The Best Winter Sports Romances You Can’t Help But Root For
This season doesn’t only bring out cold weather and festivities. It is also the start of the winter sports season. I know that (maybe) many don’t follow the national leagues and individual programs of these sports, but I am sure that whenever the Winter Olympics come up, we all are there for the athletes. It’s exciting and it only comes up every four years, so we see a lot of athletes give it their best for that one chance to get the gold medal. But if you do follow championships and tours over the year, you’ll be very familiar with the sports in this list of best winter sports romances you can’t help but root for.
While some of them are done throughout the year, these sports are considered winter sports. They are all done during the Winter Olympics and most of the time you need cold weather to do them. So you can say, “Why is figure skating in this?” when you can watch figure skaters compete throughout the year. I consider it a winter sport, though. But you’ll definitely find more sports in these next romance books aside from hockey and figure skating. Though personally, I’m quite obsessed with hockey romances right now, so I couldn’t forget about them *wink* even if I wanted to.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
One of the best slice-of-life winter sports romances I’ve ever read! Icebreaker follows figure skater Anastasia who is currently training for the Olympics. But when the hockey team starts training in the same ice rink as her, she instantly blames their captain. Nate knows it’s their fault they’re in this situation, but he’s ready to roll with it. Especially if it means constantly interacting with the grumpy, very pretty, figure skater.
This college romance is everything you need in a book, I can assure you of this. Steamy, entertaining, and full of life, Icebreaker is going to become your favorite read this year.
Consider Me by Becka Mack
This book has one of the best golden retriever–type heroes. You’ll ask me “Silvana, what is a golden retriever–type hero?” I got you. A golden retriever–type hero is a character who has the personality of a golden retriever. You know: he gets easily happy with the attention, always wants cuddles, and takes care of his own. You’ll no doubt fall for Carter Beckett in Consider Me.
But not only because of him, though. This book will constantly make you smile with its endearing characters and love story. Olivia knows Carter is a playboy, but that doesn’t change how quickly they both feel the attraction between them. When Olivia starts to let her guard down around him, she soon realizes she has no chance when it comes to Carter Beckett.
Throwing Stones by Avery Cockburn
I know next to nothing about curling, but I’m not going to lie and say I do not watch it when the Winter Olympics are on. It’s very intriguing and even though I do not know the rules, I enjoy the game and the excitement behind every point.
Throwing Stones is about Oliver, Canada’s top curler, who accepts a job to coach Scotland’s next big team. But in order to achieve stardom and leave his scandalous life behind, he needs to defeat Luca Riley’s team.
Fire On the Ice by Tamsen Parker
Tamsen Parker actually wrote a whole winter sports romance series with Snow & Ice Games. Fire on the Ice is the fourth book in the series, but you can still read it as a standalone. Still, I highly recommend every single book in the series if you wish to read more romance books set in this winter competition!
This book follows two skaters from different teams. Blaze is the bad girl of the short-track speed skating world who will do anything to be on the front page of the papers. Maisy is one of Canada’s best figure skaters who gets easily exasperated with Blaze’s attitude. But she cannot deny the attraction she feels whenever she is with her. After one epic night, will they come back for more? Fire on the Ice is steamy, romantic, and all about winter sports.
A Little Too Wild by Devney Perry
Crew Madigan is a snowboarding legend. Once upon a time, he left his hometown and never looked back. Now, he has to return for his brother’s wedding. Good thing he bumps into his childhood crush, Raven, making this trip worth it. But there’s one tiny detail that stops him from pursuing her: she is his best friend’s sister. Plus she has sworn off dating athletes of any kind. Especially someone like Crew Madigan.
Off the Ice by Jaqueline Snowe
The Central State series has humor, friendships, and romances that will make you swoon from the very first page. In this fourth book, you’ll get to finally meet Elle Van Helsing, who has always lived under her brother’s shadow. Tired of constantly having to step aside, she decides to be away from home for a while. Getting a job at a bar should be easy and fun, but that soon changes when the owner has a family emergency and asks his nephew to help out in his absence. His nephew…the guy she used to have a crush on until he undeniably ruined everything!
Mr. November by Melanie Ting
If you love big, terrifying hockey players who are secretly softies, you will adore Marty Devonshire in Mr. November. In this novel, Marty gets invited to pose for a team charity calendar. There, he meets the wonderful Elaine Salang who is determined to not have her heart broken again. So, she has decided to focus all her attention on her job, her school, and the volunteer work she does at a cat shelter. But when sparks fly between them, will Elaine have a second chance at love? You’ll have to read Mr. November to find out!
Sunny Disposition by Deanna Grey
Sunny Disposition is a college sports romance featuring a hockey player and a gamer. Naomi is currently sharing a house with four hockey players! Isn’t that wild? But there’s one of them that can’t seem to smile much…or any at all. The thing is that they’ve been anonymously talking online but, because Finn recently had a fight during a game resulting in amnesia, he doesn’t remember talking to her at all. But why does he feel like he knows her voice from somewhere?
Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
I’m sure you know about Check, Please! but if you are one of the only people in the world who has not yet read this iconic, swoony graphic novel, this is the perfect moment to do so. Especially if you’re a fan of winter sports romances.
Check, Please! is a story that lives inside your heart even after you finish reading it. It’s going to live there for so many years after. It’s a story about Bitty who has only known figure skating. But he’s at Samwell University as a hockey player now! He’s a part-time vlogger and amateur patissier as well, so Bitty is surely going to enchant you instantly.
Off the Ice by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
One of the best winter sports romances is definitely Off the Ice, a romance featuring a hockey player and a professor. I usually do not read student/professor romance books, but Gale and Vaughn do this trope in such a healthy, non-toxic way. I love that Tristan and Sebastian’s romance really starts after grades are given, so no power imbalance.
This book follows hockey player Tristan, who is a bit afraid of what the future has for him. He knows he cannot be a hockey player for life, so he decides to finish his business degree. He definitely didn’t expect to be attracted to his standoffish professor, Sebastian.
Sincerely, the Puck Bunny by Maren Moore
Maren Moore creates wonderful stories filled with humor and love, and Sincerely, the Puck Bunny is just what the doctor ordered. Every page will make you laugh, cry, and feel so many things you won’t be able to stop reading.
Briggs decides to take a small weekend off from his scandalous life of playing professional hockey. During his stay at this little inn, he meets Maddison, a woman with a big secret. After an epic one-night stand, Maddison disappears the next day. But when they reunite nine months later, Briggs finds out that Maddison is pregnant with his baby!
Kiss and Cry by Mina V. Esguerra
When it comes to winter sports romances, we instantly think of 1992’s The Cutting Edge, right? Figure skater meets hockey player and they eventually fall in love. Whenever a book has this dynamic, I always want to read it.
They met each other when she was the rising star in women’s skating and he was the superstar forward of the hockey team. But then, her parents and her coach didn’t approve of her relationship with them. Instead, they wanted her to focus on her sports career. Ten years have passed since that fated moment between them and they happen to reunite. After a few gold medals and lots of accolades, they still are single and ready to take a chance on that relationship that once upon a time made them feel butterflies. They have only three weeks to do all the things they wish they did back then. And maybe…maybe after that, they’ll have a future together.
If you’re a big fan of sports romance books and you want more recommendations, here at Book Riot, we can help you out. Between 20 of the best sports romances out there and these sports romances that will for sure make you swoon, you have a lot of books to read now! Sports are so exhilarating and intense, and you bet all of these books are going to be that and more.
