Off Course

For fans of Tessa Bailey comes a steamy debut sports romance following an Olympic downhill skier and the sexy risk-taking ski mountaineer she hires to train her for a new event. But when their chemistry threatens to disrupt her carefully planned life, will she stick with her schedule or let her life veer off course in the name of love?

Kit Schuster has been bombing downhill on skis since she was two-and-a-half, and becoming the most decorated woman on the slopes has made the decade of competing across multiple continents and grueling race schedules worth it. She doesn't look anywhere but straight ahead of her--on the racecourse and in life. But a younger rival now has her looking over her shoulder as the new upstart begins gunning for all of Kit's world records. To solidify her place in history, Kit decides to enter in the newest Olympic event of ski mountaineering, giving her less than a year to prepare for the 2026 Winter Games in Cortina, Italy.

Asher McClendon grew up dangling from rock faces in Yosemite, and he stuns his followers with daring climbs up the world's most remote peaks before skiing down their steep ridges. He lives for the high-stakes thrills that come with ski mountaineering. When he agrees to coach a legendary alpine skier at his home outside Lake Tahoe, he's more intrigued by the paycheck than the woman. That is, until she arrives to stay in his guest cabin.

Far away from the perfectly groomed ski slopes of European resorts, Kit's routine and laser focus get a major detour--by Asher's training regimen and their growing attraction to each other. During the three-week crash course in ski mountaineering, Kit is welcomed into Asher's crew of climbers and his extended family. From snowball fights to rock climbing, the pair find more opportunities for fun than Kit's ever allowed for herself. Before she realizes it, everything in Kit's life is veering off course. Faced with an insurmountable hurdle and no ski lift in sight, they must both determine what they're willing to risk for love--even if it's their careers.

Julie Cook writes about food and music, then remembers she's writing a romance novel and cuts most of that out. A South Carolina native, she moved from Southern California to Rochester, New York, which is not south of anything except Canada. With her husband, three kids, and dog, she thrives in the summer, survives in the winter, and writes early in the morning. Find her on Instagram and tell her your favorite Sandra Brown novel, sports documentary, New Yorker cartoon, or SNL sketch.