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Verdict: A short, steamy doctor-and-athlete romance with plenty of chemistry and a nice Vermont hockey backdrop — but a rushed timeline, a convenient engagement exit and a late “for your own good” breakup leave many readers unconvinced.
Best for: Readers who want a quick, spicy romance with medical and sports settings, and Kris Bryant fans who like first-person present tense.
Heat level: 3/5 (romance.io: open door, 8 ratings)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.3/5 — a 3.80 Goodreads average across 680 ratings and 3.51 on StoryGraph from 93 reviews)
Tropes: Therapist/patient, athlete/non-athlete, forbidden attraction, engaged to the wrong person, third-act breakup, pro women’s hockey.
Touch is Kris Bryant’s 2018 contemporary lesbian romance from Bold Strokes Books. Dr. Hayley Sims, the go-to physical therapist at Elite Therapy, mostly works with children these days — until her boss asks a favour: take on professional hockey player Elizabeth Stone, who is recovering from an injury and is notoriously difficult to work with. There is one more complication. Hayley is engaged.
It holds a 3.80 average across 680 Goodreads ratings, with 63% of them four or five stars, 3.51 on StoryGraph from 93 reviews, and 4.3 stars across 353 Amazon ratings. Reviewers split sharply: fans call it one of Bryant’s best, while many longtime readers call it one of her weaker books.
What Is Touch About?
Hayley is good at her job and good at handling difficult patients, which is exactly why she gets Stone. Stone is cocky, charming and determined to get back on the ice after an injury that could end her career. The sparks are immediate — and doubly off-limits, because Stone is her patient and Hayley is planning a wedding with Alison, a successful surgeon whose career always seems to come first.
As Hayley’s personal life unravels, she has to decide what she really wants. Can she get Stone back on the ice in one piece while keeping her own heart from breaking?
What Makes This Romance Work
- Chemistry: Nearly every review, positive or negative, credits Hayley and Stone with strong sexual chemistry. One reader called it off the charts.
- Setting: A Vermont reader said the book gets the state, and its apple orchards, right.
- Just enough hockey: Enough women’s hockey to satisfy sports fans without losing readers who are not.
- Physical therapy: Readers enjoyed the peek into Hayley’s work, including her young patients.
- Hayley’s growth: Her independence arc after the breakup, helped by a new friend, Rachel, was a highlight for some.
Book Synopsis
As the go-to therapist at Elite Therapy, Dr. Hayley Sims is the best in her field. It is exactly why she has just been assigned her most challenging patient yet, hockey player Elizabeth Stone — not because Stone’s injury is complicated, but because she is intense to work with and needs someone to keep her in check.
When Hayley’s personal life starts unravelling and she realises she might be developing feelings for her patient, she is torn between finishing her assignment and walking away to protect herself. Can Hayley get Stone back on the ice in one piece while keeping her heart from breaking?
My Review
The first half is the book at its best. Hayley’s first-person, present-tense narration puts you right in the room for therapy sessions that crackle, and Bryant makes the professional line between them feel like it matters. Readers who love the book love that tension, and love Stone’s pursuit — one found her refusal to take no for an answer thrilling.
That same pursuit is where others get off. Hayley ends her engagement because Alison is too controlling — but within a few weeks, one reviewer noted, Stone has pressured her into a first date, and several readers found the pace from breakup to new relationship too quick to believe. Critics called the characters’ choices juvenile, felt Stone was pushy, and thought Hayley forgave her too easily. Around 80% in, Stone ends things in a “for your own good” move that a lot of readers dislike on principle; it is resolved fast, and the ending is sweet, but one reader was unconvinced they were long-term material at all.
The short length is part of the problem. At about 212 pages, there is not much room for a wedding called off, a new romance, a breakup and a reconciliation, and many readers wanted more depth — especially for Stone, who we only see through Hayley’s eyes. A few also found the prose simpler than Bryant’s other books; one noted a 26-storey building that does not fit the Vermont setting.
My honest note: If you want a quick, steamy read and do not mind a whirlwind timeline, it delivers the chemistry. If you want a romance that earns its relationship, Bryant has stronger books.
| Element | In Touch |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Dr. Hayley Sims & Elizabeth Stone — physical therapist and injured hockey player |
| Core tropes | Therapist/patient, engaged to the wrong person, third-act breakup |
| Setting | Vermont, a physical therapy practice and pro women’s hockey |
| Heat level | 3/5 on romance.io — open door |
| POV | First person, present tense (Hayley only) |
| Length | About 212 pages |
| Content notes | A controlling ex-fiancée, a called-off engagement, sports injury |
How Spicy Is Touch?
