Cross Check

D.C. Stars #6

by Chelsea Curto

Amelia Green is making a name for herself as an assistant coach in the NHL. A woman who isn’t intimidated by the people who try to pull her down, she handles the attention on her without batting an eye. What she didn’t account for was the hockey player who keeps showing up in her life.

Grant Everett is the newest player on the DC Stars roster and adjusting to life in the NHL. A guy who loves his teammates, he’s never one to break the rules. But after an accidental run-in with the league’s most talked about coach, Grant can’t stop thinking about Amelia no matter how off-limits she is.

He should stay away from her. He’s supposed to stay away—she’s older. She’s not looking to date, and he’s someone who wants to settle down.

Years of friendship and fighting their feelings turns to something more after one night together, and they never look back.
Except… hiding a relationship from the league isn’t easy.

Between secret meetups and Amelia landing a new job as the head coach of the league’s newest expansion team, she and Grant are forced to confront their future. Is there a chance their relationship can withstand the scrutiny from those on the outside, or are they a quick cross check away from disaster?

Cross Check is a spicy strangers-to-friends-to-lovers sports romance with an off-limits relationship, a woman in a male-dominated field, a man obsessed with her from the very beginning, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Hockey Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

826 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 26, 2026

About the author

Chelsea Curto is a New York Times & USA Today best-selling author of banter-filled romance novels that highlight strong women and the men obsessed with them. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time between the Northeast and Florida while daydreaming about what book she’s going to read next.


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Reviews

[Brianna ᥫ᭡ (hiatus)]

₊˚ ౿ ❄️ pre-release !!
It has a “you came?” “you called” scene 🤭
The cover?? Grant and Amelia are such cuties

Chelsea just confirmed this will be the longest book in the series (another slowburn!!) and it takes place over years. Cannot wait for this release 🥹

[margot౨ৎ]

i have this sitting on my kindle but i think i'm saving this as a treat for my birthday in three days 😋 we'll see !!

[Giulia ❀]

8/1/2026 I’ve just read the sneak peek (you can find it on the author’s instagram for free) and I feel like I’m gonna love this book, can’t wait for it to come out!!

[nes ☾]

⟡ pre-read
Grant & Amelia, I am ready for you 🧡 ngl 800+ pages for a hockey romance sounds insane, so the yearning and longing better be the 8th wonder of the world.

[har]

THE FACT THAT IT'S COMING IN A MONTH OUHHH IM SAT

[booksvanereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT A BOOK. 812 pages of everything. the going across years to see how this friendship became a relationship between Grant and Amelia was beautiful. getting a glimpse of all of the other DC star moments/relationships through grants perspective was such a feeling. found myself crying just because i love this series and these characters so much and like it just what is life getting to experience this series in real time.

grant CLIMBED to the top of my chelsea curto mmc ranking which is crazy. i did not expect to love him this much but yup. sorry to the rest of the mmcs, grants sitting at the number one spot right now.

beautiful..i am not that much of a slow burn lover but damn was this done well. i swear i didn’t even realize i was reading this long of a book because i couldn’t put it down. finishing this within 24 hrs was not on my bingo cart but here we are.

[Toriఌ]

Coming out June 20❤️‍🔥

I just saw the tropes and I’m FREAKING EXCITED. I can’t wait to read this one 🙂‍↕️
OMG THE COVER IS AMAZING!!

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆]

⋆˙⟡ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (8/21/26): Chelsea Curto said on Threads that the book will be 812 pages. Yes, you read that right. OVER EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES. This’ll probably be my longest book to date that isn’t a textbook I had to read for school, and you know what? I’m not even mad about it. Chelsea Curto could make a 1,000 page book with nothing but all her past grocery lists and I’d still read it.

(I’m just ready to see Grant yearning for Amelia for 10 years straight.)

