Assistant to the Villain
romantic comedy
Series · romance
Vancouver Storm
The Vancouver Storm series by Stephanie Archer has 5 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Behind the Net (2023).
- Books
- 5 books
- First published
- 2023
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Behind the Net (2023) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Behind the Net
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Behind the Net - Book 2:
The Fake Out
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Fake Out - Book 3:
The Wingman
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wingman - Book 4:
Gloves Off
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Gloves Off - Book 5:
The Wild Card
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wild Card
About the Vancouver Storm series
Vancouver Storm is Stephanie Archer's viral hockey romance series, following the players, staff and found family orbiting a fictional NHL team in Vancouver. Each book is a self-contained, extremely spicy romance built around a specific trope — grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, single dad, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers — with the hockey season as a backdrop rather than the point. Archer writes long, banter-heavy books (400+ pages is typical) with slow-burn tension, explicit love scenes, and a found-family thread that runs through the whole roster as recurring characters from earlier books turn up on the ice or the sidelines in later ones.
The series took off on BookTok for its combination of genuinely funny dialogue, emotionally earnest arcs (grief, single parenthood, career pressure, family estrangement) and unapologetically steamy pacing, and it's regularly recommended alongside Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers and Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus as a gateway into hockey romance. Archer self-published the series before Piatkus (Little, Brown UK) picked it up for wide release, so most books exist in both original indie editions and trade paperback reissues with matching covers.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Vancouver Storm series?
Five: Behind the Net (2023), The Fake Out (2023), The Wingman (2024), Gloves Off (2025) and The Wild Card (2026). No sixth book has been announced as of August 2026.
What order should I read Vancouver Storm in?
Publication order, starting with Behind the Net. Each book follows a different couple and stands alone, but recurring characters and running jokes build across the series.
Is Vancouver Storm connected to Stephanie Archer's other books?
No. Her Queen's Cove / Rhodes Brothers series (That Kind of Guy, The Wrong Mr. Right, In Your Dreams Holden Rhodes, Finn Rhodes Forever) is a separate, unconnected small-town romance series.
How spicy is Vancouver Storm?
Very — these are open-door, explicit romances with frequent, detailed love scenes, in line with other viral BookTok hockey romance like Icebreaker.
Is the Vancouver Storm series finished?
It's not formally declared complete, but no new book has been announced since The Wild Card released in February 2026.
If you like the Vancouver Storm series
Reading order last verified .