Rival Darling by Alexandra Moody

Rival Darling by Alexandra Moody

Rival Darling is a highly popular Young Adult sports romance novel by Australian author Alexandra Moody. Originally published independently in early 2024, its massive success on BookTok led to a major traditional publishing acquisition by HarperCollins (under the Avon/Electric Monkey imprints) with a widespread global release in early 2025.

Serving as the first book in the Darling Devils series, this novel is a sweet, lighthearted, and wholesome contemporary romantic comedy. It perfectly blends the high-energy world of high school ice hockey with beloved, comfort-read tropes.

The story takes place in a freezing, hockey-obsessed town in Minnesota, following Violet Sinclair, a high school senior who recently relocated from sunny California. Because her mother was famously heartbroken and abandoned by a superstar college athlete, Violet grew up bound to one strict, non-negotiable rule: never date a jock.

Unfortunately, she breaks her own rule for a boy named Jeremy, the captain of her school's hockey team—only to catch him passionately kissing another girl at a party. Heartbroken, furious, and determined to prove she is completely over him, Violet makes an impulsive move. She publicly kisses Reed Darling, the notoriously gorgeous, intimidating captain of the Ransom Devils—who also happens to be Jeremy’s fiercest on-ice rival.

To keep up appearances and make Jeremy pay, Violet and Reed enter into a strict, mutually beneficial fake-dating arrangement. Violet drafts a comprehensive list of rules to keep things purely professional (no flirting, no real feelings). However, Reed—who is far more of a sweet, devoted "golden retriever" than his ruthless "bad boy" reputation suggests—has other plans. He falls first, falls hard, and sets out to melt Violet’s defenses and show her that some rules are meant to be broken.

Language: English.

Genre: Romance.

Binding: সেলাই করা বাইন্ডিং

Quality: Premium Quality Books.

Printing: High Quality Printing.

Paper: Eye Friendly paper (Cream White)

Cover: Matt cover (Paperback).