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For me, Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is the book that made me love romance books!
I was always kind of a turd about romance reads before this book, but something about this hockey romance made me fall in love with the genre. Now, I’m taking back all my negative thoughts and energy towards romance!
As I have dived more into the genre, I have found that college and sports romances are some of my favorites, so this book is just a 5/5 for me.
I will say that if you are not into “spice” in your romance reads, then maybe you should skip this one…but for all the little hockey babes, this book is for YOU!
What Is Icebreaker About?
If you’re on the fence about this hockey romance, let me give you a little teaser about what this rivals-to-lovers college romance is about!
Icebreaker by Hanna Grace follows two college athletes, Anastasia Allen, a pairs figure skater, and Nathan Hawkins, captain of the college’s hockey team.
After a prank is pulled on the Maple Hills University Hockey teams ice rink, the hockey players and figure skaters are forced to share the ice.
The forced proximity leads Anastasia (AKA Stassie) taking her frustration out on the team captain, Nate Hawkins.
This is the perfect sports romance, and is filled with some of my favorite tropes! Forced proximity, rivals-to-lovers, and found family.
Also!! MMC athlete, no third act breakup, and lots of spice! If you love or are looking to get into sports romance, this is a great place to start.
Now, let’s dive into this book!
(Also, all spicey chapters are marked with a 🌶️…enjoy!)
Chapter 1
The book opens with Anastasia (aka Stassie) training with her ice skating pairs partner, Aaron Carlisle. Aaron and Stassie’s coach, Aubrey Brady, are giving her a hard time about her not being able to land her quad lutz.
We learn that her partner, Aaron, is hard on her about her weight, saying that she is too heavy for him to lift unless she sticks to a strict diet plan made by him (weird alpha behavior, for sure).
Stassie is a student-athlete at the University of California, Maple Hills (a fictional college in the LA area around UCLA), working towards competition whose ultimate goal is the Winter Olympics.
Stassie is a major control freak and even goes as far as scheduling out her hookups. Stassie is in a no-strings-attached arrangement with Ryan Rothwell, the point guard for the college basketball team.
Aaron doesn’t really get along with Ryan, and this is the second suss thing about him in the first three pages. Stassie lives with Lola (her best friend), a drama major, and Aaron.
I am a Ryan Rothwell simp, and I am crossing my fingers as hard as possible for a Maple Hills series book where he is the MMC.
Ryan always brings snacks for Stassie because “Apparently, I don’t eat enough, and I don’t have anything good to eat when he’s here.”
Chapter 2
In the second chapter, we meet Nate Hawkins, the hockey team captain. He wakes up to an unfortunate hookup, Kitty, whom he isn’t exactly fond of and doesn’t think highly of as a person.
He gets a hard time from his roommate/teammate Robbie (childhood best friend and hockey team assistant coach), JJ, and Henry.
Nate and his teammates are called into the award room (where they only ever get in trouble). When they get there, they find out just how much trouble they are in! Their coach, Faulkner, tells them that the hockey area has been trashed.
Chapter 3
All of the student-athletes are called into a meeting by the sports director. Stassie is very pissed off to have to be missing practice, but Ryan’s teasing and promise of food after this meeting cheers her up a bit.
When Stassie finds out that the result of the hockey arena being unusable is that the ice skaters will have to share their rink with the hockey team, she is livid, to say the least.
As Stassie leaves, she meets Nate Hawkins for the first time. Nate invites her to his house party to relieve some stress.
However, she still feels pissed at the hockey team as a whole because it’s their pranks and reckless behavior that caused her getting less practice time.
Chapter 4
Nate is feeling the pressure of the whole situation when Russ (one of his teammates) asks if he can talk to Nate in private. Nate asks Russ what exactly he did, and Russ tells him what happened.
Russ hooked up with a girl from UCLA (4s up!) who he believed to be single, but turns out that she is actually in a relationship. When her boyfriend found out, he messaged Russ that he was going to make him regret ever hooking up with her.
Nate tells Russ he will take care of it, but he is VERY stressed.
Later, at his house party, Nate sees Stassie (and he finally learns her name) as well as her roommate, Lola. Lola meets Robbie, and they start flirting immediately.
When Stassie has to use the bathroom, Nate takes her to his room to use his so she doesn’t have to wait in line like everyone else at the party. When they come back from his room, they run into Aaron (whom Nate believes to be Stassie’s BF).
