Book: Crossing Lines by Mel Mccabe
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4/5
ARC REVIEW
Crossing Lines by Mel McCabe
⭐⭐⭐⭐¼ (4.25/5)
What a soft, emotional romance about finding love in the middle of grief and learning how to let yourself heal.
Asher is still deeply struggling after the loss of his younger sister, carrying both grief and survivor’s guilt while recovering from the accident that changed his life. Enter Wyatt—the team’s new athletic trainer—who slowly becomes more than just the person helping rehab Asher’s injury. Wyatt challenges him emotionally in ways nobody else really can, and watching Asher gradually begin to open back up to life felt incredibly rewarding.
Because of the nature of their relationship—college hockey player and trainer—the attraction between them is something they both try hard to ignore at first. The tension definitely builds, but what makes the romance work so well is that their connection never feels rooted in physical attraction alone. They become a source of comfort and support for each other long before anything actually happens.
Wyatt especially got me. As a single father, he’s so used to being the caretaker, the dependable one, the person everyone leans on. But with Asher, he finally has someone who wants to care for him, too. And Asher desperately needs someone who makes him feel like surviving the accident meant something—that maybe he’s still allowed to have a future after all of that pain. Their relationship develops so naturally into not just a romance, but a little family unit, and I loved every second of it.
This is definitely a quieter romance, built through small moments instead of huge dramatic declarations. Asher helping Wyatt’s daughter Lyla practice for her dance recital, cuddling on the couch watching hockey highlights, holding each other through hard days—those are the scenes that stayed with me most. Relationships like this always hit hardest for me because they feel sustainable and real. It’s about choosing each other consistently and finding comfort in the ordinary moments together.
And seeing Kellen and Wells again was such a treat. Power Play was one of my favorite reads last year, so getting glimpses of their happily-ever-after made me ridiculously happy.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC!