This book was uncomfortable to get through. Not only was the writing not great, the dialogue was cringy at best, and there was a lot of not like other girls (or boys). The premise of this could've had a lot of potential if there was any actual angst or chemistry between the characters but there was none.

This book archived so fast that I didn't even get a chance to listen and review. That's too bad. It sounded good.

This is my first book by Stacey Lynn and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audio version and it was very well done by narrators Liam DiCosimo and Stella Hunter. Katie Carter has never gotten over her short-lived romance with hockey star Jude Taylor. Just when things were starting to heat up, he got called up to the NHL, and she sent him off without a peep. Jude has also thought about Katie all these years and wishes that things had not ended the way they did. When Jude is injured and sent back to his hometown for therapy he ends up going to the practice where Katie works. Finally, an opportunity for the two of them to talk about that time and see if there still is some thing there.
This was a sweet Second Chance Romance with a bit of spice and drama thrown in. Not only do they have to deal with all the years between them, there is a little matter of professional ethics as she works where he’s rehabbing. Add a vindictive office manager who is looking to ding Katie and this has all the possibility of something really bad happening. I thought the author did a good job of working through all of the negative possibilities while keeping the romance uppermost in the story. When conflict happened Jude and Katie acted like adults ( unlike last time) and worked it out.
As I said before, the audio version was very well done with both narrators doing an excellent job. They conveyed the emotion in the story perfectly and made it very easy to listen to. Now I have to go find the next books in the series!

And lovely enjoyable first base second chance romance. I loved the voices of the narrators; they really added on the audiobook and made the experience even more enjoyable. It's definitely a book for a relaxing Sunday afternoon or a day by the beach.

After a three-week college fling, Kate and Jude didn't see each other again. When they meet again several years later, their chemistry is just hot and heavy as it was in college. Can they figure out how to make their relationship last longer than a fling?

Liam DiCosimo and Stella Hunter are terrific narrators. They did an amazing job bringing this story to life. They did a great job portraying the characters, giving each their own voice and personality. They captured the characters' emotions so well. They entertained me and this was a great story to listen too.

Playing to Win is a sweet second chance hockey romance. I highly recommend it!

Review for Audiobook. I received an arc copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and Spectrum Audiobook for an honest review.

The audiobook was fine, the story is sweet, and the two narrators did an excellent job capturing their character voices.

Story - It was a sweet, second-chance hockey romance, a drama that was happening wasn't super drama. After finally having their one night, Jude left the next morning to play pro-hockey while Kate finishes her PT schooling and stays in Chicago. Five years later, Jude injured himself and sent home to Chicago, where family and doctors and physical therapists can take care of him.

There is a lot of "what could have been" thoughts between both characters, but they didn't talk to each other about them, like five years ago. There is a lot of internal drama with the characters that if they just told each other their thoughts and have adult conversations, ergo gone. The drama that Katie has is serious, but not if specific steps taken. It was overall a sweet, enjoyable hockey romance. Quick listen/read. (Audiobook is over 5 hours).

[Thanks Netgalley for the audiobook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
I've listened audiobooks before but they were some of my favourite books (The Bronze Horseman, Kiss an Angel) so I already knew the story. This has been my first time listening a story that I haven't read before (and in English, which isn't my native language), so I wasn't sure I was going to understand everything and follow the story. Happily, I was able to do both things. due to the easy story and the great narration. It's easy to listen and easy to follow. Both narrators have clear voices and pronunciations, I wasn't lost listening the story. Although they both have great voices, I found myself more comfortable with the female voice and sometimes I found the male voice a little too rough for my taste (especially when he was impersonating other secondary characters).
But the story is easy and uncomplicated, so the listening experience is pretty much the same. I think this book/audiobook is perfect for a summer reading.
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Pues el libro no tiene nada, es nadista y de mono con platillos, ideal para desconectar el cerebro. Una historia de segundas oportunidades con sporty-melofó que se reencuentra con su amor de hace cinco años. La lees (la escuchas, en mi caso) y te suena a otras tropecientas que conoces. La diferencia es que esta no tiene intriga alguna, no hay tensión de ninguna clase. Si le pongo algo más de nota es porque valoro el audiolibro que Netgalley tenía para descarga directa y que ha estado bastante bien, teniendo en cuenta que es el primero que escucho (sin conocer la historia). Me he enterado de todo, los narradores pronuncian de un modo muy claro y a un ritmo estupendo, lo que hace que no te pierdas en la historia (que tampoco es que sea el Ulises de Joyce y te haga la picha un lío). Me ha gustado más ella, ya que él tiene la voz algo ronca y me sacaba un poco más de la escucha (al principio, que luego me he acostumbrado sin problemas). Eso sí, él haciendo voces de otros personajes queda un poco ridículo 😂.
En cualquier caso, ha sido una buena experiencia.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this audio book. This is a fantastic second chance sports romance. I love a good sports romance. The narrator did a fabulous job. I liked it so much I listened to it in one sitting.