Chapter 5
Stassie quickly corrects Nate and lets her know that Aaron is NOT her boyfriend, but Aaron gets really weird towards Nate really fast. Aaron calls out Stass for “collecting team captains” and basically calls her a slut.
Aaron also blames Nate and the hockey team for the rink being destroyed because one of their rookies got a girl pregnant, and Nate quickly tells him that is not what happened.
Stassie is frustrated with Nate because she realizes he knows why the rink got trashed. Aaron leaves, and Stassies confronts Nate for lying. He tells her he made a promise to his teammate, but it’s nothing like what Aaron said.
Stassie blows up at Nate, leaving him with, “Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.” She goes to find Lola but learns that she followed Robbie to his room.
Ryan and Olivia (who Stassie thinks Ryan may like [but they are v casual, so she is not bothered]) offer to make sure Lola gets home safe, and Stass leaves the party.
The next day, she has lunch with Ryan, and she convinces him to ask out Olivia, who he clearly has feelings for.
Ryan and Stassie’s best friendship is very confusing at first in this book, but you quickly catch on to their dynamic, and it is so sweet and fun. Ryan also tells Stassie to give Nate a chance to explain himself.
Chapter 6
It turns out the girl in question (who Russ was hooking up with) is pregnant, but it has nothing to do with Russ, though she lied and blamed him.
Nate is on his best behavior because if he is going to get drafted into the NHL (hopefully Vancouver), he can’t get benched and not get minutes in his senior year.
We also learn a little bit about Nate’s home life and his rocky relationship with his father. Though Nate comes from a very privileged childhood, he is chock full of daddy issues.
Tension is high in the boys’ house from both the hockey rink incident and also the birthday party that Nate is planning for Robbie.
Robbie wants his recent hookup/crush Lola to be at the party, which leads to Nate having to talk to Stassie to help his bestie with his bday wish.
At the ice rink, Nate approaches Stassie and asks if she will pass on an invitation to Lola and herself, of course, about Robbie’s 21st Vegas-themed party this weekend.
Chapter 7
As a result of the hockey players and the figure skaters not sharing the ice amicably, the two groups are forced to do some icebreakers (get it?!) with the hope of getting to know each other better and bring some peace.
Stassie has become friends with one of the hockey players, Henry, who won her over with his sweet demeanor and gossip about his teammates.
So, going into this exercise, Stass has one friend, and the truth about how Nate kept information about Russ to himself was really just him being a good guy.
When Stassie gets paired with Robbie, he spends their whole time asking about Lola, which Stassie loves.
She also can’t help but laugh at some of the other guys’ jokes and is charmed by JJ, which she finds very annoying because she is determined to stay mad at the hockey players.
Her last one-on-one is with Nate Hawkins, and she once again finds herself fighting her urge to dislike him.
Nate apologizes to her for lying about Russ but also tells her his side of it while still validating her feelings. They end with Nate being on a friend’s “probation.”
Chapter 8
Nate has turned the house into a casino for Robbie’s birthday party, and he is very pleased that Stass came to the party with Lola.
Nate is very nervous about Stass, but this is the chapter where the banter between the two of them really begins!
Stassie tells Nate that he can make it up to her by teaching her how to play poker but she surprises the boys by not only knowing how to already play poker but whipping the table with them.
When Stass says she has to go to the bathroom, Nate once again offers his private bathroom in his room. The two of them go to his room, and they talk. Nate tries to get Stassie to forgive him.
“’Are you ever going to forgive me?’ I ask hopefully. ‘I told you, you’re on probation.’ Raking a hand through my hair, the groans that slip out are pure frustration. ‘That isn’t a yes. Do I need to get on my knees and beg you, Anastasia? Is that what you want?’ She shakes her head and laughs. ‘The only time I ever want to see a grown man on his knees in front of me, Nate, is when his face is between my legs. So no, I don’t want you to beg me.’”
Nate realizes that his attraction to her might not be one-sided. Stass teases him that he would need a map to be able to get her off, which leads Nate to bait her, saying, “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”
Chapter 9 🌶️
Nate and Stassie start kissing, and it leads to Nate very quickly proving Stass wrong with both his mouth and fingers…and Stassie runs away from the party!
