Breakaway by Catherine Gayle
This is the first book in a series around a hockey team based in Portland Oregon, called the Portland Storm. The male central character here is Eric "Zee" Zellinger, and he is the captain of the team. One of his lifelong best friends, Brenden, is on the development team in the AHL affiliated with the Portland Storm. He's had a few injuries that set him back, but is hoping to get moved up to the NHL team. Brenden's little sister Dana is also a strong hockey player, but back when she was playing for her college team she was attacked after a game and gang raped.
Dana has been undergoing therapy for a few years, but still has issues with men and physical contact. She is beginning to lose hope for a normal future relationship, but when her therapist suggests a sex therapist, she gets an idea. She can't handle a stranger for this, but she thinks of Eric, someone she's always trusted and decides to show up in person and ask him to do this for her.
The idea is to gradually increase physical contact, moving towards intimacy. Eric is shocked but he's also a person who's cared deeply for Dana for years, and wants to help her. He also finds himself attracted to the woman she is now.
Due to the storyline, you can see the tropes here: slow burn, friends to lovers, and brother's best friend.
The book steps away from the classic romance to deal with trauma, PTSD, and panic attacks, all of which it portrays well. As a Canadian, I grew up knowing hockey, and I enjoyed that aspect of the book as well.
The only factual critique I have is the scene on the ice with the Zamboni. I KNOW that for safety reasons, when a Zamboni is on the ice, no people are on the ice. So that bothered me a little.
Otherwise, an interesting read, and satisfying romance.
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