I’ve always been a hockey fan, but between becoming a hockey mama six years ago (I have two sons, both of whom play competitive, year-round hockey) and falling in L-O-V-E with the Washington Capitals during their Stanley Cup run in 2018, it’s safe to say that I’m hockey obsessed.

And that includes what I enjoy reading! Today, I’m sharing seven of my favorite contemporary hockey romance novels. I hope you love these hockey heartthrobs as much as I do!

1) Playing for Keeps series by Becka Mack

I want to meet a real-life Carter, Garrett, and Adam. Becka Mack’s contemporary hockey romance series delivers A LOT of SPICE 🌶️ (for real, I’m warning you). Plus, the found family trope is deployed so, so well in each book of this series.

My favorite of the first three books? Unravel Me — long-live a hockey-playing dog lover!

2) Kings of the Ice series by Kandi Steiner

If you love reading stories where the perpetual bachelor falls hard, you’ll love Vince and Jaxson! The first two books in the series twist and detour in unexpected, non-hockey ways, which is refreshing when you’re a devoted hockey romance reader who grows tired of the “He makes the pros, so what happens to their relationship now?” debate.

Pssst: I’m calling it now that Learn Your Lesson, the forthcoming third novel in the series, will be my favorite. Daddy P’s flow is just unmatched.

3) Vancouver Agitators series by Meghan Quinn

While the premise of the first book felt a little too scripted and dreamy (a car breakdown leads a beautiful girl to a mountain mansion filled with dreamy NHL hockey players?!), the writing (and the SPICE 🌶️) is just so dang good. Meghan Quinn knows how to write a dreamy leading man, and that’s definitely the truth when it comes to Pacey, Eli, and Silas.

My favorite in the series? Eli and Penny’s novel (Those Three Little Words) is a delight, and I’ll admit, I’m not usually a fan of the accidental pregnancy trope.

4) The Puck Boys of Brooks University series by Hannah Gray

I looooove me a good romance novel trope, and Hannah Gray’s hockey series has a whole lot of ’em. Coach’s daughter, single parent, enemies to lovers, accidental pregnancy, long-lost sibling, marriage of convenience…this series has it all!

Reading recommendation: pick up Lost Boy for a true redemption story with a worthwhile payoff. TW: Addiction

5) Wolves Hockey series by Claire Ivy

If you love the found family trope, Claire Ivy’s Wolves Hockey series weaves this theme through her three novels beautifully. I find myself still thinking about Gunner and Coralie months after reading their story (book #2 in the series). I loved the first book as well, and while Knox and Wren’s story felt a bit too contrived for me, it was still entertaining (with a lot of SPICE🌶️).

My favorite in the series: She Wolf, starting hockey pro Gunner and single mama, Coralie.

6) Carolina Comets series by Teagan Hunter

Teagan Hunter’s series was my first dip into hockey romance, and there’s something about this series that I just can’t shake. My favorite book of the series, starring girl-Ryan and beastly Rhodes, is a Beauty and the Beast trope that I adored. I also loved Hollis and Lowell’s story!

The only miss for me in this series? Neutral Zone, which features a hockey pro with voyeuristic tendencies. I’m not a fan of the trope (it just feels a little “Psycho Derek” from One Tree Hill for me), but the rest of the series had me hooked.

7) Wyncote Wolves series by Cali Melle

I read Cali Melle’s series shortly after finishing the Carolina Comets series, and while there were some enjoyable moments, it felt quite heavily scripted and predictable. Cali Melle is known for deploying fan-favorite tropes, so if that’s your jam, you’ll probably like these eight novels.

***

Are you also in your hockey romance era? What’s your favorite series or standalone book? DM me on Instagram @shopwhatsarareads to share your favorites!