Content levels
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
He’s the fire I was never meant to touch. I’m the ice prince who can’t seem to stay frozen. Artemis: Graduate. Dominate. No distractions—especially cocky sophomores like Xavier Martinez. Every stolen kiss in the shadows, every brush of his hand, sends cracks splintering through the walls I swore would never break. He sees the mess underneath the ice prince. And now the sight of him across the rink feels less like rivalry and more like self-destructive obsession. He’s bad decisions in gray sweatpants, sin-slick confidence, the rival team’s golden boy. My antithesis. My counterpoint. My favorite chaos gremlin. One slip, and I hand my father the proof he's always wanted—that I was never enough to bear the de la Peña name. I can’t afford to want him, but he’s determined to prove that imperfection tastes better than any win. Xavier: I’ve spent my life chasing light—now I’m falling for the man who makes the dark feel like home. Artemis makes me feel chosen, but at the rink, I'm still just the enemy. When it all comes crashing down, I won’t walk away. I’ll stand there, bare and unguarded, and dare him to love me anyway. Artemis has to choose—between his fear of failure and the reckless, messy love that might finally set us both free. You can’t be the ice prince when your lover is the fire.
Tags
Splitting the D: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
Adult M/M romance with explicit sexual content between two male hockey players navigating a forbidden relationship. Contains themes of parental pressure, internalized homophobia, and class expectations.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include emotional abuse, anxiety, and power imbalance (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers will connect with the high-stakes romance between two rival hockey players fighting against their attraction and family expectations.