Hawke

Elite Carolina Cold Fury defenseman Hawke Therrien has built the life he always wanted: a star career, a reputation as the team's biggest personality, and no shortage of good times. What he never quite got over is Vale Campbell, the woman who walked out on him seven years ago without a real explanation. When she reappears in his world, changed in ways he can't quite place but instantly recognizable in the ways that matter, the old wounds and the old feelings resurface together. Sawyer Bennett's fifth Cold Fury novel centers on two people carrying secrets that shaped them, now forced to decide whether the past is baggage or foundation.

Cris Dukehart and Graham Halstead split the dual perspective with clear tonal distinction, giving each character's emotional interior its own register. Dukehart handles Vale's guarded vulnerability with particular nuance, while Halstead brings a credible mix of bravado and bruised pride to Hawke. At just over seven and a half hours, the pacing stays tight, making the slow thaw between two people with real history feel earned rather than rushed.