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

beta reading 💜

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

edit: bumping up to 5⭐️ because i actually can't stop thinking about it
4.75⭐️

i cried.

there are no greener flags than men written by chelsea curto, and grant everett is no exception. with toxic masculinity still running rampant in hockey culture today, it’s always refreshing to read from a male perspective that stands for the complete opposite of that. grant is our precious soft boy; kind, thoughtful, and respectful of amelia’s boundaries and ambitions. he truly just wants to see her succeed.

this man also yearns!! he has been so pathetically down bad for amelia since the moment he laid eyes on her, and watching him pine for her over the years was everything. a slow burn eight years in the making, i loved seeing their relationship evolve from a beautiful friendship into a healthy romance.

i also really admired amelia. she is strong, independent, and completely unapologetic about chasing her goals. watching her navigate being a woman in a male-dominated industry was one of my favourite parts of the book.

cross check is the longest book in the series thus far, and hands down my favourite. it was so worth it to see how their connection developed over the years. i especially enjoyed getting to revisit moments from the previous books through grant and amelia’s perspectives. the found family in this series is so good, and this book was the perfect reminder of why i love these characters so much.

if you haven’t read the dc stars series yet but think you'd enjoy reading about the most heartwarming found family, strong women, and professional athletes in a boys romance book club, take this as your sign to start 🤭

thank you a million times to chelsea and love notes pr for the e-arc!

[marioncoin | coin.reads]

EVERYONE BE QUIET MY SHOW IS ON 😋
HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🧡

────୨ৎ────
↝ 𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 & 𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜 :
#𝟷 - face off 4,5/5☆
#2 - power play 4/5☆
#3 - slap shot ♡/5☆
#4 - hat trick 4/5☆
#5 - sin bin 4,5/5☆
#6 - cross check -/5☆
#7 - weak side -/5☆

[Yimmie♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

‧˚꒰🏒꒱༘⋆
𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭:
i think it’s only fair to start reading Cross Check!!! 🥹💘

it’s been one of my most anticipated arcs, so getting approved for it makes me feel over the moon! 🌙💗

will i have a new favorite?? who knows?! 👀 i trust Chelsea Curto to write the best romance, so i have VERY high hopes! 💌

[-`♡´-]

pre-read:

Curto released the prologue and first two chapters and i'm already all in. She can do no wrong. I miss the DC stars and their girls. Excited for Grant and Amelia. Love a short king and a baddie.

t-minus 5 days❗❗

[Eunoia]

according to the author on threads, this will have a virgin mmc. I hope he is a hundred percent one though. looking forward to it <3

[Emma | books_emmallion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grant, my sweet, soft, angel baby, is THE blueprint. Kind, caring, and absolutely down bad, Grant will easily move to the top of your book boyfriend list. He might even dethrone your favorite DC Stars player!!!!

Lia is the coolest woman ever and I want to be like her when I grow up. She’s badass, confident, and deserves all the good things (like Grant worshipping at her feet because man does that hunk WORSHIP!!!!)

These two are so incredibly special and I swooned probably the entire book (in between tears of course bc I cried 3x!!!)

Every single moment of this book is intentional and purposeful and will have you kicking your feet and giggling.

Cross Check is everything I could have ever wanted and I’m so excited for y’all to dive in. What a freaking knockout.

Read if you love
🧡hockey romance
🧡age gap (she’s older)
🧡he’s a v*rgin
🧡she’s a coach
🧡strangers to friends to lovers
🧡found family friend groups and the best banter

[kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Chelsea Curto and Love Notes PR for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!!

This is the sixth (and looongest) book of the DC Stars series and it’s absolutely vital that you read the previous books!

This is Grant and Amelia’s story that takes places over several years and across several different states and countries. This is truly the slowest of slow burns and while it does have a high page counts, it’s almost essential to fully show the progression of their relationship.

Grant is the greenest of green flags and honestly such a thoughtful person, not only to Amelia but to his friends and sister as well. Amelia is strong and independent and it’s so refreshing to read about women in positions of power and who are also respected by those around them.

This book is emotionally fulfilling as well as extremely endearing. It’s such a nice treat to read about two nice people who finally find each other and realize it and protect it.

[Bookish Guada · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
♾️⭐️

Holy mother of slow burns!!

