Wow, I absolutely loved this book and finished it in less than a day. I needed a quick beach read tip book and this checked all the boxes. Hockey love story - check, enemies to lovers -check and finally a multiple perspective story - check. Kennedy and Alexies story was captivating, From the first chapter I was hooked. I loved the concept and the friendships (Matt, Gemma and Zach) along the way. This is the perfect light, yet adorable story of the summer. It brought a smile to my face as they bantered back and forth and you could feel their love grow. It is safe to say I can’t wait to read more by this author. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The story was good, i enjoy dual pov in this book, Alexei and Kennedy relationship so sweet and make me jealous. When reading this book i got deja vu in some point.

#PlayYourPart #KathrynKincaid #ARCprovidedbyVictoryEditing #NetGalley #ARC

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Hockey Romance, Slow Burn

TW: Mention of Parent Loss, Grief

Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Kennedy was dumped by her boyfriend and that's when her life stalled. Kennedy's father ended up trading her now ex-boyfriend to a different team, and that's when Alexei joins the Palmer City Wolves. After Alexei was dumped by his team, he needs to restore his reputation. Alexei and Kennedy end up meeting at her father's party, and a photo of them gets leaked. The team publicist confronts them with a solution to stop all the media speculation, which is for Alexei and Kennedy to "fake date." Having them "fake date" helps Kennedy get back at her ex, and it helps Alexei restore his reputation. Everything is going well until real feelings start to get involved.

I love hockey romance so much. Reading this book was like a breath of fresh air. I loved Alexei and Kennedy and their banter towards each other. Alexei's flirtation with Kennedy had me all giddy and smiling from ear to ear. I loved the side characters as well. I loved how Alexei was helping Kennedy to try and be who she wants to be, and not let the grief of her mother passing take over. This book did not disappoint, and this is the author's DEBUT novel! Loved this book so much, and I can't wait to read more from this author!!

Hockey Romance ✔️
Fake Dating ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️

Those 3 things always hook me in a book. Sadly I had to force myself to read this simply because of the FMC Kennedy.

Kennedy and Alexei begin to fake date each for different reasons. Kennedy wants to get back at her ex and Alexei needs to improve his image.

Throughout the book Alexei was reasonable, but Kennedy constantly kept throwing it in Alexei's face that he needed her. She constantly kept saying their relationship was fake (which it was), but girl calm down. She acted like a child the entire time. Even though Kennedy's backstory is given, I still could not get past her childish adittude. Alexei was not perfect either, but I felt bad he had to rely on Kennedy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me laugh, cry, swoon and really want to watch Hockey.

Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Fake Dating ✔️
Recovering from Grief ✔️
Finding yourself ✔️

The perfect enemies to lovers and fake dating combo. I suggest anyone who loved Icebreakers give this book a try.

Can’t wait to read more from Kathryn Kincaid.

📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ 🌶️
➡
💭 Full of heart, found family and fantastic banter, Alexei and Kennedy's chemistry is a total hat trick.
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🙏 Thank you to Netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the advanced reader copy of Play Your Part. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This book didn't tiptoe around the action. It felt like there was immediate conflict, turmoil and chemistry (and lots of hilarious banter) from the get-go. It was sweet and the supporting characters were great- especially Zach whose man-child tendencies had me doubled over in laughter. There are a lot of hockey romances out there but I don't think I've read one where an owner's daughter FMC accidentally puts herself in the middle of two rival players with a long history of feuding. The hockey references were top notch and despite it being a mostly light-hearted RomCom, the story did tackle issues of verbal abuse and grief in a sensitive way.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I had to keep checking whether this was actually the second book in a series because I felt like Matt and Gemma's story should have come first since so much of their love came to fruition during Play Your Part. But this was a hit for me- it felt light and happy and I was totally rooting for Alexei and Kennedy by the end.
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Read if you love:
* fake dating
* enemies to lovers
* hockey romances
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See also: The Deal, For the Boys, Icebreaker

I will be posting my review on my Instagram feed on pub date (8/3) alongside a reel of book-inspired content. Please check my page @manuscripts_and_margaritas for more information.

5 ⭐️ read! This was everything I wanted in an amazing hockey romance and I’m already hoping for more. Kennedy & Alexis story is so complex, so real, that it feels like a life a person could truly live. The complexities and challenges that both characters go through are 100% relatable. I really hope to see more of this team and these characters! Briggsy definitely needs his own book 🤣
The storyline was amazing. The characters were perfectly developed. I adored how the plot unfolded. Basically, I would read this authors grocery list! More more more!