Five days later, Stass wakes up with Ryan, who is now just besties vibes. There is no more casual sex because Ryan wants to date Olivia. Lola comes into her room and calls her new boyfriend, Robbie.
She says that Nate has gotten the two of them a gift, which turns out to be hockey jerseys with their names on the back, and he welcomes them to the team.
Stassie feels awkward because she has been ignoring Nate after he gave her “the best head of her life” and is in bed with a different dude.
Lola picks up on the tension between Nate and Stass and gets her to admit what went down at the party (or who went down hehe).
Both of them tell her to give him a chance or at least stop ignoring him. This part makes me giggle because the Ryan, Lola, Stassie trio is just so funny.
Chapter 10
Nate goes to the rink to practice, where he sees Stass and Aaron practicing. He is so mesmerized by her skating that she does her quad and slams into the ice.
Stass has a bump on her head, and Nate carries her to the first aid room. Aaron comes into the room, ruining Nate’s moment alone with Stass.
Chapter 11
Anastasia is throwing up and having a panic attack after her and Aarons’s competition, her being upset by her performance.
Aaron is being supportive of her but also makes sure to tell her to stick to her meal plan. The hockey team also had a game that day, so Stassie goes out with Lola and the hockey boys to celebrate.
They go to the “Honey Pot,” a very exclusive club, and quickly, Stassie notices that Nate is the only one not there. Nate comes up behind Stassie, and they flirt over their sports injuries.
Chapter 12
At the club, Nate watches Stassie dance, and when she and Lola are done, there is no seat at the booth, so Stassie sits on JJ’s lap, which drives Nate crazzzzzy.
Nate can’t take it any longer and asks her to dance with him, and she leads him to a dark corner of the dance floor.
They dance (or feel each other up?? It’s hard to tell) till the song is over and the group is ready to leave. They get into an Uber, but because there isn’t enough space, Stassie sits in Nate’s lap in the back of the car.
Chapter 13 🌶️
This is probably the most iconic Icebreaker chapter (you know, the Uber Slut chapter). They whisper some sweet nothings in each other’s ears until they start kissing (and honestly, how did no one notice?)
Stassie is both hot and bothered, and she teases Nathen until he starts to touch her.
They talk a lot about how loud the music is, but there is just no way it’s so loud to cover up the back of their Uber hookup. But whatever, it’s hot. When they get back to the house, Nate takes Stassie up to his room.
However, Stassie drunkenly brings up Ryan, which kinda kills the mood. Stassie explains how Ryan is simply bestie now, but Nate is still jealous.
When they get close to hooking up, Nate tells her that he doesn’t want to have sex with her while she’s drunk and that he wants her to want him when she is sober.
Stassie is embarrassed, and she waits for Nate to fall asleep. Then, she calls Uber to take her home.
Chapter 14
Nate realizes that Stassie is gone when he wakes up, and he keeps trying to call her (she put her number in his phone under the name Uber Slut), but when he goes downstairs and gets the cold shoulder from Lola, he learns that she didn’t go home.
She just didn’t sleep in HIS bed. Stassie slept in Henry’s room, and Nate is jealous AF. Stassie, still in Nate’s t-shirt, finally tells Nate about why she left last night.
She was overwhelmed by his exclusive verbiage and felt rejected, and he admitted he was jealous.
They talk it out, and I appreciate Hannah Grace not going for a miscommunication trope.
They are at practice, and the hockey team is going over their time on the ice when Anastasia just full sends and starts her routine in the middle of the hockey practice.
Nate picks her up (because she is gonna get hurt), and she lets him have it about her time on the ice and also slips that she has plans that night.
Nate tries to figure out her plans but can’t get information from anyone about where Stassie is planning to be that night.
He tries to get it out of her over text, and she tells him that if he can find her before midnight, he can “finally f***” her ‘pretty little mouth.’”
Chapter 15 🌶️
Nate still can’t find Stassie, but she is feeling very pleased with herself when Nate goes from party to party all over Maple Hills.
He video calls her, and she shows off that the party she is at is at HIS house. She is currently in HIS bedroom, and he is too far away from his house to get there by midnight.
Nate finally makes it to the party, but Stassie gets a little taste of her own medicine when, before he talks to Stassie, he leads Summer away.
