Listmania: Hockey books

In honor of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite types of book: the hockey book. While I do love the Nashville Predators (#StandWithUs #Smashville) and like the Dallas Stars and find Sidney Crosby to be ridiculously attractive, I'm not a diehard hockey fan. I obsess over football in real life, but hockey? Not so much. I cheer for my teams and enjoy games in person, but I don't actively seek out hockey information. In fiction, it's a whole other story. I LIVE for hockey stories, ESPECIALLY hockey romance. I'm not sure why this is. Possibly it's because I'm such a casual fan that I don't actively search for inconsistencies and factual errors the way I do when I read a football book (hoo boy, football books are awesome, but they drive me crazy). Possibly it's just because fictional hockey players are hot af. We'll never know. But here's a list of some of my favorites!

New Adult

The Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy is hands-down my favorite hockey series. Elle Kennedy sucked me in with The Deal (check out my review!), and I've been hooked on her books ever since. This series follows a group of four hotshot hockey star roommates and their lady loves. The Deal has one of the best scenes I've ever read in my entire life (it's at 90% if you're reading the ebook), and all four books are simply stunning. Elle is currently writing a spinoff series featuring the next generation of guys to inherit the house. Briar Hockey starts with The Chase, which features a teammate of the original guys and one of the guys' little sister. Bring on the trope-y goodness! It's going to release later this summer. Word of advice: don't listen to the audiobooks of The Deal or The Mistake, but the other two are great!

The Ivy Years series by Sarina Bowen is another favorite. I LOVE bingeing this series all in a row. I've done it like three times now. Again, we have a college hockey team, and each book features either one of the guys on the team or someone connected to it. Books 1 and 2 also feature female hockey players, although the heroine in book 1, The Year We Fell Down (it's free on amazon!!!), is recovering from a life-changing injury that has permanently disabled her. Book 3 is an m/m story about two guys on the Harkness team who loved each other in high school but were torn apart by a tragedy. Book 4 is about the hockey team's manager, and book 5 is one of the teammates' younger brother, who is the DJ for home games. Sarina is currently releasing a serial called Studly Period, which about another Harkness hockey teammate you'll meet in the series, and I adore it. There's only a one more chapter (releasing tomorrow) until it's fully released so now's a great time to sign up (and it'll disappear in a few weeks so you definitely want to jump in now)! Studly Period has finished its initial run, but if you missed it, you can sign up to get installments daily!

Him is a duology cowritten by Elle and Sarina about two former friends and hockey camp roommates who fell apart in high school but have reunited after their college graduation for one last summer, this time coaching at the camp where they met. Two years ago at BEA, I was hanging out with Katie (formerly of the Polished Page Turners), and apparently I mentioned Him like four times in an hour. Whoops! This series has one of THE best executions of the friends-to-more trope I've ever read. Wes & Jamie are the most precious little pairs in the universe. They must be protected!

Adult

Speaking of Sarina and Elle, they have another cowritten series called the WAGs (it stands for Wives and Girlfriends). It's a spinoff from Him and Us about Wes's teammates in Toronto and features some adorable pups in addition to hot hockey guys. Currently there's just two books, but both Sarina and Elle have said that there's hope for more books in the future so my fingers are crossed!

Speaking of spinoffs written by Sarina, the Brooklyn Bruisers series spins off The Ivy Years with one of Harkness guys/big brother of book 5's hero finally getting a shot at love and the NHL (pun intended). This series follows three of the Bruisers as the newly reformed franchise make a run for the cup AND fall for some of the fantastic women working for the team. Book 4 focuses on the team's adorkable billionaire owner, who has always been a fan favorite. 

I'm also a huge fan of Sawyer Bennett's Cold Fury Hockey series. If you love huge romance series that stick with people in one place or one family, this one's for you. CFH features the players of the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team, and book 11 is about to release in a couple weeks! I've actually only read the first four (several times each), but one day soon I'm looking forward to bingeing the rest.

If you prefer your romance ridiculous (and your humor on the crude side with a healthy dose of slapstick), Helena Hunting's Pucked series is the one for you. I buddy read Pucked with Andi of Andi's ABCs a couple years ago, and it... was really something. High lit this series is not, but it's funny, and it's fun. Pucked Up, book 2, is my favorite.

