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D.C. Stars #6
Cross Check
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.
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.
776 pages, Paperback
Expected publication November 26, 2026
About the author
Chelsea Curto
20 books9,491 followersChelsea 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,269 reviews
August 29, 2026
My flabber is gasted, and not in a good way.
And before anyone comes for me, please know this is coming from someone who rated Hat Trick FIVE STARS. I know this series can give me that DC Stars sparkle. I spent this entire book desperately waiting for it to show up.
It did not.
First, the grammatical errors. And I’m not talking about a comma in the wrong place or something tiny I could easily overlook. I’m talking missing words, sentences I had to read three or four times just to figure out what they were supposed to say, and enough errors that I actively started counting them. I stopped somewhere around 20.
Then there’s the length. Fight me. This book did not need to be this long. If the author needed the length for creative reasons, fine, but I genuinely think the 10 year recap could have been told in 20 chapters max without losing anything important.
And approximately 50% of the book felt like text messages containing the same repetitive conversations over and over again. We get it. You want to know what she likes. Please, for the love of God, talk about something else.
But my biggest issue was the timeline.
The book is divided into parts, with each part taking place during a “past season.” Okay, cool concept. Except it takes until 76% into the book to reach the PRESENT SEASON. Not the present day. THE PRESENT SEASON. We are still reliving events we already know happened.
And it isn’t until 86% that we finally move beyond the events of Sin Bin.
EIGHTY. SIX. PERCENT.
Which brings me to the plot… or lack thereof.
Roughly 60% of this book is watching these two get to know each other over the course of EIGHT YEARS before they finally get together. It becomes repetitive. It becomes boring. And somehow, despite spending that much time together, I felt absolutely no tension between them. No passion. No yearning. Nothing.
They are also the most agreeable fuckers I have ever met.
“I think I need some space.”
“Okay.”
Proceeds to not speak for two months.
WHERE IS THE FIGHT? THE ANGST? THE EMOTION? SOMETHING?!
And perhaps the most insane example of this: at one point Grant talks about how he wants to get married and have, like, TEN KIDS someday. Amelia says nothing. Then, right before she finally decides she’s ready to be with him, she casually drops that she never wants children.
And Grant is basically just… okay with it???
SIR.
You wanted an entire starting lineup of children five minutes ago. This is not deciding whose apartment to move into. This is a massive, fundamental difference in what you want your future to look like. But apparently even THAT cannot produce an ounce of tension between these two.
And then we finally get to THE CONFLICT. You know, the big one. The moment everything has supposedly been building toward.
Except if you read Sin Bin, you already know what it is.
So I waited ten years, 86% of a book, and approximately 10 hours of my actual human life to reach a conflict I already knew was coming… only for the resolution to be completely anticlimactic.
Fuck off.
And finally, yes, we love a man who loves and respects women. We love a woman making a name for herself in a male-dominated space. I am HERE for both of those things.
But we get it.
At some point, repeating the same message stops adding depth and starts beating a dead horse.
If I could get back the 10 hours of my life I spent reading Cross Check, I would. The only reason I kept going was because I was convinced that somewhere in those pages I would finally find the DC Stars sparkle that made me give Hat Trick five stars.
I searched.
I waited.
I suffered.
It never came.
And before anyone comes for me, please know this is coming from someone who rated Hat Trick FIVE STARS. I know this series can give me that DC Stars sparkle. I spent this entire book desperately waiting for it to show up.
It did not.
First, the grammatical errors. And I’m not talking about a comma in the wrong place or something tiny I could easily overlook. I’m talking missing words, sentences I had to read three or four times just to figure out what they were supposed to say, and enough errors that I actively started counting them. I stopped somewhere around 20.
Then there’s the length. Fight me. This book did not need to be this long. If the author needed the length for creative reasons, fine, but I genuinely think the 10 year recap could have been told in 20 chapters max without losing anything important.
And approximately 50% of the book felt like text messages containing the same repetitive conversations over and over again. We get it. You want to know what she likes. Please, for the love of God, talk about something else.
But my biggest issue was the timeline.
The book is divided into parts, with each part taking place during a “past season.” Okay, cool concept. Except it takes until 76% into the book to reach the PRESENT SEASON. Not the present day. THE PRESENT SEASON. We are still reliving events we already know happened.
