Daydream
Hockey captain and bookish tutor fake date with one rule
By Ember · Updated July 2, 2026
Daydream follows the Hannah Grace formula established in Icebreaker and Wildfire and delivers exactly what readers expect. Henry needs help surviving a difficult class and his new role as hockey captain he never wanted. Halle needs material for her novel and a break from her own perfectionism. They make a deal: tutoring for fake dating, with the rule that makes every fake dating plot work, don't fall for each other.
Grace writes sports romance that feels grounded in campus life. The hockey is present but not overwhelming. The team dynamics matter but the focus is the relationship. Henry is the protective, thoughtful athlete who sees past Halle's academic armor to the person underneath. Halle is bookish, driven, and convinced she has her life figured out until Henry makes her question her plan.
The appeal is comfort reading with moderate heat. You know where the story is going and the pleasure is in watching it get there. Grace writes banter that feels natural, conflict that doesn't rely on misunderstanding, and intimacy that builds gradually. The Maple Hills books can be read standalone but reading in order creates a found family of couples who appear in each other's stories, happy and settled.
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Quick answer
Daydream by Hannah Grace is the 2024 third book in the Maple Hills series following Henry Turner, the hockey team captain, and Halle Jacobs, an academic superstar. They strike a deal: she tutors him, he fake dates her for novel research. The romance delivers slow burn, one-bed trope, forced proximity, and the familiar Grace formula of protective athlete meets independent heroine.
Hockey captain and bookish tutor fake date with one rule
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What readers want from Hannah Grace
You're looking for sports romance that doesn't require sports knowledge. Where the athlete is devoted rather than arrogant, where independence is respected rather than threatened, and where the romance builds through shared time rather than manufactured drama. Stories where the happy ending is never in doubt but the journey matters.
You want bookish heroines who are smart, ambitious, and valued for their minds as much as anything else. Heroes who communicate instead of brooding, who make their interest clear early and pursue with intention. Relationships that feel like partnership rather than rescue, where both people grow through knowing each other.
What keeps you reading is the reliability. Hannah Grace delivers a consistent experience. If you loved Icebreaker, you'll find the same warmth here. The setting changes, the characters are different, but the emotional core remains: good people finding each other and choosing connection. Campus romance that feels hopeful rather than cynical.
Personalized romance
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Book recommendations
Icebreaker
by Hannah Grace
First in Maple Hills series. Figure skater and hockey captain forced to share rink time. Start here for the series beginning and to meet the friend group that continues through all three books.
Wildfire
by Hannah Grace
Second in Maple Hills series. Similar formula with summer camp setting. If you loved the Grace voice in Daydream, Wildfire delivers the same comfort with different tropes.
The Deal
by Elle Kennedy
The book that defined modern hockey romance. Tutoring arrangement leads to fake dating leads to real feelings. Similar tropes, higher heat, sharper edges. The Off-Campus series is the blueprint.
The Score
by Elle Kennedy
Third in Off-Campus. Player meets bookish student who's immune to his charm. Kennedy writes similar protective athletes and slow burn but with more explicit content and angst.
The Graham Effect
by Elle Kennedy
Next generation of Kennedy's hockey universe. Hockey legacy kid and teammate fake date. More recent than Off-Campus, similar found family feel and campus romance warmth.
Common questions
Do I need to read the Maple Hills series in order?
No, each book follows a different couple and can stand alone. But reading in order (Icebreaker, Wildfire, Daydream) builds the friend group and makes cameos from previous couples more satisfying.
Is Daydream spicy?
Moderate heat. The sexual tension builds throughout but the explicit content arrives late and isn't the focus. If you want high heat, Elle Kennedy's hockey books deliver more. If you want sweet with some steam, Grace is your author.
How does Daydream compare to Icebreaker?
Similar formula and warmth. Icebreaker has higher stakes with Anastasia's skating career. Daydream is lower angst with more focus on the fake dating trope. Both deliver the same comfort reading experience.
Is the hockey accurate in Hannah Grace books?
Accurate enough for romance readers who don't follow hockey. The sport provides setting and team dynamics but isn't the focus. If you want deep hockey knowledge, you might find it surface level. If you want romance that happens to feature hockey, it works fine.
Ready for your story? Imagine living it.
If Daydream's fake dating that becomes real resonated, Ember builds that arc for you. Imagine pretending for a purpose that matters to you, discovering someone whose attention feels like being seen for the first time, and the moment fake becomes inconvenient because real matters more. Romance where the rule you set together is the one you both want to break.
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