Legacy Next Door: A Dark MM College Hockey Romance

by Sophia Mardling

Genres: Hockey, M M Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, College, Sports

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2026

Reviews

[Renae Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karter and Aleksey have completely different backgrounds and are playing on the same college hockey team, where their differences are what initially repel both from one another, but quickly are what draw them to one another.

Both Karter and Aleksey have internal battles that make their life challenging at different moments. Because of these hurdles, they find themselves connecting on an intimate level that grows their bond from just tension to something more sincere, intense, and meaningful.

Overall, this is a fantastic story that I could not put down. Both Karter and Aleksey really go through the wringer in this story, and watching them fight for one another against so many obstacles was both frustrating and rewarding at the same time.

[Maria Arroyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a well done book for the “I should hate you but I want you” style of angst. I think both characters were great and if I could have just had a little something more from this book (not sure if it’s more drama or more chemistry moments idk just something) then I think it would have made it an even stronger book.

[Misc · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t usually like to give out 1-star ratings to new writers’ debut work, but this one just grinds my gears to such a degree that I can’t ignore, because man was book this obnoxious. There’s a fine line between cocky, arrogant but still compelling and well-written arsehole-type characters, and walking cliches of the typical one-dimensional macho-type meatheads with no redeemable qualities you can easily find in the average shitty romcom of decades past.

Some writers seem to think that giving their characters tragic backstories is enough of an excuse to allow them to act as horrendously as they can and let them get away with anything, and this book is a glaring example. If you told me this writer used to write MF romances I wouldn’t be surprised, because the way the power dynamic imbalance is established in this book is very reminiscent of trashy straight romances where the male lead practically can act as much of an arsehole as they want in the relationship but since he’s hot it’s all a-okay at the end of the day.

And this is still not taking into account the sub par writing style and cliched plot points that just got boggled down even more by said writing. Not gonna waste more of my time trying to finish it because I’ve seen enough.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 of Ridge Cross Ice House. And a FANtastic start it is! Look forward to more from this world.

'With a vindictive teammate circling and the administration hunting for a scandal, their forbidden connection could cost Aleksey his draft chances… and destroy Karter’s future.
Will they risk it all for each other, or will the pressure shatter them both?'

The characters were very complex and complicated and absolutely perfect together. Plot was intriguing and intense and well paced. World building was excellent and impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend!

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy the read!.

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

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, I really enjoyed how this story explored the contrast between the bourgeoisie and the working class through Karter and Aleksey. Karter comes from wealth and privilege, while Aleksey has had to work hard for everything he has and fight for his place in the hockey world.

I loved seeing how their different upbringings shaped who they are, their values, insecurities, and the way they approach life. Despite coming from completely different worlds, they slowly begin to understand each other, and their relationship really highlights how much people can have in common beneath those differences. Their chemistry, character development, and the tension between them made this such a great book.

[Bronwyn Heeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah this was good, but it's not a dark romance.
think more: Andy Jaxon (Hidden Scars), JR Gray (No Pucks), Jesse H Reign (Poetry on Ice), then you get a good idea of where it sits in the terms of "dark", and it’s more towards the end of this list than the beginning. it's enjoyable, it's a good book, I can't wait to see this author grow, because this is a good story, but it is def not dark romance.

trope
College Hockey, Forced Proximity/Housmates, Enemies to Lovers, Forced Tutoring, Hate-to-love Tension, Rick vs Poor, Hockey Royalty/Privileged MMC, Ruthless Hockey Enforcer, Secret Rimance, Forbidden Relationship, Opposites Attract
CW: Hockey Team Drama, External Pressure/Relastionship Obstacles, Homophobic Slurs

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars rounded up.
I absolutely loved the Legacy Next Door. Aleks and Karter are fire!!! My heart broke and then healed for them both.
The villains of this story were the perfect amount of villainous - leaving me no shame in rooting for their downfall.
Dark sports MM romance is one of my favorite tropes, and this does not disappoint.
While this story may not have been perfect (ahem, looking at you Mr Selfish) it was addictive, and kept me riveted.
If you enjoy dark hockey MM romance, give this a shot (see what I did there???!) I'm sure it will win a place on the trophy shelf in your heart.

