Reporter and ex-soccer player, Kate Green is back in book two of the series, Dangerous Play. While this can be read as a stand-alone, I do recommend reading the first book in the series, Lights Out, before this one. I really liked Kate in book one and enjoyed getting to learn more of her backstory in book two.

While covering the US Olympic Soccer team, one of Kate’s previous teammates, Alexa, is found dead in the locker room. Since the woman who was murdered was once Kate’s best friend she gets involved in the investigation. Kate is smart, strong, and savvy yet relatable, which is what I look for in a female main character.

I loved how Kipness used dual timelines to not only help us to know Kate better, but also to learn more about the victim. Alexa’s diary entries were a nice addition to the story as well. This fast-paced story was full of red herrings and kept me guessing until the end.

If you’re looking for a page turning sports thriller with a strong female main character, then I highly recommend reading this series. This book shows a behind the scenes of competitive sports and does touch on some tough topics so make sure you check trigger warnings prior to reading it.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Elise Hart Kipness's Lights Out and this sequel about sports reporter Kate Green is really good too. The Olympics are taking place in New York City and Kate is covering women's soccer - something she knows a lot about because she played on the USA women's national team, One of Kate's former teammates, Savannah (Savy) Baker, is now the head coach of the USA team. Alexa Kane is a famous jewelry designer who's also a former teammate of Kate and Savy. When Alexa is found dead in one of the stadium's locker room areas, Savy and Kate are two of the three people who first find her body. But why was Alexa at the stadium and who would want to kill her? To investigate Alexa's murder, Kate once again has to cross paths with her estranged father Liam, an NYPD detective. In Lights Out, Kate became suspicious of an incident in Liam's past when he was shot and badly wounded. Despite his warnings to leave it alone, she continues to dig into the story. With everyone harboring secrets from the past, Kate puts herself in danger to try to get to the truth about Alexa and also about Liam. I look forward to book #3 in this series and definitely recommend reading Lights Out and Dangerous Play. Thanks to #netgalley #thomas&mercer and #elisehartkipness for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one as much as I loved Lights Out, but it just didn't wow me as much. I love Kate Green, but this one just didn't have as many twists and suspenseful moments as her debut thriller. I do love that it felt like it left an opening for a 3rd book, which I hope will be better, but this one just was a little middle of the way for me.

I’ve got to say, I downloaded this not knowing it was book two in a series! I have book one on my shelf and will definitely be reading it now. There are some flashbacks, probably slight spoilers as to the outcome of the book, but I still plan on reading it!

This is the first sports thriller I’ve ever read. Sports reporter Kate is one of the first to come upon a dead body after a soccer game, and it happens to be someone she knew as a child/young soccer player herself and hasn’t seen in decades.

A great story if you love reporter pov, police procedural, soccer, and shady friends.

Definitely read this one!

4.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my advanced copy!

I’m glad when I requested this book I didn’t know it was the sequel to Light’s Out. I wasn’t a fan of Lights Out, but loved Dangerous Play. This was very fast paced, and held my attention. I enjoyed that this had two mysteries we were reading about. The first and most controversial being the woman who died in the Olympic women’s soccer locker room, and also something that happened 30+ years ago with her father Liam. I enjoyed the dual timeline of past and present to get insight on Kate and the woman who dies relationship was like. Ther author definitely knows how to keep the reader wanting more, and I of course enjoyed all the sports talk alongside the mysteries. I’m excited to read the third book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Elise Hart Kipness for my digital copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

This book is #2 in the Kate Green Series and as soon as I finished, I was wanting to read book #3, (spoiler alert, it's not out yet). This book was so good. I will not lie, that I was reluctant to read this book/series. I am not a huge sports fan, basketball (book #1) & soccer are really down there on the sports I can tolerate. That being said, I am so happy I read this book. First of all, Kate is a former soccer player turned sportscaster. Her father. Liam is a detective with NYPD, so investigating crimes are in her blood.

When a woman is found murdered at the Olympics in New York and Kate was a former friend/teammate of this woman, it hits close to home, and she does all she can to "assist" the police and find out who the killer is.

This was a super-fast read; I couldn't put it down. And I am anxiously waiting for #3.

I really like the way these stories are told because you have the murder, the investigation and there always seems to be something else suspicious going on in Kate's life. I highly recommend this book and series for that matter.

