Icebreaker is Hannah Grace's 2022 sports romance — the figure-skating-meets-hockey story that became BookTok's entry point for the genre. Anastasia Allen's figure skating schedule gets hijacked when the Titans hockey team needs her ice time. Captain Nathan Hawkins has never shared anything. Forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, a cast of hockey boys who became their own fandom, and a protagonist who doesn't let the love interest walk over her.
Curated from real reader threads on Reddit (r/RomanceBooks, r/Fantasy, r/suggestmeabook) and cross-referenced against Goodreads and BookTok. Updated regularly.
As an Amazon Associate, 90books earns from qualifying purchases.
by Ana Huang
Alex Chen, her brother's best friend and temporary guardian, has spent years keeping his distance from Ava. He has his reasons — and they're darker than she knows. The contemporary romance Icebreaker readers cross over to most. Same forbidden slow burn, same "he's wrong for me but I can't help it" energy.
by Ali Hazelwood
Fake dating a grumpy professor. Same female protagonist voice, same awkward-girl-who-doesn't-see-her-own-appeal, same payoff when the grumpy love interest melts for exactly one person.
by Mariana Zapata
Figure skating romance — actually skating, with a long slow burn (Zapata is famous for them). Two rival skaters forced to partner up. The other skating-romance benchmark every Icebreaker fan eventually reads.
by Sally Thorne
The office enemies-to-lovers blueprint. Two people sharing a space who are forced to deal with each other. Same banter-to-feelings structure as Icebreaker — the standard-setter for the trope.
by Hannah Grace
Grace's follow-up set in the same Maple Hills world. Different couple, same cozy-but-spicy sports romance energy. The obvious next read after finishing Icebreaker.
by Ali Hazelwood
Chess prodigy pulled back into competition by a world champion who can't stop watching her. Same competitive-world enemies-and-tension structure in a cerebral setting.
Technically yes, but it's set in the Maple Hills world with recurring characters. Hannah Grace wrote Daydream and Wildfire in the same universe — same found-family vibes, different couples. Read them in any order you like.
Explicit — 3 to 4 out of 5 on most scales. Multiple detailed scenes. Comparable to Twisted Love or The Love Hypothesis in spice level. It's a full spicy sports romance, not just kisses and tension.
Icebreaker is the most-recommended entry point on r/RomanceBooks. From Lukov with Love is the consensus slow-burn masterpiece of the genre. The Hating Game is the go-to if you want enemies-to-lovers specifically with a professional setting.
Want personalised picks? Connect your Goodreads to filter out books you've already read and get recommendations tuned to your taste.
Connect your Goodreads in 10 seconds and get romantasy picks tailored to your taste — filtered to only books you haven’t read yet.
Connect your Goodreads in 10 seconds. Free, always.
We'll sync your shelves — Read, Want to Read, and Currently Reading — to filter what you've already read and personalize your recommendations.