Amy Aislin is a Canadian author of male and male contemporary romance. Hockey is the largest part of her catalog, but she also writes small-town romance, cowboy stories, holiday books, second chances, friends-to-lovers relationships, and romances centered on family and community.
Her bibliography is more interconnected than its series labels initially suggest. Stick Side provides the foundation for several later character appearances, Vancouver Orcas spins directly out of one Stick Side novel, and Vermont Trailblazers brings back characters from both Shots on Goal and A Touch of Maple.
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The safest starting point is On the Ice. It opens Stick Side, introduces characters who remain part of the wider world, and establishes the hockey continuity from which several later books grow.
Choose Your Entry Point
Readers do not have to approach every Amy Aislin book as one long sequence.
Use one of these starting points:
- On the Ice, for the complete interconnected hockey route
- Game Plan, for a contained professional hockey trilogy
- The Best Parts of Him, for the newest hockey team
- Christmas Lane, for small-town holiday romance
- Home for a Cowboy, for ranch and cowboy romance
- Keeping Casey, for college friendship and romance
- The Play of His Life, for a self-contained second chance
Publication order is usually the best choice inside a series. Amy Aislin also provides an internal timeline, but that chronology mainly confirms the existing connections rather than requiring a radically different order.
Amy Aislin’s Interconnected Hockey Order
Readers who want every major hockey connection should follow this route:
- Stick Side
- Vancouver Orcas
- A Touch of Maple
- Walking on Broken Paths
- Vermont Trailblazers
The Windsor, Wyoming books have a minor connection to Stick Side through Marco, who first appears briefly in On the Ice. They remain a separate cowboy-romance branch and do not need to interrupt the hockey sequence.
Stick Side Books in Order
Stick Side is Amy Aislin’s foundational hockey series. The full-length books follow different couples, but earlier characters return and several later series grow from people introduced here.
The author states that the main novels can stand alone. Publication order remains preferable because it preserves character introductions, relationship outcomes, and the gradual expansion from college hockey to professional teams.
1. On the Ice
On the Ice (2018): College hockey player Mitch Greyson is assigned NHL defenseman Alex Dean as a tutor, beginning an age-gap romance complicated by Alex’s injury, his closeted career, and Mitch’s professional ambitions.
This is the best starting point for the complete Amy Aislin reading experience.
1.5. Christmas on the Ice
Christmas on the Ice (2018): Mitch and Alex return for a short Christmas follow-up that shows their relationship continuing beyond the main novel.
Status: Optional free short story
Read it immediately after On the Ice.
1.6. On the Ice: Mitch vs. Alex
On the Ice: Mitch vs. Alex (2018): The couple from On the Ice face another playful point of competition as their established relationship continues.
Status: Optional free short story
It contains no essential setup for the next main novel.
1.7. A Valentine’s Trade
A Valentine’s Trade (2019): Mitch and Alex receive another brief relationship update built around Valentine’s Day and their continuing hockey lives.
Status: Optional free short story
Read it with the other On the Ice bonus material.
2. The Nature of the Game
The Nature of the Game (2019): Dan Greyson attempts to win back former boyfriend Ashton Yager six years after an ultimatum separated them, while Ash faces the career consequences of publicly coming out as bisexual.
A hurricane and shared shelter force them to address the breakup rather than continuing to avoid it.
2.5. The Nature of Christmas
The Nature of Christmas (2019): Dan and Ash return for a Christmas companion story that revisits their second-chance relationship after the main novel.
Status: Optional free short story
It should be read after The Nature of the Game.
3. Shots on Goal
Shots on Goal (2020): Newly traded hockey player Roman Kinsey begins falling for psychology student and library worker Cody Evans while helping him fight to save a threatened community library.
The book introduces the Vermont Trailblazers and several connections that become important in Aislin’s later Vermont romances.
4. Risking the Shot
Risking the Shot (2020): NHL forward Taylor Cunningham falls for older single father Dakota Cotton while balancing playoff pressure, university exams, and the risk of entering a child’s life.
Mitch and Alex make guest appearances, but the central couple is new to the series.
5. Two-Man Team
Two-Man Team (2021): Hockey player Kris Xappa tries to protect his damaged public image while resisting younger teammate Rory Stanton, who is also his best friend’s brother.
