🏒 Hockey Romance 

🔥 Coach/Assistant Coach 

🏒 Childhood Rivals 

🔥 Enemies to Lovers 

🏒 Workplace Romance 

🔥 Secret Relationship 

🏒 Slow Burn 

 

Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 

Behind the Bench by debut author Jillian Arly is a fiery and addictive entry into the world of hockey romance, delivering both slow-burn tension and high-stakes chemistry. As book one in the Green Bay Bobcats series, it hits the ice with a bang, offering readers a delicious enemies-to-lovers storyline wrapped in a professional sports setting that crackles with ambition, competition, and unresolved history. 

Ellie Montgomery is finally where she’s always wanted to be—on the NHL bench, not as a player, but as the Green Bay Bobcats’ new assistant coach. As one of the few women in this male-dominated space, she’s got everything to prove, and nothing to lose. Lincoln Scott, newly appointed and already making headlines as the youngest head coach in NHL history, is equally determined to cement his place. There’s just one problem—they have to do it together. 

When Ellie and Lincoln realise they’ll be sharing the bench, it’s clear their long-standing rivalry hasn’t cooled. Their history as childhood adversaries resurfaces fast, with biting remarks and friction-filled standoffs that threaten to derail the team’s season before it begins. But the more they clash, the more the fire between them threatens to ignite into something neither of them can control. 

Jillian Arly navigates their dynamic with skill, blending sports strategy, power plays, and personal growth with a simmering romantic arc that feels both earned and exhilarating. The story never shies away from the complexities of working in a high-pressure, male-centric environment, nor does it water down the emotional toll of proving your worth when no one wants to give you a chance. 

As the season heats up, so does the connection between Ellie and Lincoln. What starts as tension turns into temptation, and readers will be rooting for them both—on the ice and off. Behind the Bench is more than just a sports romance; it’s a story of resilience, respect, and finding love where you least expect it. 

With sharp dialogue, electric pacing, and undeniable chemistry, Jillian Arly’s debut is a must-read for fans of rivals-to-lovers, workplace romance, and strong heroines in fiercely competitive worlds. This is a powerhouse start to a series with serious game.