By https://ilovetextingandscones.tumblr.com/ (based on her own experience and these posts: X X). Other resources: the wiki, Filterable YCMAL Outtakes Spreadsheet.
This guide includes the main series; a lot of other side stories exist in the verse in the form of snippets. A full list can be found here.
Updated as of 25 November 2025.
Good starting point
you could make a life | From Amazon: The first thing Dan says to him is, “we’re in the NHL!”, because that’s how he’s been greeting anyone wearing a jersey, and Marc Lapointe, 'the future of the franchise', is wearing Dan's colours. Follows Dan, a closeted gay hockey player, as he befriends fellow rookie Marc and tries to bring the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Toronto. | 202 pages. The original story, available on Amazon/Smashwords or directly through the author for non-censored version + extras. |
no expectation of returns | Gabe and Stephen have been best friends since they were born. Now they play on opposite sides of the continent, until Stephen suffers a career-ending injury. | 17K. AO3. |
between the teeth | From the KS: David Chapman is used to being underestimated, used to working harder than everyone else for what he is. […] He walks into his draft as the consensus first pick, and he's earned it. It just so happens Jake Lourdes is standing in the way. Rivals to lovers, epic trilogy of David Chapman becoming a real boy more than a romance book. | Three books: Coming in First Place, And Then, and Between the Teeth. The three books available here with extras, or on Amazon/Smashwords. |
Vinny gets a life | Vinny is a back-up goalie, happy with his life, but for the fact that he’s in love with his straight best friend and d-man, Anton. And being ace doesn’t make his things any easier. | 58k. AO3 This is veeery nice. Contains spoilers for You Could Make a Life, but seems to be in everybody’s list for “good place to begin”. |
It's a set-up | Joey is undatable. He was also outed by a horrible ex from college, and now he has to participate in a date auction for charity, where an old lady buys a date with him…for her grandson Owen. | 72K. AO3 |
Impaired Judgment (and Other Excuses) | It’s not that Jared is judgy, it’s that fuckboy superstar Bryce Marcus, who’s at this camp only because of a DUI, deserves to be judged. Ok, Jared’s judgy, and he’s totally only focusing so much on Marcus out of distaste and contempt. For sure. | Huge epic, 461K. Warning: characters have a 3-year age gap and one of them is 17 when the story begins. |
in taking it apart/thrown off the ice | From the Amazon summary: Mike knew he was making a mistake when he let the rookie climb into bed with him. He just didn't know it'd be a mistake that would follow him for the rest of his life. | This is often cited as a good starting point (it was MY starting point), but tread carefully: not your typical HEA. And there’s an age difference of about 10 years. Available here with extras or on Amazon/smashwords. |
Follow the North Star | Roman, official rookie handler of the North Stars, puts the rookies up to a mission to figure out who’s Liam’s Fitzgerald’s boyfriend. In the process, feelings are caught by several people on the team. A LOT of feelings. | 126K AO3. BUT: contains spoilers for in taking it apart/thrown off the ice, is way better if you have read that one first |
Giving In To The Influence | Andy probably shouldn’t be in love with his best friend and linemate Derek. And surely, he shouldn’t have slept with him while they were both drunk. | 21K. AO3 BUT: contains spoilers for You Could Make a Life, is better if you have read that one first |
duelling banjos | From the wiki, by clemencynothersmallmercies: When Alexei Konstantinovich and Julien Perreault first met, they met as teammates, gearing up for their NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks. Alexei is from Moscow, Julien from a tiny town on the Quebec coastline. […] None of it matters when they meet in the middle, strangers to the team, the city, each other. None of it matters when they’re put on the same line. Right from the start, they’re something special together. | 10k. First two parts work as a full story. BUT: The next parts work as flashbacks and are ongoing (but on hiatus). And also, this really is not your typical love story, probably best to start somewhere else, but it is a VERY good one. |
Cards on the Table | From the wiki: After being let go by the Boston Bruins, who refuse to offer him a new contract after deciding they can't pay him what he's worth, Holden Chase spitefully signs with the Hartford Whalers. Meanwhile, his new captain James Erickson resents him for his dangerous play style and tendency to injure opponents. | 163k so far, ongoing on AO3. You will benefit from reading other stories first, as COTT has a bunch of cameos and references to other series. |
Always In Tandem | From ao3: Doesn’t matter which jersey they’re wearing. Doesn’t matter that off the ice Robbie can’t even look at Georgie without feeling sick, half the time. Doesn’t matter that Robbie doesn’t think he’s ever hated anyone more. They still play beautiful hockey together. The saga of Robbie and Georgie, from university d-partners and boyfriends to hating each other, everything that happened in between and what comes after Georgie is traded to Robbie’s team. | Divided in several parts: but always in tandem (120K, done), still always in tandem (150k, done) and an ongoing unnamed third part. Why?: Depends heavily on between the teeth. Not your classic love story, deals with some very heavy topics |
If All Is Enough | Ulf Larsson is in the last years if his career, he’s trying to fall out of love with his best friend’s husband (what an inconvenience, love) and enjoys flirting and messing with his new assistant coach, Adam, even if he knows he shouldn’t. | 9K. Depends on You Could Make a Life and has spoilers for a lot of that book. Another one that’s not your typical love story. AO3 It’ followed by Vires Acquirit Eundo, which shouldn’t be read unless you have read this. |
Imparfait du Subjonctif | Gérard met Yvette first, but he has to admit that she and Sven are perfect for each other. The thing is, he fits very well in their lives as well, even if he doesn’t really want to address any feelings he may have. For either of them. | 3k. Depends on You Could Make a Life and giving into the influence. Unfinished and not likely to be finished. AO3 |
Unsportsmanlike Conduct | Ref/player share mutual respect mixed with strange on-ice chemistry/eroticism challenged by circumstance. | 6k Unfinished and not likely to be finished. AO3 |
throw up your fists, throw out your wits | Luke Morris is 16 when he falls in love with Nikita Sidorchuk. This is the story of the ten years that follow. | 24k. This one really isn’t a love story. It’s a story about how one person can mess up another person’s life without even thinking about it or caring. It’s a good story, but a very hard one to read. Look at the warnings in AO3 before reading and, really, read after having read some other things in the verse. If you read this one, I highly recommend checking this. |
it’s a commitment | “So on a scale of one to ten,” Joey says. “How stupid an idea would proposing to Scratch with my Cup ring be?” That’s all you need to know, to be honest. | 81k. Follows it’s a setup directly, so it won’t make sense unless you have read that one first. AO3. |