And it isn’t until 86% that we finally move beyond the events of Sin Bin.
EIGHTY. SIX. PERCENT.
Which brings me to the plot… or lack thereof.
Roughly 60% of this book is watching these two get to know each other over the course of EIGHT YEARS before they finally get together. It becomes repetitive. It becomes boring. And somehow, despite spending that much time together, I felt absolutely no tension between them. No passion. No yearning. Nothing.
They are also the most agreeable fuckers I have ever met.
“I think I need some space.”
“Okay.”
Proceeds to not speak for two months.
WHERE IS THE FIGHT? THE ANGST? THE EMOTION? SOMETHING?!
And perhaps the most insane example of this: at one point Grant talks about how he wants to get married and have, like, TEN KIDS someday. Amelia says nothing. Then, right before she finally decides she’s ready to be with him, she casually drops that she never wants children.
And Grant is basically just… okay with it???
SIR.
You wanted an entire starting lineup of children five minutes ago. This is not deciding whose apartment to move into. This is a massive, fundamental difference in what you want your future to look like. But apparently even THAT cannot produce an ounce of tension between these two.
And then we finally get to THE CONFLICT. You know, the big one. The moment everything has supposedly been building toward.
Except if you read Sin Bin, you already know what it is.
So I waited ten years, 86% of a book, and approximately 10 hours of my actual human life to reach a conflict I already knew was coming… only for the resolution to be completely anticlimactic.
Fuck off.
And finally, yes, we love a man who loves and respects women. We love a woman making a name for herself in a male-dominated space. I am HERE for both of those things.
But we get it.
At some point, repeating the same message stops adding depth and starts beating a dead horse.
If I could get back the 10 hours of my life I spent reading Cross Check, I would. The only reason I kept going was because I was convinced that somewhere in those pages I would finally find the DC Stars sparkle that made me give Hat Trick five stars.
I searched.
I waited.
I suffered.
It never came.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2026
4⭐ Well, this book was definitely lucky that it caught me in my cheesy vibes 😅
Let's start this review by addressing the elephant in the room: the size of this book. 800+ pages for a hockey romance felt insane when some of the fantasy books that I've read were shorter, but it actually doesn't feel long.
The reason why this is so big is that we go 10 YEARS BACK! I gotta say, this was actually one of my favourite parts of this book - sort of a trip through all the moments and stories of previous books in the series, and I honestly wish there were more books written like this😍 We get to see each book moment play through Grant's and Amelia's eyes, and I loved this little trip down memory lane 💗 Now, let's talk about our main characters and the story.
In this book, we follow Grant, who is a D.C. Stars hockey player and Amelia, who is a hockey coach. Their story begins when Grant sees Amelia coaching a game during his uni years and is instantly gone for her 😍 Then, by a lucky coincidence, they meet at an Italian restaurant, and a friendship starts. Over many years, Grant is hopelessly yearning for her while she clearly wants to be just friends to protect her reputation, but eventually realises Grant is so much more to her.
Overall, I really liked their story up to I would day 60% of the book. Afterwards, I'm gonna be honest, it started to feel a little bit cheesy for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some love declarations and yearning, but this quickly turned into pretty much an "I love you / no, I love you" type of story, which started to feel repetitive and tbh could have saved some pages.
🏒 Amelia Green - She is a new character, a previously successful junior hockey player who is now working on making a name for herself as a coach. I really liked her; she is smart, professional, loyal and overall just a likeable character. I think what I liked most is seeing her professional growth, her not being afraid of going after what she wants and making a name for herself. It was also refreshing seeing her choosing herself even if it meant potentially losing Grant - being vulnerable and honest with him about her choices. And also what a great epilogue with Amelia getting to fulfil her dream - so proud of her 💖
📓 Grant Everett - MY FAVORITE MMC OF THIS SERIES HANDS DOWN (Let's see if Ethan can top him 😉) He is such a sweet and gentle soul - As a friend, as a brother, as a boyfriend. He falls in love with Amelia when he is just a teenager, and he carries that love for her for so many years, even when it is clear they cannot be anything serious. He is such a great friend to other D.C. boys, supporting them and cheering on each other to do better. Of course, he will also be the one to be invited to the girls' nights 🥰 And we FINALLY learn what was in those notebooks 🫠
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, I would say this one is probably in the top 3 of the D.C. Start Series, with current standings as follows:
1. Power Play 🩷
2. Slap Shot 💚
3. Cross Check🧡
4. Face Off 💙
5. Sin Bin 💖
6. Hat Trick💜
⟡ 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.
