Determined to get drafted by the end of the season, Riley has one last chance to lead Northwood U’s Arctic Titans to the cup. Building upon three years of razor-sharp focus and hard-won respect, Riley wants the year to run perfectly. But when his former lover—the best friend who broke his heart and abandoned him to go to college across the country—joins the team, everything is thrown off balance. Fighting at every turn, Riley and Cameron are nemeses trapped on the same team, but Cameron’s aggressive, dominant, and possessive nature is a lure Riley can’t resist, and one locker room encounter is all it takes to destroy their resolve. They both know there’s no future for them—their ambitions to reach the NHL have left only ruin and heartbreak in their wake. Yet neither Riley nor Cameron can resist the other’s pull, and every private moment they share makes them wonder what they’re truly fighting for: their careers or each other.

Despite covering some deeply emotional themes of trauma and abandonment and the angst-heavy tone especially in the first half, Crossing Blades finds a solid balance between the weight of the heavier aspects and more positive themes of self-discovery, acceptance, and personal growth. MMCs Riley’s and Cameron’s steamy, tense romance is complemented by strong character development and an engaging cast of supporting characters that bring a light-heartedness to their story and the setting. A great introduction to the broader Northwood U series, I’m excited to continue the journey with Northwood U’s players in book two, Scoring the Keeper.