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Offside: A Spicy MM Hockey Romance
The hit that destroyed Viktor Lindqvist’s knee made Cole Kiernan the most hated man in hockey. A year later, when a trade lands Cole in Chicago, Vik is waiting, and he has not forgotten.
Cole knows he deserves every cold shoulder, every cheap shot, every ounce of hatred Vik throws his way. What he does not expect is how fast that tension shifts. How quickly anger turns into heat. How impossible it is to ignore the pull between them once they are sharing ice, locker rooms, and far too much space.
Vik spent a year dreaming of revenge.
He did not plan on acting on something else entirely.
What starts as reckless quickly becomes complicated. Because in the NHL, nothing stays secret for long. And when the past comes calling, both men will have to decide what matters more, protecting themselves or fighting for each other.
Offside is Book 1 in The Ice Breakers Series, a spicy MM hockey romance featuring rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
For readers who
Enemies-to-lovers with fast-burn chemistry
Spicy MM sports romance
Forced proximity and locker room tension
High heat early in the story
Professional hockey settings and team dynamics
Cole knows he deserves every cold shoulder, every cheap shot, every ounce of hatred Vik throws his way. What he does not expect is how fast that tension shifts. How quickly anger turns into heat. How impossible it is to ignore the pull between them once they are sharing ice, locker rooms, and far too much space.
Vik spent a year dreaming of revenge.
He did not plan on acting on something else entirely.
What starts as reckless quickly becomes complicated. Because in the NHL, nothing stays secret for long. And when the past comes calling, both men will have to decide what matters more, protecting themselves or fighting for each other.
Offside is Book 1 in The Ice Breakers Series, a spicy MM hockey romance featuring rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
For readers who
Enemies-to-lovers with fast-burn chemistry
Spicy MM sports romance
Forced proximity and locker room tension
High heat early in the story
Professional hockey settings and team dynamics
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
42 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 20, 2026
I liked the characters in this story but it had loads of idk how to say it but different scenes would overlap and sometimes the whole storyline would switch making it hard to follow along I would have rated this a bit higher if it hadn't been for that bc that was my only problem I am definitely reading the next one though and hopefully it won't have the same issues
January 13, 2026
When Hate Slams Into Desire at Full Speed
Cole Kiernan and Viktor Lindqvist start this story on opposite sides of a career-ending injury and a whole lot of unresolved rage. Cole carries the guilt like a second jersey, and Vik carries the grudge like a loaded weapon. Watching those two be forced onto the same team, the same ice, the same locker room? Deliciously brutal.
The angst is the real MVP here. Cole’s quiet self-loathing mixed with Vik’s sharp-edged anger creates this constant emotional pressure that makes every interaction feel like it could either explode into a fight… or something much less PG. And when it flips to attraction? Whew. The chemistry is immediate, messy, and very hard to ignore.
The spice is high and early (bless), but the emotional layers keep it from feeling shallow. You really do feel the weight of what they’re risking — careers, reputations, and the fragile peace they’re building between them.
My only knock is the pacing in the middle — the shift from enemies to emotionally invested happens fast, and I wanted just a little more slow burn torture before they caved.
Still, if you love angsty MM romance, morally complicated heroes, and hockey as an emotional pressure cooker, Cole and Vik absolutely deliver.
Cole Kiernan and Viktor Lindqvist start this story on opposite sides of a career-ending injury and a whole lot of unresolved rage. Cole carries the guilt like a second jersey, and Vik carries the grudge like a loaded weapon. Watching those two be forced onto the same team, the same ice, the same locker room? Deliciously brutal.
The angst is the real MVP here. Cole’s quiet self-loathing mixed with Vik’s sharp-edged anger creates this constant emotional pressure that makes every interaction feel like it could either explode into a fight… or something much less PG. And when it flips to attraction? Whew. The chemistry is immediate, messy, and very hard to ignore.
The spice is high and early (bless), but the emotional layers keep it from feeling shallow. You really do feel the weight of what they’re risking — careers, reputations, and the fragile peace they’re building between them.
My only knock is the pacing in the middle — the shift from enemies to emotionally invested happens fast, and I wanted just a little more slow burn torture before they caved.
Still, if you love angsty MM romance, morally complicated heroes, and hockey as an emotional pressure cooker, Cole and Vik absolutely deliver.
February 10, 2026
I wanted to like this story but I couldn't finish it.
between the disconnect of events, continuity issues and even things on a scene not making sense what this story needs is an editor.
Example, coach say they are rooming on the road.
secondary character talks about Vik as he is his roommate. The scene plays out as Vik and Cole as roommates,next scene same secondary character acts and talks like Vik was his roommate.
then MC agree to meet up to talk, it never happens.
at a bar Cole gets jealous about a woman paying attention to Vik, when they talk the whole scene is in reverse Vik is the one saying he was jealous of Cole.
This all happening within same scene, makes no sense.
between the disconnect of events, continuity issues and even things on a scene not making sense what this story needs is an editor.
Example, coach say they are rooming on the road.
secondary character talks about Vik as he is his roommate. The scene plays out as Vik and Cole as roommates,next scene same secondary character acts and talks like Vik was his roommate.
then MC agree to meet up to talk, it never happens.
at a bar Cole gets jealous about a woman paying attention to Vik, when they talk the whole scene is in reverse Vik is the one saying he was jealous of Cole.
This all happening within same scene, makes no sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2026
Disappointed
First, this book is tagged as a spicy MM romance...it is the least spicy MM romance I've read in years. It's like the author has no idea how to write a sex scene involving two men. Also, it was kind of hard to follow since the timeline was not very fluid. The two MCs were cute together, but I had a hard time getting past the insta-love from Vik's standpoint. I mean, the guy he's immediately completely gaga over nearly ended his career. There was no build up and subtle change in feelings that you would expect from an enemies to lovers trope. I've never read a book by this author before today and I probably won't continue the series.