This book was good! The audiobook was really good and very easy to listen to. I had never listened to a book before that had two narrators, one for the female character and one for the male. While I enjoyed that for when they were doing their own voices I felt like it was especially weird when the male narrator would read women's dialogue. It just sounded kind of weird but I understand why they had to do it like that. Overall the book was really good and I thought the characters were well developed and fit together. My one thing though is that I'm still confused as to what exactly happened while they were in college like it's mostly just alluded to and never discussed directly. Like I understand that the author didn't want to have them stuck in the past but as a reader having that backstory might have been a little helpful. Overall, I liked it even though I found the plot a little bland so I give it 4 stars!

I looooove sports romance books, but I thought this one was just OK. It lacked details in places I really wanted more detail (like them getting together after all those years or him getting back on the ice for the first time)

Disclaimer : I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

This book was an amazing surprise, I was hooked into it from the first seconds I started to listen to the audiobook.

This is the story between a super popular professional hockey player who was injured during a game and a physiotherapist. They were together for a couple of weeks in college until Jude Taylor our main character left for a hockey contract before their final year, after an amazing night were they realized their feelings, they lose contact as a misunderstanding happens. Katie. believing he was just another jock who wanted to sleep with her blocks his number but never forgets him. Jude, trying to contact her left believing their relationship meant more to him than her. Five years later, they meet again when, after his injury, he is sent back to Chicago for rehab at the center where Katie works as a physiotherapist.

The chemistry between the two main characters was unreal, they were steamy, but sweet and just perfect together. There was also an amazing bunch of side character, their best friends were MVP's, there for them and just the best friends you could wish for. Katie's colleague, Avery, was the representation of us fangirling over Jude, she was so funny. I really hated Megan, her boss, she was so angry and such a bad person, like she was just gunning for Katie, wanting her to be miserable. I loved how her other co-workers, Logan, was looking out for her from page one, he was on her side while also looking out for her career as being with Jude could cost her her license since he was Logan's client at their workplace.

The narrators were amazing, I felt the emotions through their voices and it felt raw and real. The story was passionating, I loved how it was a second chance romance the two main character Katie and Jude were deep and felt real, tangible, listening to their story felt like people telling me their stories. The sex scenes are to say, steamy and at first awkward to listen to, but it felt natural once I was further into the story.

Overall it was a great listen, I totally recommend it,

4/5 stars

Bookarina.

I enjoyed this one. Sports romance can cause me a bit of anxiety at first only because they usually have heavy "other women" involvement due to overeager fans. I'm happy to say you do not get that in this book. In fact, I really like how much Jude was crushing on Katie, even years later after their first encounter. I felt like because of that, this was a fun romance even though they had a few obstacles to overcome.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and really enjoyed the narrators. It had both a male, and female narrator who showcased both POVs, and I love that. This gives us readers a look into both characters thoughts throughout the book. I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a fun, safe sports romance.

Playing to Win grabbed me right from the start and I found myself finding things to do to keep listening to the audiobook. Katie and Jude were likeable, fun, and caring. You could feel their attraction and I loved how their past was woven in to the story. Jude is a hockey player who got hit bad and is now doing physical therapy to recover. Katie is a physical therapist that works at the same place he is getting therapy, but is not his therapist. I really appreciated this.

There was a fun cast of side characters that I hope to read more about in the future. They added a lot to the relationship that Katie and Jude were working on, without overwhelming the narrative.

If you're looking for something light and funny Playing to Win is for you.

I'm a sucker for a sports romance! It's my group genre in romance. Playing to Win is a second chance romance. The two never really got over each other and one day Jude needs physical therapy and he ends up at the same clinic that Kate works at. The sparks fly like no time has been lost and the two eventually find their way back to each other.

I loved this one so much and I can't wait to snag the next one in the series.

The narrators were great and it was the perfect amount of emotion throughout the entire audiobook.

Cute romance with a hockey background. I am not a fan of alternative narrators but I understand it's use when alternating POVs. I strongly disliked the male narrators Katie voice.

Story is predictable but cute! I want to learn more about side characters Garrett and Lizzy.