Let's start this review by addressing the elephant in the room: the size of this book. 800+ pages for a hockey romance felt insane when some of the fantasy books that I've read were shorter, but it actually doesn't feel long.
The reason why this is so big is that we go 10 YEARS BACK! I gotta say, this was actually one of my favourite parts of this book - sort of a trip through all the moments and stories of previous books in the series, and I honestly wish there were more books written like this😍 We get to see each book moment play through Grant's and Amelia's eyes, and I loved this little trip down memory lane 💗 Now, let's talk about our main characters and the story.
In this book, we follow Grant, who is a D.C. Stars hockey player and Amelia, who is a hockey coach. Their story begins when Grant sees Amelia coaching a game during his uni years and is instantly gone for her 😍 Then, by a lucky coincidence, they meet at an Italian restaurant, and a friendship starts. Over many years, Grant is hopelessly yearning for her while she clearly wants to be just friends to protect her reputation, but eventually realises Grant is so much more to her.
Overall, I really liked their story up to I would day 60% of the book. Afterwards, I'm gonna be honest, it started to feel a little bit cheesy for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some love declarations and yearning, but this quickly turned into pretty much an "I love you / no, I love you" type of story, which started to feel repetitive and tbh could have saved some pages.
🏒 Amelia Green - She is a new character, a previously successful junior hockey player who is now working on making a name for herself as a coach. I really liked her; she is smart, professional, loyal and overall just a likeable character. I think what I liked most is seeing her professional growth, her not being afraid of going after what she wants and making a name for herself. It was also refreshing seeing her choosing herself even if it meant potentially losing Grant - being vulnerable and honest with him about her choices. And also what a great epilogue with Amelia getting to fulfil her dream - so proud of her 💖
📓 Grant Everett - MY FAVORITE MMC OF THIS SERIES HANDS DOWN (Let's see if Ethan can top him 😉) He is such a sweet and gentle soul - As a friend, as a brother, as a boyfriend. He falls in love with Amelia when he is just a teenager, and he carries that love for her for so many years, even when it is clear they cannot be anything serious. He is such a great friend to other D.C. boys, supporting them and cheering on each other to do better. Of course, he will also be the one to be invited to the girls' nights 🥰 And we FINALLY learn what was in those notebooks 🫠
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, I would say this one is probably in the top 3 of the D.C. Start Series, with current standings as follows:
1. Power Play 🩷
2. Slap Shot 💚
3. Cross Check🧡
4. Face Off 💙
5. Sin Bin 💖
6. Hat Trick💜
⟡ 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.
Want to Read
May 5, 2026₊˚ ౿ ❄️ 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 🥹
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 🥹
September 11, 2026
1. this is too long (I mean 776 pages, like girl)
2. the girl bossing is getting a little old
anyways, I lowkey liked the first book, but the rest of them haven't been up to the mark that the first one left.
2. the girl bossing is getting a little old
anyways, I lowkey liked the first book, but the rest of them haven't been up to the mark that the first one left.
August 28, 2026
Barely worth the wait.
I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd just started 60% of the way through. The 5 years of flashbacks bring very little to the storyline, and Grant is such a green flag guy it's basically like reading romance starring Kermit. His only personality trait is being enamored of Amelia.
Also, despite the publication delays, this was riddled with editorial errors. Basic line stuff, like missing words and word swaps like "Brain" instead of "Brian," but also regional setting errors about travel between D.C. and Baltimore and, no, Grant, you wouldn't put billboards up around the Capital Beltway -- billboards aren't allowed.
It also felt off to me that Grant + Amelia's power dynamic was at play, but no one brought up the imbalance of Mav being Emmy's captain when they started dating (though obv the point here was a woman in power, but arguably the league would've pushed any opportunity against Emmy, right?).
Anyway. Will def read Ethan's story, but this series may have peaked with Piper & Sully or Lexi & Riley.