It’s not usual that I think a romance book with 800 pages needs every single one of them, but let me tell you, Cross Check is 1000% the exception. Every word is perfect and necessary to build the beautiful relationship between Grant and Amelia.
The transition from friends to lovers in this book is wonderful; the romance is sweet, emotional, and swooning; the spice is so freaking hot. And once again we get the most beautiful found family to ever exist. I love this series so much.

Also, I’m officially in love with both Grant and Amelia. Top tier MMC and FMC of all time.

Forever thankful to Love Notes PR, Chelsea and her team for the e-arc!

[ruby &#x13083;˖ ࣪⊹]

i am yearning for Grant Everett i need this book so bad

[Katelin Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta read was a 10/10 but are we even surprised?! Cannot wait to read the final version and when it comes out on audio!!

[mei_li_terature · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars
No notes
It’s a masterpiece of a book

Full review coming in the next couple days 😭

----- FULL REVIEW -----

Huge huge thank you to Love Notes PR and Chelsea Curto for the early digital copy of Cross check in exchange for my honest review 🧡

Wow. Knowing where to star is not an easy task. I think we all had high expectations for grant and Amelia's story. It's just one of these books we know is gonna be amazing, and then you get to read it and it's TEN TIMES BETTER than you could've ever imagined.
It truly is the masterpiece we were all expecting it to be.
I have over 230 highlights and A LOT of annotations, I cried about 8 times and was sobbing ( going through Riley's accident for the third time is not for the weak) for a solid 3 times. It literally dragged me through every emotion and I loved it.

I know many people were scared about the length of this book, because yes, 800 pages for a hockey romance is unusual. But don't be. Because Cross check is so much more than that. I can assure you, Grant and Amelia needed every single chapter to tell us their story in its entirety.

These two have taken a permanent spot in my heart and I'm not mad about it. They truly are everything to me , I love them SO MUCH.

I never thought id say or write those words but Hudson is officially not tied for first place in my heart with Liam anymore, and Grant has taken its place.

Grant is just the greenest of all green flags. The king of honest and open communication, the biggest feminist ever, and he's always been respectful of Amelia's boundaries. And he's so obsessed with Amelia. He just loves her so much 😭 a friend told me his middle name should be "loverboy" and I couldn't agree more

Amelia, oh man. This woman. She is everything I wanted to be as a kid. A badass in her sport and leading the way for many lil girls who will know what's achievable in their future. She is an icon.
I loved how, like in all the other books in this series (and all the books Chelsea writes tbh), the uglier part of things were not swept under the rug. We faced them head on.
Seeing Amelia, and all the women in this series fight for their place in their male dominated fields was amazing. It is sad that we still have to fight, but it's the reality. And Chelsea portrayed it perfectly, the way Amelia dealt with stupid men will always amaze me.

On top of Grant and Amelia being some of my fave characters ever written, the found family, as per usual, was out of this world. The DC Stars family is honestly in the top 3 for me. They ALWAYS show up for each other, no matter the situation. I really really really loved (aka I was sobbing) how they all rallied behind our MCs at the end of the book when everything went awry.
And I loved seeing that family grow over the span of the 7 seasons this book followed them on. Even if we knew some of the events happening, it was great to get another perspective on them.

A last lil note for Chelsea :

I'II always be thankful to you for taking the time you needed to write these two. To allow them to be just who they needed to be. Flaws and all. But in the end, perfect. The wait was so damn worth it. I cannot wait for more people to discover them and give them (and you) the love they deserve.

[Emlyn Knerem · Rating 5 out of 5]

⏳✨🏒🥅🇺🇸🏆🗒️

Thank you to Chelsea Curto and Love Notes PR for an Advanced Reader Copy of Cross Check!

WOW. I’ll be honest, Grant wasn’t a character that I was super excited to see get a book. He just felt more like a side character, and maybe it was because he was younger than the other MMCs. But HOLY SMOKES. I really loved this book.

