The ice rink has long been a popular setting in the rapidly growing genre of romance novels—but the hockey-romance subgenre has officially been sent into the stratosphere, thanks to Heated Rivalry becoming an indisputable cultural phenomenon. Now, an even wider audience can’t get enough of love stories that blend ice and spice (like, a lot of spice).
Luckily for hockey romance fans, new and old, entries in the category abound, spanning nearly every other romance trope. In addition to the Rachel Reid-penned book series that serves as source material for Heated Rivalry—which you really must read if you’re a fan of the show—another rinkside series has now hit TV screens, as Prime Video released the first season of an adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series in May 2026. Kennedy's books hit shelves before Reid's Game Changer series and have since sparked a series of spinoffs and standalone sequels, so it's safe to say the hype and proliferation of the subgenre are very real—and have been for years.
After you’ve added all of those to your TBR, you’ll want to skate through the following list for plenty more hockey romance novels sure to keep you warm through hockey season and beyond.
The Best Fake Dating Hockey Romance Books
Looking for a fresh start, Pippa takes on a new job as professional hockey player Jamie’s personal assistant. It might not have been a big deal that she had a crush on him all through high school—if only the job didn't require her to move into his house and spend practically every waking moment with him. Cut to: a smidge of fake dating, the discovery that Jamie is actually extremely sweet beneath his gruff exterior, and his determination to improve upon her ex’s performance in the bedroom. So…a perfect roommate.
Now that Prime Video's take on Elle Kennedy’s best-selling Off-Campus series has hit TV screens, you’ll want to brush up on the source material. Start here: the first book in the series, in which college student Hannah forms a flirty friendship with Garrett, the hockey player she’s tutoring. Inevitably, they enter a fake-dating agreement to help her make another guy jealous. A perfect recipe for love, if you ask us.
The Best Forced Proximity Hockey Romance Books
In this sweet and spicy opposites-attract tale, college students Summer and Aiden are forced to spend quite a bit of time together after Aiden’s hockey coach signs him up to be the subject of aspiring sports psychologist Summer’s thesis project. They have completely different dreams and worldviews and don’t seem to agree on a single thing—but try telling that to the delightfully steamy chemistry brewing between them.
Figure skater Anastasia and hockey player Nate find themselves constantly at odds after their college forces them to share one ice rink between two very rigorous practice schedules. But they may have to put their rivalry aside when Anastasia suddenly needs a new skating partner.
Prolific romance writer Kate Meader has multiple hockey-themed, Chicago-set series, but the original Chicago Rebels collection might be the best of the bunch. It starts with this one, in which headstrong Harper Chase takes over leadership of a struggling hockey team after her father’s death, putting her on a collision course with one Remy DuPre, the (very hot) pro she’s added to the team roster, much to his chagrin.
Basically the ultimate example of the “forced proximity” trope, Kiss and Don’t Tell starts with Winnie getting stranded while driving in the mountains and, while looking for help, stumbling upon a cabin filled with five extremely attractive professional hockey players. The only hitch to an otherwise dream situation: One of the players just so happens to be the half-brother of Winnie’s ex.
The Best Friends-to-Lovers Hockey Romance Books
This #BookTok-beloved spicy romance kicks off Becka Mack’s Playing for Keeps series with a bang (or several). (Sorry, not sorry!) It follows Olivia, a teacher who’s definitely not interested in dating a hockey player like her best friend is, and Carter, who meets Olivia and is immediately smitten. It's a will-they-won’t-they for the ages.
After being thrown into each other’s orbit for a hockey tournament, superstar Bryce and middle-of-the-road player Hunter strike up a close friendship over the course of the weekend, culminating in an impulsive first kiss. What ensues is a very tender, romantic friends-to-lovers story as they navigate the complications of a potential relationship and as their connection deepens throughout their overlapping hockey schedules.
A childhood-friends-to-lovers tale, Her Greatest Mistake centers on Maddox and Braxton, who could be soulmates—if they’d ever given a relationship a chance. They might get that opportunity when they reunite in adulthood under classic romance-trope circumstances: Hockey pro Maddox needs a major reputation makeover, and Braxton agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend to help rehab his image.
This is actually the fourth book in Sloane St. James’s Lakes Hockey series, but passionate Redditors, TikTokers, and online book reviewers of all kinds agree that Stand and Defend is not only the best in the series, but also one of the best hockey romances out there, period. (But before you dive in, make sure you check out the trigger warnings, as this one also explores domestic violence, emotional abuse, and more heavy topics.) In a nutshell, Jordan has just run away from her abusive fiancé, finding refuge with Camden, said fiancé’s best man, and the womanizing captain of the Minnesota Lakes hockey team. They quickly form a close bond and an extremely spicy friends-with-benefits arrangement to match.
The Best Secret/Forbidden Love Hockey-Romance Books
A grumpy-sunshine romance where the sunshine comes from a rough-and-tumble hockey player? Sign us up. Ren has long pined after moody, sarcastic Frankie, but has never been able to actually pursue her since she’s his team’s social media manager. But he’ll have to break some rules if he wants to be a part of her life. Frankie, too, will have to break some of her own rules in return, as less-than-positive past reactions to her neurodivergence have led her to put up all kinds of safeguards around her heart.
Penny Ryder and Cooper Callahan can’t officially be together, considering she’s the daughter of the college hockey coach who has serious sway over Cooper’s professional future. But that certainly won’t stop them from setting up a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement to help Penny work through every item on the sex bucket list she’s developed after getting out of a bad relationship.
Heated Rivalry is technically the second book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, and you definitely should make sure to read book 1 (and all the others in the series). But there's a reason why the slow-burning secret romance between rival hockey pros Shane and Ilya was the one that earned the TV adaptation and subsequently captured hearts the world over. It’s charming, funny, and, of course, extremely steamy.
Another Chicago-set sports romance series, Liz Tomforde’s Windy City books kick off with Mile High, the story of the forbidden romance between cocky hockey player Zanders and Stevie, a flight attendant on the team’s private plane. The two initially butt heads before giving in to the undeniable spark between them, adding a perfect dose of enemies-to-lovers to the mix.
After a bad breakup, Bailey rebounds by hooking up one night with scandal-plagued hockey player Chase, and they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. There’s just one problem: He plays for the rival college team to Bailey’s brother, meaning her attraction to Chase would constitute a full-on betrayal if anyone found out.
The Best Second Chance at Love Hockey Romance Books
Both Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy are acclaimed writers of the hockey romance genre, so their team-up on the Him series is nothing short of legendary. In this first installment, two friends—estranged for years since things got a little steamy one night at hockey camp in their teens—get a second chance at something more when they find themselves working together as coaches at the summer camp where it all began.
Pucking Around may fall into several other romance tropes—ahem, “why choose”—but it all starts as a second-chance love story. Two months after Rachel has a glorious one-night stand with a perfect, nameless man, she runs into him again at her new job as the physical therapist for the Jacksonville Rays, the hockey team that he plays for. Now, she’s in close contact not only with Mr. Perfect, but also with a handful of other players who are teammates on the ice…and also in the bedroom.
Years after one magical—and then heartbreaking—summer, former figure skater Zoe and NHL star Chase find their paths crossing once again when Zoe takes a gig as a skating coach for Chase’s hockey team. They can’t stand each other outside the rink, of course, but with the whole world watching, they’ll have to put their animosity aside and learn to work together again.