First, this book is tagged as a spicy MM romance...it is the least spicy MM romance I've read in years. It's like the author has no idea how to write a sex scene involving two men. Also, it was kind of hard to follow since the timeline was not very fluid. The two MCs were cute together, but I had a hard time getting past the insta-love from Vik's standpoint. I mean, the guy he's immediately completely gaga over nearly ended his career. There was no build up and subtle change in feelings that you would expect from an enemies to lovers trope. I've never read a book by this author before today and I probably won't continue the series.
February 5, 2026
So this book was pretty good. I liked the enemies to lovers vibes that got out of the way pretty early on with all that spice. I liked how they really opened up to each other. There was plenty of angst with this one but I just felt like it was so well written that it honestly felt very light.
I really loved the amount of real hockey in this one too.
If you liked heated rivalry you would probably like this!
3.5⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I really loved the amount of real hockey in this one too.
If you liked heated rivalry you would probably like this!
3.5⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
February 18, 2026
This book is a 3.75 for me, fully upgraded to 4 because I really loved the charachters: Cole and Vik click together so nicely, and they're overall very well written. I also liked the (not really) enemies to lovers arc, that is actually peculiar, with the charachters feeling the tension but not really able to label it.
The book coould use some editing, mainly because of some non sequitur in the timeline... and in the rooming! But still is absolutely enjoiable and worth reading.
The book coould use some editing, mainly because of some non sequitur in the timeline... and in the rooming! But still is absolutely enjoiable and worth reading.
February 11, 2026
I found this randomly when scrolling through my Kindle Unlimited options and said screw it. It was actually really fun. I enjoyed the characters and my time with them. I'm very excited for Jesse and Eli's book to come out next!
February 12, 2026
amazing book! great storyline
loved this storyline and the fighting for each other and showing up. however some of the layout of the book got confusing as some paragraphs didn’t line up into the next scene! otherwise really good plot and yearning and love story
loved this storyline and the fighting for each other and showing up. however some of the layout of the book got confusing as some paragraphs didn’t line up into the next scene! otherwise really good plot and yearning and love story
February 19, 2026
Did I enjoy it? Yeah. Spice was there in the beginning but fizzled out towards the end with quite a few fade to black and closed door scenes. Timeline was a little weird with lots of timeskips. Also, the error around page 92 where a chunk of the timeline is missing was slightly concerning.
February 10, 2026
I don't think this book ever saw an editor.
February 21, 2026
Spicy with lots of great messaging. Definitely more plot than I was expecting!
January 14, 2026
Enemies to lovers trope but actually it wasn’t really hate but repressed attraction/desire that went twisted. Two broken MCs with each carrying own painful baggage, who ended up hurting each other when what they truly wanted was the opposite. Despite how messy that sounded, it was mostly medium angst between them once they reunited and quickly resolved issues as they came and ultimately stuck together till the end.
I liked Vik’s recap of the injury and how it really felt, the brutal aftermath. It was raw, painful but extremely important to talk about and it gave a great insight into recovery process, not just from the physical point of view but the often ignored mental aspect. However, the more it was revealed about the hit, the less neutral I was about Cole, the implication of what he did felt too wrong.
And the trade, Cole was an utter cowardly asshole, at this point Vik deserved someone far better. It pissed me off how it was Vik who fixed this when it was fucking Cole’s mistake! Grow up some spine Cole for fuck’s sake. This just showed how toxic and unbalanced their relationship was and will be (Cole didn’t redeem himself at all imo), Vik always reaching out, giving while Cole taking and running away, I didn’t believe in HEA here. I wish Novak kicked Coke’s loser ass for hurting Vik. Heck, Maja should kick his ass too. Why did everyone treat Cole with kid gloves but let Vik to suffer alone, fuck that. The least Coke could do was to take action to reverse the trade.
Spice came up early on (some detailed but quite a lot off page) which I usually like but there was not enough background and build up tension to it to grab my interest so instead I didn’t feel as excited.
The story was ok, not bad but nothing thrilling, the romance wasn’t it for me (I couldn’t stand wishy washy Cole) but I must admit I was oddly more invested in hinted side love stories of secondary characters (next book’s MCs).
“The wounded parts of him fit the wounded parts of me. We match in a way I didn’t know was possible.”
I liked Vik’s recap of the injury and how it really felt, the brutal aftermath. It was raw, painful but extremely important to talk about and it gave a great insight into recovery process, not just from the physical point of view but the often ignored mental aspect. However, the more it was revealed about the hit, the less neutral I was about Cole, the implication of what he did felt too wrong.
And the trade, Cole was an utter cowardly asshole, at this point Vik deserved someone far better. It pissed me off how it was Vik who fixed this when it was fucking Cole’s mistake! Grow up some spine Cole for fuck’s sake. This just showed how toxic and unbalanced their relationship was and will be (Cole didn’t redeem himself at all imo), Vik always reaching out, giving while Cole taking and running away, I didn’t believe in HEA here. I wish Novak kicked Coke’s loser ass for hurting Vik. Heck, Maja should kick his ass too. Why did everyone treat Cole with kid gloves but let Vik to suffer alone, fuck that. The least Coke could do was to take action to reverse the trade.
Spice came up early on (some detailed but quite a lot off page) which I usually like but there was not enough background and build up tension to it to grab my interest so instead I didn’t feel as excited.
The story was ok, not bad but nothing thrilling, the romance wasn’t it for me (I couldn’t stand wishy washy Cole) but I must admit I was oddly more invested in hinted side love stories of secondary characters (next book’s MCs).
“The wounded parts of him fit the wounded parts of me. We match in a way I didn’t know was possible.”
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews