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10 Underrated Hockey Romances to Add to Your TBR

If you look at lists of the best hockey romances, you'll notice a pattern: the same authors listed over and over. And while those authors deserve the recognition, there are so many other fantastic hockey romances out there that are rarely mentioned. This list highlights them, offering you 10 underrated hockey romances to add to your TBR.


The book cover of "Fire on Ice" by Charlotte Dinnis shows a Black hockey player and a Black woman holding hands in an ice rink.

Fire on Ice by Charlotte Dinnis


This sweet romance has it all: coach's daughter, forced proximity, a bad boy with a secret depth and his own battles to fight, and a heroine who refuses to date hockey players. Skylar starts the story with her bias against hockey players fully intact, but the more time she spends helping Tavon heal from his injury, the more she realizes that you can't judge a man by his job. Tavon is more than just a hockey player—he's battling his own inner demons with a strength she can't help but find attractive.





The cover of "Thawing an Ice Heart" by Ruth Madison shows a photograph of a smiling woman in a pink shirt and blazer standing in front of man in a wheelchair behind her.

Thawing an Ice Heart by Ruth Madison


Small town and sports romance are two of the biggest romance sub-genres, so it makes sense that authors would mash them up for a story that's total catnip to readers. But this story is so much more than just a small-town hockey romance. It follows Kevin, aspiring sledge hockey coach looking to start his own team for newly injured men, but to do it, he needs a fundraiser. Enter Carly, who Kevin sees as totally unnecessary. At first. But, forced to work together, Kevin soon discovers Carly is far more than just a finance maven. She might be the key to unlocking his dreams, and his heart. This is the first a 3-book romance, so if you love this book, you get two more stories set in the Cedar Harbor world.





The book cover of "It's a Love/Skate Relationship" by Carli J. Corson shows a masculine teenage girl in hockey gear holding skates and a hockey stick, standing back-to-back with a redheaded girl holding a green equipment bag. There are mountains in the background.

It's a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson


Yes, the title of this YA sapphic romance is an excellent pun, but the story is excellent, too. It's got the beloved ice hockey player-figure skater trope, opposites attract, enemies to lovers energy, and an ice queen who thaws as she realizes that she and her hockey-playing enemy might be more alike than they think.






The book cover of "Like Real People Do" by E.L. Massey is an illustration of a blonde white boy and a Brown boy sitting on a bench. The blonde boy is wearing hockey gear, while the Brown boy is wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, and holding the leash of his support dog.

Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey


Looking for a heart-wrenching slow burn between two friends-turned-lovers with disability rep and __? Stop. You've found it. And crikey, are you going to love Alex and Eli (and Eli's assistance dog)! This book is a giant hug, full of found family, realistic mental health and disability representation, and hilarious banter. There is a cliffhanger because this is a duology, BUT BOOK TWO IS OUT, so you can go straight into even more Eli and Alex with the reassurance that these two characters get the HEA they so dearly and deeply deserve.





The book cover of "Playmaker" by LA Witt shows a photograph of the back of a female ice hockey player with a jersey displaying number 5. She's standing in an ice rink, and there's an overlay of her and another woman lying with their noses pressed close together.

Playmaker by L.A. Witt writing as Lauren Gallagher


Playmaker starts out as an enemies to lovers romance, but soon transforms into one of the most honest and gentle sapphic romances out there, with characters supporting each other through hard times and working through their conflicts together, rather than apart. There's also plenty of hockey chat, something that, despite it being the focus of the sub-genre, can sometimes be missing from hockey romances; Witt/Gallagher has done their research and knows the sport backwards and forwards, which, if you're a hockey fan, is a wonderful addition to an already bangin' book.





The book cover of "Snap Shot" by Ruby Rana shows an illustration of a white man in a jersey and jeans holding the hand of a Brown woman in a red suit. In the background is the Ottowa skyline.

Snap Shot by Ruby Rana


Love hockey romances where the FMC works a high-powered job that requires massive smarts? In Snap Shot, we've got Indi, the best lawyer in Ottawa and Landon's only chance at getting his life back. But things are ... complicated. They were childhood friends. And there's a spark the size of the Ottowa river between them. Soon, they're not just friends. They're friend with benefits. They have strict rules to keep things from being complicated. But when they start to skirt them, they're in for a rude awakening. One full of emotional confessions and the realization that just maybe, black cats and golden retrievers might just be the best pairing of all.





The book cover of "Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes" by Marika Ray and Sylvie Stewart shows an illustration of a woman in a red swimsuit on pool float, floating on a small pool of water amongst ice, with a hockey player playing on the ice below her.

Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes by Marika Ray and Sylvie Stewart


First of all, let's hear it for perimenopause rep in romance fiction! Yes please! Now, on to the book itself, which has everything readers love: fake dating at an ex's wedding. Single dad pro hockey hero. Only one bed. A whole lot of spice. And a mid-life heroine with real insecurities she works through with the aid of her extremely handsome, extremely muscular fake date turned real boyfriend.





The book cover of "Shot at Love" by Kat Mizera shows a photograph of an orange ring box sitting on a hockey puck against a blue background.

Shot at Love by Kat Mizera


Need a quick read that will hit you in the feels and introduce you to a series you can binge to your heart's content? Shot at Love is a novella-length about a single dad and single mom falling for each other against all odds. It's short, but hits hard, showing the characters dealing with loss, grief, and familiar expectations on their way to a new chance at happily ever after. It's related to the 9-book Lauderdale Knights series of spicy hockey romances, all as hot as their Florida setting.





The book cover of "Two on One" by K.G. Erin shows an illustration of a smiling woman in a blue t-shirt standing in front of two hockey players in red jerseys on an ice rink.

Two on One by K.G. Erin


No list of romance novels is complete without a little polyamory rep, and that's exactly what you get with Two on One. It's cozy, unputdownable college hockey romance about a heroine dead set against hockey players . . . until she meets Alex, who defies her every expectation. And when his roommate joins the two of them, Elise asks herself: why choose? The way the two MMCs treat the heroine is so caring and considerate, and the spice scenes are top-notch. If you love this book, K.G. Erin has another MMF hockey romance, The Forward Line.





The book cover of "Stick Lessons" by Crea Reitan shows a black and white photograph of two shirtless men, one with a tattooed chest, embracing and kissing.

Stick Lessons by Crea Reitan


I bet you've never heard of an MM romance novel where the bi awakening takes place at a jousting show, but that's what you get in Stick Lessons, along with breeding kink, feminisation kink, branding, choking/breath play, and two MCs supporting each other from instant attraction to forever love.





Until next blog post, happy reading and writing!


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