Author Bal Khabra completes four-part hockey romance series "Off the Ice"
Hockey romances are having a moment, with the "Off Campus" series that debuted in May on Amazon Prime, and of course, "Heated Rivalry" on HBO in the U.S.
Bal Khabra is the author of the four-part series "Off the Ice," a college hockey romance collection that has yet to be the subject of a film or television adaptation, but which is wrapping up at just the right time.
"It's perfect, because when I read hockey romance for the first time, it was Elle Kennedy's 'Off Campus' series in like 2016, and then I didn't read for a little bit, and then I got back into it, and I was like, this would be super fun," Khabra said. "So when I wrote it, it was right before, I think, 'Heated Rivalry' was last year, so I was writing in 2023. So I think it was like the perfect time, because now people can really dive into the full series rather than, like, waiting."
The "Off the Ice" series is divided into four parts. In the first, "Collide," Dalton University hockey team captain Aiden Crawford becomes the subject of honors student Summer Preston's research project — which neither of them wants — but "bickering turns into bantering" and beyond.
In the next book, "Spiral," newly drafted Toronto Thunder hockey player Elias Westbrook is the subject of tabloid media scrutiny, while aspiring ballerina Sage Beaumont hopes to boost her profile by fake-dating him — but "the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection."
The third book, "Revolve," centers Sierra Romanova, a former Olympian figure skater who had a traumatizing accident on the ice, but is looking to get back into the spotlight in her last year at Dalton University. Meanwhile, hockey player Dylan Donovan was kicked off his team for reckless behavior, but steps in to help Sierra rebuild her confidence on the ice while "pushing her buttons along the way."
The fourth and last book, "Embrace," centers Kian Ishida, who is about to head to the NHL without his degree from Dalton and wants to make up his last credits, so he joins a study group led by Scarlett Kilner — whom he doesn't know is the coach's daughter. The study sessions turn into "stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected."
"Embrace" came out earlier this month.
Khabra said even though her writing career took off because of BookTok — the TikTok book subcommunity — she had to step back from social media to focus at one point.
"For the previous ones, I deleted TikTok. I deleted some of my social media, just because it was so much, like, you got a lot of feedback for work that I started to do for myself," said Khabra. "So it kind of became not about me anymore, and I didn't like that part. I think books are better when, like, authors are authentic to themselves."
"Embrace" is available as a paperback, e-book, and audiobook.
As for what's next, Khabra is stepping away from the ice and is hopping into the saddle. Her next book is a cowboy romance called "Last Call." The cover and release date have not yet been revealed.
