Slapshot Awakening by Billiejo Priestley (Paperback)

On the ice, control and precision define Jaxon Reed’s life. As a competitive figure skater, he has built his identity around performance, image, and keeping parts of himself carefully hidden. One moment changes everything. A near-disaster pulls the ground from beneath him and exposes how fragile that control really is.

Ryker Hayes has always lived with restraint of a different kind. A professional hockey player, he has spent years burying his feelings for Jaxon, his best friend and the one person he has never been able to forget. Loyalty to his sister and fear of crossing a line keep him silent, even as watching Jaxon from the sidelines becomes unbearable.

When scandal erupts and Jaxon’s life begins to unravel, the bond between them shifts into something secret and dangerous. Forced into close proximity, both men are pushed to confront truths they can no longer avoid. The connection they have hidden for years refuses to stay buried, even as the risks around them grow sharper.

In a world driven by appearances, choosing love comes with real consequences. Careers, reputations, and personal safety all hang in the balance. For Jaxon, facing what he wants means questioning who he is without the mask he wears on the ice. For Ryker, it means stepping out of the shadows and claiming something he has always believed was out of reach.

Slapshot Awakening is a story about identity, restraint, and the courage it takes to stop performing and start living.