It turns out she just needed to use the bathroom, and Nate has just been sitting in his room waiting for Stass to come yell at him. Stassie and Nate start kissing and it leads to them sleeping together for the first time.
Chapter 16 🌶️
This chapter is ALL SMUT. There is not a lot of plot progression in this one.
After several rounds of going at it, Nate scoops Stassie up (after he steals “girl shit” Henry) and washes Stassie’s hair before they both go to sleep in his bed.
Chapter 17
The next morning, Nate drives Stassie to work, and Nate tries to find a date that he can take Stassie to for dinner. However, Stassie is bound to her planner and is a busy girl.
Nate picks her up from work as well, and on the drive home, she confides in him about her childhood, how she was adopted, and the pressure she felt as a child to be a good skater to keep her adoptive parents loving her.
When she gets back home, Aaron sees the hickeys on her neck, and he lets Stassie have it, calling her cheap. He gets even madder once he realizes that the marks on her neck are from Nate Hawkins.
At practice, Stassie told Nate that he could watch her skate. However, this pisses Aaron off, and he is an a-hole to Stassie the whole practice.
The original plan was for Nate to take Stass to the mall to go shopping for a Halloween costume, but after the disastrous practice, Nate convinces Stass to come over for takeout, online shopping, and time away from Aaron.
Chapter 18
Nate asks Stassie if she wants to play house and then go into his house, and Nate is very smitten with spending time with her.
As they are hanging out, Ryan calls, and this is the moment he really understands Stassie and Ryan’s dynamic. Ryan makes a comment about Aaron controlling Stassie’s food, and Nate wants to know what that comment is about.
Chapter 19 🌶️
Lola tells Stassie that there is a Halloween party at The Honey Pot and that the “boys” (the hockey team) scored them an invite.
Stassie is stressed because Aaron is at an all-time high for assholery. She and Lola both decide to meet the boys at the party so Aaron doesn’t see, and the hockey players show up at their apartment.
When they get to the party, Stassie is surprised to find that the whole hockey team is dressed as Despicable Me characters
Nate sees that Stassie is dressed up as one of the Hockey Team members, but when she does a twirl, it reveals that the number on her back is not Nate’s but JJ’s.
Nate becomes a very alpha male, which leads to one of my personal favorite spicy scenes in the book! 🤭
Nate takes Stassie to a private bathroom, and he tells her to “take it off” meaning her JJ jersey and that leads to a little fun…also, he is dressed as Gru, which is hilarious.
When they come back from the bathroom, they run into Aaron, who is pissed and sporting a freshly broken arm, and he says that it is Nate’s fault.
Chapter 20
Because Aaron is so injured, Stassie will not be able to compete at sectionals, and Anastasia will not text Nate back.
The story Aaron told is that there was something on the floor outside his locker, and he slipped, and a witness saw Nate put it there (also, imagine if it was a banana peel lol).
Nate’s coach calls his players into a meeting and it results in Nate confessing for the sake of the rest of the team, even though he did NOT do it. Nate gets benched until Aaron can skate again.
Nate visits Stassie’s apartment and he finds a broken-hearted Stassie crying into the arms of Ryan. Nate’s migraine has finally caught up to him and he passes out in front of both Stass and Ryan.
Chapter 21
Anastasia is having a virtual therapy session where she breaks down her anxiety that her parents care more about her skating than her and the insane pressure Aaron places on her.
Aaron has been cleared for skating, and they are going to be competing this upcoming weekend.
Stassie feels like she can’t trust Nate because he said that he didn’t hurt Aaron but then confessed it. She feels like Aaron has nothing to gain from lying, and neither Aaron nor Nate can tell the truth.
Chapter 22
Nate is back to playing, but he misses Stassie a lot.
They just won a game, and Nate is making his way back to his room to celebrate with his teammate, but they look very upset when he arrives and inform him that he is back on the bench.
Aaron dropped Stassie and reinjured himself at their competition.
Nate goes to Stassie’s apartment to try to check on her. Nate holds Stassie while she cries and comforts her about her competition and how scary the fall was.
They still managed to qualify but she will be unable to practice without a skating partner. Stassie and Nate play house and he washes her hair.
Chapter 23
Stassie is stressed about her fear of being lifted now, Aarons’s inability to skate with her, and Nate’s being benched. She takes this stress to a bar to get a little drunk.
She starts getting harassed by some weird guys when Russ from the team saves her by pretending to be her boyfriend.
