It’s the most wonderful time of the year — for sports fans, at least! The Winter Olympics have arrived, and with it, plenty of reminders of just how intense and high-drama elite sports can be. And, naturally, all that pressure makes a great backdrop for some delicious winter sports romances!
Hockey romance is, of course, its own giant thing, but there’s so much more to winter sports romances than just pucks, nets, and stick puns. While we touch on hockey romance here, we’ve also got stories set in the worlds of figure skating, curling, skiing, and more. In between rooting for your favorite athletes, check out these romances!
Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
Hockey is probably the only sport to really have its own distinct niche among winter sports romances. And with the breakout success of Heated Rivalry, it’s having a bigger moment than ever. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to read one of the “foundational texts” of hockey romance! After a bet gone wrong, former friends Jamie and Ryan stopped speaking. But when their college hockey teams are set to face each other, they’ll have to face their shared past, too. And a shared job at a summer camp? Things are going to get steamy… and then very, very emotional.
Bonus: Bowen also wrote the Cutting Edge-meets-Persuasion romance Thrown for a Loop. A decade ago, Chase and Zoe met and fell fast at a skating camp, until Zoe’s mistake cost Chase enormously. Now, he’s a hockey superstar, and she’s the skating coach he won’t work with — until the team insists they recreate their old program for a PR stunt.
Fire & Ice by Rachel Spangler
Somehow, curling always goes viral at the Winter Olympics. So in that spirit, how about a curling-set pick among these winter sports romances? Disgraced reporter Max is less than thrilled that she’s been assigned to the curling beat. Her cold demeanor immediately puts her at odds with Callie, the cheery captain of the perpetual-second-place curling squad she’s covering. Max’s coverage could help boost Callie’s team’s profile, so Callie tries to get her to warm up to the sport. Along the way, though, a different kind of heat builds between the two of them.
It Figures by Melody Tyden
With its high drama and detail-driven scoring, ice dance is a perfect setting for winter sports romances. Tyden’s duology starts off with life after competition — or at least, so it seems. After her career abruptly ends, Mia starts over: new look, new pursuits, and new friends. Then a surprise twist of fate sends her right back into the figure skating world, and back into the orbit of her former partner, Austin. Now, she’ll have to figure out if who she used to be is compatible with who she is now.
Skate It Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Women’s hockey is set to be one of the marquee events in Milan. It’s the perfect time to check out Mazarura’s new romance between an Olympian and a photographer. Ari and Drew meet only once, but connect instantly — assuming they’ll never see each other again. Then they cross paths at the Olympics, where she’s a hockey captain and he’s pursuing his photography dreams. Personal drama drives them to agree to a fake-dating setup… but we all know where it’s heading.
It’s All In Your Head by Sabina Nyquist
While most winter sports romances focus on the thrill of competition, Nyquist’s takes a different approach. Skylar has mostly written off dating and spends her time with her online chronic pain support group. When a chaotic series of events leads her to pose as newbie Pike’s girlfriend, she soon learns the truth. He’s not just a cute guy in the group; he’s an Olympic snowboarder (with an infamous personal life) whose career ended abruptly due to injury. But as they spend more time together, Skylar slowly starts to see the real person behind the reputation — and then the press begins nosing around.
The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
Want the sporting activities of winter sports romances without actual sporting events? You might like Allison’s saucy, winter-themed romance, set at a Scottish ski resort. Home for the holidays (and hiding that her career and relationship are both failing), Maya runs into the guy who once broke her heart… while he’s at his side gig as a shirtless bartender. When she rejoins him as a ski instructor at the resort, old feelings pop up again, but, like most second chance romances, they’ll have to hash out what happened in the past if they want a chance at a future.
Bonus pick: The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Fargo’s novel isn’t really genre romance, although romance is a major part of the story. Loosely inspired by Wuthering Heights (and real-life figure skating shenanigans), it’s the story of two unlikely ice dance partners with raw talent and unmatched passion on and off the ice. Ten years after their shocking final skate, a documentary reignites interest in Kat and Heath’s story, and the novel traces what really happened with Daisy Jones & the Six-style interview revelations. While it’s not a true romance novel like other winter sports romances on this list, it features some of the most detailed and accurate depictions of figure skating (particularly the reputation-driven ice dance discipline) in any novel on bookshelves today.
What are your favorite winter sports romances? Let us know in the comments below.