Storm Warning Series by Declan Rhodes

Jake Riley is famous for all the wrong reasons. First came Love on Ice, the reality show where editing turned him into a national punchline in a sequined jersey. Then his self-produced hockey rap, “Puck Life,” went viral in the worst possible way. Now he's hoping Thunder Bay, Ontario—a scrappy northern town with a fiercely loyal fanbase—might be the fresh start he needs. The Thunder Bay Storm are holding things together with duct tape, borrowed gear, and blind optimism... moreJake Riley is famous for all the wrong reasons. First came Love on Ice, the reality show where editing turned him into a national punchline in a sequined jersey. Then his self-produced hockey rap, “Puck Life,” went viral in the worst possible way. Now he's hoping Thunder Bay, Ontario—a scrappy northern town with a fiercely loyal fanbase—might be the fresh start he needs. The Thunder Bay Storm are holding things together with duct tape, borrowed gear, and blind optimism. And Jake? He’s suddenly rooming with Evan Carter—a defenseman so precise he alphabetizes his condiments, tracks his hits in a spreadsheet, and bakes cookies with terrifying accuracy. Evan wants peace, predictability, and definitely not a roommate who sings in the shower and leaves socks in the fridge. What neither of them expects is the heat that starts simmering beneath their battles over bathroom schedules and fridge turf. Or the way their teammates begin to feel like family. Or the slow unraveling of the stories they've each told themselves to survive. As the Storm scrape their way through a season that shouldn’t work but somehow does, Jake and Evan find themselves facing something scarier than the possibility of being seen—and chosen—for who they really are. Puck Wild is a slow-burn, opposites-attract, forced-proximity gay hockey romance about second chances, viral fame, labeled leftovers, found family, and the chaos of falling for someone who sees straight through you—and stays anyway. less

Connor “Hog” Hawkins is Thunder Bay’s loudest export—Storm enforcer, locker-room clown, and master of turning noise into belonging. But one New Year’s Eve, a quiet man in flannel crossed the bar, kissed him at midnight, and left Hog replaying it ever since. Rhett Mason doesn’t do chaos anymore. He runs his father’s contracting shop, coaches kids’ hockey, and keeps his world steady in a town that once clipped his wings... moreConnor “Hog” Hawkins is Thunder Bay’s loudest export—Storm enforcer, locker-room clown, and master of turning noise into belonging. But one New Year’s Eve, a quiet man in flannel crossed the bar, kissed him at midnight, and left Hog replaying it ever since. Rhett Mason doesn’t do chaos anymore. He runs his father’s contracting shop, coaches kids’ hockey, and keeps his world steady in a town that once clipped his wings. But kissing Hog Hawkins wasn’t steady—it was reckless, brave, and exactly what he’s been missing. Between coffee shop mornings, youth practices, and snowy walks overlooking the Sleeping Giant, the lines between their worlds start to blur. Hog’s learning that being wanted doesn’t mean being smaller, and Rhett’s discovering that staying home can still be a choice worth making. But gossip travels fast, playoffs demand sacrifice, and Hog’s body can only take so many hits. When the noise fades, they’ll have to decide if love can stand on something quieter—something real. A small-town MM hockey romance filled with found family, hurt/comfort, and a happily ever after as certain as winter in Thunder Bay. less

Anyone can fall in love. Pickle makes it unforgettable. Thunder Bay’s favorite chaos gremlin, Noah “Pickle” Piatkowski, is no longer the rookie, but he hasn’t lost an ounce of his wild energy. He’s fast, he’s fearless, and he’s still the guy who shows up late to practice because he got his hand stuck in a Pringles can again. Fans adore him. His teammates have stopped asking questions... moreAnyone can fall in love. Pickle makes it unforgettable. Thunder Bay’s favorite chaos gremlin, Noah “Pickle” Piatkowski, is no longer the rookie, but he hasn’t lost an ounce of his wild energy. He’s fast, he’s fearless, and he’s still the guy who shows up late to practice because he got his hand stuck in a Pringles can again. Fans adore him. His teammates have stopped asking questions. When the Storm gathers at The Drop to watch Hog’s partner, Rhett, land a deal on Shark Tank, Pickle’s world begins to tilt. Enter Adrian Richter, thirty-four, a polished, quietly intense documentary filmmaker sent the day after the show by a streaming network sensing a story —sharp-eyed and no-nonsense. He’s come looking for an authentic slice of small-town hockey life…and instead he finds Pickle, standing in the parking lot of The Drop in Crocs, holding a broken karaoke microphone, and trying to teach Hog’s dog how to howl along to "Total Eclipse of the Heart. ". Adrian is thunderstruck. Not just by Pickle’s ridiculousness—but by the heat beneath the chaos. The tenderness tucked behind the jokes. The way Pickle lights up a room without even meaning to. Pickle, for his part, has no idea what to do when someone hot, grown, and deeply competent looks at him like he’s more than the team’s comic relief. Every instinct tells him to deflect with humor, to hide behind being “the funny one,” to pretend he doesn’t care about the idea that someone might—finally—take him seriously. Letting Adrian see the version of himself he's been protecting? That's terrifying. That's impossible. That's starting to feel inevitable. When the production company decides Pickle makes better footage as a joke than a person, Adrian faces his own protect the project that was supposed to rebuild his stalled career, or protect the man who's stolen his heart. An opposites attract small-town hockey romance, with a guaranteed happily ever after. A storm is coming to Thunder Bay. Turns out, it’s love. less