Hockey romances are in right now, and this fake dating romance was fun to read. Alexei signs a contract the hockey team Kennedy's family owns after Kennedy's boyfriend is traded to another team and leaves town. While Kennedy doesn't like Alexei due to his reputation and rivalry with her ex, she makes a pact to date him for 3 months to avoid bad press for the team.

It becomes obvious pretty early on that they are both attracted to each other, but they both fight it. Both characters have to overcome things from their past that are holding them back from committing to a relationship.
This book is a slow burn. As I know some aren't a fan of spicy scense, while there is detailed sex, it isn't a frequent occurrence in the book, so if spicy scenes aren't your thing, it could easily be skipped over and the book would still be good. I enjoyed the story and think it was well done especially for what looks like the authors first published book.

Thank you Netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars - I'm a SUCKER for a good hockey romance- and toss in some enemies to lovers? Some fake dating turned real? Some forced prox? AND a one bed situation??? Dude I am THERE. Such a good book. I'd say there was a lil spice, but its not spicy. Overall wonderful, definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to review!

Goodreads review as its not linking for some reason: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5666773942

I really enjoyed Kennedy and Alexei's love story in Play Your Part, by Kathryn Kincaid. This book starts out with the breakup of Justin and Kennedy. Alexei comes across Kennedy and a photo is taken that looks like something it isn't. To help with the situation, Kennedy and Alexei pretend to start dating. This is a really slow burn told in dual points of view, so if you don't like those, this isn't for you. Both K & A have issues due to past relationships, so it takes a really long time to work their way through those, but the road to their HEA is really sweet. Loved this book and highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for an advanced copy.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spiceness: 2/5

I really loved the flow of this book so much! It had a great storyline and I loved the character development. There was chemistry between the two main characters throughout the whole book and I was rooting for them the moment I started reading this book. Anyone who is a fan of Icebreaker would love this book! It had such a great hockey dynamic in this book that didn't overpower the romance side in this story. I am not a hockey fan in general but this made me love a good hockey romance book. I love Zach's character. It's like the little brother they both don't have and its adorable. I hope we get to read more of these characters in the next book (maybe Zach's story??)!

I would say that this rating is due to not enough of a dramatic downfall. It was building and slightly went downward but it didn't give that momentum needed for a full on dramatic romance togetherness in the end. Overall, the book was amazing and I loved it!

I would recommend this to those who love the recently BookTok famous "Icebreaker", forced proximity, fake dating, enemies to lovers, mild spiciness, dual POV, slow burn, ex's enemy, hockey romance, etc. I think everyone should take a seat and open the pages and start reading because it's just a great book overall.

Thank you to Kathryn Kincaid & NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Posted on NetGalley
Will post on Bookstagram once before pub date and on pub date, amazon and Goodreads once it is available

A Dual POV Hockey Romance where he falls first - and falls hard!

Kennedy is just trying to get by while dealing with her grief when her (absolute trash) Boyfriend ghosts her after being traded by the Hockey team her dad owns.

Alexei is your typical grumpy Hockey player with a lot of talent, and known for causing trouble. He was dropped by his team only to be given a second chance in a new town with a new team. He is given clear instructions - don’t screw it up. Of course that goes out the window the moment he spots the new team owner’s daughter.

I like that the “enemies to lovers” trope was super thought out. Rather than it being called enemies to lovers when the characters really are hot for each other the whole time and just have playful banter. Kennedy and Alexei really were enemies. Alexei fell quickly but stuck true to Kennedy’s preconceived idea of him being a total ass, because why would he bother being himself, it’s not like Kennedy could ever love him, right? (😉)

This Romance was quick and super easy to read. Kathryn did such a great job with her debut and I was so glad I got to read the ARC.

I perhaps would have liked a little bit more of them being lovers, some more of the happiness to them so you can really feel their chemistry, but otherwise a great read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

I am super hoping there is a book in the future for that loveable golden retriever boy, Zach. We all deserve it 😅

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOOOOVE HOCKEY ROMANCES. I will devour each and every one and leave no crumbs. This book was no different. Alexei and Kennedy have my whole heart. An amazing enemies to lovers, fake dating story that had me rooting for them from page 1 till the very end. I loved seeing their relationship grow and develop into something real. I also adored the side characters in this book. I loved reading about Gemma, Matt, and Zach lives as well. I want to learn more about Deandra too, what's her story?? I ALSO NEED A ZACH BOOK ASAP!!!

If you're looking for an enemies to lovers, fake dating hockey romance, this book is for you! It's got a nice level of spice, mixed together with an amazing plot that will have to on the edge of your seat till the very end.

Pub date: August 3, 2023 - PREORDER YOURS NOW!!

