Hat Trick (D.C. Stars Book 4)

Riley Mitchell has everything he could ever want. He’s a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion. He has great friends, a fun life, and he’s living out his dream of playing hockey in the NHL. Except one night, everything changes. After a car accident leaves him with an amputated right leg, he struggles with his identity. Who is he away from the ice? How is he supposed to live without the sport that means everything to him? Enter Lexi Armstrong, the DC Stars athletic trainer assigned to Riley’s rehabilitation. Independent, proudly single, and a sarcastic ray of sunshine, she’s determined to help Riley feel better not just physically, but mentally too. And the friends with benefits arrangement they fall into? Definitely not part of the rehabilitation plan. It was supposed to be one night, but when just once turns into something much deeper than a romp in the bedroom, they have a decision to make. Do they fight their feelings and keep things purely physical? Or can they pull off a Hat Trick and find something that lasts forever? Hat Trick is a spicy friends to lovers sports romance with professional athletes, friends with benefits, injury rehabilitation, he falls first (and hard), and a guaranteed happily ever after. Please check content warnings as some material might be sensitive to readers. AUTHOR’S NOTE If you’re new here, this is typically the place where I’ll write a long, drawn out note that explains my insights into why I wanted to write this story, and this book is no different. I have not suffered a limb loss myself, but someone very, very, very close to me has (for the sake of her privacy, I’m not naming who). They’ve been an amputee for forty years, and throughout my time on this earth, I’ve seen them exhibit nothing but perseverance, unwavering optimism, and a zest for life that’s hard to find in anyone else. I’m in a constant state of awe of their ability to not slow down, to not stop doing what they love, and they’ve been a constant inspiration to me. When sitting down to write Hat Trick, I knew Lexi, an athletic trainer, had to end up with someone who would undergo a serious rehabilitation process for her story to be believable (yes, I know it’s fiction, but work with me here). With the renewed interest in the Paralympics last summer, including a spotlight on athletes like Hunter Woodhall, a double-amputee track star, and other decorated athletes, the idea came to me. A hockey player who suffers a limb loss, begrudgingly starts his rehabilitation process, and finds out who he is away from the ice. In the early days of this story, I thought I was going to have to rely on some heavy imagination. Is it even possible to skate with a prosthesis? Has it been done before? Then I read about Craig Cunningham, a former member of the Boston Bruins and the Tucson Roadrunners, an AHL team in Arizona. He went into cardiac arrest on the ice, and after developing an infection due to poor circulation, his lower left leg was amputated. But guess what? He can still skate, and the videos of him on the ice is unreal. I really recommend you check them out, because it’s the most inspirational thing I’ve ever seen. Riley’s story differs slightly from Craig’s. Craig lost part of his leg, while Riley undergoes an AKA—an above knee amputation. It’s a much more complicated rehabilitation process, and you’ll see it takes many, many, many sessions for him to be comfortable with his new body. Because of the length of his rehab, you’ll notice the occasional time jump for readability. Additionally, some hockey elements have been altered as well (there are more than six guys on a team, but I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with a list of twenty-one names). My DMs on Instagram are always open if you want to chat more, and I hope the research, care, love and consideration I put into Riley and Lexi’s story comes off the pages. Xoxo, Chelsea CONTENT WARNINGS Hat Trick is a romantic comedy full of laughs, spice, and swoon, but I want to share a few content warnings that some readers might want to be aware of. -explicit language -alcohol consumption -multiple explicit sex scenes -mention of infertility (not the main characters) -loss of a limb by a main character (off page, detailed) -mention of depression and suicidal thoughts had by a main character -mention of a drunk driver -car crash depicted on page -rope play -breath play -continuous rehabilitation of an amputated limb CHARACTER CATCH UP Hi, reader! I do my best to write my books as standalone novels even though they’re part of a series, but some of the characters mentioned have their own books. I never want anyone to feel confused while reading, so I created a quick character catch up so you can know who is who before diving in. If this is your first book of mine, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. If you’re a big DC Stars fan, I hope you’re excited to be back with the boys. For timeline purposes, Hat Trick takes place immediately after the end of Slap Shot (as in the same night), but before the epilogue. Maverick Miller and Emmy Hartwell have their own book, Face Off, which is book one in the DC Stars series. It’s a dislike to lovers, rivals with benefits, black cat x golden retriever story full of banter and spice. Piper Mitchell and Liam Sullivan have their own book, Power Play,which is book two in the DC Stars series. It’s a grumpy x sunshine, goalie x rinkside reporter, teach me, accidental marriage story. Hudson Hayes and Madeline Galloway have their own book, Slap Shot, which is book three in the DC Stars series. It’s a single mom x hockey player, sunshine x sunshine, slow burn story. Maven Lansfield, the team photographer has her own book in a different series. Behind the Camera is a single dad x nanny, roommates, NFL story. As always, I’ve left lots of clues about upcoming books. I can’t wait to see if you find them!

Hat Trick (D.C. Stars Book 4) novel is a popular light novel covering Novel genres. Written by the Author Chelsea Curto . Read Hat Trick (D.C. Stars Book 4) novel online for free.