The Assist — a Westlake Hockey novella by Maddie Bentley
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One rink. One cash box. One entire night stuck next to the loudest man in hockey.

Marit Bergstrom does not do fun. Fun is for starters.

She's the backup goalie with a national-camp shot on the line and a plan for every one of the hundred-plus days between her and it. Working a charity gala beside Cody Radek — the sunshine enforcer who says good morning to the Zamboni — was not in the plan.

He hums. He over-shares. He is a catastrophe of a man. And over one long night of donors and disasters, he does the single most dangerous thing anyone's ever done to Marit Bergstrom: he makes her want something she can't control.

💛 Check your inbox — Marit and Cody are on their way. (Marit would like you to know she counted the seconds.)
No spam, ever. Just books, behind-the-scenes, and the occasional confession about how much I love a man who hums. Unsubscribe anytime.
Home of the Westlake Hockey series

All the swoon, all the banter,
steamy but never graphic.

College hockey romance with closed bedroom doors and wide-open hearts. One rink, one budget, zero chill — welcome to Westlake, home of the Wolfhounds.

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🏒 Westlake Wolfhounds · one rink · one budget · one very shared building · Go Hounds 🏒
1st Period

The Westlake Hockey series

One northern school. Two hockey programs sharing one building, one budget line, and approximately zero chill. Six books, six Westlake couples — and a program that keeps almost-breaking.

Home Ice — Westlake Hockey Book One by Maddie Bentley Coming soon

Home Ice

Book One · Josie & Holden

The athletic department gave both hockey captains one rink, one budget, and one season to prove which program deserves to survive. Falling for the enemy wasn't in either game plan.

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Glove Side — Westlake Hockey Book Two by Maddie Bentley In the oven

Glove Side

Book Two · Marit & Cody

Westlake's newest starting goalie has ice in her veins and a national-camp invite on the line; the enforcer who's appointed himself her net-front shadow can't decide if he's guarding the net or falling through it.

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Eligible — Westlake Hockey Book Three by Maddie Bentley On the schedule

Eligible

Book Three · tutor × star

She's the only reason Westlake's best player is still academically eligible. He's the only secret she's not allowed to keep. A forbidden slow-burn that starts in a film room at two a.m.

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Off the Record — Westlake Hockey Book Four by Maddie Bentley On the schedule

Off the Record

Book Four · journalist × transfer

He left town to outrun a label. She's the reporter who can make it stick — or finally help him set it down. Second-chance hometown exes on a playoff run.

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Fake Out — Westlake Hockey Book Five by Maddie Bentley On the schedule

Fake Out

Book Five · sniper × Swedish D-man

Two weeks. One fake relationship. Zero feelings. That was the deal — until a holiday tournament abroad and a kiss that wasn't for the cameras.

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Overtime — Westlake Hockey Book Six by Maddie Bentley On the schedule

Overtime

Book Six · single dad × skate instructor

Some second chances arrive on tiny rental skates. A walk-on single dad, a learn-to-skate clinic, and the softest book on the Westlake shelf.

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The Assist — free Westlake Hockey novella

Start free with The Assist

The prequel novella — Marit & Cody, one charity gala, one deeply inconvenient kiss. Free when you join the reader list.

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2nd Period · The Promise

What you get, every single time

01

All the swoon

Real yearning, earned kisses, and the kind of tension you can feel through the page. Every couple gets a complete happily-ever-after — no cliffhanger romances, ever.

02

All the banter

Rival captains at 5:30 a.m. ice handoffs. Grumpy goalies filing perfectly good men under variable. If they're not arguing, they're about five pages from kissing.

03

Steamy, never graphic

Closed bedroom door, wide-open heart. All the tension of a spicy book without the parts you'd have to hide from your mother. That's the promise — on the cover of every book.

MB
3rd Period · The Author

Hi, I'm Maddie 💛

I grew up in a cold place with a backyard rink and a deeply unreasonable love of grumpy goalies. Now I write about a college hockey program where the men's and women's teams share one building, one budget, and approximately zero chill.

I write hockey romance with a very specific promise: all the swoon, all the banter, steamy but never graphic. If you've ever wanted the tension of a spicy book with the door respectfully closed, you're in exactly the right place.

My favorite part of this job is the readers. Hit reply on any email I ever send you — tell me what wrecked you, which grumpy athlete I should torment next, whether you're Team Marit or Team Cody. I read every single answer, and I have Opinions.

— Maddie