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Ice and Instinct Reading Order and Complete Series Guide
Complete Ice and Instinct series guide: reading order, what to expect, character maps, and FAQ. All five books live.
Key Takeaways
- Ice and Instinct is a 5-book interconnected standalone hockey romance series, each book with a resolved ending.
- Reading in order is optional but adds emotional weight to cameos and callbacks standalone readers will not feel.
- Book 1 is forbidden slow burn with dual-guarded characters. Book 2 is forbidden romance driven by journalism ethics.
- New readers should start with Book 1, Unassisted: it establishes the Wolves' world and the series' register.
What Is the Ice and Instinct Series?
Ice and Instinct is a 5-book interconnected standalone hockey romance series following the Portland Wolves. Each book focuses on a different couple with a complete romantic arc and satisfying ending. All five books are now live on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
| Book | Title | Couple | Status | Core Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unassisted | Declan & Elena | Available Now | Control vs. Vulnerability |
| 2 | Between the Glass | Ben & Renee | Available Now | Performance vs. Authenticity |
| 3 | Short Side | Carter & Wren | Available Now | Persona vs. Self |
| 4 | Last Change | Vince & Elara | Available Now | Patience vs. Action |
| 5 | Last Save | Milo & Risa | Available Now | Legacy vs. Beginnings |
Series status: All 5 books live. Complete series.
Pro tip: Start with whichever book's trope speaks to you. Unassisted is forbidden slow burn. Between the Glass is journalism ethics and performance pressure. Each stands alone, but reading in order enriches the team dynamics.
Do You Need to Read Ice and Instinct in Order?
No, but you'll get more out of it if you do. Each Ice and Instinct book is a complete standalone romance with its own couple, conflict, and satisfying ending. You won't be left hanging at the end of any book.
Reading in order gives you:
- Deeper understanding of team dynamics
- Character cameos that carry emotional weight
- Callbacks to previous couples' relationships
- Building stakes as the franchise evolves
- The full experience of the Wolves as a family
If you start with Book 2: You'll understand Ben and Renee's story completely. You might wonder about references to "the captain and his therapist"; that's Book 1.
If you read in order: You'll watch the Wolves become a team that wins together, and you'll feel each new romance as part of that larger story. For more on how the interconnected standalone structure works, see Ice and Instinct Worldbuilding: Interconnected Standalones.
What Is Unassisted About? (Book 1: Declan and Elena)
Unassisted is a steamy forbidden hockey romance about a stoic team captain forced into daily rehabilitation with the one person who can see through his defenses. Declan Rourke and Elena Marlowe's story uses shoulder rehabilitation as the mechanism for both physical and emotional vulnerability.
The Setup: Declan Rourke has spent twelve years building a reputation for invincibility. As captain of the Portland Wolves, he's the player who holds the room together, who leads by example, who never shows weakness. But when a Grade II labral tear threatens to end his season, he's forced to choose: surgery and the sidelines, or daily rehab with a specialist who sees through every defense he's perfected.
Why It Works: Unassisted uses shoulder rehabilitation as forced proximity that creates genuine dependency. Declan's physical vulnerability mirrors his emotional walls. The medical terminology that tracks his recovery becomes the language of intimacy between two people who don't do emotional exposure. This technique, called the Translation Game, is the series' signature element.
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Forbidden Romance, Slow Burn, Guarded Hearts, He Falls First, Emotional Walls Heat Level: Steamy (3/5 peppers). On-page intimacy, literary in style, character-driven. Word Count: 88,000 (382 pages)
The Signature Element: The Translation Game: using medical terminology ("anterior capsule," "posterior capsule," "three degrees wide") as coded emotional language between lovers.
Start here if: You want to see the series foundation, love slow-burn forbidden romance, or enjoy medical/therapy settings.
What Is Between the Glass About? (Book 2: Ben and Renee)
Between the Glass is a steamy forbidden hockey romance about the funniest player in the locker room and the journalist who sees past the performance. Ben Kowalski and Renee Lavoie's story explores what happens when humor is armor and professional ethics stand between two people who can't stay away from each other.
The Setup: Ben Kowalski is the funniest person in every room he walks into. The Portland Wolves' alternate captain has spent eight years perfecting the art of deflection: jokes that land, grins that disarm, a performance so polished nobody notices what's underneath. Especially not the sharp-eyed journalist who's been watching him since opening night.
