{"product_id":"checking-the-new-guy-casey-whitlock-9798247044475","title":"Checking the New Guy: A Rivals to Lovers MM Hockey Romance","description":"CHECKING THE NEW GUY\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Rivals to Lovers MM Hockey Romance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCasey Whitlock\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCal O'Neill didn't come to Duluth to make friends.\u003cbr\u003eHe came to play hard, keep his head down, and prove he belongs before his contract runs out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthan Fraser doesn't tolerate disruption.\u003cbr\u003eHe's the backbone of the Great Lakes Grizzlies. The steady one. The guy everyone relies on because he never asks for more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the moment Cal steps onto the ice, they clash.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery shift turns physical.\u003cbr\u003eEvery hit carries intent.\u003cbr\u003eEvery look lingers half a second too long.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePublicly, it's rivalry. Brutal checks. Sharp words. Penalty box stares that crackle with tension.\u003cbr\u003ePrivately, something else starts to surface. Awareness. Heat. A pull neither of them planned for and neither of them knows how to control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat starts as collision turns into something harder to deny.\u003cbr\u003eWhat's physical first refuses to stay that way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCal is used to being temporary. Always earning his place before the clock runs out.\u003cbr\u003eEthan has built his life around control and invisibility, believing that wanting more is the fastest way to lose everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey don't talk about it.\u003cbr\u003eThey don't name it.\u003cbr\u003eThey hit harder instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUntil silence stops working.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChecking the New Guy\u003c\/b\u003e is a high-intensity MM hockey romance about rivalry that burns into desire, attraction that arrives before understanding, and two men learning that control does not mean absence. It's raw, physical, and emotionally driven, with fully on-page intimacy and a slow emotional reckoning that lands hard. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNo shortcuts.\u003cbr\u003eNo pretending.\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love rivals to lovers, locker-room tension, and relationships forged under pressure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Casey Whitlock\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798247044475\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 206\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.62lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d","brand":"Casey Whitlock","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48437656715519,"sku":"9798247044475","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_17d658a7-3b74-4740-89c4-ac78b16c5a3d.jpg?v=1777163206","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/checking-the-new-guy-casey-whitlock-9798247044475","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}