Russ waits with Stassie as she waits for her Uber at a coffee shop. However, she forgets to actually request the Uber, and Russ has already texted Nate, and he gives both Russ and Stassie a ride home.
Nate asks her why she is drinking alone, and she tells him about all the stress she is under about having no skating partner when Nate offers to be her partner.
Stassie is unsure at first because of her feelings for Nate, but in the end, they agree to be partners and that they will keep the feelings out of their relationship and be just friends until they are done being skating partners.
Chapter 24
Stassie takes Nate leggings shopping for his new figure skating endeavor. After Nathan asks if she wants to go out to eat, she says she can’t because she has to follow her strict food plan for her and Aaron’s upcoming competition season.
Nate delicately asks to see the food plan because he has taken classes in nutrition and is distraught and pissed to see that the food plan Aaron made is drastically creating a plan that is leaving Anastasia underfed.
Nate tells Stassie to bring the food plan to her coach, and she agrees.
Chapter 25
Nate and Stassie are at their first practice with Brady, and it goes fairly well, though Nate is very sore because of the differences in movement and required flexibility.
Nate learns more about how hard-working and determined Stassie is, which makes him like her even more.
After their practice, Stassie goes home to Aaron, and she asks him about the meal plan, which makes him very aggressive.
He basically calls her a slut and shuts all her concerns down, and storms off. Stassie calls Nate to come pick her up.
Chapter 26
Stassie and Nate have taken “playing house” to the next level, with Stassie staying with Nate for the last week after she called him to pick her up to get away from Aaron.
They are following their no-touching rules, and they have become real friends through all the late-night talks.
Stassie’s coach agreed that her meal plan was not adequate for her level of athleticism. Though it is tough, she is introducing new foods to her diet, and Nate is helping her along with his friends.
Nate’s dad shows up at his home, and Nate is very taken aback by it.
Nate’s dad has come to visit Nate because he wants Nate to talk to his sister, Sasha (Nate’s dad is obsessed with Sasha’s potential to be a professional skier), who is threatening to quit skiing and not speak to their dad.
Nate’s dad is clearly not father-of-the-year, and Nate is glad that Stassie was not home to see this interaction between him and his dad.
Chapter 27
Stassie and Nate are practicing, and Stassie has a major fear about being lifted. Brady tells her that she needs to work through this fear if she wants to be a pair skater. After their practice, Aaron approaches Stassie and asks to talk to her…alone.
Aaron tells Stassie that he has not talked to her now because he has been angry with her. With her?! Aaron is all about mind games.
When Stassie tries to confront him about the eating plan, Aaron gaslights her and tells her that “she is an adult” and “how is it his fault?”. Aaron wants Stassie to move back in, but she isn’t ready yet.
The hockey boys throw a party, and Nate gets a little tippy from a game of Never Have I Ever. Stassie takes him back to his room (which they are currently sharing) and puts him to bed.
When she comes back downstairs, Lola teases Stassie about admitting that she is in love with Nate.
However, Nate comes back downstairs in only his boxers and throws a temper tantrum about Stassie not being there. She very happily follows him for a night of cuddling.
Chapter 28
Nate wakes up the next morning to a lot of teasing from his teammates and also a message from his sister that lets him know that their dad took his advice and listened to Sasha and is taking her to Saint Bart’s for Christmas.
Stassie and Nate take their partner ice skating to the pool to help Stassie work, though she is afraid of being dropped. However, the bikini that Lola packed for Stassie is very small, and Nate is very distracted by it.
They practiced a bunch of her lifts, and it is going great. They even were able to work through the lift that she was doing when Aaron dropped her. Stassie thinks Nate is very strong and oolala!
Chapter 29 🌶️
Stassie is trying to decide if she wants to buy a ticket to Seattle to go home for Christmas.
When she talks through it with Nate, he suggests that they go to Seattle together for a few days and then fly out to his home in Colorado, where they will have the house to themselves, and Stassie can practice on their lake.
She is touched that he would want to spend Christmas with her and that he is looking out for her relationship with her parents, as he insists that she will be sad if she goes through the New Year without seeing them.
Stassie can’t figure out what to get Nate for Christmas. She asks him what he wants, he tells her that all he wants is her.