I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd just started 60% of the way through. The 5 years of flashbacks bring very little to the storyline, and Grant is such a green flag guy it's basically like reading romance starring Kermit. His only personality trait is being enamored of Amelia.
Also, despite the publication delays, this was riddled with editorial errors. Basic line stuff, like missing words and word swaps like "Brain" instead of "Brian," but also regional setting errors about travel between D.C. and Baltimore and, no, Grant, you wouldn't put billboards up around the Capital Beltway -- billboards aren't allowed.
It also felt off to me that Grant + Amelia's power dynamic was at play, but no one brought up the imbalance of Mav being Emmy's captain when they started dating (though obv the point here was a woman in power, but arguably the league would've pushed any opportunity against Emmy, right?).
Anyway. Will def read Ethan's story, but this series may have peaked with Piper & Sully or Lexi & Riley.
Currently Reading
August 29, 2026I've been struggling with reading lately and I refuse to go into a reading slump, so I'm pausing my other reads to read this.. If Amelia and Grant don't help, nothing will..
Give me all the yearning!!!
Give me all the yearning!!!
Read
January 8, 20268/1/2026 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!!
Did Not Finish
August 30, 2026i’m sorry, i really tried but this is insane
no hockey romance should ever been EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES. i don’t care how many of them are text messages, just stop. this entire book, up til 70% when i had to stop and skim, is just a repetitive mess. i’m all for angst and years of pining but this was just ridiculous. grant and amelia have the most boring conversations for years and years and i’m supposed to believe they have an undeniable connection…
the writing in this was just incredibly cringey and i’m not really sure how this series has so many five star reviews. grant felt like a caricature of a man with a crush. he had zero personality, we get it you write in a notebook… do something else. his self deprecating personality got annoying about a hundred pages in. amelia is just fine, she also doesn’t seem to have a big personality. i just didn’t like either of them and i don’t care to see how their story ends.
i skipped ahead a bit, because i received the arc for this and i feel bad dnfing. but nothing was changing and i do not want to get in a slump reading this nothingness.
no hockey romance should ever been EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES. i don’t care how many of them are text messages, just stop. this entire book, up til 70% when i had to stop and skim, is just a repetitive mess. i’m all for angst and years of pining but this was just ridiculous. grant and amelia have the most boring conversations for years and years and i’m supposed to believe they have an undeniable connection…
the writing in this was just incredibly cringey and i’m not really sure how this series has so many five star reviews. grant felt like a caricature of a man with a crush. he had zero personality, we get it you write in a notebook… do something else. his self deprecating personality got annoying about a hundred pages in. amelia is just fine, she also doesn’t seem to have a big personality. i just didn’t like either of them and i don’t care to see how their story ends.
i skipped ahead a bit, because i received the arc for this and i feel bad dnfing. but nothing was changing and i do not want to get in a slump reading this nothingness.
August 28, 2026
here’s yet another book by this author where the mmc seems to have no personality other than being the fmc’s cheerleader - because in these series men are apparently not allowed to have career ambitions, hopes for a family or marriage, or any negative personality traits!
I’ll probably read Ethan’s book but I’m getting more and more tired of all this bossgirl bs being forced down my throat. there are many many many ways of being a strong woman and not all of them have to go through being an independent badass boss babe who is outspoken and wants no children, which is basically what we’ve gotten for 5/6 and it really would be nice if the author could branch out a bit.
also! there was a power imbalance here! and it’s not really excusable just because the one with the power is the girl :)
I’ll probably read Ethan’s book but I’m getting more and more tired of all this bossgirl bs being forced down my throat. there are many many many ways of being a strong woman and not all of them have to go through being an independent badass boss babe who is outspoken and wants no children, which is basically what we’ve gotten for 5/6 and it really would be nice if the author could branch out a bit.
also! there was a power imbalance here! and it’s not really excusable just because the one with the power is the girl :)
August 27, 2026
Half of this book is their text messages… yawn… we’re forced to learn their favorite sandwich and pizza topics
as usual for this author, the male character is too perfect which makes it almost comical. I like the plot idea: younger hockey player with a female coach but does it need to be 800 pages long???
as usual for this author, the male character is too perfect which makes it almost comical. I like the plot idea: younger hockey player with a female coach but does it need to be 800 pages long???
