Kandi Steiner on her hockey romance series, Kings of the Ice

If you go to the romance shelf of any bookstore, you will find many hockey romance novels. But have you ever wondered why hockey romance seems to be the most popular type of sports romance? To answer this question, we invited Kandi Steiner, author of the best-selling series, Kings of the Ice.

Guest post written by Kandi Steiner, author of Kings of the Ice series. 

The first time I went to a hockey game, I didn’t know a thing about the sport — just that it was played on ice with sticks and a little black puck. But when my boss offered me a free ticket to a Tampa Bay Lightning game, I figured, why not?

That decision changed my life.

The arena buzzed with energy. The lights dimmed, the crowd roared, lightning cracked (literally — thank you, conductors in the ceiling), and the game began. From the moment the puck hit the ice, I was hooked. The speed, the intensity, the brute force — it was electric. I’d been to football games before, but nothing compared to the adrenaline I felt in that arena.

That night, a hockey fan was born. And years later, that love for the game inspired Meet Your Match, the first book in my Kings of the Ice series — a hockey romance centered around a fictional Tampa team and the women who bring them to their knees.

But I wasn’t breaking new ground — hockey romance has been around for decades and is consistently one of the most beloved sub-genres in romance. Why? Here’s my take.

Hockey heroes are tough on the ice, soft for their women.

Picture this: a bruiser who crushes his opponent and scores a game-winning goal, only to pull you close afterward and say, “Let’s get home so I can feed my girl.” Instant swoon.

They take charge — in the game and in the bedroom.

Many women carry a heavy mental load. So reading about a guy who dominates in his career and knows exactly what to do without needing a play-by-play? That’s the fantasy.

Teamwork and leadership are sexy.

Watching someone guide a team under pressure? Organize, strategize, and lead? It taps into that deep, primal attraction.

Their lifestyles are indulgent escapism.
From luxury cars to private jets and shopping sprees, these stories offer an inside peek into a world most of us will never live in — but love to imagine.

They’re emotionally intelligent.

Yes, they’re hot and rich, but what really gets us? Their communication skills. Their ability to talk about feelings, recognize insecurities, and show up — consistently and confidently.

And let’s be honest… men written by women just hit different.

Authors build these heroes from the ground up, creating the perfect mix of edge and emotion. Are real-life hockey players like the ones in our books? Who knows. But that’s the magic of fiction.

Hockey romance continues to dominate the sports romance world—and it’s great for readers and real-life hockey teams. Fans are flooding arenas hoping for a taste of the stories they love (and maybe a meet-cute, too).

Ready to dive in? Start with Meet Your Match, or grab my newest release, Save Your Breath — a fake engagement romance between hockey’s bad boy and the world’s biggest pop star.

Find me on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook for more.

Until next period,
Xoxo,
Kandi Steiner

Save Your Breath by Kandi Steiner is published in paperback at £9.95 by Renegade Books and is available to buy now.