This was lovely! We got fake dating, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and meddling friends. I definitely enjoy hockey romances and this fits perfectly into the genre. A solid 4 stars from me.

That being said, it took me a bit to get hooked at first. Not any issue of the pacing or even chemistry between the two characters. The writing was just a bit simple. It was missing some of those dynamic details of setting description or side commentary. What was appreciated was not overdoing the internal monologues though and the dual POV was well done. Eventually this really got back to 4 star ground when I felt more invested in the ups and downs of classic fake dating, questioning what’s real and what’s not and more general worldbuilding.

Our main heroine Kennedy has some unlikeable characteristics which is not a fault of this at all!! Let me be clear, I loved that she started not being perfect and eventually more of her past and past relationships were revealed to help explain. I love when characters don’t have it all figured out. I do think she could have used slightly more character growth by the end but some did happen off page by the epilogue.

Alexei is that secretly lovable lone wolf. He’s a joy of a broody but sweet love interest. No notes on that dude.

Overall I’d definitely recommend this especially if you are already a fan of hockey romances. This is slightly slow burn, 1.5 spicy open door peppers. Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for this ARC! I’m looking forward to upcoming releases by this author in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

y’all know I love a hockey romance, so I was pumped to receive an arc of this book from NetGalley!

ex bf’s enemy, fake dating, and again, h o c k e y- I am a fan!

this book was cute!! it was a quick read that make me squeal and giggle, and I really enjoyed the characters, especially several of the side characters (can Zach get a book plz?)

a few parts of the book seemed to skip ahead pretty quickly, leading to some parts feeling a bit rushed. overall, i enjoyed this book, and recommend you add it to your tbr list if you are a hockey girly like me!!

a big shoutout to netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the advanced copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

This is a cute and fast paced hockey romance that includes fake dating, past trauma, slow burn, enemies to lovers & miscommunication.

I loved to see the growth and character development from the female main character. Having recently lost her mom as well as her jerk boyfriend suddenly breaking up with her, we see Kennedy go through so many emotions and learning to love herself again and be happy with who she is as a person.

I absolutely loved the male main character, Alexi. He’s a tough hockey player who agrees to fake dating to help improve his gruff public reputation. He quickly falls for Kennedy but they are both tiptoeing around the truth without straight up expressing their feelings.

Overall I enjoyed the read! I wish they would have been a little more honest about their feelings for each other a little earlier in the book!

Thank you Netgalley & Kathryn Kincaid publishing for this advanced copy!

Hockey, fake dating, ex boyfriends rival, team owners daughter, dislike to lovers, one bed.

I really enjoyed Alexei and Kennedys story, I could feel the connection between them and how they fixed each others broken parts. There was a good amount of tension, that lead to a few spicy moments. I also really enjoyed the side characters, Zach especially.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory editing for sharing an advance copy of this book.

I received this as an ARC and I am very grateful to Kathryn Kincaid and NetGalley.

The whole world is obsessed with ice hockey at the moment and this book was just perfection.

This is a fake dating, enemies to lovers romance, ice hockey romance. I loved it.

The story line moved really well, the characters were brilliant. Yes I even had tears at chapter 40.

Perfect intro to ice hockey romance

This was a cute and fun fake dating hockey romance. Kennedy's insecurity over her manipulative ex was so relatable, especially after the pain of losing her mother. In comes Alexei, who should be her sworn enemy, but suddenly the two need each other. Their sarcastic banter quickly became one of my favorite parts of this story. Who can you give a hard time to if not your significant other? And of course, the "fake dating" lines start to blur. I do wish Kennedy and Alexei had spent more time together and we had gotten to see more of the sparks between them. The moments with them cooking together and and on the phone late at night sharing secrets were so sweet and special and I wish there had been more of those. The slow burn was pretty torturous, but we all knew there was going to be a payoff. And I love his sweet gesture to her at the end (no spoilers) in honor of her mom. That one definitely made me cry, and it takes a lot for a book to make me cry. Ultimately, there were parts that I wish had been drawn out a little more and other parts that felt jarring, which is why I give three stars.

Fake dating, enemy to lovers… absolutely LOVE!

Hockey, He falls first, Enemies to lovers, Close proximity, Fake dating.

The tension in this book is intense, this book is a slow burn for sure but well worth it. This book delivers such a beautiful storyline and an even better ending!

Kennedy and Alexei both have to work through their pasts to fully learn more about themselves to be able to full open up and love deeply. They both have to work through grief and trauma, and it’s incredible to watch their journey.

This book is filled with som spice, lots of banter, romance, and quirky characters like Briggsy!

This was my first hockey book and it did not disappoint t!