September 6, 2026
a 700 page book and i ate it up in 2 days. what does that say? that im crazy.
grant everett is prob in my top contemporary men ever. this man LITERALLY keeps notes of her every time he learns something new about her.
amelia is one of the fmcs you're like "yeah, she's a confident bitch". the way this woman stands up for herself is like no other.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP SPANNED OVER YEARS OF BEING IN SECRET.
also the found family?! reading this made me realize how much i've missed these characters.
quotes:
'The longer I think about it, the clearer the vision of my dream woman becomes.
Amelia.
It has to be Amelia.'
'I will be patient.
She's worth the wait.' 🤭
'Peace, my mind whispers when I close my eyes.
That's what I feel when she's with me.'
"Baby, I'm ready to learn and have nowhere to be. It could take a million minutes, and I'm still going to say thank-you after."
'Here lies Grant Everett, throttle by the woman of his dreams.'
"You first, Lia. You're always first."
'I know she's not just the prize. She's the goddamn jackpot.'
"I'm addicted to you, Lia, and I don't want to find a cure."
"You're it for me, and I'm never going to love anyone else. Not when they won't hold a candle to how I feel about you. You're the greatest gift I've ever been given, and I'd do it all again. Even this part." 🤧🤌
grant everett is prob in my top contemporary men ever. this man LITERALLY keeps notes of her every time he learns something new about her.
amelia is one of the fmcs you're like "yeah, she's a confident bitch". the way this woman stands up for herself is like no other.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP SPANNED OVER YEARS OF BEING IN SECRET.
also the found family?! reading this made me realize how much i've missed these characters.
quotes:
'The longer I think about it, the clearer the vision of my dream woman becomes.
Amelia.
It has to be Amelia.'
'I will be patient.
She's worth the wait.' 🤭
'Peace, my mind whispers when I close my eyes.
That's what I feel when she's with me.'
"Baby, I'm ready to learn and have nowhere to be. It could take a million minutes, and I'm still going to say thank-you after."
'Here lies Grant Everett, throttle by the woman of his dreams.'
"You first, Lia. You're always first."
'I know she's not just the prize. She's the goddamn jackpot.'
"I'm addicted to you, Lia, and I don't want to find a cure."
"You're it for me, and I'm never going to love anyone else. Not when they won't hold a candle to how I feel about you. You're the greatest gift I've ever been given, and I'd do it all again. Even this part." 🤧🤌
August 23, 2026
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.
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.
August 28, 2026
6 ⭐️ favorite book in the series!!! So so good
26 BOOKS IN 2026 CHALLENGE: 21/26
26 BOOKS IN 2026 CHALLENGE: 21/26
August 27, 2026
:(
i loved the first few books of this series so much! but I just feel a bit more disappointed with every new release. i have no clue why this is 800 pages, and the last 100 are a painful read. and not in the devastating-but-worth-it-way. more like stumbling through undeserved angst and actions that didn’t match the internal narrative of the characters.
i loved the first few books of this series so much! but I just feel a bit more disappointed with every new release. i have no clue why this is 800 pages, and the last 100 are a painful read. and not in the devastating-but-worth-it-way. more like stumbling through undeserved angst and actions that didn’t match the internal narrative of the characters.
Want to Read
December 20, 2025THE FACT THAT IT'S COMING IN A MONTH OUHHH IM SAT
September 6, 2026
full review to come (maybe ?) i’m debating whether to write a whole essay or keep it short and simple. i have to organize my thoughts.
August 28, 2026
Good lord. I won’t lie. I was optimistic for this one compared to the others. That was a mistake. Genuinely I don’t even know how to review this book. I’m all for girl power but my goodness. Grant giving up having babies and getting married? Not something you should compromise on. This could’ve been 200 pages and it would’ve sufficed. I liked the idea of this spanning over multiple years, but his obsession with her from the beginning was honestly so incredibly creepy. Don’t get me wrong. I like grants character, but I think he was done dirty cause that was just bizarre.
August 26, 2026
826 page of nothingness
August 29, 2026
infinite ⭐️
August 27, 2026
dnf
This was my one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I’ve enjoyed the rest of this series, but 430 pages in and they’ve not so much as kissed, there’s slow burn and then there’s this. While I appreciate the backstory in friends to lovers, this was about as engaging as reading the phone book, and I just don’t have it in me to keep going.