Romance.io rates it 3 of 5, “open door,” from eight ratings. Readers describe good steam and a very sexy romance, with one noting there are also nice romantic moments beyond the sex and the angst. The chemistry is the book’s most consistent strength.
On content, the main things to know are Hayley’s controlling fiancée and the called-off engagement, the question of whether an emotional connection during an engagement counts as cheating, and Stone’s pushy pursuit.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a spicy, fast doctor-and-athlete romance, you like being inside one character’s head, and you enjoy a persistent love interest. It is on our sapphic hockey romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you dislike rebound relationships, third-act breakups for the other person’s good, or pursuit that ignores a request for space.
In short: Great chemistry, rushed romance.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
This is a mid-list Bold Strokes title with a steady readership; a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 27% five stars, 36% four, 28% three, 6% two and 1% one. On StoryGraph, 85% tag it lighthearted, and two-thirds of readers who answered said the character development was not strong. There is an audiobook narrated by Brittni Pope; one listener liked her voice but found it hard to tell Hayley’s thoughts from her speech. I could not find it on Libro.fm.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The chemistry first. Second, the steam. Third, the physical therapy and hockey settings. Fourth, Hayley’s growth.
What readers argue about and complain about: The rushed timeline, above everything. Second, the engagement and whether it counts as cheating. Third, Stone’s pushiness and the late breakup. Fourth, a thin Stone and simple prose.
The comparison worth making first: If the injured-player-and-medic setup appeals, Off the Ice covers similar ground with a team doctor, and a couple of Touch reviewers prefer Bryant’s earlier Taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Touch involve cheating?
Not in the physical sense. Hayley is engaged when she meets Stone, but she ends the engagement before anything happens between them. Some readers still questioned whether the emotional connection counts, and several felt she moved on too quickly.
How spicy is Touch?
Moderately. Romance.io rates it 3 of 5, open door, from eight ratings, and readers describe good steam and strong sexual chemistry.
What POV is Touch written in?
First person, present tense, from Hayley’s point of view only. Some readers love the immediacy; others found it hard to get to know Stone.
Is Touch part of a series?
StoryGraph lists it as book 2 in Kris Bryant’s Sensory series after Taste, but it is a standalone romance with its own couple.
Does Touch have a third-act breakup?
Yes. Around the 80% mark Stone ends things, in a “for your own good” move many readers disliked. It is resolved quickly and the book ends sweetly.
If You Loved Touch, Read These Next
Try Off the Ice for another injured hockey player falling for the person treating her, On the Fly for a gentler athlete/non-athlete romance, or Playmaker for more hockey on the page. For more, browse our sapphic hockey romance list, the sapphic sports romance hub, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Touch sets out to be a steamy forbidden romance between a therapist and her patient, and the chemistry is real. What holds it back is how much it tries to fit into a short book: a called-off wedding, a fast rebound, a breakup and a reconciliation, with little room for Stone to become more than an attractive pursuer. For a quick spicy read, it is fine; for a memorable romance, look elsewhere first. Check Touch on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Touch ranks as a fair-to-good steamy sports romance — strong chemistry, held back by a rushed timeline and divisive character choices.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ 3.80 average across 680 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 63% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.51 on StoryGraph from 93 reviews
- ✓ 4.3 stars across 353 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Strong chemistry
- ✓ Fast rebound
- ✓ Pushy pursuit
- ✓ “For your own good” breakup
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Hayley relatable to many
- ✓ Stone thinly drawn
- ✓ Juvenile choices for critics
- ✓ Good secondary characters for some
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Immediate first-person present tense
- ✓ Easy one-sitting read
- ✓ Simple prose
- ✓ Erratic pacing
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ Hayley’s independence arc
- ✓ Sweet ending
- ✓ Not moving for critics
- ✓ Little depth
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Romance.io 3/5, open door
- ✓ Good steam
- ✓ Very sexy for fans
- ✓ Romantic moments too
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Sweet ending
- ✓ Breakup resolved quickly
- ✓ Unconvincing for some
- ✓ HEA vs HFN not specified
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Short and quick
- ✓ Chemistry holds up
- ✓ Audiobook available
- ✓ Not memorable for some
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