Why It Works: Between the Glass explores the gap between performing joy and feeling it. Ben's "funny guy" persona is revealed as armor he inherited from his father. The journalism ethics that should keep Renee at arm's length instead create a conflict where professional integrity and personal feelings are both at stake. For a closer look at how journalism accuracy strengthens the romance, see Authentic Hockey Fiction: Medical and Journalistic Accuracy.
Tropes: Forbidden Attraction, Forced Proximity, Workplace Romance (Forbidden), Emotional Walls Heat Level: Steamy (3/5 peppers). On-page intimacy, literary in style, character-driven. Word Count: 82,000 (326 pages)
The Signature Element: Off the Record: the phrase tracks intimacy from hostile to sacred, beginning as sarcastic boundary, becoming foreplay, breaking, and being rebuilt stronger.
Start here if: You love forbidden attraction with real professional stakes, journalism settings, or the "saddest person in the room wearing the brightest mask" dynamic.
Book 3: Short Side (Carter and Wren)
Short Side is a fake-dating hockey romance about a rookie who performs charm as a survival strategy and the team photographer who sees through every mask he wears. Carter Knox plays golden retriever the way other people breathe, wide smile, easy jokes, everyone's favorite. Wren Gallagher has been photographing athletes long enough to recognize performance when it walks into her frame. Their fake dating arrangement is supposed to protect her freelance contract. It becomes something neither of them knows how to name.
Tropes: Fake Dating, Golden Retriever Hero, Forced Proximity, He Falls First, Found Family Heat Level: Spicy (3/5 peppers). On-page intimacy.
Book 4: Last Change (Vince and Elara)
Last Change is a single-parent hockey romance about a veteran defenseman who has carried one conversation for seven years and the event producer who forgot his name. Vince Mercer does not speak unless he has something worth saying. Elara Vasquez is rebuilding her career and raising a seven-year-old who notices everything. When she is hired to produce the Wolves' Heritage Season celebration, their paths cross again. Leo sees what the adults refuse to say. This is the story of showing up quietly, consistently, until the man who never asks for anything finally speaks.
Tropes: Single Parent, Second Chance, Veteran Hero, Slow Burn, Found Family Heat Level: Steamy (3/5 peppers). On-page intimacy, emotionally grounded.
Book 5: Last Save (Milo and Risa) — Series Finale
Last Save is a reverse-age-gap hockey romance about the Wolves' goaltender and a woman fourteen years his senior whose path crosses his at exactly the wrong time. Milo Varga sees everything on the ice and says exactly enough off it. Risa Kwon has built a life on her own terms and has zero interest in making space for a younger man with that much ahead of him. The age gap is not decorative. It is the whole reason the slow burn has weight. This is the series finale, and it carries the earned emotional payoff of watching Portland become a family across five books.
Tropes: Reverse Age Gap (Older Woman, Younger Man), Forbidden, Slow Burn, Series Finale Heat Level: Steamy (3/5 peppers). On-page intimacy.
Who Are the Main Characters in Ice and Instinct?
The Portland Wolves Leadership
- Declan Rourke (Book 1): Captain, defenseman, the foundation
- Ben Kowalski (Book 2): Alternate captain, forward, the heart
Key Players
- Carter Knox (Book 3): Rookie forward, the golden retriever with a hidden floor
- Vince Mercer (Book 4): Veteran defenseman, the watcher who waited seven years
- Milo Varga (Book 5): Goaltender, the franchise future and the series finale
Leading Heroines
- Elena Marlowe (Book 1): Elite athletic therapist
- Renee Lavoie (Book 2): Sports journalist
- Wren Gallagher (Book 3): Team photographer
- Elara Vasquez (Book 4): Event producer, single parent
- Risa Kwon (Book 5): Independent professional, fourteen years older than Milo
Connected Characters
- Marcus Lavoie: Renee's brother, plays for rival Hounds
- Leo Vasquez (Book 4): Elara's seven-year-old son, emotional throughline
What Themes Run Through the Series?
Each Ice and Instinct book explores a different emotional terrain while sharing common threads:
Individual Book Themes
- Unassisted: Control vs. vulnerability; the body as archive
- Between the Glass: Performance vs. authenticity; inherited patterns
- Short Side: Persona vs. self; the cost of being everyone's favorite
- Last Change: Patience vs. action; showing up quietly for seven years
- Last Save: Legacy vs. beginnings; the weight of an age gap that matters
Series-Wide Threads
- Professional competence as defense mechanism: Every heroine is brilliant at her job; every hero is extraordinary at his. The romance happens when competence becomes intimacy.
