Home Ice for the Holidays

Denver Stampede #2

by Stephanie Kay

What if falling for my best friend is the best Christmas gift ever?


Harper Cameron's life is a mess. Her temp job just ended and now her boyfriend's dumped her a week and a half before Christmas. In desperate need of cheering up, she heads to a hockey game. The Denver Stampede is the visiting team and her childhood best friend is one of their top defensemen. Their relationship has been strained recently, but her mood instantly lifts when he spots her in the stands and flashes his signature boyish grin.

Connor Horton has everything he's ever wanted---great teammates, an awesome condo, and the best friend a guy could ask for. So great that even though he's carried a torch for her since high school, he's never been willing to risk their friendship. When they catch up after the game, he knows he’s not ready to let her go, and invites her to come back to Denver with him until the holiday break.

Ten days away from her life in Edmonton is exactly what Harper needs. But ten days in close quarters with Connor stirs up more than she bargained for and it hits her that she has feelings for her bestie that have nothing to do with friendship. He's always been her rock. Now she's wondering if he could be a whole lot more.

Will this destroy their lifelong friendship or will they finally find their way home to love?

Genres: Hockey, Hockey Romance, Christmas, Sports Romance, Romance, Sports

123 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2023

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Stephanie Kay has always loved a good romance, and she got hooked on the dirty ones at the tender age of 14, when she told her mother that if the cover wasn’t a bodice ripper, then there was no sex in the book. As an avid mystery reader, her mother never checked to see if Stephanie was lying. Twenty plus years later, Stephanie’s most prized possession is her Kindle, and she may have a Hallmark movie obsession.

She has called California, Maryland, and Rhode Island her home, but now lives in New Hampshire with her husband where she asks him incessant questions until he escapes to go hiking in the mountains. That’s the only time she can get him out of the house so she can get her writing in. Married couples shouldn’t both work from home!

Sports were never her thing, but after beta reading for another hockey author and buying NHL Game Center within one month of watching her first hockey game a few years ago, she dove into learning everything she could about the sport and the hot men that play it. Now she spends her spare time visiting hockey arenas in the name of research and loving every second of it.

You can find her online at www.stephkaybooks.com, and on Facebook and Twitter. Please join her reader group for updates and excerpts. https://www.facebook.com/groups/19224...

You can also email her at stephanie@stephkaybooks.com

Reviews

[Erin Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first chapter I was hooked on the story that was told. The characters were easy to relate to and I really liked them. The chemistry between them was intense and I found myself laughing out loud on a number of occasions with the witty banter and humour. The secondary characters were just as entertaining and I hope to see more of them at a future date

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denver Stampede #2

Connor Horton is a top defenseman for the Denver Stampede professional hockey team. His team is the visiting team in town and when he spots Harper Cameron in the stands, he is surprised but happy.
They have been best friends since they were six, almost twenty years ago. Their relationship has been strained due to her ex.

They meet up after the game and she tells him she got dumped by the ex and her job just ended and she will probably have to move back in with her parents. He suggests she come to Denver where he lives and stay with him till the holiday break when they will both go home to Edmonton. She agrees.

Connor has always liked Harper but never wanted to ruin their friendship so always stayed in the friend zone. Now that they will be spending time together, will that change?

4.25 stars

[Jackie Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m playing catch-up with the Denver Stampede Series but I have really enjoyed each book I have read so far. Home Ice For The Holidays is book 2 in the series and it’s NHL top defenseman Connor Horton and Harper Cameron’s friends to lovers story.
Friends from childhood has this couple scared about crossing the line and ruining the close bond they share. But when she gets dumped and finds herself out of a job he suggests she comes to Denver and stay with him for the holidays. What follows is a fun, entertaining read.
The chemistry is sizzling, the banter is witty and this book has the perfect mix of love, passion and humour.