An injury forces them into closer contact and makes their earlier kiss impossible to dismiss.
6. Star of the Game
Star of the Game (2022): Musician Felix and professional hockey player Emery struggle with mutual attraction after two decades of friendship, especially when career problems force them to live together.
This book introduces coach Matt Shore, whose romance later opens the Vancouver Orcas trilogy.
6.5. Shutout
Shutout (2023): Childhood friends and former teenage crushes Shawn Staples and Carter Caulfield reconnect at a New Year’s Eve party, then face the practical challenge of living in different countries.
This novella occurs after Star of the Game.
Status: Included novella
It was originally released through the Pucking Around anthology before becoming available separately.
The Correct Order for Stick Side
A complete Stick Side reading sequence is:
- On the Ice
- Christmas on the Ice
- On the Ice: Mitch vs. Alex
- A Valentine’s Trade
- The Nature of the Game
- The Nature of Christmas
- Shots on Goal
- Risking the Shot
- Two-Man Team
- Star of the Game
- Shutout
The four free stories are optional. Readers interested only in the main couples can follow the six full-length novels and then add Shutout.
Vancouver Orcas Books in Order
Vancouver Orcas is a direct spin-off from Stick Side. It follows the coach and players of an AHL team rebuilding after finishing at the bottom of the league.
Read Star of the Game first for Matt Shore’s original appearance. Starting directly with Game Plan is still possible because the trilogy explains its own team and relationships.
1. Game Plan
Game Plan (2023): New Orcas head coach Matt Shore reunites with former partner Pierce Langley-Brown, who is also the father of Matt’s best player.
Their second chance is complicated by the old breakup, Matt’s responsibility to the struggling team, and Pierce’s desire to repair what he abandoned.
2. Game Changer
Game Changer (2023): Veteran AHL player Blair Brawsiski hires baker Charlie Shore as his personal assistant while deciding whether one final season can earn him an NHL call-up.
The arrangement mixes career pressure, financial strain, close proximity, and an attraction neither man can treat as merely professional.
3. Game On
Game On (2024): Hockey player Jamie Jamieson moves in with Dorian Shore, his coach’s cousin and the team’s social media coordinator, despite having sworn off relationships connected to teammates.
Dorian carries painful memories of playing hockey as a child, making the sport itself part of the emotional barrier between them.
Where Vancouver Orcas Fits
The continuity-conscious placement is:
- Read Stick Side through Star of the Game
- Read Shutout
- Begin Vancouver Orcas with Game Plan
The trilogy then runs without interruption through Game On.
Vermont Trailblazers Books in Order
Vermont Trailblazers returns to the professional team introduced in Shots on Goal. Characters also appear first in A Touch of Maple, so the fullest route includes that shared-world novel before the trilogy.
The first two books were published by August 4, 2026. The third is scheduled for October 6, 2026.
1. The Best Parts of Him
The Best Parts of Him (2025): Columbus Pilots player Ryland Zervudachi pursues longtime crush Kyle Dabbs, captain of the rival Vermont Trailblazers, while distance and competing teams complicate their relationship.
Kyle first appears in A Touch of Maple, but that book is optional background rather than required preparation.
2. Around and Around We Go
Around and Around We Go (2026): Sandro Zanetti and Bennett Jackson receive a second chance after an earlier relationship left unfinished feelings, with forced proximity and found family drawing them back together.
Sandro first appears in Shots on Goal and later returns in The Best Parts of Him.
3. From A to Us
From A to Us (Expected October 6, 2026): Eli Parker and Nolan Madolora enter an age-gap romance complicated by forced proximity, a coach’s son connection, and the fact that one man is the other’s sister’s former partner.
Both characters first appear in Around and Around We Go. The book will complete the Vermont Trailblazers trilogy.
The Best Vermont Reading Route
For every relevant introduction, read:
- Shots on Goal
- A Touch of Maple
- The Best Parts of Him
- Around and Around We Go
- From A to Us
Readers can instead begin with The Best Parts of Him. The earlier books add recognition and background, but the central romance remains understandable.
Lighthouse Bay Books in Order
Lighthouse Bay is a small-town holiday romance trilogy. The books follow different couples within the same community and should be read in publication order.
1. Christmas Lane
Christmas Lane (2018): A holiday romance develops in Lighthouse Bay as two men become involved through the town’s Christmas preparations and close community life.
