Rivals on Ice

Shelby Renae Penley has spent her life fighting for two things: her independence and her place on the ice. At twenty-three, she's one of the fiercest players in professional hockey-fast, sharp, and unwilling to let anyone control her future.

Alejandro Vargas has always known his was already written.

At twenty-eight, Alejandro is disciplined, ruthless in competition, and impossible to ignore on the rink. Years ago, a promise was made between two families-an arranged marriage meant to bind their futures together. Shelby was only eleven. Alejandro was sixteen. What felt distant then suddenly becomes unavoidable when the truth finally comes out.

Shelby is blindsided.
Alejandro isn't surprised.

But nothing prepares either of them for what happens months later.

After a brutal game, Shelby lines up to shake hands with the opposing team-only to freeze when she meets Alejandro's eyes across the ice. Helmet to helmet. Rival jerseys. Competing teams.

Her future husband.

Her enemy.

Now forced together by family obligation and torn apart by professional loyalty, Shelby and Alejandro must balance desire, resentment, and ambition in a world where only one team can win. Every match fuels the tension. Every glance threatens to shatter the rules they're supposed to follow.

On the ice, they're rivals.
Off the ice, they're bound by fate.

And in a game where love and competition collide, someone is bound to lose control.