Review is live on the following sites:
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1819664540
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6203668921
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356318#n8554354
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ed8fce8e-456d-4318-9a0f-c12f566b25f4

and will go on instagram @kuhlreads on Sept. 3rd.

Unpopular opinion it seems, but I did not enjoy this one. I found it a little boring and I didn't truly care for the murder/mystery. The sports talk didn't appeal to me and the characters were bland, they fell flat. I did not care for any of them or the outcome.

From “the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat,” the line was Howard Cosell’s, the famous sports commentator from the 1950s until the 1980s, but it might as well have been Kate Green’s, the fictitious sports reporter in DANGEROUS PLAY, the second in the Kate Green series by Elise Hart Kipness.

Kate, a former Olympic Soccer player, is on her home turf, covering the US Women’s Soccer Team during a New York City Olympics as it tries to make a comeback and win the Gold. Kate is looking to make her own comeback after a viral video imperiled her career and the hunt for a killer too close to home nearly cost her everything.

But the team has been dogged by drama this year, with a controversial player, Quinn, who keeps making waves. And Kate has her own drama brewing below the surface as well. Her former teammate, and biggest rival, Savannah Baker is coaching the team.
As if this weren’t enough, Kate stumbles across Savannah and the controversial player who have just discovered a body in the ice baths of the team locker room after a very satisfying win. And the body is that of another former teammate.

Kate immediately turns to her estranged father, Liam, and the two form an uneasy alliance in the search for the murderer. In the process, Kate has to face some demons from her past. But Liam has some secrets too, which Kate is determined to uncover, despite multiple warnings to leave the past alone.

Kipness brings her knowledge of sports broadcasting to this tightly-plotted and atmospheric thriller, by turns evoking the high-stakes stress of Olympic try-outs to the high-spirited exultation of a win on the world stage; from the opulence of a Yankee Stadium private box to the grittiness of the streets of Queens. This is a wildly entertaining thriller that sticks its landing. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 This is always a judgment free zone so no worries if you are still missing the excitement of the Olympics because Elise Hart Kipness is keeping it going! While I am by no means a sports fanatic, I appreciate the enthusiasm and it is captured wonderfully in Dangerous Play. What unfolds is a beautifully written, gripping story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with stakes higher than an intense overtime in a soccer game because Kate’s former teammate is found dead. Kipness leaves no stone unturned in her detailed accounts documented in this captivating novel, which aligns perfectly with Kate’s journalistic background. Dangerous Play is a proper banger of a novel, perfectly combining the fandom of soccer with a delectable murder mystery!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

Sports reporter Kate Green is back and this time she is covering the Women's US Olympic soccer team. She's no stranger to this team because she once was a member of it along with the team's current head coach Savannah Baker. Kate is certain this is just the thing she needs to get her career back on track. Except things wouldn't be that easy. Alexa Kane, another former teammate, turns up dead in the lockerroom. Why was Alexa there to begin with? Kate is forced to confront her past and dig up old secrets as she tries to figure out what happened to her friend.

Dangerous Play is a quick, fast-paced read that will keep you turning pages as you alternate between past and present timelines learning of Kate's past and piecing together the pieces of this murder mystery. There's twists, turns, and secrets that will keep you hooked. I did not read Lights Out and had no issues following along with what was happening in this book. I will be going back to read the first book and continuing on with this series because I loved this book so much!

For the second time, Elise Hart Kipness blew me away. After falling in love with her smart, savvy main character in her debut novel, Lights Out, I was even more bowled over by both Kate and Kipness thanks to what I found inside of Dangerous Play. A bingeable, addictive crime thriller, the dual timelines and even pacing meant for one altogether rollicking good time. The former, in fact, was quite the ingenious method at bringing the victim to life. And through her, Kate’s character grew deeper and delightfully well-developed.

While I was wholly won over by the unguessable twists and perfectly timed plot, the characters were easily my favorite piece to this marvelous whodunnit. Running the gamut from thoroughly unlikeable to one of my most-loved protagonists, the finely layered personas hit just the right chord. Through the past and present timelines and some realistic diary entries, Kate was revealed to be even more dogged, clever, and brave than she was in book one. Supported by some other truly top-notch individuals, the entire cast was an utter home run.