- The Translation Game: Using professional vocabulary (medical, journalistic, hockey) as the language of love
- Team as family: The Wolves aren't just coworkers; they're the family these characters choose
- Authenticity under pressure: The hockey spotlight forces characters to reveal who they really are
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to understand hockey to enjoy these books?
No. The Ice and Instinct series explains what you need to know. The emotional stakes don't require hockey knowledge; only appreciation for character pressure and genuine relationships.
That said, if you do know hockey, you'll appreciate the accuracy. If you don't, you'll learn just enough to understand why the pressure matters.
Are these closed-door or steamy books?
Steamy. Both Unassisted and Between the Glass are steamy (3/5 peppers) with on-page intimacy written in a literary, character-driven style. These are emotionally grounded adult romances where the physical scenes earn their place through emotional buildup. Content warnings are provided on each book's page.
Is there a cliffhanger between books?
No. Each main couple gets a complete arc with a satisfying ending in their own book. You'll know where Declan and Elena stand at the end of Unassisted. You'll know Ben and Renee's resolution at the end of Between the Glass.
The "cliffhanger" is only curiosity about what happens next for the team.
How long are the books?
- Unassisted: 88,000 words (382 pages)
- Between the Glass: 82,000 words (326 pages)
- Short Side: ~85,000 words
- Last Change: ~82,000 words
- Last Save: ~86,000 words
These are full-length novels, not novellas.
What makes Ice and Instinct different from other hockey romance series?
Three things set the series apart:
- Technical accuracy: Medical and journalistic details are researched and authentic, not hand-waved for convenience
- Professional heroines: Every heroine has expertise equal to the hero's; she's never just an observer of his world
- The Translation Game: Professional vocabulary becomes intimate language, creating a private code between lovers
For a deeper exploration of what separates substantive hockey romance from surface-level versions, see The Ultimate Guide to Hockey Romance.
Will there be more series after Ice and Instinct?
Yes. H.A. Laine plans additional series in different subgenres while maintaining the signature focus on technical accuracy and emotional depth. The Vancouver Hounds (rival team) may get their own series. Standalone thrillers and action romances are also planned.
Subscribe to the newsletter for announcements.
What content warnings should I know about?
Both books contain on-page sexual content (steamy, 3/5 peppers), sports injuries described in clinical detail, professional ethics violations, and emotional manipulation by secondary characters. Specific content warnings are listed on each book's individual page. The series is intended for adult readers.
Which Book Should You Start With?
If You Want the Most Emotional
Unassisted: The shoulder injury and rehabilitation create intense vulnerability
If You Prefer Banter and Wit
Between the Glass: Ben's deflection humor vs. Renee's precision creates electric dialogue
If You Like Fake Dating
Short Side: Carter's performance meets Wren's lens, and the bit slowly stops being a bit
If You Want a Single Parent Arc
Last Change: Vince's quiet patience and Leo's observation anchor the series' most grounded romance
If You Want a Reverse Age Gap
Last Save: Milo, Risa, and a fourteen-year gap that earns every page it takes
If You Like Slow Burn
Unassisted: The daily rehab structure creates gradual, inevitable intimacy
If You Want Forbidden Attraction
Between the Glass: Professional ethics create genuine conflict
If You're New to Sports Romance
Start with Unassisted: It establishes the world while being accessible to non-hockey readers
What Bonus Content Is Available?
The Compendium contains bonus content for Ice and Instinct readers:
Stories (Free Reading):
- The Report: Elena's origin story
- The Smile: Ben's early years
- The First C: Declan's captaincy beginning
Reference (Encyclopedia):
- Character Profiles: Detailed profiles of main characters
- World Guides: Coming soon
- Medical Journal: Detailed injury information
All Compendium content is free for newsletter subscribers.
Connect with the Series
- Get release alerts: Subscribe to the newsletter
- Read the books: Browse all Ice and Instinct books
- Explore bonus content: Visit The Compendium
- Learn about the craft: Read author notes and writing guides
Related Articles
- The Ultimate Guide to Hockey Romance: Genre overview and what makes it work
- Writing Emotional Sports Romance: Craft breakdown for writers
- Building Ice and Instinct as Interconnected Standalones: How the series structure works
- Author Notes: Why Unassisted Works: Behind-the-scenes on Book 1
- Author Notes: Why Between the Glass Hits: Behind-the-scenes on Book 2
The Ice and Instinct series: Romance that gets under your skin and stays.