He’s hockey’s most notorious grump. She’s all about happy endings. Together, they’re rewriting the rules of love.

Tessa Monroe believes in grand gestures, slow burns, and happily-ever-afters, the kind she sells at her indie bookstore, Once Upon a Bookshop. But when Liam O’Connor, the brooding, granite-jawed goalie of the Maple Falls Lumberjacks, crashes into her world mid-losing streak, Tessa’s fictional fantasies get a real-world rewrite.

With a scowl sharp enough to slice open shrink wrap and a reputation for shutting out both pucks and people, Liam is the last man she’d cast as a romance hero… until he accidentally wins her Literature Bingo Night with encyclopedic knowledge of Pride and Prejudice.

Challenge accepted.
Liam’s idea of a good time? Silence, solitude, and zero distractions. Not a fiery bookseller who dares him to read a romance novel… or her.

But when Tessa bets him a book club date against his grumpy pride, something unexpected happens.

Between her lethal wit, maple latte wizardry, and the way she sees past his armor to the soft center he forgot he had, Liam’s starting to think Tessa might be the only playbook he needs.

But love isn’t a game. Or is it?
As bonfires crackle and snow falls over their quirky Vermont town, their opposites-attract chemistry starts melting more than just marshmallows.

Liam trades his goalie mask for late-night bookstore raids and defends Tessa from rude customers and her own self-doubt, while Tessa drags him into chaotic book debates and invents a “Hockey Hero” cocktail that goes viral.

Just as they begin rewriting each other’s endings, the weight of Liam’s past, and the pressure of a big game, puts everything on ice.

Tessa’s willing to risk her heart. But can a man who lives for shutouts ever let love in?

Perfect for fans of grumpy x sunshine romance, bookish banter, and cinnamon roll athletes in disguise.

Includes:

Grumpy goalie x sunshine bookseller banter

A bet that backfires (or does it?)

Small-town charm, swoony gestures, and a judgmental cat named Biscuit

Roasted marshmallows, viral cocktails, and a love story that’s worth the overtime

Fall for the goalie who’s bad at love… but great at proving he’s worth the risk.

Tropes You’ll Devour:
Grumpy x Sunshine
Small-Town Romance
Opposites Attract
Meet-Cute Chaos
Secret Softie Hero
Found Family Vibes & Book Club Shenanigans

Read it now—before this grumpy goalie steals your heart and refuses to give it back.