Stassie’s attraction to Nate has only grown in their month of training. There is nothing sexual between them, and this is the chapter where they decide together to change their rules.
They get it on, and for the first time, they go without protection.
Chapter 30
Nate’s teammates don’t know that they have changed their relationship from just-friends to more-than-friends, and they are all out shopping for Christmas gifts for Stassie.
When Nate gets home, the house is VERY decorated for the Christmas party they are throwing.
At the party, Nate sees Stassie and Ryan talking, and Nate decides not to break it up because he doesn’t want to scare Stassie off by trying to make her exclusive.
After that, Stassie tells Nate that she told Ryan that she and Nate are together, and Nate is very pleased about this.
Chapter 31
Stassie has started sobering up, and she and the rest of the team are cozied up around a fire in the backyard. She falls asleep by the fire but is woken up to commotion in the house. Nate tells her to stay where she is before running into the house.
Lola calls Stassie, asking where she is to ensure she is safe.
She also tells her that a fight has broken out in the house. Stassie runs into the house and sees that the fight is between Aaron and Henry.
Nate gets caught in the crossfire, and he and Stassie get into a tiff about him wanting her to stay outside and safe, and she is upset that he got hurt at all.
Henry tells Stassie that Aaron has been talking bad about her, but no one will tell Stass what Aaron is saying.
Chapter 32 🌶️
Nate and Stassie go to Nate’s room, and she is very pissed off at him, giving him the silent treatment as she gets ready for bed. They kiss and makeup, with Nate promising to tell her everything in the morning.
When Nate wakes, Stassie is already up, and before they have their talk, they have sex in the shower.
After they are done, Nate and Stassie have the DTR (define the relationship) talk, and they are officially BF/GF, but Stassie is still weird about commitment. Stassie says she is ready to hear what Aaron said, and Nate goes and gets Henry.
Chapter 33
Henry tells what he heard Aaron saying at the party that caused him to punch him. Aaron has been telling everyone, including her coach Brady, that Anastasia has been sleeping around and has been distracted all semester.
One of Henry’s friends overheard Aaron at a game saying that Stassie is a jersey chaser, that her parents are poor, and that Stassie is a slut just trying to get with athletes that are going to go pro for money.
He also said that Stassie would try to trap Nate with a baby.
At the party, he tells Henry that “no one will be able to love her,” and even her own parents didn’t love her (cause she’s adopted), and that the “ones who bought her” only think of her as a trophy in a case.
She cries on Nate’s shoulder, and when she is done, he affirms that he knows she is not using him, what she means to him, how talented she is as an athlete, and how he values all of her.
Chapter 34
Nate and Stassie start their Christmas travels and arrive in Seattle. Nate is nervous to meet his parents, but after he settles in, his nerves start to ease.
Stassie tells her parents she doesn’t want to talk about skating so much, and her parents let her know that they only ask so much because they know it is important to her. Nate can see the tension in her ease.
Chapter 35
After a great visit with Stassie’s parents, the couple is flying to Colorado for some much-anticipated alone time.
There was a big contrast between how kind and loving Stassie’s parents were to both Stassie and Nate and how cold and distant Nate’s dad was…
After talking through what Aaron said about her parents with her mom, Stassie has come to terms with the fact that she is only going to have a professional relationship with Aaron and that there is no going back to the friendship they once had.
She still feels like she needs him, though, because as a pair of skaters, she needs a partner.
Stassie is taken aback by how big and fancy Nate’s dad’s house is. Nate playfully chases Stassie through the house till he leads her to his room.
After seeing how cold and clinical Nate’s childhood home is, Stassie becomes emotional and happy that she is here with him to add some warmth to his Christmas.
Chapter 36 🌶️
Nate realizes that he loves Stassie, but he is scared to tell her because she has only recently become comfortable with calling him her boyfriend.
They are still in Nate’s room cuddling in his bed, and they christen the room, if you know what I mean… 😜
Chapter 37
Stassie also realizes that she loves Nate but is too scared to tell him.
After a full day of skating on the frozen pond in the backyard, Stassie cozies up by the fire with a glass of wine, and she is very nervous that the wine and the feelings are going to lead to her admitting that she loves him.
She asks Nate about his mom, and Nate tells her about how his dad was cheating on his mom while she was in the hospital.
