Off the Ice — Julie Cross

Friday Night Lights meets high school ice hockey in this romantic winter read -- the first in a new series about a small town in Minnesota and the sport that is its heart and soul.

Junior Tate Tanley hasn't made it off the bench since joining the hockey team as a freshman. But after the Otters' star goalie leaves during a huge game and Tate subs in, he's got the attention of the entire town. Including Claire O'Connor, who's mysteriously back in Juniper Falls and who he hasn't seen in a year. But Tate hasn't stopped thinking about Claire or what happened the night before she left.

Claire O'Connor should be enjoying college life in the big city. Instead, she's serving drinks to handsy fishermen and taking care of her sick father back in Juniper Falls. And when she spots her best friend's little brother, Tate, playing in a big varsity game, she's thrown for a loop. Tate has grown up a lot: more muscles, more hotness, more…everything. But Claire's responsibility is to her family, and she doesn't have time for boys -- especially not hockey players.

As games, parties, and town drama throw Tate and Claire together, they can't ignore what happened last fall -- and they can't ignore what's brewing between them now. Through family tragedy and the reality of broken dreams, it may finally be time for them to unravel the secrets of their past and face the future together.