Young Adult

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill is one I'll alllllways put on my lists of favorite sports books. It's got kind of a Prince & the Pauper switcheroo deal going on, but it's two girls with the same name rather than the same face. This book made me obsess over poutine, which I have since tried, and I can attest: poutine is delicious. Way to go, Canada! You can check out my full 5 star review here. 

Sarah Ockler's Bittersweet combines a fun sportsy story with CUPCAKES so honestly, could it be any better? (yes, cupcakes. The cookies on the cover are inaccurate, but each chapter is paired with a yummy cupcake description) Also, this book has the best trope ever: the one where the mc and the li have to hole up somewhere overnight to survive a storm. TBH, it's just as delicious as the cupcakes.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity years ago to be on the tour for Beth Pond's Podium Finish. It's similar to Being Sloane Jacobs in that it contains storylines about both a hockey player and figure skater, but it's very, very different, with much more of a focus on the sports rather than the romance (but there's also romance). You can read my full review here.

Coming in as a NON romance hockey book, Jerkbait by Mie Siegert is a story about two brothers and their relationship with hockey, one another, and their parents. I haven't read this one yet, but it's high on my TBR!

List of hockey books/series:
(keep in mind like 99% are straight up romance)

Aces Hockey series - Kelly Jamieson

Assassins series - Toni Aleo

Bayard Hockey series - Kelly Jamieson
Beauty and the Beefcake - Pippa Grant

Being Sloane Jacobs - Lauren Morrill

Bellevue Bullies series - Toni Aleo

Bittersweet - Sarah Ockler (YA)
Blades Hockey series - Maria Luis

Breakaway (Pro-U #1) - Ali Parker

Briar Hockey series - Elle Kennedy

Brooklyn Bruisers - Sarina Bowen

Cayuga Cougars series - V.L. Locey
Check, Please! - Ngozi Ukazu (YA graphic novel)

Chicago on Ice series - Aven Ellis
Chicago Rebels series - Avery Flynn

Chinooks Hockey Team series - Rachel Gibson
Cold Day in the Sun - Sara Biren

Cold Fury Hockey series - Sawyer Bennett
Cold Hard Truth - Anne Greenwood Brown (YA)
Cranberry Inn series - Beth Ehemann

Dallas Demons series - Aven Ellis

Dartmouth Cobras series - Bianca Sommerland
Dating by Numbers series (particularly One Baby Daddy) - Meghan Quinn

Fire on Ice series - Brenda Rothert
For Crosby (For You #3) - J. Nathan

Harrisburg Railers series - R.J. Scott & V.L. Locey
Hat Trick series - Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn
Hellions Angels series - Lia Riley

Him duology - Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
Hooked - Brenda Rothert
Hot off the Ice - A.E. Wasp

In the Zone series - Kate Willoughby

The Ivy Years - Sarina Bowen

Jerkbait - Mia Siegert (YA)

Men with Wood series - C.M. Seabrook

Misadventures of a Rookie (Misadventures #11) - Toni Aleo

New York Blades series - Deirdre Martin

Off Campus series - Elle Kennedy
On the Line series - Brenda Rothert
Open Ice - Pat Hughes

The Pilot & the Puck-Up - Pippa Grant

Pilots Hockey series - Sophia Henry
Play by Play series - Jaci Burton
•Taking a Shot (#3)
•Melting the Ice (#7)
•Holiday on Ice (#8.5)
•Shot on Gold (#14)

Podium Finish - Beth Pond (YA)
Point Shot series - V.L. Locey
Portland Storm series - Catherine Gayle

Pucked series - Helena Hunting

Razors Ice series - Rachelle Vaughn

Rinkside in the Rockies series - Aven Ellis
Rough Riders Hockey series - Skye Jordan
Royally Pucked - Pippa Grant

Score (Men of Hidden Creek #5) - A.E. Wasp
Scoring Chances series - Avon Gale

Seattle Sharks - Samantha Whiskey
Something So series - Natasha Madison
Stick Side series - Amy Aislin

To Love a Wildcat series - V.L. Locey

Until It Fades - K.A. Tucker

WAGs series - Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Pekka Rinne is the GOAT
(although his performance Saturday was... not great.
Here's hoping for a better one tonight!)