Against The Boards (COMING SOON)

For six years, Matteo Nica and Jaxon Hayes have been hockey's most famous rivalry.

It started with one overtime goal in the National Championship Final.

One headline.

One comparison.

And it never stopped.

Now, Matteo-the quiet, disciplined centre for the Jersey Phantoms-and Jaxon-the charismatic, unpredictable right wing for the Manhattan Blizzards-can't escape each other.

Every game becomes a headline.

Every interview turns into a debate.

Every press conference is another opportunity for reporters to ask about the other.

Fans dissect every glance.

Commentators compare every statistic.

The league builds entire marketing campaigns around their rivalry.

The only people more obsessed with Matteo and Jaxon than the hockey world...

Are Matteo and Jaxon themselves.

Matteo thinks Jaxon is reckless, loud, and treats hockey like a performance.

Jaxon can't understand why Matteo never reacts the way anyone else does-and it's driving him crazy.

But as seasons pass and the rivalry intensifies, they begin to notice something neither of them expected.

No one understands the pressure they're under quite like the other.

Behind the headlines, the chirps, and the competition are two young men who grew up believing success was the only way to be loved.

As respect replaces resentment and rivalry begins to blur into something neither of them is ready to name, Matteo and Jaxon are forced to confront the one thing neither has ever been good at:

Letting someone truly know them.

Because sometimes the person you've spent years trying to defeat...

Is the only one who's ever really seen you.

Against the Boards is a rivals-to-lovers hockey romance about found family, healing old wounds, and discovering that the greatest victory isn't always the one on the scoreboard. It's the first book in a multi-book series full of unforgettable characters, fierce rivalries, heartfelt friendships, and the family you choose along the way.