This was my one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I’ve enjoyed the rest of this series, but 430 pages in and they’ve not so much as kissed, there’s slow burn and then there’s this. While I appreciate the backstory in friends to lovers, this was about as engaging as reading the phone book, and I just don’t have it in me to keep going.
September 3, 2026
⋆˙⟡ ── ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ 4.2⭐️
This book made me hate men. Okay, in all seriousness, women are treated so unfairly as opposed to their counterparts. Double standards are..ew.
Anyway, did I ever think a Sports Romance needed to be over 800 pages? Absolutely not, but this is an exception. This totally was required to understand the time and depth of Grant and Amelia’s build up to relationship. We walked through all the highlights of the previous books and their couples throughout the way so that we could see what Grant was actually going through too. The yearning was so worth it. A little too spicy for me, but the payoff was rewarding. There is technically a “third act breakup,” but it’s 100% not what you may think.
Also, I cried. There was a lot that happened in the last 20% that just got me in my feels. Grant is..everything. The greenest flag. The sweetest most pure soul. Chelsea writes good “down bad” MMCs.
Suuuuper slow burn, but I promise it’s worth the payoff. And extra cool points to Chelsea for the “Stacy’s Mom” and Elle Woods references. The millennial in me loves seeing those brief nods.
This book made me hate men. Okay, in all seriousness, women are treated so unfairly as opposed to their counterparts. Double standards are..ew.
Anyway, did I ever think a Sports Romance needed to be over 800 pages? Absolutely not, but this is an exception. This totally was required to understand the time and depth of Grant and Amelia’s build up to relationship. We walked through all the highlights of the previous books and their couples throughout the way so that we could see what Grant was actually going through too. The yearning was so worth it. A little too spicy for me, but the payoff was rewarding. There is technically a “third act breakup,” but it’s 100% not what you may think.
Also, I cried. There was a lot that happened in the last 20% that just got me in my feels. Grant is..everything. The greenest flag. The sweetest most pure soul. Chelsea writes good “down bad” MMCs.
Suuuuper slow burn, but I promise it’s worth the payoff. And extra cool points to Chelsea for the “Stacy’s Mom” and Elle Woods references. The millennial in me loves seeing those brief nods.
August 31, 2026
I originally thought this book was going to be a five star… at least through the first 50% or so. I loooooved their slow build up!!
I also loved Grant. Do I wish he had a personality trait past loving Amelia? Of course!! But I’m a sucker for a simp & he is the blueprint.
My real issue with this book comes from the ending. I really thought Amelia was a wonderful FMC… through most of the book. Rooting for her was so easy. But then the ending came.
Grant gave and gave and gave and loved her endlessly and bought her a house & showed in every aspect of life he was going to put her first… and then she just says “ehh I guess we’ll see if we wanna be together in like 10 years? alright see ya, bye!!!” GIRLLLL for once show a little bit of the devotion that Grant showed you for a DECADE!!!
Still enjoyed this book, & while I loved their love story I don’t totally love them together 🤷🏼♀️
I also loved Grant. Do I wish he had a personality trait past loving Amelia? Of course!! But I’m a sucker for a simp & he is the blueprint.
My real issue with this book comes from the ending. I really thought Amelia was a wonderful FMC… through most of the book. Rooting for her was so easy. But then the ending came.
Grant gave and gave and gave and loved her endlessly and bought her a house & showed in every aspect of life he was going to put her first… and then she just says “ehh I guess we’ll see if we wanna be together in like 10 years? alright see ya, bye!!!” GIRLLLL for once show a little bit of the devotion that Grant showed you for a DECADE!!!
Still enjoyed this book, & while I loved their love story I don’t totally love them together 🤷🏼♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2026
1/2 of this book is text messages. I couldn’t finish. I enjoyed a few of the early books of this series but what started cute turned into sloppy writing, pages and pages of text messages to tell a story, and as a female who grew up playing hockey, I love that we want to be inclusive but do we have to shove it down our throats? It just felt like repetitive fake allay-ship for the sake of it. If you want to write a think piece about women’s sports, great, write that. It felt unrealistic and forced and at times patronizing. They should’ve heavily edited this book. I wanted a novel, not a phone script.
