The Hockey Contract

Hearts on Ice #1

by Riley Keenan

I made a deal with the devil, and he smells like ice and trouble.

What started as a transaction ignites into something hotter than any oven in my bakery. Suddenly, faking it feels dangerously real.

As the clock ticks down on our fake marriage deadline, I’m terrified that the only thing I might lose isn’t my bakery, but my heart to the hockey player who might be thawing my frozen defenses one stolen kiss at a time.

My grandmother always said that good things come to those who wait. Turns out, all that waiting landed me in a financial mess I needed to escape if I wanted to keep my family bakery afloat.

Desperate times, meet even more desperate measures. One day I run into Jax, the notoriously brooding hockey player.

Jax isn’t just known for his killer slap shot and intimidating presence on the ice. Rumors of his icy demeanor and off-ice escapades precede him everywhere. We clash, but there’s also sparks.

He’s the last person I’d ever want to be associated with, but fate, or rather, my dwindling bank account, has a cruel sense of humor.

He needs a wife to secure a lucrative endorsement deal that requires a wholesome family image. I need a financial miracle to save my bakery from closing.

A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect, though insane, solution. The agreement is simple. Three months of pretending, staged photos, fake smiles for the cameras, and then we go our separate ways with my bakery debt erased, and his image polished.

But living under the same roof as Jax blurs the lines of our arrangement. His surprisingly gentle touch when he helps me in the kitchen, and the quiet comfort he offers when my bakery stress peaks, it all chips away at my resolve.

Genres: Hockey Romance, Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2025

Reviews

[Darlynne Altman]

Lovely book, some storyline holes

I truly loved the book but there were some inconsistencies. Example: They have phone sex and then act like it never happened, then later on he “services” her on the counter at the bakery and it’s then called out later like they only shared a kiss. Made some of the angst of the story seem ridiculous. Also, as an avid hockey fan, the author should really research it more carefully if it will be an integral part of the story. A Team meeting at midnight during the play off run without the Captain seems pretty unlikely.

[Val]

After a bump in the park, Jax the “ice man” is rude to Sienna the Baker. The interaction is caught on video and goes viral. Jax needs to change his image to get an endorsement and Sienna needs money to keep her Grandma’s bakery afloat.
Finn, Jax’s teammate, jokes about a marriage of convenience and then Leo, Jax’s agent, approaches Seinna with the idea.
After a quick marriage they have to learn to live with each other. They don’t realize how their deception will affect those close to them.
Somewhere along the way the lies turn into something real.
When asked when they knew it was love, Seinna answers that it wasn’t one moment. It was all the small things that added up to a big love.
The growth that both goes through is amazing to watch unfold.
Jax and Seinna realize that they are wonderful partners.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chelsie Reid]

I thought this book seemed to be charming. I like the whole idea of Baker and a hockey start interacting together. What made me dislike? This book was all of the plot holes. A lot of times the two main characters would have an intimate scene together and then they would not even mention it or they would act like it was the first time that they interacted this way in the next intimate scene they had together. Also, the fact that we meet the parents will the female main characters parents toward the end with no mention of them before except for that they were traveling being I feel like it was an afterthought. Another continentality plot hole is that in one part of the book I could have sworn that one of the side characters was seen with another side character and then like in the next chapter he’s with another person that just seems a little strange to me. Overall, I think that if this author tightens up some of the plot holes, this would be a amazing book.

[Katie Colbridge Ganzelli]

I don't what else I can say about this book other than that I'm obsessed with the storyline, the set up of the meeting and how the media captured the viral moment. Even though this was a marriage of convenience it was obvious these two would fall quick. These two were meant for each other with the baker being oh so sweet and the hockey star being very reserved. WE all knew this 3 month contract wasn't going to just be that either. I loved everything about this book it had all the feels, the spice, the enemies to lover!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amelia]

Cute story with nice characters. I felt like I missed something though. They have phone sex while he is traveling and then get busy in bakery but never addresses it again. They don't speak about feelings again when they get interrupted. Found this frustrating and not a slowburn but just weird especially as they lived together. They also walk everywhere from home which I couldn't believe. The fact that his parents didn't attend the wedding was strange if they wanted to sell idea of a real marriage. 2,5 stars

[Melanie Purcell]

This is a great opposites attract, business transaction to lovers kind of story. The characters are engaging and layered. The banter is a blast! And the friendships and family keep it real. Lots of smiles throughout the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donnavean Jones]

This book is sweet, full of slow burning change, and love intertwined with learning, teaching, falling, and has its spicy parts too.

Sienna and Jax make for a great story, turn on a lamp, get comfortable, and listen or read.
The best part about it was that you could feel the slow burn the entire book.

The only thing that ever threw me off was the virtual voice reading to me.

[Berta Greenleaf Richardson]

This was a real cute-meet rom-com hockey romance. I liked the slow burn buildup. Jax showed that men can have a vulnerable soft side and still be wickedly attractive. Sprinkles added some light humor when it was needed in the book. Slightly longer book than I personally like but it was a good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachel Kennedy]

A fake dating romance. He needs a wife to help his reputation and get him endorsement deals, and she needs the money to save her bakery. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shannon O'Brien]

Scenes to skip for closed door girlies.

[Denise Houghtlin]

I loved and hated this book! There were so many holes and inconsistencies in the book but overall it was a cute and fun story

[Carmen Iofcea]

A fost drăguță un sport romance ca la carte

[Stace]

Read until about 62%, it wasn’t bad… but I put it down, read like 4 other books and had no desire to pick it up and finish it.