Powerless

Author: Elsie Silver

Genre: Contemporary Romance – Small-Town, Sports (Hockey), Grumpy × Sunshine

Book Rating: ⭐8.5/10

Spicy Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5

Description:
In Powerless, quiet, steady Jasper Gervais is Chestnut Springs’ star hockey player—and the man Sloane Winthrop can’t seem to escape. After a complicated past and a marriage-of-convenience arrangement meant to solve practical problems, the two are forced to live together and confront everything they’ve been avoiding. Jasper’s calm, deeply protective devotion contrasts with Sloane’s fiery independence, and what starts as obligation slowly turns into a tender, consuming love. As real feelings surface, they must decide if they’re brave enough to choose each other beyond the rules they set.

Trope/Mood:
Marriage of convenience; small-town romance; hockey hero; grumpy, emotionally reserved hero × sunshine, strong-willed heroine; forced proximity; slow-burn to deep emotional payoff; protective “he’s always been there” energy; heartfelt, swoony, and very steamy with cozy Chestnut Springs vibes.