[Amanda Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series begins with a strong start and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

I like both characters and the development of their relationship. Karter although dismissed initially as the rich kid really stepped up when it mattered especially when standing up for Aleksy. The tension in the team and all the events that happen in the plot add to their dynamic and I found it enjoyable.

There was a lot of emphasis on the difference between the legacies and the scholarship kids which I understand but it made me want to throw my kindle across the room.at times due to their treatment.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this series develops and what's next for it.

[Morgan]

I'm not rating this since I only read a couple chapters.

Didn't feel like a dark romance at all. It's a crazy sentence to say but the bully sucked at bullying? 🙃 So it kinda falls flat. The poor guy tries to be intimidating towards the rich guy but he doesn’t care and the rich guy is pretty disconnected from reality at times telling the poor guy to not let his manager walk all over him, that he could just quit?? wtf. It was the poor guy more valid reason to be mad but he did nothing. Also they couldn't resist kissing each other in chapter 6 not in "the more dominant guy is pushy" kind of way but in the "I'm already begging for more"

[Georgia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So boring and repetitive. It was an endless cycle of: hookup - we can’t do this - we can’t stay away from each other - hookup again. The same exact thing happened about eight times. Aleks also dropped soup at work and was given his final warning twice? There was no character development or relationship development; we didn’t even see them have a single normal conversation that wasn’t about hockey or scholarships or bloody legacies.

Plus, that’s just not how any kind of hockey works in any scenario. Teams don’t contact players directly without going through an agent, the draft doesn’t work like that, absolutely none of it was realistic in the slightest.

[Heather Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel was such a hit.
I absolutely loved it.
Karter and Alexsey are team mates from totally different backgrounds.
Karter is sick of his controlling Dad and decides to live in the dorms beside the scholarship players, Alexsey has nothing and very little to his name just a Mum who is also struggling also.
They are brought together in order for karter to tutor Alexsey so that he can stay at school.
There are some lows in this book that just brought tears to my eyes.
The spice is good
It was such a good read and flowed really well.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a huge love for me. I fell in love with Karter and Aleksey from the beginning. Both are on the same hockey team, but are as different as night and day. I loved how they slowly came together and that hate for one another slowly started to fade and turn into something more. These two were fire once they got past their dislike for one another. And I couldn’t get enough of them. This was written so well, it was so engaging. I had a great time reading this one.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 star review… not a bad story but the use of AI and bad editing gives 2 stars. There are parts that are repeated and the writing is stilted.

Also, some parts of the story are hard to follow…. Their positioning for instance in intimate scenes seems like they can see around corners.

Also during travelling, One is sitting at the back of a bus and describing what his teammates are doing do the front.

A thorough review and edit would have made all the difference.

[Haley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this for the life of me, stopped at 44%. There was just something off about it, and I can't place my finger on it. It said it was a dark romance, and I honestly couldn't find anything dark about what I read. I honestly though I would have loved this, but I just didn't. I feel terrible about not finishing it, but it was like pulling teeth to even get the part I stopped. Part of me wanted to finish it to see how Karter turns out, but nah.

[Amanda Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legacy Next Door is the first book in the Ridge Cross Ice House series by Sophia Mardling and is her debut novel. This was an exciting opposites attract, teammates to lovers, dark book about Karter and Alexsey. I really loved this book and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I this book is a solid three star for me. It wasn't too crazy, but I really did love the characters and the plot. I kind of wish there was a little bit more to the ending, but still great. This book really shows the struggles of coming out in the sports world.

[Kelly George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

Not 100% sure that I’d class it as a dark romance if I’m honest. Just a bit grumpy/grumpy 😂
I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two MCs and learning about them as the book went on
It’s a good read

[Liv Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, it's fast paced without feeling rushed. The build in tention between the players is very well done. And the development between Karter and Aleksey is beautiful.

I can't wait to see what other works this author creates 🩷

[Amanda Grange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I was locked in from chapter 1. The emotional roller-coaster that it put me on was crazy. I would love to hear Aleksey and Karter on audio

[Jennifer J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. This was very good. The story was pretty evenly balanced as far as the crazy pressure that both MMC’s were going through.

[Danielle Munday · Rating 5 out of 5]

that was an amazing read!!

A very hard achieved HEA I loved it!! 🥰 I loved the grumpy Russian and the optimistic golden retriever!! X

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to warm up... I didnt quite get the storyline initially.