A hockey lockout is awful. As every other sports fandom gets revved up, hockey fans are in for a long haul of…nothing. Hoping that there will be progress in the talks that there hadn’t been before. Hoping something miraculous might happen, but somehow aware that that’s about as likely as Mike Eruzione scoring a hat trick against Henrik Lundquist.
With that in mind, I’m bringing you a two-part series talking about books that might prepare you to weather the long wait.
First, the classics. Some of these books are tried and true, discussed by hockey fans and romance readers everywhere. Some of these books are by authors we love, who’ve made their first hockey book a must read. And one of these books was an author and hockey fan’s first on the road to hockey romance greatness.
1. True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
Every single list of hockey romances must include a Rachel Gibson. It’s practically required. This one makes this list because it is memorable for both on the ice action as well as off the ice. Gibson’s team, the Seattle Chinooks, actually joined the NHL in this book, and we had appearances from real players (I remember seeing Markus Nasulnd’s name in the pages of this book a short time after he retired).
2. Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin
Any list of hockey romances must also have a Deirdre Martin title. Maneuvering by on-ice officials, owners and Management make this book a timely one no matter where you stand on open ice htting.
3. Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton
I love recommending this book to people after they’ve finished Fifty Shades of Grey (I work in a bookstore). Yes, it has scorching hot sex (even most appropriately for our purposes, on a hockey rink!), but what it brings to the table, and this list, is the emotion. Yes, between our heroine and our hero (who plays for a St.Louis Blues-like team), but also the way Jaci Burton captures the fans' love of their beloved hockey team. It’s already on my classics list, which means I hope this isn’t the last time Jaci Burton will take her masterful pen to the rink.
4. Talk to Me by Cassandra Carr
Cassandra Carr captures the atmosphere of a hockey-related talk show. Her banter, her heat and her heart are dead on. If you want to read more from Carr, her Buffalo Intimidators series shows a completely different side to a hockey team.
Anybody read anything I missed? Anybody disagree with my suggestions? Let me know. Next come some books to watch for, including a first hockey book from a proven romance talent.
Stacey Agdern, @nystacey
