the phantom effect

he came to south carolina chasing the next level. she became the reason he wanted to stay.

at twenty years old, keira montgomery already has more on her plate than most people twice her age. she's a nursing student at the university of south carolina, captain of its women's hockey team, a 2026 olympic gold medalist with team USA, and an ER technician at florence's Level I trauma center.

she's also the daughter of the florence phantoms' head coach. which means his players are completely off-limits.

then, vladimir gelubov arrives from russia.

after years in russian Junior hockey and his first season in the KHL, the twenty-one year old forward signs with florence hoping the SEHL will be his first step toward something bigger in north america. florence is temporary. play well, earn an ECHL call-up, and keep climbing.

keira was never part of that plan.

but quick conversations at the rink become late nights, broken english becomes inside jokes, and staying away from his coach's daughter becomes harder than anything vladimir faces on the ice.

as vladimir begins attracting attention from the next level and keira balances hockey, nursing school, and life in the ER, they both know falling for each other could complicate everything because vladimir came to florence determined to leave.

he just never expected to find someone worth staying for.