Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Icebreaker
By Blair Brady

Portland Lumberjacks, Book 1

Axel Karlsson, a grumpy hockey defenseman in the twilight of an NHL career haunted by scandal and injury, is traded to the Portland Lumberjacks, a startup expansion team. There, he meets Quinn O’Reilly, a sunshiny, brash, talented rookie with a heart of gold.

Despite their differences, Axel and Quinn are drawn to each other, finding unexpected connections amid the pressures they face in trying to make the Lumberjacks contenders.

As they navigate the ups and downs of their relationship, Axel and Quinn find strength and support in their loved ones – Axel’s artistic sister Maja and stoic father Sven, Quinn’s fiercely protective sister Maggie and lovable best friend Milo.

But the road to happily ever after is never smooth, and Axel and Quinn must confront the ghosts of their pasts and the challenges of their present if they hope to have a future. With the help of their found family on the Lumberjacks and the love they’ve forged against all odds, they’ll learn that even the most battered and bruised hearts can thaw and bloom with the warmth of love and acceptance.

Icebreaker, Book 1 in Portland Lumberjacks, is a mm hockey romance with grumpy/sunshine, first time, and age gap themes, steamy scenes, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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Excerpt:

Of course, I couldn’t forget meeting Axel Karlsson face-to-face. I’d read about his career and the spectacular scandal that nearly killed it, but seeing him in person was next level.

His dark brown, almost black, eyes had bored deep into mine. I’d thought Swedes were blonde and blue-eyed like me, but Axel broke the rules. His jet-black hair framed a chiseled face that took my breath away.

He was a true battle-scarred veteran of wars on the ice, and there I was, a wet-behind-the-ears rookie, having the audacity to prank him. I’d kept those pink skates after someone left them behind when I helped little kids learn to figure skate. I knew they’d come in handy someday.

And who would have known my heart would kick into its highest gear, pounding away, when he looked at me? A giddy wave of excitement, nerves, and something else I couldn’t name yet crashed over me.

Surely, I had imagined most of it. That electric sizzle when he’d shaken my hand must have been static electricity.

Axel Karlsson was the kind of man to inspire secrets whispered in the corners of the locker room. He’d been up and down, seen it all, and done everything. Now, we were fortunate enough to have him as a leader on our team.

I was merely a rookie, a little audacious, to be sure, but at heart, I was just hoping to find a spot for myself in the big leagues. I wasn’t looking for men to…

Damn, I’d always had a brain that ran about three lengths ahead of both the cart and the horse. How could I even think Axel might have looked at me that way?

It hadn’t been possible, and to think that he might have was only setting myself up for major heartbreak down the road. I had to nip that silly crush in the bud…and fast.

According to my college literature buddies, that was always much easier said than done. I couldn’t stop replaying the moment when Axel’s lips almost curled into a genuine smile.

His eyes did linger on me a little longer than usual, too. I wasn’t making that up.

With a heavy groan, I raised a hand and raked my fingers through my hair. I needed to find a distraction, something to take my mind off Mr. Tall, Dark, and Adorably Grumpy.