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WHAT’S INSIDE THE GUIDE

• Thought-provoking discussion questions for book clubs

• Emotional deep dives into Brayden and Karla’s relationship

• Character breakdowns and relationship analysis

• Found family and grief recovery themes

• Playlist and atmosphere inspiration

• Cozy hockey romance snack + drink pairings

• Behind-the-book author insights

• Favorite emotional moments and reader prompts

• Bonus romance discussion topics

• Collectible companion guide formatting matching the full Shots on Goal set

PERFECT FOR READERS WHO LOVE…

• Hurt/comfort hockey romance

• Protective emotionally broken heroes

• Caregiver heroines with huge hearts

• Slow-burn emotional intimacy

• Stories about grief, healing, and second chances

• Found family dynamics

• Emotional recovery arcs

• Character-driven romance with real emotional stakes

• Soft healing moments mixed with heavy emotional tension

• Hockey romance that feels deeply human

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cross Checked is one of the most emotionally intimate stories in the Shots on Goal universe.

At its heart, this story is about surviving the kind of grief that changes you forever.

After a devastating tragedy shatters Brayden Cox’s family, he’s left carrying survivor’s guilt so heavy it begins to consume every part of his life — including the hockey career he once loved. The pressure to keep moving forward collides with the impossible weight of loss, leaving him emotionally isolated and barely holding himself together.

Then Karla McAdams walks back into his life.

A nurse who has spent years caring for everyone except herself, Karla becomes the one safe place Brayden never expected to find. Their connection builds slowly through vulnerability, exhaustion, quiet moments, and emotional honesty rather than instant perfection.

This story lives in the space between heartbreak and healing.

It explores:

• grief and survivor’s guilt

• emotional burnout

• caregiving and compassion fatigue

• family trauma

• identity after loss

• the fear of letting yourself love again

But beneath all the heaviness is a deeply hopeful romance about choosing to keep living even when life no longer feels recognizable.

Within the larger Shots on Goal universe, Cross Checked serves as one of the emotional foundation books of the series — showing readers the deeply human side of professional hockey life beyond the rink, the headlines, and the spotlight.

A NOTE FROM KRISTEN

Thank you so much for spending time with Brayden and Karla.

Cross Checked has always held a very special place in my heart because it explores how love can exist alongside grief instead of erasing it. I wanted this story to feel honest about loss, healing, and the quiet ways people save each other without even realizing it.

Creating this collectible guide was my way of giving readers a deeper experience inside the emotional world of the story — and a cozy space for book clubs and hockey romance readers to connect through it together.

I’m so grateful you’re here and so thankful you’re part of the Shots on Goal world.

— Kristen Hope Mazzola

READ NEXT

Hat Trick

Forbidden love • emotional slow burn • grief and healing themes

If you loved the emotional vulnerability and deeply personal relationship development in Cross Checked, Hat Trickdelivers another immersive emotional romance with layered character growth and strong healing themes.

Playoff Beard

Friends-to-lovers • emotional trust building • softer intimacy

Readers who connected with the emotional safety and comfort-driven relationship dynamic between Brayden and Karla will likely fall hard for the emotional warmth and slow emotional unraveling in Playoff Beard.

Public Enemy #91

Grumpy/sunshine • emotional isolation • damaged hero energy

For readers who love emotionally guarded hockey heroes struggling under enormous internal pressure, Public Enemy #91 carries that same emotional intensity while expanding the Shots on Goal world in a darker, more public-facing way.

READING WITH YOUR BOOK CLUB?

Tag your photos, annotations, snack spreads, and hockey romance chaos:

@khmazz

#ShotsOnGoal
#CrossChecked
#KHMazz
#HockeyRomance

© 2026 Kristen Hope Mazzola. All rights reserved.