I was hesitant when I found out it was 800+ pages - HOWEVER, I do think the length was needed to really portray Grant and Amelia’s story. I liked getting Grant’s POV from previous storylines and how Amelia was there all along - we just never knew it! Amelia Green might be one of my favorite female characters I’ve read, especially one who is a woman in sports. I think how she was portrayed and things she went through were realistic to the world we are in today.

That ending? CHEF’S KISS. I was absolutely expecting something different to happen, and I LOVE that I was proven wrong. It was an ending I haven’t read before and that made it that much better! I’m fully on team Grant & Amelia.

Finally, I’d like to propose more Murphy Miller in Weak Side because I think her as a little feisty toddler telling Ethan off would be icing on the cake. I can’t wait to find out who is going to tame this guy… is it someone new or someone we’ve already met??

[sophjreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so so lucky to get this as an ARC. I DEVOURED in under 24 hours and she’s THICK… over 800 pages! But I would have read 800 more of them, honestly.
It was set over 8 seasons, so we got to go back to some of our favourite and our least favourite moments of the DC Stars universe, but through the eyes of Grant and Amelia and it was PERFECT.
This was friends to lovers and THE SLOW BURN?!?! They don’t kiss for about 600 pages and I was KICKING MY FEEEEEET. Watching their friendship develop and then finally becoming more 🥹🥹🥹🥹
Grant Everett… step up as the FEMINIST SUPPORTIVE KING that you are.
I LOVED the female coach and male player dynamic sooooo much.
The chemistry?! No I can’t!! They are perfect for each other. I think I highlighted more than I didn’t, to be honest.
My favourite of the series so far! ❤️

✅ secret relationship
✅ short king
✅ he’s a virg!n
✅ she’s a coach

It was everything I hoped for, and more!

[Kaitlyn Renee (kosmickait)]

ARC is on my Kindle and I'm READY to dive in tonight.
BIIIIIIG book omg

[Jenifer Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't say this lightly, but this was a perfect book. It's everything a romance should be -- it gives you the butterflies and you'll be kicking your feet while swooning, the banter is elite, the found family is perfect, Amelia dominating a male dominated field in her power suits and heels, the breaking of all the glass ceilings, Grant being the MOST down bad boyfriend of them all, the absolutely beautiful love between these two, the fact that these men aren't afraid to show their emotions, the way they are always hyping up their women and every single woman breaking barriers -- i could go on and on, but this was just IMMACULATE.

Now, I'm not usually the biggest fan of reverse age gaps, but this one was just so freaking beautiful. Grant was so grounded and mature, and I really loved that he wasn't a playboy or leading other women on. He saw Amelia on the TV once when he was still in college, and knew even then he would never want anyone else. And he spent the next 800 pages proving that not only to Amelia, but the NHL too.

Amelia is the very definition of a girl boss. She used to be a hockey player herself, but now she's an assistant coach in the NHL. She is at the cusp of making all her dreams come true, and she also wants to make it easier for the women who come after her to follow in her footsteps and make more revolutionary moves. She is fully married to her job, and outside of her two best friends and the occasional very bad date, she is content on her life staying that way. Until Grant blows into her life. She immediately feels a kinship with him, but she has a strict rule about dating hockey players -- especially with the double standard that woild come with. But little by little they start a truly beautiful friendship, and before she knows it.. Grant is her favorite person. And thrn when tragedy strikes and they become even closer, will Grant convince her to take a chance on him? And get her to see that she can have her career and a love she never expected?

I loved, loved, loved this book SO MUCH. It's 800 pages, yes, but every page needed to be in there to build up this slooooooow burn. And what a burn it was! And it was so amazing because this book starts even before Maverick met Emmy, so not only has Grant been in love with Amelia and had to keep their relationship a secret for longer than all of his friends have been partnered up, but we also got to experience all of their relationships through his eyes too, which was so beautiful. But then we also got to experience Riley's accident from his perspective, and man.... that was just brutal. But even with all the pain, there is so much beauty found in these pages. I am truly in awe.