The novel establishes the setting and the recurring residents who support later couples.
2. Gingerbread Mistletoe
Gingerbread Mistletoe (2020): A second Lighthouse Bay couple is brought together by seasonal traditions, baking, and the emotional pressure of returning to familiar people at Christmas.
The central romance is complete, but earlier characters remain part of the town.
3. Sweet to the Core
Sweet to the Core (2022): An apple-centered small-town romance closes the trilogy while giving another member of the Lighthouse Bay community a chance at lasting love.
Mal, who later leads A Gift-Wrapped Holiday, is briefly introduced here.
A Gift-Wrapped Holiday and Lighthouse Bay
A Gift-Wrapped Holiday (2022): Mal receives his own Christmas romance after appearing in Sweet to the Core, extending the Lighthouse Bay world beyond the official trilogy.
Status: Included companion novel
Read it after Sweet to the Core. It is not officially numbered as Lighthouse Bay book four, but it belongs to the same continuity.
Windsor, Wyoming Books in Order
Windsor, Wyoming is a cowboy-romance series set in a fictional small town.
The author describes it as a trilogy, but only two books had been published and named by August 4, 2026. No third title should be added until it is officially announced.
1. Home for a Cowboy
Home for a Cowboy (2020): Marco returns to a Wyoming ranch and finds romance while navigating family responsibilities, rural life, and the question of where he truly belongs.
Marco first appears as a minor character in On the Ice, but this book begins a separate cowboy storyline.
2. Road to a Cowboy
Road to a Cowboy (2024): Another Windsor romance follows men whose path toward each other is shaped by ranch life, personal change, and the need to choose a permanent home.
Read it after Home for a Cowboy for the town and returning community.
3. Untitled Windsor, Wyoming Novel
A third book is implied by the series being identified as a trilogy, but no reliable title or release date had been announced as of August 4, 2026.
Status: Unconfirmed
Keeping Him Books in Order
Keeping Him follows connected characters in a friendship-centered contemporary romance setting.
The books feature separate couples, but Brant appears first as a side character in the opening novel.
1. Keeping Casey
Keeping Casey (2021): Two university roommates and best friends must reconsider their relationship when loyalty, attraction, and plans for the future begin pointing beyond friendship.
The story introduces the social circle that supports the second book.
2. Keeping Kellan
Keeping Kellan (2021): Brant receives his own romance after appearing in Keeping Casey, entering a friends-to-lovers story shaped by close community ties and feelings that have grown over time.
Reading Keeping Casey first provides the intended character introduction.
Standalone and Loosely Connected Novels
Several Amy Aislin novels are marketed independently but contain brief character appearances from other books.
These connections are usually bonuses rather than prerequisites.
As Big as the Sky
As Big as the Sky (2020): A warm contemporary romance brings together two men whose different lives are bridged by family, community, and a growing sense of belonging.
Status: Standalone
No previous series reading is required.
Ballerina Dad
Ballerina Dad (2017): A devoted father balancing parenthood and his child’s ballet world discovers that family responsibilities do not prevent him from finding a relationship of his own.
Status: Standalone novella
This is one of Aislin’s earliest published romances.
Chasing Sunsets
Chasing Sunsets (2023): NHL player Dane Roxborough retreats to his hometown after a sex scandal and tries to reconnect with college sweetheart Grant Lilly, who has already survived being left behind once.
The current edition adds an epilogue to an earlier promotional version.
Status: Standalone with light hockey context
Elias
Elias (2020): A contemporary romance set between Toronto and rural Ontario follows a man whose relationship choices are shaped by family, belonging, and the life he hopes to build.
Status: Standalone
It does not require Stick Side.
The Heights
The Heights (2018): A relationship develops in an urban Canadian setting where career pressures and personal uncertainty force two men to decide how much they are prepared to risk for each other.
Status: Standalone
Some bibliography databases classify it as the first Lakeshore book, but no continuing Lakeshore sequence has been reliably established.
The Play of His Life
The Play of His Life (2020): Childhood friends reunite after years apart and confront the affection, missed opportunity, and unresolved history that once shaped their bond.
Mitch and Alex from On the Ice receive a brief mention, but the book remains independently readable.
