If you like a sports romance. I would add this to your queue. A solid live story about a hockey player and one of his fans.

My only critique of the book would be that they start doing place finding like listing the number of games left in the season or the exact date. And then they never follow it through. It threw me off a few times when one would crop up.

Ok read. Appreciate that the author seemed to have immersed herself in hockey and provided some credible content to bring the behind-the-scenes world of the sport to light, however, it just wasn't written in an engaging way. Additionally, the sex scenes were a bit nonsensical. I just did not buy some of those frantic, in-the-spur moments (i.e., members of the press filing in while he's trying to get her off?!) had me respect less of the writer. There are more intelligent hockey romances out there that bring in hockey and romance that work together. This felt like it needed some smoothing to get a better rating out of me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. This story was very sweet but it did start to slow down for me. But overall it was a fun read.

I probably would have DNFed this one at 20% if this weren’t an advanced copy. I struggled to root for these two, since they met off-page and I only got somewhat vague references to that experience. Side characters were heavily focused on and then dropped. It was too long for such low conflict.

This was a very steamy very fun book. I had a lot of fun while reading this book. It’s nice sometimes to get out of your head and enjoy a good little steamy book.

I recently finished 'The Playing Game' by Ainsley Booth and it was like a warm and fuzzy hug in book form. Finally, a hockey romance that doesn't involve college players (yay for maturity!). The characters fell for each other after a one night stand, and now they're finally meeting again after two years apart. Talk about delayed gratification!

The family backgrounds of the characters added some depth to the story, but don't worry, it's still a sweet and heart-warming read. The characters get together quickly, so you can sit back and enjoy the development of their relationship without unnecessary drama. Think of “Consider Me” by Becka Mack. The author also deserves some props for not including a 3rd act
breakup - let the characters explore their relationship drama-free, please!

Oh, and did I mention the actual hockey games and player dynamics? Big plus for the hockey bits!

The female lead's best friend also adds a nice (and
chaotic 😊) touch to the story. While the book wasn't the most engaging hockey romance I've read, I still think it's a solid recommendation for fans of the genre. Overall,
I'm giving 'The Playing Game' 4 stars and a big thumbs up for its heart-warming
moments and a male lead that goes straight to a list of best hockey book
borfriends.

This was very much a romance focused story. Kieran and Harper go on a journey that is both sweet and spicy, but sadly for my personal tastes I found that without having any added extra angst or outside issues... this felt like the story was dragging on a bit. I never found myself GRASPING to get answers or to finish because I needed to find that 'Happily Ever After' moment.

I would definitely try something else written by Ainsley, I would love to see her writing in another work.

Looking for a light feel good read, this is it! This book had me smiling the whole time. Fun storyline with great characters. This was my first book that I have read by Ainsley Booth, but it will not be my last.

A amazing hockey romance. One of the best ones I have read in a while.

There was something very different to Kieran and Harpers story, I felt that there was more depth than there often is in hockey romances, I really enjoyed it!

Great spice, no third act breakup, an MMC that can actually listen!!

The one thing i will say is that it could have been shorter.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I LOVED this! I knew it was going to be good because people who’ve read it can’t stop raving about it and I am so glad I loved it just as much. Harper and Kieran are the absolute cutest thing. I loved them from start to finish.
Also there’s no third act breakup?!!!

A hockey romance wjth love at first sight vibes, even though isn't at first sight more like at first hook up, they had a one night stand and he cannot get her out of his mind, he sees her again and honestly the story is really good, the author knew how to work things in her favor and make the story more rich.

I received an ARC of this book and if your a sucker for hockey romances this is a good one! This book was full of spice and Canadian hockey.

Thank you NetGalley and author Ainsley Booth for this Arc, I really really enjoyed it!
This is a very cozy and heartwarming book. Kieran and Harper will have a special place in my bookshelf.
If you like the man who falls for her and just her this is the book for you. In this book there is no drama, couple growth and a lot of sex.
And I was all in for it.
Kieran is the good boyfriend material. Bring breakfast at work and for the co-workers. He listen to her, cares for her, her job and her friends. Who doesn’t love that!?! And Harper deserves it all.
Talking about was hot. Like a lot. Dirty talk, a bit of exhibitionism and well, more to come.
I’m looking forward to read more of Ainsley Booth books.

