatens Anton, but nothing more comes of it. Anton later hits Cody; I wish he had done more to the sleazeball! My sincere hope is that Cody DeWylde gets his much-deserved comeuppance at some point in the series.
Bottom Line: One small crack in the armor doesn’t diminish the excellence of “Pairing Off�.
The book begins with a hook-up between a man and a young woman in Amsterdam. That hook-up will play a significant role later on.
Seven years later, at the World Figure Skating championships, the American champion pairs team of Carolyn Ann “Carrie� Parker, the heroine of the book, and her partner, Cody DeWylde, are stripped of their gold medal due to a scandal. Humiliated, Carrie flees to Russia to become the partner of Anton Belikov, the hero of the book, a Russian pairs skater whose former partner of 10 years, Olga Zelenskaya, has joined forces with a new partner.
When Carrie and Anton begin practicing, things don’t go well for them, and their coach, Galina Borisova, raises the possibility of replacing Carrie. This change does not occur; one that does, however, is Carrie and Anton changing their long program from Evita to a James Bond program, much to Galina’s dismay.
As the book goes on, Carrie and Anton realize that they have much more in common than just skating, falling in love with each other and later marrying.
Despite their many challenges, Carrie and Anton make their marriage a success and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside:: Ms. Harmon did a phenomenal job bringing me as a reader into Carrie and Anton’s world; it wasn’t always pretty, but it was emotional. They are both wonderful, fully developed characters who have issues-mostly with their respective families- but found a way to work through them and find love with each other. I especially learned a great deal about the male partnership side of skating, which is usually ignored by many in the skating community. “Pairing Off� doesn’t have a Cinderella ending, which I was afraid it would and appreciate that it doesn’t. If Ms. Harmon is so inclined to not be chronologically correct, there is a young teenager in the book who wishes to be a pairs skater who would be perfect for her own book. Ms. Harmon appears to adopt from several sources: the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the "Cutting Edge" movie franchise, a little dash of the 2010-2014 television series "Make it or Break it" and Russian pair skating history.
Downside: There isn’t a great deal to criticize here, but the Winter Olympics are being staged in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018, NOT in Lake Placid, New York (which staged the 1980 Winter games). This may not bother other readers, and it didn’t bother me that much, but I found this kind of factual inaccuracy to be unnecessary. I feel Ms. Harmon could have devoted more time to focusing on the skating, which feels at times to be glossed over.
Sex: A few love scenes that were fairy hot, especially the last one.
Violence: Carrie’s father threatens Anton, but nothing more comes of it. Anton later hits Cody; I wish he had done more to the sleazeball! My sincere hope is that Cody DeWylde gets his much-deserved comeuppance at some point in the series.
Bottom Line: One small crack in the armor doesn’t diminish the excellence of “Pairing Off�.
May 24, 2016
How did I not know I needed this book in my life?
I am a lifelong fan of figure skating, and also a long-term fan of Russian figure skaters (and gymnasts), and of romance novels. One thing that combines all of this? YES. PLEASE.
Carrie was on track for the Olympics as a pairs skater, until her partner was caught in bed with a judge. Her partner was banned, and she was in disgrace. No one wanted her. Except Anton, one of Russia's top pairs skaters, whose own partner and sometime girlfriend Olga just abandoned him for better prospects elsewhere. Years ago, Carrie and Anton had a one night stand in Amsterdam, but they didn't stay in touch, though neither has forgotten the other. In any event, Anton invites her to Russia and they begin to practice together, and the story goes from there.
I loved the little details of how different life in Russia is from the States. There are a dozen little cultural notes, good and bad--we see upsides and downsides of Russian life, and we get to experience the culture shock along with Carrie.
I loved that the author clearly knows her stuff when it comes to figure skating--it's written very fluidly, enough that someone who's only haphazardly watched a couple of Olympic competitions on TV won't be lost in technicalities, but also detailed enough that an enthusiastic observer won't be growling at the book.
The romance here is kind of a slow burn--they're attracted to each other, but as Anton is still dating Olga at the start of the main story, they don't act on it. One of the things I really liked about Anton's relationship with Olga is that even though she's clearly not right for him in any way, he takes care to be gentle with her. He doesn't demonize her or try to ruin her; he just wants to separate and have them both go on with their lives. Olga is a bit tragic in that she comes from a rough background and is chasing her dreams and squeezing them tight; the problem is that she doesn't see how she's affecting people around her. I think it's rare to have a romance novel where The Ex (or soon-to-be ex in this case) is treated with compassion, and I do think that's pulled off here. We're not meant to like Olga, but I do feel sorry for her, and that's better in my opinion.
I find Carrie's relationships with her family both realistic and frustrating--her father seems at first to be kind of a caricature, but by the end of the story, even though I passionately disliked him, I had a grudging respect for him. Well, respect isn't the right word, but he sure did get things done.
And, without spoiling it, I found the ending to be ever so much more compelling than I expected. This isn't a fairy-tales-ever-after perfect love story; instead, it's real, and that makes it even better. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.
I am a lifelong fan of figure skating, and also a long-term fan of Russian figure skaters (and gymnasts), and of romance novels. One thing that combines all of this? YES. PLEASE.
Carrie was on track for the Olympics as a pairs skater, until her partner was caught in bed with a judge. Her partner was banned, and she was in disgrace. No one wanted her. Except Anton, one of Russia's top pairs skaters, whose own partner and sometime girlfriend Olga just abandoned him for better prospects elsewhere. Years ago, Carrie and Anton had a one night stand in Amsterdam, but they didn't stay in touch, though neither has forgotten the other. In any event, Anton invites her to Russia and they begin to practice together, and the story goes from there.
I loved the little details of how different life in Russia is from the States. There are a dozen little cultural notes, good and bad--we see upsides and downsides of Russian life, and we get to experience the culture shock along with Carrie.
I loved that the author clearly knows her stuff when it comes to figure skating--it's written very fluidly, enough that someone who's only haphazardly watched a couple of Olympic competitions on TV won't be lost in technicalities, but also detailed enough that an enthusiastic observer won't be growling at the book.
The romance here is kind of a slow burn--they're attracted to each other, but as Anton is still dating Olga at the start of the main story, they don't act on it. One of the things I really liked about Anton's relationship with Olga is that even though she's clearly not right for him in any way, he takes care to be gentle with her. He doesn't demonize her or try to ruin her; he just wants to separate and have them both go on with their lives. Olga is a bit tragic in that she comes from a rough background and is chasing her dreams and squeezing them tight; the problem is that she doesn't see how she's affecting people around her. I think it's rare to have a romance novel where The Ex (or soon-to-be ex in this case) is treated with compassion, and I do think that's pulled off here. We're not meant to like Olga, but I do feel sorry for her, and that's better in my opinion.
I find Carrie's relationships with her family both realistic and frustrating--her father seems at first to be kind of a caricature, but by the end of the story, even though I passionately disliked him, I had a grudging respect for him. Well, respect isn't the right word, but he sure did get things done.
And, without spoiling it, I found the ending to be ever so much more compelling than I expected. This isn't a fairy-tales-ever-after perfect love story; instead, it's real, and that makes it even better. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.
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