Once bitten, twice shy …
The mantra I live by so no one can hurt me in the same way my parents did.
I’m Tommy Schneider, the most feared player in the NHL with a last name to match my bad boy reputation. Only, I’m the better, stronger, faster version of my estranged dad. Everything in my life I control with expert precision—from the hits I land in fights to the tattoos covering my body. Nothing and no one can get the better of me. I’m impermeable, a wall of steel that’s as cold as it is opaque.
So when my trade to the New York Blades is met with controversy, it’s fair to say I’m unbothered. The recently appointed General Manager expects a brutal enforcer, and that’s exactly what he’ll get.
But what I didn’t expect when I landed in Brooklyn? Jenna Miller. And the way she unceremoniously turned me down. I shouldn’t let her rejection weave it’s way under my skin, and I definitely shouldn’t have punched her brother when he tried to defend Jenna’s honor.
Instead, I should heed my mantra and walk away from the girl who hates my guts and grates on me with her bratty smile and backtalking mouth. If I don’t, I know someone will eventually get hurt. But each time I back off, I wind up standing outside her apartment door again. I’m in the fight of my life, with so much more at risk than just broken bones and bruises …
This time, it’s my heart on the line.
(ARC Review)
My QUEEN, Ruth Stilling does it again. I didn’t think anyone could rival Archer and Darcy, but Tommy and Jenna? They’re an entirely different kind of wildfire. This story isn’t about soft, easy love. This story is about clawing your way out of the wreckage of your past and daring to believe you’re worthy of something real.
Tommy Schneider has lived his life by one mantra: once bitten, twice shy. He’s the NHL’s bad boy, a weapon on skates with a name that carries more weight than he ever asked for. His reputation is brutal, his temper infamous, and his walls? Immeasurable. But beneath the ink and armor is a boy who was lied to, rejected, and reshaped by pain. The more I learned about him, the harder it was to hold back tears. His aggression isn’t arrogance; it’s protection. His cruelty is a mask for the ache of never being enough for anyone.
“The tattoo…King cobras are generally acknowledged to be the smartest of their species…they’re always one step ahead of their next victim, planning their next move. They rarely make the same mistake twice. That’s what makes a superior predator. Once bitten, twice shy.”
And then there’s Jenna Miller. She’s the one woman who won’t fall for the smirk, won’t be intimidated by the glare. She challenges him at every turn, and he hates that he likes it. Their dynamic is pure combustion—fire and gasoline with no safety net. Their words cut deep, their arguments burn hot, and their chemistry? Absolutely explosive. What starts as animosity spirals into something neither of them can walk away from. It’s hate, lust, and obsession rolled into one dangerous mix that keeps you glued to the page.
“You’re toxic. We are toxic together whenever we’re near each other. You might be good with using people to score points, but I’m not.”
Coach Morgan quietly steals the show, too. He’s the one man who looks Tommy in the eye and says what no one else will—that his worth isn’t tied to his name or his next fight. Those scenes between them? Gut-punch perfection. You feel Tommy start to shift, to believe that maybe he deserves more than the pain he’s been surviving on.
And let’s talk about the spice because… holy hell. Ruth Stilling holds nothing back. Anal play, period sex, oral, filthy dirty talk—it’s raw, primal, and fits them perfectly. These two are absolutely feral for each other, in every sense of the word.
“I know you love this because it’s what I love, and I know you want to play because I’m desperate to start the game.”
What makes this story unforgettable isn’t just the heat; it’s the heart. Tommy and Jenna mirror each other in the most gut-wrenching way—both scarred, both terrified of love, both running from the very thing they crave. Their connection isn’t pretty or perfect; it’s messy, chaotic, and painfully human. They’re broken in different ways but drawn together by something neither of them can fight. Watching them tear down each other’s walls, piece by jagged piece, is as cathartic as it is scorching. It’s raw and real and utterly consuming. It’s the kind of love that feels like both destruction and salvation.
“And why despite the way I want to hold you at arm’s length and recount the times you turned me down, I’ll never be able to stop coming back to you. We aren’t enemies, Hellion. We’re fucking magnets.”
By the time I hit the last page, I was completely undone. Ruth Stilling doesn’t just write love stories. She writes emotional battlegrounds where broken people learn how to fight for love instead of against it. Tommy and Jenna’s journey is brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable. It’s rage and vulnerability. Lust and forgiveness. It’s the kind of story that steals your breath, wrings out your heart, and still leaves you begging for more. And by god, those final chapters had my pulse racing and my chest tight—the anxiety, the heartbreak, the payoff—it’s all perfection. This book is a full-throttle ride of emotion, heat, and healing, and it deserves infinity stars. Tommy and Jenna are everything from start to finish.
Release Date: October 19th, 2025
Thank you to Ruth Stilling for the ARC read!