Status: Standalone with a minor Stick Side reference
Walking on Broken Paths
Walking on Broken Paths (2025): Jesse Melnik returns to Charlottetown fifteen years after fleeing the grief of his brother’s death and comes face to face with Parker Willis, the best friend he abandoned without explanation.
Jesse previously appears in Star of the Game and Game Changer.
Status: Interconnected standalone
Read it after those books for the fullest character history, although its central relationship is complete.
Shared-World Holiday and Small-Town Books
The books in this section belong to multi-author projects. Each writer contributes a different romance inside a common town or seasonal framework.
Only Amy Aislin’s installment is necessary for her personal bibliography.
Get Frosted
Get Frosted (2023): Mik and Rudy move from rivalry and irritation toward romance during a Christmas season filled with small-town festivities and forced interaction.
This is Amy Aislin’s contribution to the first Christmas Falls multi-author series.
Status: Separate shared-world romance
Christmas Beau
Christmas Beau (2024): A holiday relationship unfolds in Christmas Falls as seasonal proximity brings two men together inside the collaborative town setting.
This belongs to Christmas Falls: Season 2.
Status: Separate shared-world romance
A Touch of Maple
A Touch of Maple (2025): Frequently traded hockey player Bellamy Jordan clashes with rival player’s brother Jason Zervudachi, who is trying to modernize his family’s Vermont maple farm while completing a master’s degree.
Roman and Cody from Shots on Goal make a brief appearance, and Kyle Dabbs is introduced before leading The Best Parts of Him.
Status: Important optional bridge to Vermont Trailblazers
One Winter with You
One Winter with You (2020): Wes and Jordan, sons of rival coffee-shop owners, compete in a winter scavenger hunt because each desperately needs the prize money for someone he loves.
This is available as a newsletter story rather than a conventional numbered series novel.
Status: Optional standalone
Stick Side Free Stories in Verified Order
Amy Aislin’s free Stick Side companion stories should be placed as follows:
- Christmas on the Ice: After On the Ice
- On the Ice: Mitch vs. Alex: After Christmas on the Ice
- A Valentine’s Trade: After the other Mitch and Alex stories
- The Nature of Christmas: After The Nature of the Game
They enrich existing relationships but do not introduce couples required for the later novels.
Boxed Sets, Special Editions, and the Coloring Book
Collected and illustrated editions should not be counted as additional novels.
Stick Side Series Adult Coloring Book, Volume 1
Stick Side Series Adult Coloring Book, Volume 1: An illustrated companion featuring characters from the hockey series rather than a prose installment with a new romance.
Status: Optional merchandise
Special Edition Novels
Illustrated covers, bonus-scene editions, and audio editions contain the same central novels already placed in the reading order.
A bonus scene may add a later glimpse of a couple, but it does not create another numbered book.
Italian Editions
Sul Ghiaccio and La natura del gioco are Italian translations of On the Ice and The Nature of the Game.
They are not separate stories and should not be purchased as sequels by readers who already own the English editions.
Publication Order or Internal Chronology?
Amy Aislin provides an internal timeline showing the years in which many connected books take place.
That chronology is useful for understanding the size of the time jumps. It is not the best first-reading order.
Publication and series order remain preferable because they:
- Introduce recurring characters in the order readers originally met them
- Preserve the intended spin-off from Star of the Game to Vancouver Orcas
- Keep A Touch of Maple beside the Vermont Trailblazers books it supports
- Prevent later appearances from revealing earlier romantic outcomes too soon
The internal timeline places the early Stick Side books several years before the newest Vermont stories. Rearranging every book by fictional year offers little benefit because the recommended order already moves generally forward.
Recommended Complete Amy Aislin Reading Order
Readers seeking the most coherent connected route should use the following stages.
Stage One: Establish Stick Side
Read:
- On the Ice
- The three Mitch and Alex bonus stories
- The Nature of the Game
- The Nature of Christmas
- Shots on Goal
- Risking the Shot
- Two-Man Team
- Star of the Game
- Shutout
Stage Two: Follow the Orcas Spin-Off
Read:
- Game Plan
- Game Changer
- Game On
This completes the direct storyline growing from Matt Shore’s Stick Side appearance.
Stage Three: Add the Later Interconnected Standalones
Read:
- A Touch of Maple
- Walking on Broken Paths
The first introduces Kyle before Vermont Trailblazers. The second completes Jesse’s story after his supporting appearances in earlier hockey books.
