My first acknowledgement is to Rhiannon Gwynne and her husband, Josh Brittain. When I asked you for an interview, I meant something quick and painless. Instead, you indulged me for THREE HOURS while I peppered you with endless questions about hockey, life as a player as well as a WAG, and so much more. You helped shape so much of this book and this series, and I truly could never thank you enough. Hopefully, bringing your gym scene fantasy to life and naming a character after you showed a little of my appreciation. ;）
To my husband, Jack, my ever-steady force – thank you for loving me and for pushing me to be better, always. When I stepped up to the plate for this series, you rubbed my shoulders and told me you knew I’d hit it out of the park even when my knees were shaking and my hands were sweating. I can’t thank you enough for believing in me and for watching playoff hockey with me peppering you with questions every second of it.
To my momma, Lavon, and my bestie, Sasha – I can never get through acknowledgements without telling you both how much I love and appreciate you. Thank you for always supporting my dreams.
To Tina Stokes, my Executive Assistant and more importantly my FRIEND – thank you for loving me and fighting for this dream as if it were your own. You are such a huge part of Kandi Steiner, LLC and of my life. I can’t imagine this world without you.
To my Spicy Sprint Slutz, Lena Hendrix and Elsie Silver, thank you for always being there to write （and cry） together. My best days are when we blow off our focus timers to gab and laugh, and my worst days are when you’re both busy or on vacation. It’s hard to find a tribe in this writing world. I’m so glad I’ve found y’all.
In that same thread, I couldn’t have done this without two of my best friends – Karla Sorensen and Brittainy C. Cherry. On all the hard days, we pushed together. On all the easy days, we celebrated one another and our little （or big） successes. Our group chat is my favorite thing in the world. I love you both!
Laura Pavlov, thank GOD you swung into my life last year! I know we have talked online for much longer than that, but I’m so glad our relationship has bloomed into a beautiful friendship. I look forward to hearing your voice every day, and I love how we are always there to push one another and cheer each other on. Let’s do it forever. Love you!
Shout out to Hannah Chiclana, not only for working with your hot husband to bring my audiobooks to life, but for sending me the TikTok video that planted the seed for Vince’s pottery hobby. HOT HANDS. We love to see it. And I am so thankful for your friendship, talent, and inspiration.
Maggie Ehrgott, thank you for pumping me up about my first hockey series, and for giving me all the inspiration when it came your way. And thank you for just being the most wonderful friend. I’m so thankful you came into my life!
To my incredible team of sensitivity readers – Tiffanie Shipp, Chelé Walker, and Imani Blake – thank you so much for your time, effort, and consideration on this project. Writing diverse romance has always been important to me, and it’s thanks to women like you that I can learn each and every time I do. I am so appreciative of all your feedback and help in making this book the best it could be.
I had a BIG team of beta readers for this book, because I wanted to ensure it was as polished as possible by the time the final draft was finished. This might have been my most productive feedback from any group before, and I’m so thankful to everyone who helped. A huge and heartfelt thanks to Frances O’Brien, Patricia Lebowitz QUEEN MINTNESS!, Allison Cheshire, Kellee Fabre, Sarah Green, Meagan Reynoso, Marie-Pierre D’Auteuil, Janett Corona, Jayce Cruz, Gabriela Vivas, Carly Wilson, Danielle Lagasse, Nicole Westmoreland, and Jewel Carusoa. Without you, this would have been a mess. All my love!
To the team who helps bring my vision to life: Elaine York with Allusion Publishing, Nicole McCurdy with Emerald Edits, Nina Grinstead, Kim Cermak, and the whole team at Valentine PR, Ren Saliba, and Staci Hart with Quirky Bird Cover Design – THANK YOU. From editing and formatting to photography and promotion, it truly takes a village. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you.
And finally, to YOU, the reader – if you’ve read this far, all the way into the acknowledgements? Kudos, babe. And I just want you to know that none of this would be possible without you. There isn’t a day that goes by that I take any of this for granted, that I don’t pinch myself and send gratitude bombs into the universe. Thank you for reading my books, for posting about them on social media, for leaving reviews, and for reading indie, period. You are the wind beneath my wings, and I appreciate you more than I could ever convey.
KANDI STEINER is a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her love for writing started at the ripe age of 10, and in 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”
She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing （yes, you read that right）。 She enjoys live music, traveling, hiking, yoga, playing with her fur babies and soaking up the sweetness of life.
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Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future: ? www.kandisteiner.com/events