By: Cait Marie
Blurb
A sexy, brother’s best friend hockey romance from New York Times bestseller Kendall Ryan, kicks off a series you’ll devour!
I’ve never been so stupid in my entire life.
My teammate’s incredibly sweet and gorgeous younger sister should have been off-limits, but my hockey stick didn’t get that memo.
After our team won the championship, and plenty of alcohol, our flirting turned physical and I took her to bed.
Shame sent her running the next morning from our catastrophic mistake. She thinks I don’t remember that night—but every detail is burned into my brain so deeply, I’ll never forget. The feel of her in my arms, the soft whimpers of pleasure I coaxed from her perfect lips…
And now I’ve spent three months trying to get her out of my head. Which has been futile, because I’m starting to understand she’s the only girl I’ll ever want.
I have one shot to show her I can be exactly what she needs, but Elise won’t be easily convinced.
That’s okay, because I’m good under pressure, and this time, I’m playing for keeps.
Review
Earlier this year, I listened to the audiobook of In My Hockey Era, and I loved it so much I went to read more, thinking it was a later part of the series. So, I went to read the first, which I mistakenly assumed was Playing for Keeps, but it’s not 😅. Oops. Both are first books in different hockey romance series. Regardless, it was great!
I’m in my hockey era, it seems. I’ve read several hockey romances the past few years, and I’m still not sick of them.
This one is a brother’s best friend romance, with a little bit of an age gap (just a few years). Justin and Elise have known each other forever, and she’s always had a crush on him. He grew up playing hockey with her brother, Owen, and now they’re in the NHL together and they’re roommates.
After one drunken night of Justin and Elise hooking up and then an awkward avoidance period, they strike up a secret friends-with-benefits deal. Because they’ve known each other most of their lives, there is a level of trust already built into their relationship, and the chemistry follows quickly, especially with the tension building after the first incident.
This was a really fun, light read. I loved both characters, and I’m really eager to continue the series. The next book is her brother and their mutual friend. I liked getting to know them too, and I was hoping that ship would sail. I’m glad I get more!
The only reason I took away half a star is because the pacing at the beginning and end felt off. The end in particular felt rushed. And I personally prefer a little more development in the story and side characters, but it wasn’t bad by any means. The book is also like seven years old, and I think it was one of the author’s earlier books, so there’s a chance the others are a bit more fleshed out and paced better.
If you like fun hockey romance with some spice, check it out!
Functionally Fictional 
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