And while we're on the topic of Chelsea and how amazing she is, I need some of you to be dosed with some much needed reality. Nobody is OWED an arc, and to message an author and threaten her? And then turn around and release full page spoilers from those lucky enough to have gotten an advanced copy? SHAME ON YOU. I have been an arc reader for a while now, but the entitlement in this book world is out of control. I don't blame Chelsea and her team one bit for announcing that she won't be doing arcs at all for Ethans book, and I really wouldn't be surprised if more authors followed suit. Chelsea is one of the nicest people in this book world, and the way you all have to treat her release days are despicable. Do. Fucking. Better.

I was lucky to get an arc, and you can bet once I am able to, I am going to buy the physical copy of this baby and have it on my shelves. This is a one of a kind, career defining books, and I can't wait for all of you to experience the beauty she so obviously poured into these pages. If you read one book this year, let it be this one!

**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **

[Krystle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ and loved basically every minute of reading this massive book! Was this 800+ pages??? Yes… and did I eat it right the heck up??? Also yes! 😂

Grant is the man he thinks he is and Amelia is the baddie she thinks she is and they are so incredibly beautiful together!

But Chelsea, making me relive Riley’s accident for a third time! Girl… the pain is real! Spreading out this lover story over 7 years and the story starts 10years ago, diabolical, but well worth it.

Anyway this is an incredible case of yearning and golden retriever energy that is so precious that you can’t imagine Grant as the virgin hero, who’s actually a little freaky! The way this man has been pining for Lia is a masterclass of if he wanted to he would! His fiercely loyal nature is so freaking sweet! But he truly has a little shepherd in him too, especially at the All-Star game!

But what I will never get over is the way Grant records every thing there is to know about Lia in his little notepads. He is just so incredibly thoughtful and just genuinely wants to be the best version of himself for Amelia that he tries so hard to not forget anything about her.

Now Amelia is a total baddie, honestly just like every FMC in the DC Stars series! The fact the she’s the older one in the couple is so satisfying! I loved that she is super independent but knows her limits and can effectively communicate her needs, even better! The way she takes the league by storm and immediately leads her team to the playoffs, heck yeah! I loved how she fit in so seamlessly with the other women!

She is actually just as protective of and loyal to Grant, except for one moment… Amelia is able to handle the adversity thrown at her pretty gracefully. She knows what she wants with her life at this point and immediately tries to remain just friends, but the attraction both physically and emotionally is just too strong and she ends up finally giving in! I love the fact that she is very upfront with Grant about what their relationship needs to look like and her dealbreakers. This is what leads to my one and only frustration with the story.

My only gripe and the reason that I gave this 4.5 and not 5 stars is only because of the 3rd act breakup. Legit I felt like fighting this for so long and then fighting to keep the relationship alive and a secret, once it’s outed to the world and the proverbial hammer comes down, Amelia immediately just throws in the towel??? I feel like her character kinda reverted back to before her growth and did her a bit of a disservice. Grant is over there fighting tooth and nail trying to keep them together, but Lia is just like oh maybe wait for me for when you retire???

But I do have to say the breakup scene was heartbreaking to read! I was shedding some tears at 2 in the morning! I just felt like maybe if it had happened earlier in the book and not the 80% mark it would have made more sense for her to be so ready to cut him off.

There were so many moments that I absolutely loved though, so I can forgive that blight on the storyline. I think one of my favorite moments was when Grant buys them the house! And having her favorite dinner waiting! Ugh, too cute! But also, when Grant just wants to spend time with Lia and asks her to help him for the skills competition! And don’t even get me started on how caring and understanding Amelia is when Grant tells her he’s a virgin! Every time they got Pete’s was just such a domestic moment.

I legit can’t pick a favorite scene and can’t believe the series is coming to a close soon! Definitely will be starting this series from the beginning when it’s finished to give it the love it definitely deserves! If you haven’t read any of the DC Stars world, please do like seriously! Chelsea is an auto-buy/read author for me!

And thank you to Chelsea and LoveNotes PR for the gifted copy!!!