May 27, 2026
bah déjà pour commencer : quel bonheuuuur de retrouver l'univers des DC stars 💘
j’adore à quel point le hockey est central et tellement accurate, c’est une veritable hockey romance le sujet est ultra bien exploité c’est pas présent en fond pour faire beau, Chelsea sait de quoi elle parle et juste pour ça MERCI (je vis ma première off season et je souffre j’pense que ça se voit)
j’avais eu la chance de pouvoir enchainer les 5 premiers tomes en janvier et c’était incroyable, quel supplice ça a été d’attendre celui-ci mais tellement heureuse de retrouver l’une de mes found family préférée,
j’ai une fois de plus adoré la mise en lumière sur la place des femmes dans le sport de haut niveau avec le role d’Amelia, c’est trop inspirant et tellement nécessaire !!! j’ai adoré les sujets que ça soulève, et Grant ???? est-ce que j’ai les mots adéquat pour parler de lui même? j’ai tout aimé de sa personnalité et de ses valeurs
cross check est le plus long tome de la saga en termes de pages (+800) mais surtout en termes de temporalité parce que l’histoire se déroule sur 10 ans, ça peut faire peur mais c’est vraiment bien réalisé et le slow burn est évidemment exceptionnel (je pèse mes mots)
si vous aimez cette saga pour moi vous ne pouvez pas aimer ce tome parce qu’il permet de revivre plein de moments hyper importants avec un nouveau pov et quel bonheur (et malheur par moment, if u know u know)
ce livre n'est pas coup de cœur comme slap shot qui m’avait profondément touché mais c’est un perfect 5/5 sans hésiter une seule seconde, ne serait-ce que pour la found family et réconfort que ça m’a apporté (les conversations de groupe ne me feront jamais pas rigoler)
trop hâte du tome sur Easy E maintenant (hear me out- je sens que ça peut être un coup de cœur et qu’il va grave me toucher) mais déjà en miette à l’idée de devoir les quitter (btw si jamais Chelsea, tu peux écrire un tome sur Connor aussi tu sais)
────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 5/5☆
#7 - weak side -/5☆
j’adore à quel point le hockey est central et tellement accurate, c’est une veritable hockey romance le sujet est ultra bien exploité c’est pas présent en fond pour faire beau, Chelsea sait de quoi elle parle et juste pour ça MERCI (je vis ma première off season et je souffre j’pense que ça se voit)
j’avais eu la chance de pouvoir enchainer les 5 premiers tomes en janvier et c’était incroyable, quel supplice ça a été d’attendre celui-ci mais tellement heureuse de retrouver l’une de mes found family préférée,
j’ai une fois de plus adoré la mise en lumière sur la place des femmes dans le sport de haut niveau avec le role d’Amelia, c’est trop inspirant et tellement nécessaire !!! j’ai adoré les sujets que ça soulève, et Grant ???? est-ce que j’ai les mots adéquat pour parler de lui même? j’ai tout aimé de sa personnalité et de ses valeurs
cross check est le plus long tome de la saga en termes de pages (+800) mais surtout en termes de temporalité parce que l’histoire se déroule sur 10 ans, ça peut faire peur mais c’est vraiment bien réalisé et le slow burn est évidemment exceptionnel (je pèse mes mots)
si vous aimez cette saga pour moi vous ne pouvez pas aimer ce tome parce qu’il permet de revivre plein de moments hyper importants avec un nouveau pov et quel bonheur (et malheur par moment, if u know u know)
ce livre n'est pas coup de cœur comme slap shot qui m’avait profondément touché mais c’est un perfect 5/5 sans hésiter une seule seconde, ne serait-ce que pour la found family et réconfort que ça m’a apporté (les conversations de groupe ne me feront jamais pas rigoler)
trop hâte du tome sur Easy E maintenant (hear me out- je sens que ça peut être un coup de cœur et qu’il va grave me toucher) mais déjà en miette à l’idée de devoir les quitter (btw si jamais Chelsea, tu peux écrire un tome sur Connor aussi tu sais)
────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 5/5☆
#7 - weak side -/5☆
August 28, 2026
Listen, I was really excited about this and I didn't not like it. But we didn't even get to this season until the 80% mark. I know the point was showing the build of the Friendship and following relationship, but we only got a blip of them actually being together in the present and that was disappointing. I understand her not wanting to cut anything out so you can show that history and build up, but I think it was too long. I spent time skimming because I just wanted to see the plot move along. I would've liked more time in the present. Let us see them now and then let the conflict build.
