Sharp Edges

A slow-burn contemporary hockey romance that kicks off the Fresh Ice Series with sass, laughs, drama, and an adorable dog. Pro ice hockey player Blake faces a chronic illness that he hides from his Boston teammates, but he can't hide from sassy equipment manager Kerry when she melts at his Minnesota manner and finds the only way to cure him. Something’s terribly wrong with Blake “Eshy” Eshlin, a top-6 winger for the Boston Bears professional ice hockey team. Faced with sudden chronic pain from his body’s traumatic response to a virus, Eshy has to learn to live with the agonizing and distracting effects of fibromyalgia without letting the rest of his hockey club know. He hides his condition from everyone in his life, but one person can see right through the ruse. As the assistant equipment manager, it’s Kerry Stratton’s job to watch the players closely and attend to their every need, whether it’s sharpening skates, washing towels, or finding the perfect shower soap to clear their sweat acne. When Eshy’s performance wanes and Kerry can see he’s clearly in pain, she inserts herself into his personal life to get him help and make him face his fears of a new normal. But Kerry never bargained for Eshy being a darling sweetheart and such a kind Minnesota mama’s boy. Even Kerry’s headstrong ways can’t keep her from falling for him and following him into an accidental world of opioids, reckless endangerment, secrets, and blackmail, as Eshy spirals out of control and Kerry fights to save him. When an adversary on Eshy’s own team wants Kerry for himself and goes to dangerous lengths to drive a wedge into Eshy and Kerry’s budding relationship, can Eshy’s hockey career survive an opioid overdose leaking out to the media? And can Kerry’s job survive the aftermath of her involvement in Eshy’s fate? ***Shortlisted for the Chatelaine Book Award for Romantic Fiction***