STAND YOUR GROUND
Series: Kings of the Ice #5
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: October 24, 2025
I wrote up the contract myself.
Legally binding. Crystal clear.
No strings. No feelings.
Just sex — and two million dollars in exchange for my time and expertise.
Carter Fabri may be Tampa Bay’s newest rising star, but off the ice, he’s all Bambi eyes and inexperience. He’s a virgin in desperate need of lessons in dominance, seduction, and everything in between.
And I happen to be just the woman to teach him.
I don’t need his money.
But I do need what it can give me.
I’m thirty-two, cut off from my family, and one bill away from drowning in student debt. The fantasy I’ve built around my lifestyle is getting harder to maintain. This pay day would secure the lifestyle I’ve worked too hard to let slip through my fingers and finally give me the chance to save for something I’ve always wanted — something I’ve never told anyone about.
So, I take Carter on as my student. I lay out every rule, every boundary, every carefully controlled term of our arrangement.
What I don’t plan for is how quickly he’d catch on — or how much I’d enjoy letting him take the reins.
This was supposed to be a lesson in power.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped being the one in charge.
I thought I could keep my heart out of it.
I thought I’d accounted for every risk.
But some consequences you can’t predict — no matter how carefully you draft the terms.
We were exact opposites; her dominant and me submissive, her confident and me insecure, her living carefree while I struggled to feel adequate every day I woke up.
My whole heart right now. Carter Fabri stole it and I never want it back!
Would you believe me when I tell you that this was the book I was least looking forward and almost decided to skip on? I know, I’m judging my own self right now. But in my defense, my fictional tastes tend to gravitate towards dominant men. I love them possessive, dominant, cocky, and a little mean. And Carter? He’s the golden retriever that I never saw coming. So while a Domme FMC with a submissive MMC isn’t usually my cuppa, something about this blurb just called to me. And I am so glad that I gave it a shot because it just became one of my favorite books in the series.
Livia Young was impossible not to love. I. love a strong and fierce FMC, and this woman was a true bad b*tch. A woman who made an amazing career for herself, was confident, and had no qualms about taking what she wants when it came to her sexuality. So was it any wonder that inexperienced and bumbling Carter was infatuated with her.
And while golden retriever MMCs aren’t usually my thing, I fell so hard for Carter and his insecurities. And there’s just something about an eager to please virgin MMCs, especially when said MMC is the rising star in the NHL. I loved his quirkiness, his insecurities, his honesty, and his pining. GOD did I love his pining.
Carter goes to Liv with an unorthodox proposal; to teach him how to be confident and to be a rockstar in the bedroom. Enter a mutually beneficial contract for them both that doesn’t quite stay as emotionless as Liv hopes.
The more I learned about Livia, the more I realized that still waters run deep with her. My heart broke for her in parts but I absolutely loved the way that Carter was there for her. He’s so supportive of her and notices her every quirk, even those that her closest friends may miss. I loved the way that he knew her.
Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary and this may have been one of the spiciest books in the series. Because those spicy lessons of theirs? HOLY OVARIES on fire batman!
I adored this book. And the preview into the next one? I AM FERAL. FERAL. I need it!
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