Sexy and low drama, with real hockey content! Featured self-pleasure, fantasizing, and everyday sex toys. Love to see it!!

Dual POV was a great choice here. Kieran is an absolute winner as a pining hero, and I love that this sports romance focused on an athlete later in his career. Harper is a fabulous contrast to the usual WAG tropes; she's got a great career, is independent, and is not ready to fall in Kieran's lap and let the rest of her life float away.

"The Playing Game" is pretty long and certainly takes its time, but does a great job of developing a meaningful relationship without dramatics. I'm looking forward to seeing this series develop!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This book was waaaay too long, like 15-20 chapters too long (and it seems I'm not alone in that assessment). It started out great and I was into it, but the middle 60% just seemed to drag on with no real plot progression and I lost interest. It took me 8 days to read this book. 8 DAYS!!! I typically read books in 1-3 days, so this was took more than twice as long to finish. I don't know if this is the author's norm to write books that long - it was the first time I"ve read this author. I don't mind a long book if the content stays interesting and the plot keeps moving. But that didn't happen with this book unfortunately.

That said, I liked both characters, I had no issues with them at all or the secondary characters. Kieran was adorable and sexy at the same time. I loved his huge heart and of course, his dirty talk (praise kink anyone?). I liked that Harper was an ordinary heroine working as a nurse in a pediatric unit and she somehow manages to catch the attention of a famous hockey player. Granted, her absentee father is also a famous hockey player, so there is that.

Speaking of her dad. I was disappointed with how that played out. The author made such a huge deal about it and how Harper wanted to stay out of the media's attention in order to prevent them from finding out who her father was. I kept expecting him to at least make some appearance or for the media to find out, but literally nothing happens! Ugh, that was so frustrating and misleading. The end of the book is pretty abrupt and everything wraps up in a matter of pages after so much uncertainty to that point.

Even though I've only watched a few mins of games on TV here and there and have never been to a hockey game in my life (we have an NHL team just 15 mins away), I am a fan of hockey romances and know enough about the sport to know what's going on. I thought the author did a pretty good job with hockey details and explaining things when necessary, particularly with the business/front office side.

I wish I could say I loved the book, but sadly I can't. I liked it and *may* read another by the author, but compared to other hockey romance writer greats out there, this one falls at the bottom of my list.

It's been a minute since I've read one of Ainsley's books (I was a huge fan of her Frisky Beavers series back in the day (will it ever get finished??)), so when I saw she started a new series, I was excited to dive into one of her stories again. And it was <i>okay</i>. That’s the best word I can come up with right now. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it.

Let's be honest, there are a <i>lot</i> of hockey romances out there. Pretty much everything that can be done (plot wise) has already been done, and if you're doing the same thing so many authors do, I want it to wow me, and I wasn't wowed by Harper and Keiran's story.

If I’m being completely honest, I struggled to get through some of it. I felt like it dragged on for longer than necessary. I was also a bit weirded out by the overdone praise kink featured in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down for the praise when it’s done right, and this one just didn’t do it for me.

All in all, the book wasn’t terrible. In the end it was cute, and wrapped up with a sweet happily ever after, but I was ready for it to be over.

I loved this book!

I thought that the book had great characters and they were really personable.

The book was written from both sides and I love that approach, how they are feeling, what they want and feel are all covered

The story sizzled from the start – it was romantic and sexy throughout

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended – I loved it!

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING.
Finally, a hockey romance that understands the reality of the sports and gave a reason for the FMC to not want to date a hockey player that wasn't "ew sports". The both had amazing agency and the spice was full of consent and care. Plus, an actually ethnically and racially diverse hockey team with welcoming wives and girlfriends? Perfection.

If you love a good hockey romance this is one for you! Harper and Kieran are such loveable characters from the very beginning. If you are not a fan of all the drama/third act breakups/ or pregnancies tropes this is one for you. Okay even if you like all those things this is still one you need to read. Kieran is 35 and a NHL superstar and Harper is 28 who is not necessarily into athletes based off of her history. I loved their story and how the communicated throughout the story. Not only do they have great chemistry and communication there is great spice in this book. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC copy. This is my honest review.