In honor of the New Jersey Devils winning Round 2 Game 3 against the Canes, I thought what better way to celebrate than some hockey romance recs!
(It’s about damn time they pulled out a win against Canes.)
My goal is to recommend books I haven’t listed anywhere else on this blog. And it’s actually wild how many hockey books I’ve read.
So, get your TBRs ready!
All these books have mature content **
- Offside by Avery Keelan
After her ex dumps her on her 21st birthday, Bailey James rebounds right into the arms of her ex’s biggest competition, Chase Carter: Antagonizer, womanizer, and infamous left winger for the Boyd University Falcons.
Following a string of scandals and substandard grades, Chase is on thin ice with his teammates and tyrannical coach. The last thing he needs is to have his focus and loyalty called into question by fraternizing with his team’s #1 rival.
But a beautiful stranger who throws herself at him one night is too tempting to pass up… Until she throws up on his shoes.
Caught in the midst of a bitter rivalry that extends far beyond the arena, Bailey and Chase are on opposite sides of the bench.
He’s worked his entire life to secure a future in the NHL. She’s tagged along for the ride while her brother Derek, star defensive for the Bruder College Bulldogs, has done the same.
Fraternizing with the enemy is definitely out of the question. Except this enemy is impossible to resist.
There’s another book coming in this interconnected series in June!
- Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak
I’m banished to Vermont for a scandal that wasn’t my fault, and broke because my famous father cut me off. And did I mention my roommate stole my boyfriend?
Yeah, I’m loving my Moo U experience.
Now I need a job, because this gel manicure won’t upkeep itself. The only available option is the last one I’d ever want–a job as the hockey team’s equipment manager.
My plan is to do the bare minimum, get paid, and find my way back into my father’s good graces.
I will not get involved with a hockey player, no matter how hot. They’re cocky. And obnoxious.
I know their type, and I’m not willing to risk getting hurt again. Until Lex Vonne glides into my life looking like sin on a stick.
He thinks I’m a spoiled brat.
I think he’s using me to get ahead.
But the fire I feel when we’re together is like a slapshot to my heart…
I honestly don’t remember anything about this book.
But I rated it 4 stars so I must’ve had a great time!
- Holdout by Jacqueline Snowe
Jonah Daniels has enough work preparing for his hockey season without spending time interviewing a roommate to help share expenses. So when some dude answers J.D.’s ad and agrees to his terms, he puts a key under the mat and leaves for practice.
What he doesn’t expect is that his new roommate is not a dude at all, but an overtalkative, energetic hottie. What’s worse?
She’s the younger sister of his friend on the team, and she’s sworn him to secrecy.
Ryann Reiner needs a place to live, stat. After an incident at the dorms that almost tanked her scholarship, Ryann wants a boring roommate who’ll leave her alone.
J.D. almost fits the bill. He lives and breathes hockey, just like her brother, and he wouldn’t know a joke unless it hip checked him against the boards.
He’s also gorgeous. And broody. And he looks fine on laundry day, in too little clothing.
Soon, late-night study sessions turn into dangerous flirting. And then a kiss turns into more. But they’re determined to keep things in the feelings-free zone.
Until lines blur and tensions rise when Ryann’s brother learns the truth. And both their hearts are skating on thin ice…
Another book I don’t really remember reading, but I also gave this a 4 stars so …
- The Enforcer by Avery Keelan
Nash Richards was my first everything. First boyfriend, first time, first love. First heartbreak, too.
In a former life, I used to religiously attend Lakeside U’s hockey games. Then my ex-who-shall-not-be-named—the team’s top defensive enforcer—cross-checked my heart into the boards, and I haven’t set foot in that arena since.
But when fate conspires against me, I’m assigned to complete my senior athletic training internship with Nash’s team, and forced to work closely with the only guy I’ve ever loved. You know, the one who skated out of my life freshman year without looking back.
After what happened last time, I know better than to fall for Nash again. Not to mention, there’s a strict no-fraternization policy between trainers and their athletes.
Problem is, our chemistry is hotter than ever—and he’s determined to convince me to give him another chance.
Before we know it, the boundaries begin to blur until we can’t see them anymore. But with so much on the line, I’m risking a lot more than just my heart this time.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, but I did fall in love with the world and side characters.
It’s the first in an interconnected series, and I’m excited for the others!
- Famous Last Words by C.W. Farnsworth
Harlow Hayes loves water. In its liquid form.
The chlorinated kind she swims in. The perennial droplets soaking her adopted hometown. The waves she ventures out on to observe the ocean.
Water in its frozen state holds no appeal to her. That’s not the only—or most divisive—difference between her and Conor Hart.
The arrogant, arresting captain of Holt University’s hockey team spends every second not picking fights or partying atop a sheet of it.
Plenty of girls fall for the charming lines and that cocky smirk. Harlow knows better. Knows more.
The fuel for the fury that makes him such a dominant force on the ice. The reason he ignores her as resolutely as she pretends he doesn’t exist. The history they share but didn’t write.
Knowledge meant to ensure he’s the one guy she could never—would never—like, much less love.
Famous last words.
I really enjoyed this one! And I love this author.
- Like I Never Said by C.W. Farnsworth
A lot can happen on a two-week trip to the Canadian wilderness.
Auden Harmon learns her parents’ marriage is officially over. Expected . Accidentally gifts a five-hundred-dollar pen to a stranger. Unexpected.
Neither event wreaks havoc on her life quite like meeting Elliot Reid does.
He has eyes the color of the cloudy sky. A slapshot the whole country has an unhealthy obsession with. The uncanny ability to say the exact right thing, right when she needs to hear it.
They stay in touch after she leaves. Swap secrets. Become best friends. Tell each other everything.
Well… almost everything.
It’s a thin line between love and hate. The line between love and friendship with a guy who makes mammoth-sized butterflies swarm your stomach? Practically transparent.
But when he’s made it clear friendship is all he has to offer?
You can never say it.
This story isn’t heavy on the hockey, but it is in there!
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the characters in this story, but it was still an enjoyable read!
- Secret Puck by Rebecca Jenshak
Secretly hooking up with the team captain’s sister was a bad idea. In my defense, the first time I saw her I didn’t know who she was.
Kind, gorgeous, a little naïve. Ginny brightened my world from day one.
I knew I was no good for her. She was just out of a relationship and I had a reputation for having a new girl in my bed every weekend.
I tried to do the right thing. Honest.
I’m the one who insisted we should be just friends. That lasted about as long as you’d expect.
But Ginny? She’s the best – best friend, best everything.
So yeah, hooking up with the team captain’s sister wasn’t a great idea.
Would I do it again?
In a heartbeat.
I loved this book! And I’m really looking forward to continuing this series!
(Once I kick some books off MY tbr and can purchase them without guilt.)
There’s some hockey romance recs!
I’ve read a lot more, but I didn’t include the ones I didn’t like.
Sure, reading is subjective and you might like them, but I didn’t.
So I don’t want to recommend books I didn’t like.
Important to note: The Deal and The Risk by Elle Kennedy are two books that were on this list.
However, there’s a lot of negative discourse around this author and the type of person she is.
And while I love those books and want to share them with you, I recommend borrowing them or buying them secondhand.
That way you aren’t putting money into her pockets.
Anyway, let me know some of YOUR favorite hockey romances!
There are many more coming out and many series I need to finish, so maybe I can update this list in the future!
(And let’s all hope the Devils play the same way today on Tuesday so we can stay in this thing!)
<3 Mara