Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match" where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It's our great pleasure to present Bal Khabra!
Writes:
Romance that’s got banter, tension, and the best kind of yearning. Embrace is a sports romance, the final book in an interconnected college hockey romance series. When struggling senior Kian needs help raising his GPA, Scarlett seems like the perfect tutor - except he has no idea she’s the coach’s daughter, or that she’s secretly been crushing on him since freshman year. Tutoring sessions start to blur lines, and their plan to help one another turns into much more.
About:
A book lover and professional daydreamer. When I'm not glued to my keyboard, juggling thirty different novel ideas, or using banter to convince my characters that they're perfect for each other, you can catch me dragging unsuspecting souls into the Great Canadian Outdoors for some fresh air (and a little inspiration). When I do write, I love to blend all my favorite things: sports, banter, diversity, and fluff! So, if that sounds like your cup of chai, stick around, and we'll embark on this literary journey together!
My books are perfect for readers who love:
• Slow-burn romance with plenty of yearning
• College hockey and found-family teammates
• A look inside the character that’s always happy
• The coach's daughter trope
• Secrets that seem harmless until they’re caught
• When she falls first but he falls harder
• Six second hugs
What to expect if we're compatible:
You’re in for a ride because once you’re hooked you’ve got a whole series to catch up on. There is a whole cast of characters to fall in love with and just as much romance and tension as you’ve come to expect.
Off the Ice #4
An unexpected spark between a hockey player and the coach’s daughter might cause them to cross the line in the next Dalton University book from international bestselling author Bal Khabra.
Kian Ishida is all about parties, hockey, and living in the moment. But when he realizes he’s headed to the NHL without his degree, his late dad’s one wish for him, he’s determined to make up those last few credits. Desperate for help, he joins a study group led by none other than Scarlett Kilner. She’s as gorgeous as she is smart. Too bad he doesn’t know yet that she’s his coach’s daughter.
After making a reputation for herself, all Scarlett wants for her senior year is to prove she’s more than her mistakes and graduate without tarnishing her well-respected father’s name. But when Kian Ishida, one of her dad’s star hockey players, joins her study group, things get complicated.
As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into something more—stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected. Kian has to decide what’s more important: the dream he’s worked for his whole life or the girl he never saw coming.
Romance Sports | Multicultural African-American [ Berkley, On Sale: August 4, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217190881 / eISBN: 9798217190898 ]
Bal is a Canadian writer, romance enthusiast, and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media. When inspiration strikes, she is found filling her notes app with ideas for romance novels. Like her heroine Summer, Bal has been woven into the fabric of two cultures and finds herself creating characters that represent the beauty of both. Whether it's through language, a box of her favorite sweets, or a cup of chai, we can find hints of her South Asian roots throughout her writing. She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.
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