Friends With Benefits To Lovers Romance Books

Rhys Koteskiy is a shell of the man he used to be. As a hockey legacy and the captain of Waterfell University, his path to the NHL seemed inevitable, until a brutal hit during the Frozen Four left him grappling with a concussion and a soul-crushing fear of the ice. Now, plagued by nightmares and paralyzing panic attacks, Rhys is desperate to feel anything other than the hollow emptiness that has consumed his life. Sadie Brown, a spitfire figure skater with a "bad attitude" and a reputation for disappearing, is feeling far too much. Drowning under the weight of mounting debt, a bitter custody battle for her younger brothers, and the relentless pressure of her sport, she is just trying to survive until tomorrow. She doesn't have time for distractions, and she certainly doesn't have time for the school’s golden boy. Their worlds collide when Sadie witnesses one of Rhys’s private breakdowns. Instead of judgment, an unspoken understanding forms between them, a fragile bond built on shared pain and quiet comfort. While Rhys is drawn to the vibrant, high-volume emotions that seem to burst from Sadie, she finds a rare sanctuary in his presence. But as their connection deepens, the secrets they are both guarding threaten to shatter the progress they've made. In a world that demands perfection, they are both skating on thin ice, trying to decide if healing is possible when the past refuses to let go.