Trope · 545 books

Grumpy sunshine hockey romance

Grumpy sunshine hockey romance pairs a player who barely talks with someone who never stops. Usually he is the scowling captain or goalie, and she is the one person who finds that funny instead of scary.

Top grumpy sunshine hockey romance books

545 ranked · showing 48
College · MF Elle Kennedy
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Forced proximity · Brother's best friend · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Stephanie Archer
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Forbidden
Pro · MF Emily Rath
●●●●●Spicy
Age gap · Opposites attract · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Stephanie Archer
●●●●●Spicy
Fake dating · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract
Pro · MF Sawyer Bennett
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · Why choose Lauren Blakely
●●●●●Scorching
Why choose · Fake dating · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Other · MM E.M. Lindsey
●●●●●Spicy
Marriage of convenience · Found family · Grumpy / sunshine
College · MF Elle Kennedy
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Enemies to lovers · Forbidden
Pro · MF Tessa Bailey
●●●●●Spicy
Single parent · Forbidden · Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity
College · MF Lexi James
●●●●●Spicy
Forbidden · Single parent · Age gap · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Meghan Quinn
●●●●●Spicy
Forced proximity · Fake dating · Friends to lovers · Grumpy / sunshine
Retired · MM Avon Gale
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden · Opposites attract
Pro · MF Chloe Liese
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden · Opposites attract · Friends to lovers
Pro · MM Jesse H. Reign
●●●●●Spicy
Enemies to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MM Rachel Reid
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Holiday · Opposites attract
Pro · MF Sarina Bowen
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Forbidden
College · MM Ngozi Ukazu
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Figure skater · Found family · Secret relationship
College · MM J.J. Mulder
●●●●●Slow burn
Friends to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract
Pro · MM Eden Finley
●●●●●Spicy
Forbidden · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF S.J. Tilly
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Grumpy / sunshine
Retired · MF Rachel Gibson
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract · Forbidden
Pro · MF Chelsea Curto
●●●●●Spicy
Marriage of convenience · Grumpy / sunshine · Fake dating · Friends to lovers
Pro · Why choose Emma Foxx
●●●●●Spicy
Why choose · Grumpy / sunshine · Found family
Pro · MM Ashlyn Kane
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Age gap · Forbidden · Opposites attract
Pro · MM Ashlyn Kane
●●●●●Spicy
Enemies to lovers · Secret relationship · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Rebecca Jenshak
●●●●●Slow burn
Second chance · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden
Pro · MM Michele Lenard
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Grumpy / sunshine · Secret relationship
Pro · Why choose Emma Foxx
●●●●●Scorching
Why choose · Found family · Grumpy / sunshine · Surprise pregnancy
Pro · MM J.J. Mulder
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract · Enemies to lovers
Pro · MF Leah Brunner
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Enemies to lovers · Single parent · Found family
Retired · MF Kristen Callihan
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract
College · MF Deanna Grey
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Friends to lovers
Pro · Why choose Emma Foxx
●●●●●Scorching
Why choose · Grumpy / sunshine · Age gap · Secret relationship
College · MM Maia Kinley
●●●●●Spicy
Enemies to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Kandi Steiner
●●●●●Spicy
Brother's best friend · Forced proximity · Forbidden · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Sawyer Bennett
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden
Pro · MM Cait Nary
●●●●●Slow burn
Single parent · Forbidden · Opposites attract · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Sawyer Bennett
●●●●●Spicy
Brother's best friend · Secret relationship · Grumpy / sunshine
Minor · MM Sarina Bowen
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract
College · MF Anastasija White
●●●●●Spicy
Enemies to lovers · Grumpy / sunshine
College · MF Avery Keelan
●●●●●Spicy
Forced proximity · Brother's best friend · Secret relationship · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MF Teagan Hunter
●●●●●Spicy
Marriage of convenience · Grumpy / sunshine · Fake dating · Opposites attract
Pro · MF L. Steele
●●●●●Spicy
Fake dating · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden
Retired · MF Carrie Elks
●●●●●Slow burn
Enemies to lovers · Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden · Opposites attract
Pro · MM Cait Nary
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract · Friends to lovers
Retired · MF Chelsea Curto
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Age gap · Single parent · Figure skater
Pro · MM Rachel Reid
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Secret relationship · Opposites attract
College · MF Jaqueline Snowe
●●●●●Slow burn
Forced proximity · Brother's best friend · Grumpy / sunshine · Secret relationship

