♥ Shortlisted for the Chatelaine Book Awards for Romantic Fiction

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Released: March 4, 2025

Something’s terribly wrong with Blake “Eshy” Eshlin, a top-6 winger for the Boston Bears professional ice hockey team. Faced with sudden chronic pain from his body’s traumatic response to a virus, Eshy has to learn to live with the agonizing and distracting effects of fibromyalgia without letting the rest of his hockey club know. He hides his condition from everyone in his life, but one person can see right through the ruse.

As the assistant equipment manager, it’s Kerry Stratton’s job to watch the players closely and attend to their every need, whether it’s sharpening skates, washing towels, or finding the perfect shower soap to clear their sweat acne. When Eshy’s performance wanes and Kerry can see he’s clearly in pain, she inserts herself into his personal life to get him help and make him face his fears of a new normal. But Kerry never bargained for Eshy being a darling sweetheart and such a kind Minnesota mama’s boy. Even Kerry’s headstrong ways can’t keep her from falling for him and following him into an accidental world of opioids, reckless endangerment, secrets, and blackmail, as Eshy spirals out of control and Kerry fights to save him.

When an adversary on Eshy’s own team wants Kerry for himself and goes to dangerous lengths to drive a wedge into Eshy and Kerry’s budding relationship, can Eshy’s hockey career survive an opioid overdose leaking out to the media? And can Kerry’s job survive the aftermath of her involvement in Eshy’s fate?

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Tropes + Styles: Slow burn, sassy girl/sweet boy, pro hockey, jealous ex-boyfriend, forced proximity (player + crew), adorable dog, teammate adversary, rom-com with dramatic elements

Interests: Minnesota, Boston, New England, dogs, chronic illness, hockey equipment, fibromyalgia

CW: Drug use (mild), sexual assault (mild, rough handling and nonconsensual kissing), opioid overdose (mild), animal injury (mild), sports media pressure and mental health (mild), chronic illness and chronic pain (medium, handled with empathy), gender pay inequity (mild)

Reading Level: Intelligent, has teeth

Contains: Sex ✔ Condoms ✘ HEA ✔ Language ✔ POV: 3rd Person

Primary Characters: Boston Bears (Team), Blake “Eshy” Eshlin, Kerry “Ker Bear” Stratton

Secondary Characters: Jack “Hangman” Hangerstock, Tate “Tater” Keaton, Jeff Stratton, Slapshot (Dog)

Tertiary Characters: Davis “Davy Boy,” Dmitri “Fetsy” Fetisov, Patrick “Patty” Shaughnessy, Rachel Brinkman, Carmine

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