Ravens Hockey Book 2 ARC copy read in 2025 I did not read the first book but it feels like it could be a stand alone I didn't feel lost not reading the first in the series.
Anastasia is an Olympic figure skater but as she is getting older her partner and sponsor have dropped her and the only way she can keep her dream alive is to move to the United States and marry a man (Dimitri) that her parents have set up for her. Dimitri is the captain of the hockey team he has a good job as a high paid athlete he's so handsome he's charming and her parents feel that he will be a good match for her and be able to provide for her and any children they might have in the future he will also be able to help support her continuing her figure skating dreams.
Dimitri is unfortunately nothing like she imagined he immediately welcomes her to his home by being demanding and cutting her off from her only friend, limiting her phone time to her family and in general controlling everything she does including when she can and can't practice, he is a hot head and frequently takes out any bad day on her when she gets home... she is there to do what he says and what he wants without question.
The one amazing thing about her new life is that she has become secret friends with Alexsey "Alex" he is from her home country (Russia), he is her husbands team mate and he lives in the same building he is the exact opposite of her overbearing husband he is kind, thoughtful and present while Dimitri is angry, abusive and cold the only good thing is he is frequently away from the home going to parties and cheating on her with various women... maybe he will leave her for one of them.
Alex knows that something is wrong with Anastasia's relationship with his captain... but he also knows that it's not his place to interfere in someone else's relationship even if it kills him to see her so upset when she comes over to his home. The more time they spend together the more Alex falls a bit more for her and he knows that she can never be his but he can't help but think of what could be if they were together, she is someone to protect and cherish and he knows she isn't being treated like the treasure she is at home.
Alex does a good job just being there for Anastasia and letting her know that he will help her if she needs him, often if someone is in a DV situation they have a hard time gathering the courage to leave and Anastasia is a fighter she knows that she needs a better life for herself and her baby... but will she be able to get out of Dimitri's grasp?
Anastasia ends up at the lowest point in her life after an attack lands her in the hospital for a lengthy period of time and pushes Alex away not wanting to burden him with her current problems. While they live their lives separately Anastasia puts her life back together and Alex ends up on a different team eventually they end up back in each others lives again and it must be meant to be different State/city and years later but the love they had for each other as friends is still there and has so much potential to blossom into a lot more (the kind of love that Anastasia deserves and so does Alex). But is the nightmare life that she had with her ex all in the past? Can they move forward to both have a happy life?
Anastasia is trying to move past the worst part of her life but its hard when the court has ordered that she allow her son to speak with his father while he's in prison and there is always the concern that he will find them when he gets out.
As far as hockey romance goes there was not much "hockey" in it only mentions of going to practice or if they won or lost a game, there is also not much ice skating involved either. Anastasia is a survivor and has learned to be strong for herself and her son. I knew about the trigger warnings but there was a lot of on page DV which was really difficult to read about. I was really rooting for our main characters to find their happily ever after throughout the book I just felt like it spent a lot more time focusing on the on page trauma portion of the FMC's life and not as much time as I would have liked on the couple being together. There were a lot of time jumps in this which sometimes made the book feel like it flowed a bit strange at times.
Alex was everything that Anastasia needed him to be caring, supportive and patient allowing her to go at her own pace and not rushing her healing journey he really would have waited for her forever he had that kind of energy. Alex had always been a safe space for Anastasia and it was great seeing their love grow.
*ARC read *arranged marriage *DV partner violence *single mom
*Hockey Romance *Sports Romance *Forbidden Love *Slow Burn *dual POV
*spice (including M/F, voyeurism, exhibitionism, MFM and FFM)
*golden retriever MMC *Ice skater/hockey player pair *big time jumps *2nd chance for love
*journey of healing *second chance for romance *happy ending
Read your trigger warnings prior to reading: TW include on page domestic and sexual assault (marital/spousal rape) physical, emotional and sexual violence leading to physical injury
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