This was my first Stacey Lynn book and it was enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook via Netgalley and it was definitely entertaining. I loved the male and female narration as the book is told from our two main characters‘ (Katie and Jude) perspective.

This is a second chance sports romance with very little in the way of unnecessary drama or conflict which was a bit refreshing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

Playing to Win by Stacey Lynn

A second chance romance. Jude and Katie were together for a short time in college. Katie thought she had found her forever. Jude found his forever of the moment and left skid marks leaving the next day to follow his dream leaving Katie before she knew what was happening. He went on to fulfill his passion of following in his father and brothers footsteps and became a professional hockey player. Katie was left behind with a broken heart. From then on she guarded her heart and decided to fulfill her own dreams of planting roots, becoming a physical therapist and creating her own version of family that she has always craved and never experienced as a child. Jude, is injured during a game and goes home to Chicago to rehab his damaged knee and hobbles in to her physical therapy clinic. The sizzle is still there, but is Katie willing to risk her her heart and career? Jude decides he is going to get it right this time and isn’t leaving her behind a second time. It’s a fun, sweet, steamy journey back together with a bunch of nosy friends, family and coworkers all chiming in with their opinions and comments all along the way. Of course there is a HEA and it was a long time coming and well deserved for both of them. The one hiccup for me in this book was a woman who Katie worked with who made it her mission to torture Katie from the day she started at the rehab clinic. If there is going to be woman on woman hate in the work place in these times it would have been nice for that woman to be called to the mat and held responsible for the way she treated her. For one person who saw it happening to stand up for Katie. That she just walked away rang false even though she was moving forward to a whole wonderful new life. Seemed out of character and again, in these times just a terribly wrong message to set forth. Other than that issue, which is small in the big picture this is a terrific listen.

This is the first book I've read/listened to by Stacey Lynn and I really enjoyed it. This is a sports romance (hockey) but the hockey itself is peripheral in that Jude, the hockey star, is injured and therefore, there aren't a lot of details about the sport. So the romance is the focus of this book. And it was a sweet second chance romance. Jude was hitting it big just when he and Katie started to get into a serious relationship. He had to leave her and there were communication issues (she thought it meant they were over, Jude didn't want it to be over.) Fast forward years and now, Jude has been injured and he returns home for PT. He sees Katie again at the office that he is getting therapy (I really liked that she wasn't his therapies) and they hit it off again. But can they survive when he goes back?

I really liked this low angst book. It was well written and interesting with great characters. NetGalley had the audiobook for early review (Thanks NetGalley!!) and the audiobook was good. I have to say, these are new to me narrators. Liam DiCosimo and Stella Hunter both did well when they were playing their primary characters but sounded quite strained and forced when they were playing the female or male characters, respectively. Overall, I enjoyed their narration.

I must be honest this is my first romance audiobook. I typically listen to nonfiction and read fiction.
I loved the male/female narrator and this book so much I ended up listening to half of it in one sitting!

This is the first book in Stacey Lynn's sports romance series Ice Kings.
If you are a fan of ice hockey romance, you'll find this audiobook is right up your street. It has all the elements I always look for in the genre. Jude is a strong, loyal, family-oriented protagonist who is dedicated to his sports career and his team, but without ever losing the sight of human relationships: family, friendship, and romance, and Katie is the one who almost got away.

Jude and Katie met at college and as we later find out, it took him some time to pluck his courage and speak to her. For Katie their very brief relationship and one night they spent together were unforgettable. But then Jude got drafted and became a professional player. He left Chicago and never graduated from the college. All Katie ever wanted was stability and normal life, something she didn't think she was going to get with Jude. So she blocked his number and continued working hard towards her goal of graduating and getting her physiotherapist licence. When she hears Jude Taylor got seriously injured , she knows how serious the consequences of this type of trauma can be for an athlete of his caliber. What she doesn't know is that his coach going to send him home to recuperate. And here he is in their office, ready for his appointment with a colleague of Katie's. Can Katie silence her heart which seems to beat a bit faster at his sight? Can Jude win her over once again?

I really listening to both narrators. Liam DiCosimo has a perfect voice for sports romance: I could easily imagine this confident, flirty, independent man. He had a great range of expression considering some parts involved talking to his mother, his coach, discussing his progress with his physiotherapist as well as hot and steamy scenes with his love interest Katie. Stella Hunter was charming and soft-spoken which was very fitting for Katie's dependable, caring, and unselfish character.

The second chance trope is one of my favourite, so I must say I really enjoyed this story. It was fun, had great characters and a happy ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spectrum Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.