Face Off for Love

Tyson Collier lives out and proud in Las Vegas, a far cry from the oppressive small town he grew up in. He swore he'd never go back in the closet, not for anyone or anything. Working as an ice crew member for the Las Vegas Gamblers is a dream job. Tyson is surrounded by hunky hockey players athletes are totally his type even if they're straight. Semyon "Semka" Novikoff has focused his whole life on playing professional-level hockey. He can't ever come out. Not as a Russian national. His life and livelihood depend on keeping his sexuality a secret. Playing professional hockey in the United States is an experience like no other. The vast freedoms he enjoys are many. Except the freedom to be publicly gay. When Semka suffers a concussion, Tyson volunteers to help him with daily life. Over the course of the first few weeks, their friendship blossoms. Semka takes Tyson into his confidence and reveals his sexuality. Tyson takes Semka to bed. What started as a simple gesture of kindness becomes a secret relationship with an expiration date. Once Semka is medically cleared to play, the relationship is over. Semka can't risk losing his job or his life, and Tyson won't be with someone who can't openly present themselves to the world as part of a couple. When Semka and Tyson part ways, both men find themselves missing the other, but they can never be. At least, that's what they tell themselves.

In what world would a professional athlete want to date a drag queen? Certainly not Mark Roncalli's. Mild mannered CPA during the week and the drag queen known as "Lady Jazz" on the weekends, Mark keeps his two worlds separate. Mark's sexuality and his flamboyant and aberrant avocation don't mesh well with traditional Italian family values and masculine sensibilities--at least according to his brothers. Elijah Turner's life revolves around diabetes and hockey, in that order. Which leaves very little time for relationships. Most of the men he's dated felt like a third wheel to the realities of Elijah's life. They were willing to put up with the hockey because Elijah's a rich professional athlete. Not so much the diabetes which requires 24/7 vigilance and not so many indulgences. When Elijah asks Mark to date him, will Mark take a chance and believe Elijah over the longstanding denigration by and judgement of his family?

Some things aren't lost… Just waiting to be found.When Nate Hennessy finds a battered stranger hiding in his back seat, his first instinct is to pass the responsibility off to someone else. He's spent years shouldering burdens that were never his to bear.Fully intending to walk away, Nate convinces the man to go to a local hospital. Fate steps in, however, turning a single good deed into something more.Wesley Byerly never imagined his life would intersect with that of a professional hockey player's-let alone find a guardian angel in the Omaha Locomotives' newest goalie.What starts as a simple act of compassion soon spirals into something neither man expected.Nate has valid reasons to avoid attachments. Wesley learned to never want more.But the lines between temporary and forever start to blur, and soon they'll have to choose between continuing their solitary lives or risking the callings that define them to keep what they've found. Jen FitzGerald has loved romance since her Winnie the Pooh days. Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh have always been platonic soulmates. As a teen, Jen cut her romance teeth on Silhouette's teen romance line and Danielle Steele books concurrently. She's still an avid reader, but these days, Jen has added writing romances of her own to her list of fun things to do. Jen lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband and dog. Their three children are now adults and out terrorizing the world at large instead of them. When not working her day job, Jen spends a lot of time reading, writing, watching hockey, and perusing her social media platforms of preference. She also enjoys music, cross stitching, and chatting online with writer friends. Hot hockey boys face off against various opponents, including homophobia, disabilities, and sometimes themselves, to score a goal for love.

When Landon Callahan returns home after the bitterest defeat a professional hockey player can suffer, he must lick his wounds alone. Being gay isn't acceptable at home or in hockey. He can't wallow alone or for long, however. Landon's summer plans include remodeling the house he inherited from his paternal grandfather, but he can't manage it alone. The burn scars that mar one shoulder and half his back sent Maddox West's fiance fleeing for good. And what he thought were dates end up being one night stands. Maddox is so done with men. His brothers-in-arms are the only men he can truly depend on. In order to return to firefighting, he's got to put his body to some real world testing. Bowling and physical therapy only go so far. Landon hires Maddox to help with his remodel. Despite their age difference, they find common ground and develop a fast friendship. The skill and speed of the younger players only serves to make Landon feel old and a stride behind. As a result of Maddox's youthful exuberance, Landon feels younger and freer than he has in years. So much so, he breaks his personal Golden Rule of no sex in his home state and not only confesses his homosexuality, but embarks on a sexual relationship with Maddox. The weight of betrayal and hurt has sat heavy on Maddox's heart since his fiance walked away. Landon's simple and easy friendship is a balm to Maddox's spirit and his pure appreciation of Maddox's body and simple, sweet desire spark an equally basic need in Maddox. Landon will return to Houston at the end of summer, so why not indulge in a summer fling? Landon and Maddox have almost daily, sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes tender, sometimes non-vanilla sex and life is good. Great even. Until the day Landon's mother walks in on them. Landon freaks out and sends both his mother and Maddox on their way. But after weeks of sex and friendship, Landon finds he doesn't want to live without either any longer. He's so over his mother's complete condemnation of homosexuality, and his career is almost at an end. What's the worst that could happen? He has to retire a year or two early? The question is, can he convince Maddox to give him a second chance.