Also, I love Grant but do I love Amelia? Don't know. All we really learned in 826 pages is that she's a badass female in a man's space and she knows her hockey. Oh and it was mentioned in passing she has sisters. I feel like with this page count, there could've been much more building her character background into more than being a coach and liking meatball subs. And it bugged me that Grant was so willing to fight for her and literally give up everything and she...wasn't. I get the dilemma, it's a career she worked hard for and they really threw the Book at her, but girl.
This is also the second book in the series where the mmc has it set he wants marriage/ kids and she says "nope" and he says ok. I feel like those are big things that you don't really compromise on because eventually.... there will be resentment down the road. And that is regardless of if it's the mmc or fmc who is making the compromise. Want a house in the suburbs instead of in the city? Sure. Compromise. But marriage and kids? I just feel like I fully believe down the road, those couples break up.
I like the series. Piper and Liam remain my favorite and I'll probably continue with Ethan's book. This one however was just ok.
Also, I love Grant but do I love Amelia? Don't know. All we really learned in 826 pages is that she's a badass female in a man's space and she knows her hockey. Oh and it was mentioned in passing she has sisters. I feel like with this page count, there could've been much more building her character background into more than being a coach and liking meatball subs. And it bugged me that Grant was so willing to fight for her and literally give up everything and she...wasn't. I get the dilemma, it's a career she worked hard for and they really threw the Book at her, but girl.
This is also the second book in the series where the mmc has it set he wants marriage/ kids and she says "nope" and he says ok. I feel like those are big things that you don't really compromise on because eventually.... there will be resentment down the road. And that is regardless of if it's the mmc or fmc who is making the compromise. Want a house in the suburbs instead of in the city? Sure. Compromise. But marriage and kids? I just feel like I fully believe down the road, those couples break up.
I like the series. Piper and Liam remain my favorite and I'll probably continue with Ethan's book. This one however was just ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
reviewed-not-read
September 2, 2026you know we’ve lost the plot when a hockey romance is 778 pages
Want to Read
August 21, 2026⋆˙⟡ 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.)
(I’m just ready to see Grant yearning for Amelia for 10 years straight.)
September 1, 2026
I did really enjoy this! I think the found family in this series is so elite, I loved how much we got all the characters in this book. I loved that we got to experience Grant and Amelia’s story from the very beginning, which also allowed us to relive some of the past books! But i don’t know if I can relive Riley’s accident anymore lol. Grant was so precious and truly the definition of a down bad man. He was obsessed and that’s exactly how I like it! Now for some things I didn’t love. This was too long, it could’ve been cut down 100-200 pages and still given the same impact. I liked that we really got to see their relationship progress naturally but it was almost too slow. Some moment could’ve probably been taken out to shorten the book up. Also i really didn’t like the third act breakup situation. I felt Grant was willing to do anything to fix it and Amelia was ready to give up. I genuinely thought the next chapter was about to say “10 years later”. I get this is about woman in male dominated fields and I’m all for women empowerment but it’s also a romance book and I want to feel like these characters would do anything to be with one another, and I only felt that from Grant. I love characters equally down bad for each other. So that’s mainly why I rated it lower. But overall it was really cute and their relationship was cute too. Just a few things that overall gave this 4 stars! I’m sat though for Ethan’s book!!
August 27, 2026
Loved some parts / disliked others - I really thought this one would be my fave!
I loved the yearning and the buildup. I could even be ok with Grant giving up marriage and kids for Amelia. I love a feminist angle but the whole being ready to walk away from love for a job just kind of put a damper on things for me.
I loved the yearning and the buildup. I could even be ok with Grant giving up marriage and kids for Amelia. I love a feminist angle but the whole being ready to walk away from love for a job just kind of put a damper on things for me.
August 30, 2026
Bring back male empowerment immediately. I hate this woman. Her man was willing to and in fact did drop EVERYTHING for her and she couldn’t so much as to choose him once… tf are we talkinggggg abouttttt
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