Stage Four: Read Vermont Trailblazers
Read:
- The Best Parts of Him
- Around and Around We Go
- From A to Us
The third book was forthcoming as of August 4, 2026.
Stage Five: Explore the Separate Series
Lighthouse Bay, Windsor Wyoming, and Keeping Him can be read independently in their own publication orders.
Latest Amy Aislin Book
As of August 4, 2026, Amy Aislin’s latest published novel is Around and Around We Go, released on April 28, 2026.
It is the second Vermont Trailblazers romance and follows Sandro Zanetti and Bennett Jackson.
Her next confirmed release is:
From A to Us (October 6, 2026): The final Vermont Trailblazers book will follow Eli Parker and Nolan Madolora in an age-gap, forced-proximity hockey romance.
A separate shared-world project is planned for spring 2027, but no title or dependable plot details had been announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Was Amy Aislin’s First Book?
Ballerina Dad was published in 2017 and is one of her earliest confirmed works.
On the Ice, published in 2018, is the first book in her principal interconnected hockey series and the better starting point for a complete reading project.
What Is the Best Amy Aislin Book to Start With?
Start with On the Ice for the full connected universe.
Choose Game Plan for a shorter hockey trilogy, Christmas Lane for small-town holiday romance, or Home for a Cowboy for a separate ranch setting.
Are All Amy Aislin Books Connected?
No.
Stick Side, Vancouver Orcas, and Vermont Trailblazers have the strongest links. Several standalones contain brief cameos, but Lighthouse Bay, Keeping Him, and the shared-world holiday books can be treated as separate reading paths.
Is Vancouver Orcas Connected to Stick Side?
Yes.
Matt Shore first appears in Star of the Game before becoming the head coach and central character of Game Plan.
Should A Touch of Maple Be Read Before Vermont Trailblazers?
It is recommended.
A Touch of Maple introduces Kyle Dabbs before The Best Parts of Him and also contains a brief appearance by Roman and Cody from Shots on Goal.
Is Walking on Broken Paths a Hockey Book?
Hockey connections exist through Jesse’s earlier supporting appearances, but the central novel focuses on grief, homecoming, and his relationship with childhood best friend Parker.
It can be read alone, although Star of the Game and Game Changer provide additional background.
Are the Stick Side Books Standalones?
The full-length novels follow different central couples and resolve their own romances.
Publication order is still the better choice because previous characters return and later spin-offs rely on people introduced in the series.
Is Shutout a Full-Length Stick Side Novel?
No. It is a novella set after Star of the Game.
It follows a new couple rather than revisiting one of the six main couples.
Are the Free Stick Side Stories Required?
No.
They offer holiday and relationship updates for Mitch and Alex or Dan and Ash, but the later full-length books remain understandable without them.
Is A Gift-Wrapped Holiday Part of Lighthouse Bay?
It takes place in the same world and follows Mal, who appears briefly in Sweet to the Core.
It is not officially numbered as part of the trilogy, so it is best labeled an included companion novel.
How Many Windsor, Wyoming Books Are Published?
Two named novels were published by August 4, 2026:
- Home for a Cowboy
- Road to a Cowboy
The series is described as a trilogy, but the third book had not been reliably announced.
Is From A to Us Published?
No. As of August 4, 2026, it was scheduled for October 6, 2026.
It should be listed as forthcoming rather than counted among the completed releases.
What Is the Best Order for Every Connected Hockey Book?
Begin with Stick Side, continue with Vancouver Orcas, then read A Touch of Maple, Walking on Broken Paths, and Vermont Trailblazers.
That sequence provides the best balance between publication history, character introductions, and spoiler control.
Conclusion
The clearest Amy Aislin reading order begins with On the Ice and continues through Stick Side before moving to the Vancouver Orcas trilogy. That route establishes the major players, coaches, friendships, and relationships reused in later hockey stories.
Before beginning Vermont Trailblazers, add A Touch of Maple for Kyle Dabbs’s introduction. Readers following every returning character should also place Walking on Broken Paths after Game Changer.
Readers who prefer a self-contained branch can begin with Christmas Lane, Home for a Cowboy, or Keeping Casey. Those books open distinct settings without requiring the full hockey continuity.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.