Welcome back! Out of all the sports, hockey romances seem to be the crowd-pleasers. I don’t know what it is about hockey romances, but they keep us coming back for more! You get the sexy hockey hottie who is aggressive on the ice and something else entirely off of it, the team aspect that often ties a series together, and (sometimes) the comfortable predictability of knowing you’re in for a light and sexy read that will play up the tropes.
Whether it’s a manhoe who has finally met his match, a nice guy out of his element, or a player pining away for someone forbidden, there are so many different ways hockey romances can go. Each of these contemporary romance novels was a 4 or 5-star read for me. From rom com to emotional, super spicy to semi-sweet, single dad to reformed player, there’s a couple for everyone on this list - and plenty of tropes at play too. I particularly love interconnected standalones that get me excited for the next installment, but you can’t go wrong with any scenario.
Here are some examples of hockey romance books and their blurbs:
Examples of Hockey Romance Books
- Zanders
ZandersChicago hockey isn’t complete without me-everyone’s favorite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night. What I don’t like is the new flight attendant on our team’s private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I’ll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she’ll be begging to quit her job. But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can’t quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons or if it’s more than that.
StevieI’ve been a flight attendant for years. I thought I’d see it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again…no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be. Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good.
Read also: Features of Custom Hockey Gloves
- I Pucking Love You
That’s how I found myself in a sheer panic, reaching for the closest guy at the bar and kissing him. The only problem is, when I tried to walk away after thanking him for his help, he stopped me with three life-changing words . I don’t need a date to a wedding. Clumsy sometimes fits, but then, that’s true for all of us, right? But adorable? No. Misunderstood? Nope again. Sure, he’s a professional hockey player who also knows advanced calculus, but let’s say we’re not compatible and leave it at that. I should know.
I Pucking Love You is a hilariously wrong romantic comedy about the world’s worst matchmaker, a hockey player with a problem he doesn’t want to talk about, and an awkward date-of-convenience that everyone would prefer to forget.
- Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg
New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg delivers a tale of wit, charm, and undeniable attraction in "Hard to Handle."
Falling flat on my back in a sweaty locker room isn’t how I planned to introduce myself to my grandpa’s hockey team. Especially when I’m there to turn the business around financially; something nobody else in the stadium seems to want. But that’s how I first meet Eli Salinger, the team’s aggravatingly smooth player-turned coach. And from the moment I introduce myself to him, he makes it clear he doesn’t want me there.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out why. Eli’s only interested in one thing - turning the team into a winning side, no matter what it takes. And he’s determined to fight every change I try to make. What he doesn’t know is that I’ve never taken on a project that hasn’t succeeded. And I’m not about to let this be the first. I don’t care if he’s grumpy and adorable in equal measure. Or that every time he looks at me it sends me all a flutter. This is a game of wits.
Read also: The story of Craig Needham
- The Grumpy Player by Lili Valente
After wasting years of my life with the wrong person, I told myself all I wanted was a little no-strings fun. After enduring a very public breakup of his own, the sexy player doesn’t want to be anyone’s forever. This romance contains one grumpy, emotionally damaged, but gorgeous-as-hell hockey player, and a whip-smart, hardworking heroine who’s never quite fit in. I hate hockey. He hates everything else… including me.
Here are some more examples of hockey romance books:
- The Arizona Vengeance
The Arizona Vengeance are developing a reputation on the ice as one of hockey’s top teams. But one player’s reputation off the ice might just keep him from scoring. . . .I’m having the time of my life with my new brothers on the Arizona Vengeance. We may be an expansion team, but after notching some big wins, the entire league knows to watch out for Erik Dahlbeck. That’s me. The only person who doesn’t seem to think I’m so great? Blue Gardner, the hot-as-f*** flight attendant on our team plane. I sure wouldn’t mind joining the mile-high club with her, but besides bringing me lukewarm coffee, she won’t give me the time of day. Whatever I did to rub Blue the wrong way, my teammates think it’s hilarious. After all, we’re used to women flocking to us. #puckbunnies When I run into Blue back on land, I’m shocked to learn how she spends her time off: taking care of her handicapped brother. There are layers to this girl I never imagined, layers I can’t wait to peel away. And that’s a new feeling for me. But first I’ve got to find a way to melt that ice-cold stare.
- Ralph
Being traded to Dallas was a dream come true. I was now raising our baby on my own.
- Candace
When my hotshot brother was drafted in the NHL, he didn’t have time to do his social media, so I took over for him. I was just helping, but it turned into more than that.
Read also: Inside Aaron Ness's Career
- At First Sight by Stephanie Archer
When I joined Seattle’s NHL expansion team, I thought it was the start of something great. But nothing ever goes the way you expect. Take my introduction to my new neighbor. She came rolling in on the hot mess express at midnight, making a racket while she tried to get into my team captain’s apartment. Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough.
- Lucky Shot by Kelly Jamieson
Ice Knights defenseman Zach Blackburn has come down with the flu, and my BFF-his PR manager-begs me to put my nursing degree to use and get him back to health. But when he’s finally on the mend and I’m sneaking out of his place, everything goes sideways. At first, all of Harbor City wants my blood-or to give me a girlie-girl makeover. But then…the team finally wins a game. Argh. I never slept with him the first time! But no one will listen. Then the grumpy bastard goes and promises to break his no-fan-appearances rule to help raise money for a free health clinic-but only if I’m rink-side at every game.
- Superstition by Pepper Winters
The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game-that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me.
- Image Problem by Elle Kennedy
He needs an image makeover, she needs a mojo upgrade. After I’m arrested for throwing a raucous party, my hockey team says I have an image problem. Charity work? Check. Haircut? Sure. But I draw the line at hiring my neighbor to style me. In the first place “style” shouldn’t be a verb. Vera and I don’t see eye to eye on anything. She wants me to try on clothes, while I just want to remove hers. But when management threatens my summer vacation, I grudgingly agree to Vera’s unusual proposal: she’ll give me an image makeover. It sounds a little nutty, but I know a good opening when I hear it.
- The Assist by Rebecca Jenshak
At first, the request seemed simple-sign a new athlete to the agency. Gifted. Sexy. At the top of his game. I’ll never date a client. Feisty. Dogged. Damn gorgeous. But I have a job to do, and I refuse to lose sight of that end game. Even if she confuses me. I can’t lose focus.
If you love your hockey romances with a gritty edge-think revenge, obsession, and off-the-charts emotional stakes-this list is for you. These dark hockey romances aren’t your typical sweet sports stories. They come with trigger warnings, possessive heroes, high-stakes mind games, and intense heat. And the best part? Unlimited, guilt-free reading, all for one low monthly price.
Dark Hockey Romances on Kindle Unlimited
If you’re in the mood for hockey romance with a deliciously dark twist, this list is packed with books that push boundaries, stir emotions, and deliver steamy, angsty storylines.
- The Pucking Wrong Guy by C.R. Riley
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. Don’t have KU? When a woman moves to L.A. for a fresh start, she doesn’t expect cocky hockey star Ari Lancaster to crash into her life.
- Brutal Obsession by S. Massery
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. Don’t have KU? After a traumatic incident, she wants to disappear-but Greyson Devereux, a senator’s son and campus hockey star, won’t let her.
- Ruthless Titan by E.V. Iverson
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. Don’t have KU? She plans revenge against the Vipers hockey team by targeting Kane Davenport.
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