To add to the Nate’s Dad being an a-hole list, Nate also tells her that Robbie’s accident that led him to be paralyzed from the waist down happened at Nate’s father’s ski resort.
His dad refused to use the company insurance to help pay for medical bills which resulted in a huge legal battle.
His dad is clearly guilty about it all and tries to pay off his guilt by buying the Maple Hills home that Nate and the boys live in with all the accessibility that Robbie needs.
When Stassie wakes up, she finds a note that Nate has gone out to run some errands and she decides to use her alone time skating on the pond in the back yard. Nate calls her to ask where she is and while she’s on the phone she falls though the ice.
Chapter 38
Nate went out to buy an iPad for Stassie for Christmas cause:
- An iPad is dope as hell!!
- And also because it will allow her easier access to her online therapy.
When Nate gets home, he can’t find Stassie, and he is on the phone with her as she falls in. Nate finds the hole where she fell, and he jumps in and pulls her out of the water.
Stassie is blue when he pulls her out, and after some CPR to get her breathing again, Nate takes her into the house and tries to warm up her body.
Nate takes Stassie into the shower, slowly warming the water to bring her body temp up.
Stassie tells him that she loves him, that this proclamation of love is a trauma response, but that when she fell through the ice and thought she was going to die she regretted that she had known all this time that she loved him but hadn’t told him.
Nate takes her to the ER after he was able to warm her up a bit. The two of them wake up on Christmas morning in the hospital.
Chapter 39
It is now a week after Christmas, and Stassie is feeling better. However, with all the chaos of her accident, the two hadn’t had a chance to open their Christmas gifts.
Stassie loves the iPad from Nate, and Stassie shows off her last Christmas gift she got for Nate by disrobing and revealing the Titans hockey jersey she is wearing with his name on the back.
Chapter 40
Nate is delighted and horny by the sight of his name on the back of his girl, and the two take those delighted horny vibes to the kitchen island…
Nate is tied up on the island with Christmas ribbon, and Stassie has gotten ice cream toppings from the fridge for a lil treat. However, right as they are about to you-know-what, the front door opens, and Sasha, Nate’s little sister, walks into the kitchen.
They quickly run upstairs and get dressed before his dad comes into the house. When they come downstairs, Sasha tells them that their dad wants to meet them for lunch in an hour at the resort.
It turns out that the Christmas beach vacay in Saint Bart’s was actually a workout focused trip to tone Sasha for her sport. So, she forced her dad to bring her home early.
Chapter 41 🌶️
At lunch, Stassie meets Nate’s dad, and it is very tense. Stassie can see what a bad dad he is with how he treats Sasha and tries to come to Sasha’s aid when her dad doesn’t let her order a burger and fries.
Stassie speaks up for Sasha, and Nate ends up ordering burgers for all of them.
After lunch, Nate tells Stassie that he will never be like his dad and that he will always be good to her. They are so in love, so they make some love!
Chapter 42
Stassie and Nate go back to LA, and Nate’s upcoming graduation is starting to press on them. While they are lying in bed, Stassie tells Nate that she wants to move back into her apartment with Aaron.
Aaron has been cleared to skate, which means she will go back to practicing with him.
Nate is upset, even though this means he can rejoin the team. Nate snaps at Stassie about her moving out and not getting to spend time with her, and he feels bad instantly.
Chapter 43
Stassie and Aaron have a meeting with Coach Brady, who is acting as a moderator.
Aaron apologizes and throws a bit of a red herring that his dad cheated on his mom again and blames Stassie for not being around for him for the reason he has been so awful to her this school year. Aaron wants to go to non-romantic couples therapy.
When she gets back to the house, Nate greets her with a bouquet of guilt flowers, but she tells him she will talk to him later and that she is going to go drinking with Lola.
Stassie wakes up unsure of where she is and is very hungover (or is she still drunk?). After looking around, she realizes she is in bed with Robbie and Lola.
She texts Nate to get her and carry her to their bed. Stassie apologizes for being short with him the day before, and she tells him about her meeting with Aaron.
Chapter 44
Nate is having a hard time with Stassie and Aaron’s ongoing couples therapy. She always comes home crying!
Nate is back to playing hockey and is happy to have won and to have his girl at his game. Stassie’s dad texts him, saying that he is rooting for him.
Stassie tells Nate that she is moving out, which dampens his happiness from his win.
