
In "Iced Out," hockey rivals Quinton and Oakley discover their hatred masks deeper feelings. With over 36,600 Goodreads ratings, this emotionally charged romance combines forbidden love with superstitious game-day hookups. What happens when winning depends on sleeping with your enemy?
C.E. Ricci is the USA Today and international bestselling author of Iced Out, a steamy sports romance set at Leighton University that launched her popular hockey romance series. Known for her "real, raw romance" writing style, Ricci crafts emotionally charged contemporary love stories that blend humor, heat, and heart.
She transitioned from dark romance to lighter sports romance, finding her signature voice in college hockey settings and enemies-to-lovers tropes.
Beyond the Leighton U series, Ricci has written the Reckless Games duology (Don't You Dare, Never Will I Ever) and the River of Rain series (Follow the River, After Rain Falls). Based in Colorado, she draws inspiration from nature, travel, and music while building interconnected book universes where characters frequently cross paths.
Her work has garnered over 127,000 ratings on Goodreads, establishing her as a go-to author for readers seeking emotional, character-driven sports romance with unforgettable chemistry.
Iced Out by C.E. Ricci is a college sports romance novel set at Leighton University in Chicago. It's the first book in the Leighton U series and follows a rivalry-fueled hate-to-love story between characters navigating intense emotions, athletic competition, and undeniable chemistry. The novel features themes of enemies-to-lovers tension, college life, and hockey romance with C.E. Ricci's signature raw and emotional writing style.
Iced Out is perfect for readers who love college romance, sports romance (particularly hockey), and enemies-to-lovers dynamics. Fans of authors like Penelope Douglas, KV Rose, and Liza James will appreciate C.E. Ricci's intense, emotional storytelling. This book appeals to new adult romance readers who enjoy high-stakes tension, banter-filled relationships, and emotionally raw narratives set in competitive sports environments.
Iced Out is worth reading for fans of spicy college sports romance with emotional depth. As a USA Today bestselling book, it has garnered strong reader reviews and launched C.E. Ricci's popular Leighton U series. The novel delivers on enemies-to-lovers tension, memorable characters, and the addictive storytelling C.E. Ricci is known for, making it a standout in the college romance genre.
The Leighton U series reading order begins with Iced Out (Book 1, 2022), followed by Caught Stealing (Book 2, 2023), Fair Catch (Book 3, 2024), and Playing Dirty (Book 4, 2025). The series is described as standalone college sports romances featuring rivalry-fueled stepbrothers, competitive games, and intense sexual tension at Leighton University in Chicago.
Iced Out features the enemies-to-lovers trope as its central romance dynamic, evidenced by the iconic line "A little hard when I'm already in hate with you". The novel incorporates college romance, hockey romance, forced proximity, and intense rivalry elements. C.E. Ricci weaves emotional tension, banter, and slow-burn chemistry throughout, creating the trademark raw and real romance she's known for.
Yes, Iced Out contains spicy scenes and is considered a steamy new adult romance. C.E. Ricci is known for writing "real, raw romance" with high heat levels. The Leighton U series, which Iced Out launches, features significant sexual tension and explicit content, making it appropriate for mature readers who enjoy emotionally charged, adult romance with detailed intimate scenes.
Iced Out is both the first book in the Leighton U series and can be read as a standalone romance. While it launches a five-book series set at Leighton University, each book features different couples with complete story arcs. Characters may appear across books since C.E. Ricci creates connected universes with "easter eggs," but readers can enjoy Iced Out independently without reading subsequent books.
Iced Out is set at Leighton University, a fictional college in Chicago, Illinois. The story takes place within the competitive world of college hockey and campus life. C.E. Ricci chose this urban university setting to create a backdrop for rivalry, athletic competition, and intense romance, distinguishing it from her other series set at Foltyn College in Portland, Oregon.
One of the most memorable quotes from Iced Out captures the enemies-to-lovers tension: "Just make sure you don't go falling in love with me." I scoff. "A little hard when I'm already in hate with you." This quote exemplifies the banter and rivalry at the heart of the romance, showing how the characters' initial animosity masks deeper feelings and sets up their emotional journey.
While both novels showcase C.E. Ricci's signature emotional romance style, Iced Out is set at Leighton University in Chicago and focuses on hockey romance, while Don't You Dare takes place at Foltyn College in Portland. Both books exist in the same fictional universe with potential character crossovers. Iced Out launched the Leighton U series, while Don't You Dare is part of the Reckless Games series.
C.E. Ricci is a USA Today and international bestselling romance author who has achieved bestseller status in five different countries. Beyond Iced Out, she has written multiple series including the Leighton U books, the Reckless Games series (Don't You Dare, Never Will I Ever), and the River of Rain duology (Follow the River, After Rain Falls). She's influenced by authors like Penelope Douglas and K Webster.
C.E. Ricci's writing in Iced Out is characterized by raw emotional intensity, realistic dialogue, and deeply flawed characters. She specializes in "real, raw romance" that doesn't shy away from difficult emotions or complex relationship dynamics. Her style blends addictive pacing with heartstring-tugging moments, creating stories that readers describe as gripping and emotionally resonant, particularly in enemies-to-lovers narratives like Iced Out.
저자의 목소리로 책을 느껴보세요
지식을 흥미롭고 예시가 풍부한 인사이트로 전환
핵심 아이디어를 빠르게 캡처하여 신속하게 학습
재미있고 매력적인 방식으로 책을 즐기세요
You're not a team player - you're just scared of being overshadowed.
At least I earned my spot instead of riding daddy's coattails.
This never fucking happened.
Sex for winning games-with no emotional attachment allowed.
Iced Out의 핵심 아이디어를 이해하기 쉬운 포인트로 분해하여 혁신적인 팀이 어떻게 창조하고, 협력하고, 성장하는지 이해합니다.
Iced Out을 빠른 기억 단서로 압축하여 솔직함, 팀워크, 창의적 회복력의 핵심 원칙을 강조합니다.

생생한 스토리텔링을 통해 Iced Out을 경험하고, 혁신 교훈을 기억에 남고 적용할 수 있는 순간으로 바꿉니다.
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Imagine stepping onto the ice, facing the one person who represents everything you despise-only to discover they're now your teammate. This is the reality for hockey stars Oakley Reed and Quinton de Haas, whose bitter rivalry began years ago during a high school championship game. When Quinton's cutting comment about Oakley riding his famous father's coattails led to a bloody confrontation, their mutual hatred was cemented. Four years later, fate throws them together at Leighton University, where their animosity threatens to derail not just their own careers, but their entire team's championship dreams. Their loathing manifests in self-sabotaging behaviors on the ice-Quinton ignoring Oakley's superior positioning, Oakley abandoning defensive assignments-resulting in the team's worst season start in a decade. Every interaction crackles with tension, revealing deeper insecurities: Oakley's desperate need to prove himself beyond his family name, and Quinton's fear that his aggressive reputation overshadows his leadership abilities. But what happens when the line between hatred and attraction begins to blur?