[Holly Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time Chelsea writes a book I think “she can’t get any better than last time” AND THEN SHE DOES! Seeing the whole series this way felt like such a GIFT! Chelsea did a FANTASTIC job putting everything together in a way that, while we know everything that’s happened up until this point, was FRESH and new and it never felt like things were repeating!! there was so much of Grant and Amelia in the middle of everything, but the new perspective on the series as a whole really changed everything.

I know there’s still Ethan’s book AND ANOTHER to go! But I am so unprepared for the end of this series! It sits so close to my heart and means so much to me!! I’m going to have trouble letting go!

GRANT AND AMELIA!! ARE! SO! PERFECT!! Every single thing about their relationship was perfect! The tension and the yearning and the boundaries and HOW RESPECTFUL THEY WERE OF EACH OTHER!! And how much Grant VALUED Amelia’s need for privacy and discretion!! And how much Amelia made SURE Grant knew how important he was to her even though she needed to keep their friendship/relationship quiet! Every part of the journey to where they ended up was so critical to who they became and I cannot thank Chelsea enough for writing it ALL!!!

I had such a good feeling about this one!! And truly it was everything I was hoping to be and so much more! Besides the romance, everything about Amelia’s story, along with Emmy and Piper, and Lainey and Sienna, was written with so much LOVE. Chelsea writes STRONG women, powerful women, women who work so hard to be recognized and ARE recognized in their world and it makes me SO emotional! And she writes men who love and champion them!! And make sure they get everything they’ve ever dreamed of!!!

And AS ALWAYS!!! The found family is SO BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL AND PERFECT!! I loved the addition of Amelia and her friends! I loved seeing the girls take Amelia in! I loved seeing the guys rally around Grant when he needed it!! Again, I LOVED getting to see everyone grow and change all over again, and then to see them in the present!! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!

Thank you so much to LoveNotesPR for the ARC inch she for an honest review! Thank you SO MUCH to Chelsea for writing this book!!!

[Sarah Medeiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading, I had quite a few people ask me if the 800 pages was really necessary or if it felt too long and I’ll say this- I’ve read many 800+ pages books and none of them felt as quick as this one.

I think that’s true for a couple reasons, first, the pacing. The arc of Grant and Amelia’s relationship takes place over many years and we get to bear witness to all of it. But that also means we aren’t spending tons of time in any one area which keeps the story flowing and keeps you turning pages because you need to see what happens next. Second, there’s a lot of their relationship that takes place over text messages and so you’re reading through those conversations which also keeps the story moving quickly.

As for what I thought? I loved it. I feel like I’m being wrapped up in a warm hug any time I’m in this DC Stars Universe and Chelsea’s writing is like a balm to my soul.

Because we have such a long timeline that’s being covered, this book reads as part love story (Amelia and Grant) and part love letter to the DC Stars. We get to see all of our favorite character’s love stories again but through a different lens and there’s something so beautiful about that.

And as far as Amelia and Grant? Powerhouses, the both of them. Amelia represents everything we, as women want to see in sports media and sports, in general. Breaking glass ceilings, being surrounded by the support she needs, but also Chelsea does a great job showing how much more work really needs to be done. But through it all, Grant is the best cheerleader and partner. His humility and support and softness is unreal and that’s how I know he’s fictional. This is a blueprint, gentlemen, take note!

I loved their story, I loved being back in this world and I’m so happy that we’re still not done and will get to see Ethan’s story so soon!

Thank you to Love Notes PR and Chelsea for the chance to read early!

[Alex Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review - 5 f**ing stars.
This might genuinely be my new favourite book of this series this was absolutely phenomenal. I was grinning and giggling and sobbing like an absolute fool throughout this entire book.

Over 800 pages and I truly believe that it needed to be that long to tell Grant & Amelia’s story properly and thoroughly with it spanning over 7 years. I was disappointed when the release date was pushed back as I’ve been so excited for this book, however, now that I’ve read it I’m pleased Chelsea took the time to make sure this story was everything it needed to be.