Aaron is clearly manipulating her, but when Nate tries to voice his concerns, it degrades and invalidates Stassie’s feelings, and a slight wedge is put in their relationship.
Chapter 45
Stassie is back at the apartment with Lola, and she is struggling with how she knows that Nate wouldn’t purposefully do anything to hurt her, but he is hurting her by not listening to her.
She feels like she can protect herself against Aaron this time around because she doesn’t want his approval, only his partnership in skating. Lola and Stassie decide that next year, they will find a new place to live, just the two of them.
Aaron and Stassie are in practice, and every time he picks her up, he huffs and grunts trying to make her feel bad about her weight.
They break into a fight after Aaron tells her that he not only needs time to adjust to the weight she’s gained (which is all muscle 🙄) but also her attitude.
Chapter 46
Nate’s teammates confront him about his bad mood, and when he tells them about his relationship problems with Stassie, they help him see her side and that his jealousy over Aaron and not listening to Stassie is just hurting her.
Nate picks up Stassie for a date, and when they are at dinner, he tells her what’s been on his mind, which his teammates helped him see.
He apologizes to her for putting her in a difficult position between himself and Aaron. She tells him about the fight with Aaron and how, after being with Nate, she has found the strength to stand up for herself.
Chapter 47 🌶️
It’s the night before Stassie’s big competition, and she is very nervous and anxious. She calls Nate to spend the night at her place, and the ache in her chest eases once he is back home.
What better way to get the pre-ice-skating competition nerves to go away than a good bang? Probably nothing. Go read Chapter 47 to get all the dirty details.
Chapter 48
It’s the morning of Stassie’s competition, and Nate is also playing a game against UCLA (four’s up!), so Nate won’t be able to watch her skate.
Nate’s team wins, and after the game, he talks to the UCLA captain, and the truth about what happened with Aaron’s injury comes out.
When Cory (the UCLA captain) asks Nate about his time off the ice, Nate tells him it was because of Aaron’s accident.
Cory tells him that Aaron actually got hurt on Halloween playing football with the UCLA players and that they had no idea that Aaron lied.
Nate is PISSED because he knows Aaron manipulated this whole situation, but he knows that he can’t ruin this competition for Stassie, so he keeps it to himself for now.
Stassie takes the ice, and Nate is so proud of her routine. She and Aaron get through the routine seamlessly and right after they bow Aaron kisses her on the mouth!
Chapter 49
She tries to push Aaron off, and Stassie is internally freaking out and holding back tears. Aaron chases after her, and she tells him that she is done with him. Brady tries to get her to calm down and get her scores, but she insists that she is done.
Nate finds Stassie and he pulls her into him. Then, he punches Aaron in the face! Brady gets Aaron and Stassie to get their scores, and they place first.
Brady tells Stassie that she can’t quit skating over Aaron, and she tells her that she isn’t quitting and that she will be going solo from now on.
Aaron cusses her out and tells her she’s not talented enough to skate without him, and Stassie leaves with Nate.
In the car, Stassie’s parents keep calling, but Stass is overwhelmed. So, Nate talks to them for her and tells them that she doesn’t want to skate with Aaron anymore.
Stassie is very relieved that her parents are not disappointed in her decision to go solo, as it may be a giant risk to her skating career.
When she gets back to her apartment (to grab a couple of things before going to Nate’s), she is greeted by the hockey boys and Lola packing up all of their belongings and moving them into the Hockey house till they can find their own place.
Chapter 50
Three months later, Nate won the NCAA championship. In the meeting after, Nate meets with Skinner, the sports director of Maple Hills.
In the meeting, Nate’s told that Aaron is transferring and that all of the negative events with Aaron from this last school year would be removed from his transcript.
Epilogue
Two and a bit years later, we see what Stassie and Nate have been up to. Stassie is pregnant and has moved to Washington after graduation.
Nate will be traded to Seattle’s hockey team after this season, and they will all be in Seattle with their dog and near Stassie’s parents.
We also learned that at the last Olympics, Stassie placed gold in women’s singles. On their babymoon, Nate proposes, and we get a great HEA with Stassie saying yes!
Hope you enjoyed this summary, and let me know your favorite scene and characters in the comments below!
I love the Maple Hills series so much and I am very excited for Hannah Grace’s new release Daydream coming out later this year in 2024!
Happy reading!
-Paisley
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