‘Heated Rivalry’ Superfans Recommend More Hockey Romance Books to Read While You Wait

If you or a loved one are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, whether while waiting for your chance to dogear pages of your very own, or for the next episode of the show to drop, VF asked hockey romance aficionados about their recommendations for books fans may want to reach for.

Canadian Boyfriend, Jenny Holiday

‘Canadian Boyfriend’ by Jenny Holiday

Elizabeth Held, co-founder of the Really Reading Romance Book Club, writer of the What to Read If newsletter, and author of the upcoming nonfiction book Romancelandia, highlighted Jenny Holiday’s Canadian Boyfriend, a straight romance that “doesn’t actually have that much hockey in it.” (“A surprising number of hockey romances do not actually feature a ton of hockey,” Held says.) She called it a book “about people in their late 30s figuring out their baggage, under the guise of a hockey romance.” Held especially loves the audiobook edition, narrated by actor Joshua Jackson. “I think it’s just totally fabulous and very fun that he went from playing a hockey player as a teenager in The Mighty Ducks, and then narrating this book as an adult hockey player. It’s just a nice easter egg.”

Face Off (D.C. Stars Book #1), Chelsea Curto

‘Face Off’ by Chelsea Curto

Held calls Chelsea Curto “an up-and-coming star in the romance world, particularly for hockey,” thanks to her D.C. Stars series. “If you are still mourning the cancellation of Pitch, this is your book, because it’s about the first female NHL player,” Held says of Face Off, the first book in the series. That trailblazing player finds chemistry (that she wasn’t looking for) with a male teammate, making for a spicy rivals-to-lovers plotline.

Shoot Your Shot, Lexi LaFleur Brown

‘Shoot Your Shot’ by Lexi LaFleur Brown

Talk about an insider point of view: Who better to write a hockey romance than someone who has lived one? Lexi LaFleur Brown, whose books include Shoot Your Shot and the upcoming Evening the Score, is married to former NHL player JT Brown. Held hails Brown as “a new author who’s interesting, especially in this moment,” pointing out Brown’s deep roots not just in hockey, but in the hockey romance online community. “She rose to prominence on BookTok, specifically by dissecting hockey romances and what they got right or wrong.” Expert source? Check and check.

Ice Knights series, Avery Flynn

‘Parental Guidance’ by Avery Flynn

Avery Flynn’s Ice Knights series, beginning with Parental Guidance, is “genuinely hilarious,” Held says. “Those books make me laugh out loud.”

Check, Please! Ngozi Ukazu

‘Check, Please!’ by Ngozi Ukazu

Some hockey romances are graphic in the sexytimes sense. Others are graphic as in…illustrated. Such is the case with Check, Please!, a two-volume queer hockey rom-com in graphic novel form. “I feel like it’s a little bit of a cult favorite,” Held says. “The main character, Bitty, is a gay southern baker, and he’s in college on a hockey scholarship. He lives in kind of a frat house with his fellow hockey players, but they are all really supportive of him and his sexuality and his quest for love. Maybe there’s a little bit of a spark between him and the older team captain. It’s one of those ones that either you love it, or you haven’t heard of it.”

Him, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

‘Him’ by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Laura McCormack, another avid romance reader, says she recommends “literally everything” by Sarina Bowen. Megan, who devours at least one hockey romance a week (and asked to be identified by only her first name), says that a series Bowen co-wrote with Elle Kennedy was her gateway into the genre. “Him and Us were maybe my first,” and then she was hooked.

Rookie Move, Sarina Bowen

‘Rookie Move’ by Sarina Bowen

If you’re ready to settle into an entire extended universe of love and hockey, McCormack recommends Bowen’s Boston Bruisers series, beginning with Rookie Move. “That one is just delicious,” she says. “It’s straight and it’s got spice, but it’s got a lot of heart, and kick-ass heroines who are successful in their own right. It’s fun because it has tie-ins to other series. It’s the hockey player and his brother, and his brother works for the security team, and then you get to go and read the series for the security team. It’s great.”

The Deal, Elle Kennedy

‘The Deal’ by Elle Kennedy

McCormack also loves Kennedy’s Off-Campus series, beginning with The Deal, which features college-aged characters and plenty of spin-offs. “Now they’re on the second generation [of characters],” she says. “ I was listening to one of the second-generation ones on a plane, and I gasped so loud at the reveal part that I scared the man next to me. It was a really good time.”

The Shots You Take, Rachel Reid

‘The Shots You Take’ by Rachel Reid

Reid has more to offer than just Heated Rivalry and the Game Changers series. Reader Megan recommends Reid’s standalone book The Shots You Take, another queer hockey romance, this one set in a small town and featuring two ex-friends mapping out their shared future. “I love it,” she says. “It’s set over many, many years. It’s a second-chance romance, there’s some yearning, reconnecting, and finding their way back to each other.”

Like Real People Do, E.L. Massey

‘Like Real People Do’ by E.L. Massey

Enemies to lovers, public image versus private life, young love, yearning, and ice rinks? Like Real People Do, the first installment in E.L. Massey’s Breakaway series, has all that and more. Capizola recommends this title especially to those who enjoyed the third episode of Heated Rivalry, which explores similar themes, “like how fame impacts the ability for you to be yourself.” This queer hockey romance follows a young pro player and an online hockey influencer as their relationship evolves. Plus, Massey has fun playing with the bad boy hockey player stereotype, with Capizola describing the main character as, “I’m not just a jock, I have feelings!”

Puckboys series, Eden Finley and Saxon James

‘Egotistical Puckboy’ by Eden Finley and Saxon James

You know what “puck” rhymes with? Yeah, expect a lot of that in the 10-book (so far) Puckboys series, co-written by Eden Finley and Saxon James. The first book is Egotistical Puckboy, and each installment follows a different queer hockey couple. McCormack loves this series when you’re in the mood for something that’s “silly and filthy and gentle on plot.” Once you burn through all 10, don’t worry: The two authors have multiple other hockey series to add to your TBR list.