Hockey Romance Series I've Read {part three}

January is almost over!

I know, trust me, my jaw dropped too. Now don't get me wrong, this has been a pretty decent month, but the fact that there are only a handful of days left? That just doesn't seem possible. A quick recap for this month includes my kids returning to school, a quick trip to Wisconsin to visit my in-laws, spraining my ankle (Laura + unplowed sidewalks = ouch), reading a lot of wonderful books, and working with some amazing authors on promos for their books.

Last week I started my little segment on authors who have written hockey romance series. If you've read part one or part two, then you know which authors I've already discussed. Could I have said more about the books? Absolutely. At the same time I didn't want to go into too much detail, because spoilers!

Today I am talking about two authors who I've recently discovered. Full disclosure, I totally binged both series. I can't help myself. If you know me at all, you know once I start a series I do everything in my powers to complete it. Well unless it's horrible, then I'll just move on. But those books also wouldn't be discussed here on the blog, so there's that.

Let's start with Elise Faber. She is the creator of the Gold Hockey series. The Gold series currently has 10 books available and there is one more in the works. Now if you're a book lover like I am, chances are the folks over at Facebook have thrown some ads at you for her books. More specifically for her book Blocked. Blocked is the opening book to the Gold Hockey series, and introduces us to Brit, who is the FIRST female goalie in the NHL! WOO HOO! Go Brit! 

Quite a few of the books in this series are workplace romance. Seriously. So if that's your trope, pick up one of the books and give it a read. Oh and it looks like Blocked is currently available as a free download, so go download it! 

Now you might think that Brit and Stefan's story is my favorite, and while it is near the top, it isn't my favorite. That belongs to Mandy and Blane. Their story can be found in the book Boarding, which is book 3.

Here is the blurb, as that will give you a good feel for the book.

Muscles. Mandy’s work was supposed to be regulated to muscles.

Well, muscles and ligaments and tendons . . . and general body health and—

Sigh. She was blabbering as usual, but muscles combined with lips that were way too kissable and a pair of sharp blue eyes that pierced right through all of her carefully erected defenses had a way of doing that to a girl.

Blane was her fantasy—literally her nightly fantasy. He was sexy, strong, talented, and normally she would have thrown herself at his feet and begged for a night—or, cough, more—showing him exactly what that fantasy was.

But that would mean she would get fired . . . and worse, so would he.

She couldn’t have that on her conscience, not when Blane was a gifted player for the San Francisco Gold. Plus, he was a professional athlete and their relationships were doomed to fail. Mandy knew that firsthand and she also knew she couldn’t live that life. Always being the one left behind, always way down on the priority list.

Hockey was his job and it was all consuming. That was reality and everything was fine—

Until, Blane got hurt. Until she was spending more time with him. Much more time.

Until Blane told her she was his fantasy too.

Oh these two! Love them. 

I need to be honest with you all, the first 9 books, I was all in. Seriously. Could not get enough of the characters. Something changed with Charging, and it just didn't hit the same. There wasn't the connection to the previous characters, it was almost as if a new series was being started. Maybe I'm not explaining it correctly. But it just didn't fit into the world. There is one more book coming, and the final book in this series, Caged, will be released on April 12, 2021. And you already know I have it preordered. So if you need me on April 12, please don't as my nose will be buried in my kindle. 

The other author who I want to recommend is Stephanie Kay, and her series the San Fransisco Strikers.

The San Fransisco Strikers has seven books in the series. I say that, but really the first three books are their own little trilogy. After that new characters are involved, and the whole dynamic shifts ever so slightly. I might be alone in that thinking though. There are so many tropes to be found in the series. There is second chance, fake relationship, workplace, one night stand, hate to love, etc. Oh and yes, they are steamy. Actually almost all the books I've recommended are. Huh. Oh well.

I'm going to go with Delay of Game as my favorite of the series. It is Sophia's turn for romance, and she has eyes for Finn. Can Sophia stop saying yes to everyone? Can she tell her parents about what happened with her ex? Can her and Finn have a relationship?

Here's the description:

Can secrets designed to protect the ones they love end up tearing them apart?

From a painful past nobody knows about to aspirations for the future, Sophia Lanzi has learned to lock things away to please those around her and to protect herself. Landing a job working for the top sports physical therapist in the city, avid hockey fan Sophia is taking a step toward fulfilling her dreams.

​But when sexy hockey player Eric “Finn” Finnegan enters the clinic for treatment after a devastating injury on the ice, Sophia only has more secrets to keep, as she develops more than a crush on her patient.

​The last thing Finn needs is a distraction, and especially in the form of Sophia Lanzi, a beautiful physical therapy assistant. Finn is desperate to get back to the game he loves and prove to everyone that their investment in him has been worth it, but the chemistry with Sophia is too strong to deny. Finn and Sophia can’t resist each other, and a kiss leads to a secret relationship. Secrets aren’t new to Finn, either, and he’s holding one that can destroy his family if it’s ever discovered.

So there you have it, the 8 authors who have written hockey romance series that I have loved. Have you read any of the books by Elise or Stephanie, or the other authors I mentioned? Are they auto-buy authors for you? I need to look into the backlist for Elise and Stephanie before I can make that designation. If their other books are as enjoyable as their hockey series, then there is a good chance they could earn that accolade.

Is this the end of my hockey romance segment? More than likely not. I'm always discovering new authors, and chances are there will be more hockey romances! Especially since the writing team of Piper Rayne has their Hockey Hotties series premiering in June. Then there is Gina Azzi who has her Boston Hawks series. Book one, The Sweet Talker, actually releases TODAY! (and yes, I have it pre-ordered so it's waiting for me.) Therefore, expect a part four at some point in 2021. 🙂

Happy Reading,