Why grumpy / sunshine works on the ice

The appeal is the reveal. The grump is protective, loyal and soft for exactly one person, and the book spends its length proving it in small ways: the coffee order he memorized, the fight he starts on her behalf.

Goalies are over-represented here for a reason. The position comes with routines, superstitions and a reputation for being a little odd, which makes a guarded hero easy to believe.

Plenty of M/M titles flip the formula so that the sunshine character is the athlete. Either way, the payoff is the same: the grump smiles, and the whole team notices.

Readers who love these books often reach for opposites attract hockey romance, forced proximity hockey romance and forbidden hockey romance next. You can also browse every hockey romance trope or go back to the full hockey romance directory.

New to the genre? Wikipedia covers the history of the romance novel and how a game of ice hockey works.

Best M/M grumpy sunshine hockey romance books

Other · MM E.M. Lindsey
●●●●●Spicy
Marriage of convenience · Found family · Grumpy / sunshine
Retired · MM Avon Gale
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden · Opposites attract
Pro · MM Jesse H. Reign
●●●●●Spicy
Enemies to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine
Pro · MM Rachel Reid
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Holiday · Opposites attract
College · MM Ngozi Ukazu
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Figure skater · Found family · Secret relationship
College · MM J.J. Mulder
●●●●●Slow burn
Friends to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract

Best college grumpy sunshine hockey romance books

College · MF Elle Kennedy
●●●●●Spicy
Opposites attract · Forced proximity · Brother's best friend · Grumpy / sunshine
College · MF Elle Kennedy
●●●●●Spicy
Grumpy / sunshine · Enemies to lovers · Forbidden
College · MF Lexi James
●●●●●Spicy
Forbidden · Single parent · Age gap · Grumpy / sunshine
College · MM Ngozi Ukazu
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Figure skater · Found family · Secret relationship
College · MM J.J. Mulder
●●●●●Slow burn
Friends to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract
College · MF Deanna Grey
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Friends to lovers

Slow burn grumpy sunshine hockey romance: lower-heat picks

College · MM Ngozi Ukazu
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Figure skater · Found family · Secret relationship
College · MM J.J. Mulder
●●●●●Slow burn
Friends to lovers · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Opposites attract
Retired · MF Rachel Gibson
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract · Forbidden
Pro · MF Rebecca Jenshak
●●●●●Slow burn
Second chance · Forced proximity · Grumpy / sunshine · Forbidden
Pro · MF Leah Brunner
●●●●●Sweet
Grumpy / sunshine · Enemies to lovers · Single parent · Found family
Retired · MF Kristen Callihan
●●●●●Slow burn
Grumpy / sunshine · Forced proximity · Opposites attract

Questions about grumpy / sunshine hockey romance

What is the best grumpy sunshine hockey romance book?

Readers' favorite is The Chase by Elle Kennedy, followed by Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer and Pucking Wild by Emily Rath. Our ranking blends how many Goodreads readers rated each book with how often it appears on readers' own hockey romance lists.

Are there M/M grumpy sunshine hockey romance books?

Yes. 162 of the 545 books here are M/M, led by Zero Pucks by E.M. Lindsey and Power Play by Avon Gale.

How spicy are grumpy sunshine hockey romance books?

57% are rated spicy or scorching on our five-point heat scale. 237 are slow burn or sweeter, such as Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu.

Are grumpy sunshine hockey romance books set in college or the pros?

366 are set in pro hockey and 97 on college teams; the rest follow minor league, junior or retired players.

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