Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est September)

Tropes: second chance, age gap, he fell first/he fell harder, son’s captain, player x ex-player, pining, groveling

Tampa Sentinels Captain Hayes Montgomery has hero-worshipped Morgan Reynolds his entire career, watching as the larger-than-life hockey star has racked up stats that always seemed unreal. Unattainable. Unreachable.

Until Hayes himself is labeled “the next one” and to his surprise, he and Morgan end up on the same team together, playing for Team USA in a nation versus nation tournament.

Now Hayes’ hero isn’t just his teammate, but his linemate. They’re hot on the ice, and despite Morgan’s straight reputation, off it too.

It’s only ten days, but it’s the best ten days of his life. That shouldn’t be long enough for a hockey crush to morph into a real crush, but Hayes falls head over heels, launch-himself-off-a-cliff, wildly in love with Morgan, anyway.

They don’t play on the same team or even on the same coast. Normally, they’re never in the same zip code, but that doesn’t change Hayes’ feelings—or his regret when the fling ends.

Fast forward six years. Morgan’s retired, Hayes is writing his own name in the record books, and he’s sure he’s over it. Over him.

But then Morgan arrives in Tampa to watch his rookie son play for the Sentinels. 

He doesn’t want to be hung up on his teammate’s dad, but it doesn’t matter how long it’s been or what he’s tried. Morgan still makes Hayes’ knees weak.

And when it turns out Morgan has his own Hayes’ shaped regret?

Maybe they can finally find their way back to each other again.

I was so excited to read the full story on Hayes Montgomery and Morgan Reynolds, as we have seen them pining over their lost and seemingly unrequited love status in previous books.

Morgan Reynolds is a hockey legend, "The Chosen One," and Captain of the US Team in a Four Nations Tournament. He is playing with Hayes Montgomery, "The Next One," who is energetic, charismatic,  humble, and talented. Hayes has hero-worshipped Morgan his whole life and is amazed to be playing on the same team. And his hero-worship was already a bit  more of a crush, and it only grows stronger in his daily presence.  During the tournament, the crush is reciprocated by the previously-thought-to-be-straight Morgan, and they have an intense fling with hidden messy emotions that they were both afraid to admit.  And then it ended without real closure, and both went on with their careers and wondering what could have been and replaying their mistakes.

This is an age-gap, second-chance, grumpy-sunshine, bi-awakening, two hockey players romance with years of pining, angst, and unresolved, chaotic feelings. But all they had to go through really kept me invested in them finding their happy ending. 

  

Standalone spinoff from the Evergreens Hockey Universe

Portland Evergreens Series on Amazon

Serieson Goodreads

The couples from On Thin Ice and Breaking the Ice appear in Breakaway Goals

Beth Bolden Website | Facebook | Instagram |

A lifelong Oregonian, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband and their sweet kitten, Earl Grey. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published twenty novels and six short stories.