Cross Check

Chelsea Curto’s 2026 novel, Cross Check, is the sixth installment in the D.C. Stars hockey romance series by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Chelsea Curto. The story chronicles the multi-year, slow-burn relationship between Amelia Green, the first female head coach in the NHL, and Grant Everett, a younger, rising star on a rival team. Navigating a secret romance, they must contend with strict professional boundaries, the threat of public exposure, and the sexist culture of professional hockey. Thematically, the novel explores The Double Standard for Women in Professional Sports, The Cost of Public Scrutiny, and The Challenges of Balancing Romance and Career.

Cross Check belongs to the popular hockey romance subgenre and engages directly with contemporary cultural shifts, drawing inspiration from real-world trailblazers like Jessica Campbell, the first full-time female assistant coach in the NHL. Curto pairs a confident, career-driven woman with a younger, up-and-coming player to examine partnership, allyship, and what it takes to build a life together against systemic professional and personal obstacles. Published independently, the book became an Amazon bestseller upon its release.

This guide refers to the 2026 independently published edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain depictions of cursing, gender discrimination, graphic violence, sexual content, and substance use.

Plot Summary

Grant Everett, a freshman club hockey player at Florida State University, is instantly captivated by Amelia Green, an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Badgers, a NCAA women’s hockey team, while watching her game on television. His team captain, James Phillips, tells him she’s an icon and out of his league. Undeterred, Grant follows her on social media. Three seasons later, Amelia is the first female assistant coach in the NHL, working for the Denver Goldminers. She goes on a terrible date with a misogynist who disparages women in sports. Nearby, Grant, now a rookie right winger for the DC Stars, recognizes her from her college career, and overhears her conversation with her date. They strike up a conversation in which Amelia makes it clear she has a strict no-fraternization policy when it comes to men in the league. In spite of herself, she’s charmed by Grant’s humility and respect for her playing days. After their conversation, Grant begins a quiet, long-distance admiration that defines their interactions for the next few years, limited to brief on-ice interactions where she insists he call her “Coach Green.”

A year later, their paths cross again when Amelia, who’s in Washington, DC, for a road game, literally runs into Grant on the National Mall. He cleverly negotiates a run alongside her by promising to maintain a five-foot distance, respecting her professional boundaries. During their run and a subsequent spontaneous lunch, they form a deeper connection. Grant is a vocal supporter of women in hockey, and Amelia shares her dream of starting a hockey camp for girls. Their dynamic shifts when Grant likes a photo Amelia posts with his teammate, Emerson Hartwell, the first woman to play in an NHL regular season game. The social media interaction prompts a witty series of private messages where their friendship blossoms. Grant, increasingly smitten, starts a secret notebook, meticulously recording details about Amelia’s life, from her coffee order to her favorite foods.

Their bond strengthens through consistent texting and FaceTime calls, where they exchange “secrets of the day” to learn more about each other. When Amelia’s team plays in Washington, DC, they spend time together and their attraction to each other becomes more difficult to deny. Later that season, while drunk in Las Vegas celebrating his captain Maverick Miller’s elopement, Grant video calls Amelia, whom he now calls “Lia.” He vulnerably discusses the emotional pressures of being a male athlete and reveals his desire for a family, while she shares her fears that a relationship would compromise her career goals. Their friendship, however, hits a snag when they practice together at Grant’s facility. During a race, their skates tangle, and they fall to the ice in a heap, the sudden, charged physical contact leaving Amelia so flustered that she abruptly flees. Afterward, Amelia asks for space, worried their friendship is crossing a line. After two months of silence, Grant’s team wins the Stanley Cup, but the celebration is shattered when their teammate Riley Mitchell gets in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. He survives but his leg is amputated ending his career with the Stars. A devastated Grant calls Amelia, who immediately flies to Washington, DC, to comfort him, and their emotional reunion culminates in a near-kiss.

The following season, their unresolved feelings finally come to a head. When the Goldminers play the Stars in Washington, DC, Amelia goes to Grant’s apartment, where the sexual tension is undeniable. Grant confesses that he is a virgin, having waited because no one else interested him after meeting her. This vulnerability leads to their first sexual encounter, and they agree to begin a secret relationship. Amelia’s career takes a monumental step forward when she is hired as the first female head coach in the NHL for the Baltimore Sea Crabs, a move that conveniently places her closer to Grant. They carefully navigate their secret relationship. Amelia and Grant arrange to accidentally run into each other so Grant can meet Amelia’s friends without it being obvious they are a couple. Their life together begins to take shape as Grant buys a house for them in the suburbs between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, creating a private sanctuary where their love can flourish away from public scrutiny.

Their carefully constructed secret world shatters during the Winter Olympics in Italy. Grant is playing for the US men’s team, and Amelia is there as a spectator to support her players. A gossip website publishes an article exposing their relationship with grainy photos of them together, labeling it a “steamy tryst.” The fallout is immediate and severe. Amelia, distraught, tells Grant her career is over, explaining the sexist double standard that will brand her a “whore” while he is seen as a hero. She asks for space and ends all contact. Upon returning to the US, the league suspends Amelia for eight games and mandates that she cease all communication with Grant or face termination. Grant, in contrast, receives only a one-game suspension. Furious at the blatant sexism, he tells the league commissioner he will find a way for them to be together. Heartbroken, Amelia officially breaks up with Grant, telling him to find her in 10 years after he retires.

Refusing to give up, Grant enlists his teammates to help him fight the league. With legal help from his old friend James, they draft a formal addendum to the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The bylaw is designed to protect consensual relationships between individuals on different teams, effectively neutralizing the league’s power to punish them. Facing public backlash over the unequal suspensions and pressure from other players in similar secret relationships, the league officially passes the bylaw. The news breaks while Amelia is at their shared house to pack her final belongings, believing their relationship is over for good. Grant finds her there, and they have an emotional reunion, finally free to be together.

Three years later, Amelia makes history again as she is named the head coach of the US men’s Olympic hockey team. Grant, who declined his own roster spot so the media focus would remain on her achievement, surprises her at her annual Girls in Hockey holiday camp. He is wearing a custom jersey that reads “Mr. Green” on the back, a name he has also had tattooed on his wrist. His DC Stars teammates, now retired and married, help run drills for the young campers. Surrounded by their found family, Grant and Amelia celebrate her success. They are publicly in love and secure in a future where they can support each other’s dreams without compromise, having fought for and won the right to have both their careers and each other.