Now that I’ve finished bingeing the second book in what is turning out to be one humdinger of a series, I’m not surprised in the least about how my friends and colleagues at Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse have been raving about it ever since we got the galleys. With an intriguing subplot, deliciously short chapters, and a heaping dose of suspense, it just couldn’t have been better. Now for my impatient wait for book three so that I can learn what is coming next in Kate’s saga with Liam. So order your copy today. Just be sure to start with book one. After all, you don’t want to miss a minute with Kate. Rating of 5 stars.

Thank you to Elise Hart Kipness, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for my complimentary digital and physical copies. All opinions are my own.

Crime comes to the Olympics in this pulse-pounding thriller as TV sports reporter Kate Green investigates the murder of an old friend and one-time soccer team-mate. The dual timeline of present day investigation and flashbacks to the past works well to build suspense with timely reveals as well as allowing the reader to get to know the cast of characters well. Green as a main character is warm, humorous and intrepid and someone you can’t help rooting for. The author’s own expertise in the world of sports reporting shines through and the plot delivers on twists that will keep you turning the pages. Highly recommended!

The timing of reading this arc was impeccable. I mean, a thriller set during The Olympics WHILE the actual Olympics are happening? Heck yes!

This book is the second in a series and my biggest concern - since I didn’t read the first - was missing key points from Book 1. I think Elise Hart Kipness did a masterful job in summing up those events and including them into the story without me feeling lost. (I still did have FOMO and will read Lights Out, the first in the series 👀)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this sports thriller because it kept me guessing. Always appreciate a great mystery that keeps me on my toes, and this totally delivered 🤌🏼

I really enjoyed this. There were many twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This is the second book, and must be read in order

It was an ok read for me. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either, just not really a thriller for me

I read this during the Olympics, which made this book even more exciting! It is the second in a series, but I read it as a standalone. Kate Green is a sports reporter covering the women’s Olympic soccer team, somehow, she ends up finding a famous jewelry designer, Alexa Kane, dead in the locker room. Alexa used to play with Kate, and Savannah (the team’s head coach). There was an incident that happened to Alexa long ago when the girls were at camp. The timeline goes from then to now. There are quite a few trigger warnings that you may want to check. Overall, a lot of twists and turns, and extremlet well written.

The perfect slump book for me. Just what I needed. The perfect mix of suspense and keep you on the edge with page turning and engaging.

Did I love this so much because I'm a soccer mom, or because this author continues to win me over with this fantastic series?

I loved learning more about Kate, and this particular crime she finds herself entangled in is especially delicious! This is a storyline I have never explored in a thriller, and I loved it. Kate's past and present felt like reading two books in one. I highly recommend this!

Dangerous Play is an amateur sleuth mystery set against the backdrop of the summer Olympics.

Kate Green is a former Olympic athlete turned sports reporter tapped to cover the Women’s National Soccer Team for these Olympic games. She is a former teammate and frenemy of the head coach, Savannah (Savy) Baker, and their positions collide when a woman from their teen competitive soccer days, Alexa Kane, is found dead in the locker room after a big win for the current team.

Alexa was one of Kate’s only real friends on the team in those days, until an incident involving Savy drove them apart. Her once estranged father, Liam, is with the NYPD and is the lead investigator into Alexa’s murder. Kate gives him inside information he otherwise wouldn’t have, and together they expose the real reason Alexa left the national team all those years ago and the person who murdered her to keep it quiet.

In the background is a second mystery having to do with Liam, an ongoing investigation arc for Kate that takes place over the course of a number of books.

The book is told through a dual timeline, going back to Kate’s early days making and playing for the junior national soccer team, then making the Olympics and winning the gold, and alternating with present day, where Kate has had to recreate herself as a sports reporter after suffering a career-ending injury.

Dangerous Play is book two in the Kate Green mystery series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I think it would also be helpful to read book one to get a better sense of Kate and her full story as she moves forward in her career, life, and relationships. Having said that, it is an edgy and well-done mystery that made for an engaging and entertaining read.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book didn't please me much. I'm not a sports fan, so usually I would never pick up such a book. However, because I truly enjoyed Beartown (by Fredrik Backman), I thought "well..who knows?".
It wasn't the case here. The sports discussions pulled me out of the story pretty much every time; the murder mystery didn't end up being so appealing to me; the writing was decent enough, as well as the characters, but neither was amusing enough for my taste.
What I most liked about this book was the Olympics representation.
I'm sure other readers will enjoy this more than I did.