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For most hockey players, the NHL is the place they aim for as they learn to skate and play; however, the Appies AHL team in Harvest Hollow has given the lower hockey league a name and a large social media following.
Join the Appies players in this series of smoking chemistry and characters to root for, but NO spice. (Yes, you read that right–a low-spice hockey romance.) Perfect for fans of sports romance who want less heat.
- An Appies Romance Book Series Reading Order
- Just Don't Fall: An Appies Romance Book 1 by Emma St. Clair
- Absolutely Not in Love: An Appies Romance Book 2 by Jenny Proctor
- A Groom of One's Own: An Appies Romance Book 3 by Emma St. Clair
- Romancing the Grump: An Appies Romance Book 4 by Jenny Proctor
- Runaway Bride and Prejudice: An Appies Romance Book 5 by Emma St. Clair
- Similar Closed-Door Contemporary Romance Book Series'
An Appies Romance Book Series Reading Order
Just Don’t Fall: An Appies Romance Book 1 by Emma St. Clair
Part of the Sweater Weather Series
Published 31st August 2023
Format: Paperback, Audiobook and Kindle Edition – Also available Appies Hockey special edition cover for those who want a complete set of matching Appies Hockey Romcoms.
Pages: 330
Just Don’t Fall is a small town, closed door hockey romcom with all the fake dating, brother’s best friend vibes.
Before Logan Barnes was hockey’s hottest bad boy, he was my brother’s best friend … and my first crush. Oh, yeah–and the guy who ghosted me and broke my teenage heart.
Now Logan is back in Harvest Hollow, but not willingly. Recovering from an injury (and some bad press), he’s stuck playing for our minor league team.
Which means I’ll be working with him almost daily.
As the hockey team’s social media manager, it’s my job to wrangle all the guys into filming TikTok trending videos. But Logan doesn’t want to be wrangled.
Turns out … neither does my heart.
Because my old crush never died.
And when Logan becomes my accidental fake boyfriend, those old feelings flare hot enough to melt the ice.
But this is all totally one-sided. Totally fake. Isn’t it?
No matter what signals he seems to be giving me or how real things start to feel, I know Logan’s not home for good.
I survived Logan leaving me once. But this time, I’m not so sure my heart will recover …
Absolutely Not in Love: An Appies Romance Book 2 by Jenny Proctor
Part of the Sweater Weather Series
Published 12th October 2023
Format: Paperback, Audiobook and Kindle Edition – Also available Appies Hockey special edition cover for those who want a complete set of matching Appies Hockey Romcoms.
Pages: 326
Absolutely Not in Love is a closed-door hockey romcom with neighbor vibes between a bookish hockey goalie and a classical cellist, some forced proximity, and all the swoony chemistry!
My requirements for a man are simple. Must love books. Must NOT love hockey.
Which is why I will never be interested in my neighbor, the aloof and mysterious Felix Jamison, no matter how many books I see him hauling into his apartment. Unless he loses his pro hockey skates, I’m out.
But then he shows up at my symphony concert.
And I catch the sweet strains of Beethoven floating across the hall.
Have I mentioned how incredible he looks in his game day suit?
Still, my history with hockey is complicated. My older brother played, and let’s just say he stole enough limelight to land a plane at midnight. I was forced to be a part of that world for so long, now that I have a choice, it’s the last thing I want.
But something tells me Felix is about to change my mind…
Totally Booked UK Review: Middle school music teacher Grace is returning home to her apartment when she finds her path blocked by piles of hockey equipment. Frustrated once again by her neighbour, Felix Jamison who plays for the Appies AHL team, although usually it’s one of his teammates knocking on her door asking her out despite her repeatedly saying no. Bashing on Felix’s door her brain nearly short circuits when he answers wet from the shower and dressed in a towel. But Grace does not like hockey, especially hockey players.
Appies goalie Felix Jamison lives next door to Grace. However, she is unaware that he owns the building and is her landlord. Investing the money his grandmother left him to create a future business, he is slowly putting into action around his hockey schedule. Listening to Grace play her cello through their shared wall soothes him and brings him back to the classical music his grandmother taught him about growing up.
An incident with a burst water pipe has Grace crashing into his life for help and him revealing his secret about the building. Navigating being roommates whilst works take place on her apartment the pair grow close. However, Grace is attempting to guard her heart after hockey has played a part in heartache over the years. Slowly they look as though they can navigate a relationship between each other but as let downs happen, will they pull back and rethink whether this is the right relationship for them?
A Groom of One’s Own: An Appies Romance Book 3 by Emma St. Clair
Published 1st March 2024
Format: Paperback, Audiobook and Kindle Edition
Pages: 368
A Groom of One’s Own is a closed door marriage of convenience hockey romcom with heart and humor, sizzle but NO spice. Perfect for fans of sports romance who want a little less heat.
He always dreamed of getting married–but for love, not to avoid deportation.
Eli Hopkins has it all–almost. A hockey career with the wildly popular Appies. Teammates who are like brothers. The only thing he’s missing is someone to share it all with.
Oh–and correctly filed visa paperwork.
Due to administrative error, Eli is about to lose everything.
Unless he can find someone to marry him in the next thirty days.
