Canada, 1960 Ballet is Katerina Petrova’s world. But when the stage lights go dim and the curtain closes, she is simply a young woman who is trapped. On tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in Canada, Katerina is watched day and night by her chaperones and ballet security. But no one realizes that her hotel balcony adjoins that of handsome Canadian hockey player Robert Marcell’s. Robert is enchanted by Katerina, though he knows little about who she really is. In an attempt to find out more about this mysterious young woman, Robert extends his stay in the hotel. One night, when a teammate’s wife persuades him to join them at the ballet, Robert reluctantly attends. He has no interest in cultural experiences—until Katerina dances onto the stage. Soon, the two are inseparable, but despite their growing love, Katerina knows they can have no future together. They come from different worlds, and to escape her gilded cage would be nearly impossible.
After a family tragedy, aspiring ballerina Amaliya Marcell is adrift. When she is forced to leave behind everything she knows, the lost young woman struggles to build a new life in an unfamiliar city. But when she meets a handsome world-class figure skater, she finds a glimmer of hope. After his sister’s unexpected retirement from figure skating, Tyler Linden is devastated to give up his shot at the US national championships. His only hope is to find a new partner, a task that proves nearly impossible—until he observes a beautiful young woman at the local ice rink. Struck by her grace and poise, Tyler takes an unthinkable risk and asks Amaliya to become his new partner. To both of their surprise, she agrees. The path to the championship won’t be easy, but Amaliya and Tyler quickly establish a solid partnership and a profound connection—both on and off the ice. However, competition at the championships is fierce, and when the time comes, they will be forced to put everything on the line if they hope to achieve their dreams.
A lifetime ago, Maggie Alexander’s parents narrowly missed medaling in the Olympics as pairs figure skaters. Now a coach, her father Gordon is living his dreams through the skaters he trains—until Maggie is forced to deliver heartbreaking news: her mother’s battle against cancer will be a losing one. Shattered, her father loses his dreams in an instant—his beloved wife and his will to coach. Left to pick up the pieces, a devastated Maggie finds herself relying on the steadfast support of her childhood best friend, Lance Whitmore. Despite the fact that Maggie has never seen Lance as more than a friend, his heart has always been hers. Lance does what he can to help Maggie work through her grief, and soon their friendship blossoms into love. But when distance threatens their relationship, Maggie is torn between building a life with the man she loves and helping her broken father rebuild his life.
"Author Traci Hunter Abramson’s ability to create realistic scenes and characters that any reader would admire seeps through every page of Dreams of Gold ." -Crowned Heart Review, InD'Tale Magazine "Traci Hunter Abramson is a master of her craft, an auto-buy author who never disappoints." -Sarah M. Eden Nine months ago, Amaliya Marcell’s world was rocked when she nearly lost her parents in a devastating accident. In that moment, everything changed, and it was with no small amount of determination that the former ballerina rebuilt her life into something wonderful alongside the man she loves, her pairs ice-skating partner, Tyler. Since he was a child, Tyler Linden has dreamed of Olympic gold. And with Amaliya by his side, he’s confident that his goal is finally within reach. The pair is on track to compete in the Winter Games in Leningrad, but the path to gold turns out to be rougher than they expected. A painful injury on the ice shakes Amaliya’s confidence, and it will take every ounce of willpower to keep working toward the competition of her life. But when the discovery of a family secret connects her to the Soviet Union, the truth of her history forges within Amaliya a renewed determination to make her Olympic dreams a reality.
Following a knee injury during the final Stanley Cup game, professional hockey player Miles Donnelly finds himself sidelined in the hospital with his career hanging in the balance. His only hope is to work with a doctor to rehab and rebuild the strength in his knee. The catch: he has to remain in New York City for the next two months rather than return home to Montreal. After her father is incapacitated by a heart attack, Manhattan socialite Linda Bancroft trades house parties in the Hamptons for taking over management of the family’s real estate empire. But her first day on the job, she faces imminent disaster after an unscrupulous employee is fired. She needs a new apartment manager, and fast. The unlikely solution to her problem comes in the form of an injured—and dangerously handsome—hockey player looking for a place to stay. Thrown together by chance, Miles and Linda quickly realize there is something deeper between them than just friendship. But when outside pressures begin to strain their relationship, they must confront an impossible question: Can two people from entirely different worlds truly build a future together?
Pairs figure skaters Tyler and Amaliya have achieved the ultimate victory: a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. But somehow, that victory holds less weight than what faces Tyler next: asking Amaliya’s overprotective father for permission to marry his daughter. When Robert senses a disconnect in Tyler’s and his daughter’s goals, he withholds his blessing, and the couple must determine if what lies ahead for each of them can truly align. As they consider their next steps together, they are unaware that their careers are in jeopardy. They have caught the attention of dangerous and powerful men—men who have vowed to never again allow the American pair to rise above the Soviet’s. Amaliya’s mother, Katerina, is haunted by the decisions of her past and longs to be reunited with her brother, who is trapped behind the Iron Curtain. But her attempts to see him do not go unnoticed. The KGB does not let its people go easily, and now they know where to find Katerina, the defector. With danger closing in on Katerina and the competition heating up for Tyler and Amaliya, it seems that their dreams for the future may shatter.