He doesn’t say much, but when he looks at her, it’s like she’s the only thing that’s ever made sense.

A heart-melting instalove hockey romance where one look changes everything and fate doesn’t wait around.

Nora Wilder isn’t looking for love. She’s too focused on launching her dream physical therapy clinic in small-town Maple Falls, where everyone knows your business and your coffee order. She likes plans, structure, and keeping her heart right where it’s safe.

Then Ethan Ashford walks into her office. Quiet, brooding, and painfully gorgeous, the pro hockey defenseman isn’t used to being seen off the ice. Until Nora. The second their eyes meet, something shifts. Something real. Something immediate.

He’s the kind of man who doesn’t waste words, but when he looks at Nora, it’s with the weight of everything he’s never said. She’s the only one who sees through the armor, and the only one who makes him want to stay. In a town where gossip spreads faster than wildfire, Nora and Ethan’s connection ignites like a spark to kindling. Instant. Intense. Undeniable. But with their worlds pulling in opposite directions, and past scars threatening to undo what’s barely begun, they’ll have to choose. Fight for something that feels like forever … or walk away before it ever really starts.

In Maple Falls, love shows up without warning. Ready or not.

If you love protective heroes, fierce heroines, and instant chemistry that turns into forever, this hockey romance is for you.

Tropes in Slapshot to My Heart

Instalove

Grumpy x Sunshine

Small Town Romance

Protective Hero

Heroine with a Caregiving Profession (Physical Therapist)

Man of Few Words, Eyes That Say Everything

Found the One Without Looking

Mutual Pining, One of Them Just Doesn’t Know It Yet

Emotionally Safe Hero / Soft on Her

Close Proximity + Small-Town Gossip Mill

Cozy Vibes with Heat and Heart

Love at First Sight but Neither of Them Knows What to Do With It

Fated Love / Meant to Be / “Written in the Stars” Feel