And he might have the perfect woman in mind. The only problem? He’d like to marry her for real, not simply for legal purposes.
Now Eli faces the challenge of winning over a wife who thinks the marriage is in name only …
“But whose name will be on the back of my jersey?” His face darkens, and it only makes me push more. “Maybe Van? He’s a fun guy.” Eli’s heated look turns molten, and he shakes his head slowly. “Mine,” he says firmly, his low voice wrapping like a fist around my heart. “You can only wear my name.”
Totally Booked UK Review: Moving from Canada to play ice hockey has been a dream come true for Eli Hopkins. His mom previously sorted out all the relevant visas etc. he has been happy with the Appies and his mom’s health issues are more understood in the US. Eli is blindsided by an issue that the Appies’ lawyer brings to his attention: his current visa runs out in a month and that he’ll need to return to Canada until a new one can be processed – or he could get married to stay that way. With no girlfriend in his life it is an unlikely scenario, the only girl coming to mind is the shy dog shelter worker Bailey.
Bailey McKinney has the weight of the world on her shoulders, following the death of her parents this years ago she has not only had to deal with all the financial crisis her parents left behind but also ensure her grandmother with dementia is cared for within a residential facility. Alongside this, she has hopes of becoming a vet and has been saving and working hard to enable the next steps. Stumbling blocks in her path from price increases at the care facility to her workplace dramas have her wondering if she’ll ever achieve her dreams.
Visiting the shelter to play with the dogs soothes Eli and is pleased when Bailey sits with him. His predicament is that he jokes about her marrying him but knowing that this will help her too she agrees. A short timeline leads to them rushing to date, meet his mom and arrange a wedding but along the way, it begins to not feel like an arrangement but neither are brave enough to share their true feelings.
Romancing the Grump: An Appies Romance Book 4 by Jenny Proctor
Published 23rd April 2024
Dual POV
Format: Paperback and Kindle Edition
Pages: 358
Romancing the Grump is a closed door, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating hockey romcom with heart and humor, sizzle but no spice. Perfect for fans of sports romance who want a little less heat.
He’s a grump and happy to stay that way. But can her sunshine melt the ice around his heart?
Nathan Sanders didn’t earn his reputation as the grouchiest player on the Appies hockey team by chance. So when Summer Callahan breezes into his life with her flirtatious smiles and endless charm, he responds like he always does: he completely ignores her.
But Summer is intrigued by the surly defenseman, so when a viral social media post requires her to step in and fake it as Nathan’s girlfriend, she jumps at the chance. She’s convinced the ones with the hardest shells are often the softest underneath, and she’s determined to prove it.
But Nathan doesn’t crack so easily.
Despite their obvious chemistry, he makes his lack of interest in a relationship—any relationship—perfectly clear. But the longer they pretend, the less fake everything seems, and the more Summer starts to fall.
She can only hope her fake relationship doesn’t lead to real heartbreak.
“Kiss me,” she repeats.
“If you want them to know you’re spoken for,
then show them you belong to me.”
Totally Booked UK Review: After two years of working alongside and putting up with a jerkhole DA boss, Summer Callahan finally reported him and found another job. Relocating to Harvest Hollow, she is standing outside The Summit, home to The Appies AHL, hoping that she is cut out for handling their contracts and brand associations. Soon, she realises that Nathan Sanders, the grump she met six months ago, is still very much a grump.
Heading to The Summit for practice Nathan is blindsided in the car park by bumping into Summer. Whilst he is normally a man of few words they are even more restricted around her. Recalling when they first met she talked enough for the both of them. Getting off on the wrong foot when he tells her that she is parked in his space but he manages to redeem himself when one of the rookies is disrespectful to Summer.
The Appies has an outstanding social media performance thanks to Parker which alongside sponsors etc. has brought some unwanted attention towards Nathan. Parker suggests a fake relationship between Nathan and Summer feeding off the chemistry between them to help cool down the fans. With rules in place, they begin navigating their fake romance promising to tell the other if things between them change. Nathan holds firm that playing hockey and dating doesn’t mix whilst Summer falls deeper for him day by day. Will Nathan change his mind or should they break things off?
Runaway Bride and Prejudice: An Appies Romance Book 5 by Emma St. Clair
Published 28th August 2024
Publisher: Create If Writing LLC
Format: Paperback and Kindle Edition
Pages:
Runaway Bride and Prejudice is a closed door hockey romance featuring the team bad boy and a very good girl who also happens to be the coach’s daughter. It’s a sports romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.
There’s one rule smart hockey players know not to break: never, and I mean, NEVER date the coach’s daughter. But no one ever accused Van of being smart.
When the mouthy bad boy of the Appies catches the groom cheating on the coach’s daughter, he can’t just walk away. Not on her wedding day. Maybe his own relationships are casual, but he would never cheat and never treat wedding vows so carelessly. Not after he and his sisters watched their divorced parents cycle through marriage after marriage.
But forcing the groom to come clean sets off a chain reaction Van couldn’t have expected. Ending with a black eye, an unexpected trip to Florida with one runaway bride, and a secret bargain struck with Coach.
A bargain that may just jeopardize the very real and very inconvenient feelings he’s developing for the very last person he ever should.