[Sarah Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh I'm such a lover of the friends-to-lovers trope and this one is no exception, especially since it is set in the Denver Stampede expansion team universe with a Christmas backdrop added as well. Connor has such a positive outlook on life and wanted more with Harper for years. Harper is initially determined not to let her feelings be known. Luckily they both realize it's futile to rest the draw towards eachother. Reading about them 'falling in love was as easy as breathing' and the steam was hot as heck. Perfect time of year to read it in front of a fire with some yummy warm drink in hand.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella, the second in the Stampede series. I currently live in Denver so it’s fun to read about the team and their adventures.
I really enjoyed the development between Harp and Con and very much needed more!
Even though I’m a gay, the romance scenes were super hot and steamy, as all of Stephanie’s romance books are.
Definitely get this cute fun holiday story and i highly recommend getting the first book in the series. It doesn’t need to be read first but i like connecting the characters.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this novella. It was a good glimpse into the world that Stephanie Kay has created with the Denver Stampede. I’m patiently waiting for Sin’s book. I love her writing, her characters are so life like and easy to root for. Even in such a short story, Conner and Harper were such lovable characters. You were wanting them to get over their hang ups and come together from the very beginning. Such a good cute little story. I completely enjoyed it.

[Elsa Gomes (BookishAurora) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of the Melting the Ice anthology which was a anthology full of hockey holiday themes novellas so I could not resist. It was actually the first anthology I read back to back and I loved all the novellas. Super excited to read some of the series these novellas are set in, not all of them are part of a universe but some are and I'm really excited to read more from a lot of these authors!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute best friends to lovers book. All bets were off for these two when they spent 10 days together and it was just like old times with love brewing. This was a great add to the Stampede collection and I can't wait to see what Stephanie has in store for the rest of the team as well as owners of the team.

[Gretchen Kindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect holiday novella!!! I'm usually in the camp of "the longer the book, the more I like it," but Connor and Harper's story was the perfect length for them! Sometimes, it just takes the right time and the right place, and what better time than reconnecting with your bestie right before the holidays? Sweet, but steamy, it was everything I could've asked for in a holiday novella. Loved it!

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing better than meeting up with your best friend and realizing that the spark between the two of you can no longer be denied, so when Harper and Connor reunite after a year apart their affection for one another will be tested. Loved the connection and loved the interactions. This was a great addition tot he series.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining, quick read. I enjoyed Connor and Harper romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I’m glad we got to see the player and hear about the couple from the first book in the series. The story is easy to read and get into. Kay packs a lot into less than 130 pages.

[Lyndsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Harper and Connor’s friendship/relationship.
Harper is getting out of a on again off again relationship who has made her distant herself from Connor! But as the best friend he is he doesn’t let that affect their relationship and makes her an offer she won’t ever regret!!

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Denver Stampede series. It is the story of lifelong friends hockey player Connor Horton and his childhood neighbor Harper Cameron. Important to one another since the age of six, can they finally move out of the friend zone?

[Karri Henley · Rating 3 out of 5]

three stars!

Cute story. Very short. The scenes are good but they blend together… Connor and Harper might be getting dirty.. then it just goes to another scene in the kitchen with mom.

[Denise J. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but sweet friends to lovers story

A short but sweet but sweet best friends to lovers romance that is not short on the heat. I have really enjoyed reading this series and look forward to more books featuring the hot hockey players of the Denver Stampede.

[Piper Brintnall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real quick novella of a read, which translates to no character development or chemistry. This is your friends to lovers trope that isn’t drug out too much. Connor and Harper has some chemistry but not much.

Easy book to digest.

[A.D. Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little novella! I really liked the characters.

[Ryleigh McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story absolutely loved it. Just wish it was a longer read.

[ChristiLovesBooks_smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home for Ice for the Holidays, book 2 of the Denver Stampede series by Stephanie Kay @stephaniekayauthor

First off, I am a huge fan of Stephanie’s & this book was no different!

I received this #ARCBook early and for my honest review.

This is Harper & Connor’s story. Harper needs her friend Connor but she notices how hot & sexy he is. Neither wants to ruin their friendship but they decide to take a chance on their HEA. 🥰

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story. I love that Connor and Harper had a lifetime of friendship and knew each other well. It was fun to watch Harper’s reaction as she went from seeing Con as her BFF to more.

[Cherie Maggi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to a series im really enjoying. Great friends to lovers romance.

[Msb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet? Check. Spicy? Check. Christmas-y goodness? Also check. Stephanie Kay’s books never disappoint the romance enthusiast and this book is no exception. Character growth, tension, and fun dialogue is the at the core of this story. A must read!