The DC Stars series is hands down my favourite sports romance series of all time and I can’t explain how much I adore each and every one of the characters, but I did not expect for one minute that green flag Grant would become my favourite DC stars man.

This was so much more than I expected - we have FIFTY THREE chapters of slow burn, text banter than spans years before they finally admit to their feelings, a secret/forbidden relationship, virgin MMC and as always, the best found family I have ever read.

One of the many things that Chelsea always does so well is writing strong FMCs in male dominated jobs and the way the men in this series celebrate their accomplishments is 10/10.

If you’ve read any of the other books in this series you’ll know that Grant is always carrying around a notebook and nobody knows what it’s for its kind of a running bit - when I tell you that I SOBBED when I found out what the notebook is for I’m not exaggerating. He is the greenest green flag MMC I have ever read and he’s so down bad it should be illegal. The way he loves Amelia and has loved her for years before she returned the feeling, the way he always puts her first in everything 😭😭😭 stop it.

I loved this so so much and I cannot wait for book 7.

[Emily Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

🧡 ARC Review 🧡

Chelsea Curto has done it again! She’s transported us back into the world of the DC Stars and is taking us on the longest journey in the series so far. Spanning 10 years, Cross Check follows Grant and Amelia from their first meeting in an Italian restaurant in Denver through ten seasons of hockey. And through every year, challenge, and moment in between, you can’t help but fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other. ❤️

Amelia Green is a trailblazer for women in professional hockey, fighting to make a name for herself in a male-dominated field. Grant, a winger for the DC Stars, has had his eyes on Amelia since the moment he first saw her.

But when one of you is an NHL coach and the other is a player, things are anything but simple. As their friendship slowly turns into something more, they have to decide whether their feelings are worth risking everything they’ve worked so hard to build.

As the sixth book in the DC Stars series, Cross Check has everything we’ve come to love:

📚 Team book club meetings
👯‍♀️ Girls’ nights
💬 Group chats (yes, Sully tries to leave, and no, the team does NOT let him 😂)
🍽️ Team dinners
…and SO much more!

If there are two things Chelsea does best, it’s writing badass, strong women who are making their mark in a world that often works against them and the sweetest, kindest MMCs who are basically the greenest flags you’ll ever find. Grant and Amelia are no exception! These two quickly skyrocketed to the top of my favorite characters list, and it’s going to be VERY hard for anyone to surpass them.

Chelsea truly gave us everything we could have asked for with this book. And while it’s already 812 pages, I could have stayed with Grant and Amelia for another 800. 🥹

[Aina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta-read!

Grant and Amelia have exceeded all my expectations! I absolutely adored seeing their relationship develop from a tentative friendship, to best friends to soulmates!

Chelsea knows how to write a man who yearns, but Grant?!?! GRANT IS THE MAN! Omg he might be my new favorite of the series! He was absolutely perfect! I really loved seeing his emotional maturity!

And Amelia?! She is simply incredible! I adored her! Her resilience, her vulnerability and her willpower was amazing! Loved seeing her fight for her dream!
Chelsea gives voice to important matters, such as being a woman in a position of power in sports and how that effects people’s perception, and it was done with incredible grace and opened doors to conversations!

Grant and Amelia are truly perfect for each other, adored how they support each other dreams and how they are their biggest fans! To me they are the sweetest couple, but omg the tension?! The yearning?! It was electrifying!

As always the found family is amazing! The DC stars are truly my Roman empire of found family! It was so much fun being able to relive some of the most memorable moments of the series through Grant and Amelia’s eyes!

Keep a lookout for all the potential easter eggs! I kept highlighting so many things!!

Cannot wait to read Ethan’s story! I just know being in his mind is going to be so much fun, but at the same time I have the feeling he’s going to surprise us all!!

Thank you so much Chelsea, for letting me be a part of this series!

🏒Hockey Romance
💕Found Family
🥅Female NHL Coach x Player
🫶🏻Age Gap (She’s Older)
😏Banter as Foreplay
🌶️He’s a V!rgin
🤫Secret Relationship
🌲He’s Pined for Years
📓Secret notebook