Before We Came (Lakes Hockey #1)
Sloane St. James
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars
3.75
· Steam/Spice level: 4 of 5
Explicit open door [?]
· 137 ratings · 335 pages · Published: 27 Mar 2023
Her funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me—horrible secrets. This rabbit hole I’ve fallen down has revealed my past is much more sinister than I could have imagined. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie, and now there’s only one place for me to turn: back to the people who have been searching for me all these years.
One of those people is my newfound brother’s best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. His dirty talk and praise offer an easy escape as I shift into my new life. I’m ready to start anew with the ones who love me, but I’m not so sure I can settle down when I’ve just been set free.
Lonan
She’s back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it’s not so innocent anymore. She’s a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I’ve only got one shot with her, and I’m not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she’s been craving, but she’s the intimacy I’ve waited for my whole life.
When her story hits the media, she needs a place to hide. I offer her sanctuary in my penthouse. For the first time, this frigid condo feels like a home, and she’s made me believe the future I’ve always wanted is within reach. For now, I’m willing to hold her hand during the day and pin them down at night. But I want more.
Note: This 18+ spicy hockey romance features dirty-talking, praise, suspense, angst, second-chance love, forced proximity, and of course, a happily ever after.
CW: Kidnapping, fatal car accident details. Childhood emotional and physical abuse are mentioned but not described in detail.
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Tagged as:
- praise kink 30
- sports 26
- contemporary 23
- hockey 23
- sibling's best friend 21
- athlete hero 20
- forced proximity 19
- suspense 18
- m-f romance 18
- tortured heroine 16
- friends to lovers 16
- abduction 16
- spanking 16
- rich hero 15
- possessive hero 13
- exhibitionism 12
- found family 12
- independent heroine 11
- second chances 10
- curvy heroine 10
- height difference 9
- insta-love 8
- sunny/happy hero 8
- sweet/gentle hero 8
- mystery 7
- shy heroine 5
- alpha male 4
- angst 4
- funny 3
- daddy kink 3
- bdsm 3
- masc-dom 3
- working class heroine 3
- betrayal 2
- competent heroine 2
- tortured hero 2
- class difference 2
- new adult 1
- himbo 1
- christmas 1
- childfree 1
- fetish 1
- sassy heroine 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- past child neglect 20
- past abuse 19
- child death 18
- mental trauma 17
- victim blaming 11
- death / grief 8
- past child abuse 7
- third party abuse 4
- fatphobia 3
- alcoholism 3
- substance abuse 1
- geography
- minnesota 14
- north america 13
- usa 13
- canada 7
- Format
- Audiobook
- dual pov 24
- first person pov 16
- male pov 4
romance tags
The 'Lakes Hockey' series
3.98 · 595 ratings
dual-pov · athletes · angst · minnesota · north-america · tortured heroine · first-person-pov · praise-kink · possessive hero · audiobook · contemporary · m-f · alpha male · found-family · competent heroine · sassy heroine · sports · usa · hockey · humor
Lakes Hockey reading order and complete book list ❯
