Overview

Hard Hitter: A Sapphic Hockey Romance follows Sloane Sterling, the feared enforcer of the London Valkyries — a veteran player known for her brute strength, broken nose, and reputation as “The Sledgehammer.” On the ice, she is ruthless and controlled. Off the ice, she is exhausted, isolated, and quietly breaking down after a serious groin injury threatens her career.

Enter Pippa Channing — a former elite ballerina turned movement specialist — who is hired to rehabilitate Sloane despite knowing nothing about hockey and despising the violence of the sport. Where Sloane relies on force and endurance, Pippa believes in precision, balance, and controlled movement.

As forced proximity, injury recovery, and unexpected vulnerability draw them closer, their worlds collide: aggression versus grace, ice versus stage, armor versus softness. What begins as a reluctant professional arrangement slowly shifts into something far more intimate — as both women confront past injuries, lost identities, and the fear of needing someone else.

• On-page hockey violence and fighting
• Sports injuries (muscle tear, bruising, broken nose)
• Medical treatment scenes (physical therapy, body manipulation)
• Panic attacks / hyperventilation
• Claustrophobia (locked-in situation)
• Career-ending injury trauma (past)
• Emotional vulnerability and identity crisis
• Explicit sexual content (later chapters)
• Mild coarse language

The novel blends sports brutality with emotional intimacy and healing-focused romance.