Oct 12, 2026 · 28 min · 11 segments
In this bonus episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny and Allie meet with Canadian author Bal Khabra, of the beloved hockey romance series *Off the Ice* — which includes *Collide*, *Spiral*, *Revolve*, and…
Sunny AdcockHost
Allie Daisy KingHost
Um, but why do you think that sports romances have become such a popular subgenre of the romance, um, genre itself?
Um, like I've had this question quite a bit, so I'm like, I don't know, it's just been changing a lot.
I think hockey in particular makes it kind of exclusive, 'cause like not everybody-
... is a hockey player, and a l- a lot of people living around the world, they don't even have hockey like the way I do in Canada, for example.
Um, and like they get to be, obviously like they're physically attractive, which helps.
When you go to a hockey game, I explain it as like when I go to a hockey game, the atmosphere is insane, and like watching players on the ice is like something you, you don't really see normally, you know? It's just like a...
And putting that as like a backdrop in sports romance makes it so much more fun, 'cause like these characters have a life outside of the romance.
How have romance authors, in your opinion, been pushing the needle forward when it comes to diverse representation? Because I feel like, you know, when you scan a bookstore and you tally up the gorgeous covers featuring, you know, non-white, differently abled, same-sex couples, it's always in the romance space.
I feel like there's been a huge sweeping change in the last sort of three to five years that's been really exciting.
Do you see romance authors as sort of being ahead of authors in other genres when it comes to diverse storytelling?
Um, but why do you think that sports romances have become such a popular subgenre of the romance, um, genre itself?
Um, like I've had this question quite a bit, so I'm like, I don't know, it's just been changing a lot.
I think hockey in particular makes it kind of exclusive, 'cause like not everybody-
... is a hockey player, and a l- a lot of people living around the world, they don't even have hockey like the way I do in Canada, for example.
Um, and like they get to be, obviously like they're physically attractive, which helps.
When you go to a hockey game, I explain it as like when I go to a hockey game, the atmosphere is insane, and like watching players on the ice is like something you, you don't really see normally, you know? It's just like a...
And putting that as like a backdrop in sports romance makes it so much more fun, 'cause like these characters have a life outside of the romance.
How have romance authors, in your opinion, been pushing the needle forward when it comes to diverse representation? Because I feel like, you know, when you scan a bookstore and you tally up the gorgeous covers featuring, you know, non-white, differently abled, same-sex couples, it's always in the romance space.
I feel like there's been a huge sweeping change in the last sort of three to five years that's been really exciting.
Do you see romance authors as sort of being ahead of authors in other genres when it comes to diverse storytelling?
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