I have been obsessed with any sort of hockey involved romance and again this hit the spot!! A lovely read that I absolutely devoured! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this title!

Such a unique book, I loved the plot, and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

This is the story of Kennedy, who is struggling to live after losing her mother in a horrific accident. And Alexei, who struggles to let anyone in after watching his parents' relationship and his own failed engagement.
Kennedy has just been dumped by Justin, Alexei's nemesis, after Justin was traded when they got Alexei. Alexei had a reputation that needs helped, and after a picture of them is misconstrued, they fake date. But it is hard to tell what is real and what isn't. What ensues is a story I couldn't put down. I highly recommend this one!

4 stars. A really great spin on the fake dating trope! The book overall exceeded all my expectations. Over the last few years, I've read a lot of fake dating/marriage books and have grown a little tired of these plots. I thought the author added a lot of details that made this book stand out from others within this trope. Maybe it's because I generally try to stay away from sad books but I liked the way that you could see the characters growth to how they addressed conflict. They were able to communicate without being TOO mean to each other, eventually. I don't want to give too many hints as it could spoil the story. But this story had a great balance of cute & funny moments with some real life a lot of us face. I would definitely recommend and re-read in the future! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc and the author for approving it. All thoughts in the review are my own.

Incredibly captivating and help me turning the page and wanting more. I hate I have to wait so long to shout this book from the rooftops and have friends buy, because everyone needs to read it.

I was instantly hooked by this book! I had such a fun time reading this book and was blown away that this was kathryn’s debut novel. Alexei and Kennedy were so cute and fun to read about. Their inner monologues were interesting and captivating. I loved the other characters in this book as well and for me, having strong non-main characters can really make or break a book for me. These characters were all so strongly written and made you feel so immersed in the universe. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read whatever Kathryn writes next!

This book is just a gem!

A hockey romance works for me every time (though I'm more used to MM hockey romances than MF ones).

Both Alexei and Kennedy struggle to get their lives back (she still mourns her mother and he has to redeem himself after having been ditched by his previous hockey team).

After the release of a "compromising" photo, they agree to pose as a couple for three months, despite Kennedy's very negative feelings towards Alexei.

Of course, things aren't going to be that simple at all once feelings get involved.

This novel is very sweet, and my heart regularly skipped a beat for the characters. Kennedy and Alexei are too cute, and very attentive to each other's feelings (despite their initial enmity). And in addition, the novel does not lack spice ;)

The secondary characters are well established, I loved Zack, the girlfriends are real girlfriends, and the villain is a real villain.

If you like fake dating and enemies-to-lovers tropes, you're in for a treat. There's real character progression throughout the story that goes beyond just romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid Publishing for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The most perfect, chefs kiss, sports romance! Alexei is a swoon worthy love interest and Kennedy is a sassy independent woman who deserves the world after Justin stomped on her heart.

Reading how Kennedy let her guard down and let Alexei in was dripping, I couldn't put it down! The ending was perfect.

I can't wait to see what happens and pray Zach gets his own spin off story so we can see how Alexei and Kennedy are getting on but also see Zach get some loving too!

THIS BOOK WAS SOO CUTEEE. I loved it so much, it was honestly what I needed to get out of the slump that I was in. It was a fast paced read that you can honestly read in one sitting. The tropes in this book are top tier and the love is just UGH amazing. The tension between them, the mutual pining, THE FAKE DATING UGHH I CANNOT. The hints of jealousy. This book was chefs kiss. The Russian MMC???? OKK?? COACHES DAUGHTER??? OKK?? This book made me so happy and I loved the little bits of the friends talking to the main characters. I think I would've loved to see the MMC speak in Russian or maybe have a cute little nickname for the FMC but other than that which is just a little preference of mine this book was honestly amazing and I loved it so much.

i hope this ends up being a series! regardless, i really liked how the the characters supported each other. the pacing was excellent; i didn’t care for the first couple of chapters but they did kind of get things going really quickly which i appreciated. the course of the fake dating was paced really well & i liked where things were at/headed by the time i was about 75% of the way through.

#netgalley

This book is a fine example of all the hockey romances out there. I liked the dynamic of Kennedy and Alexei. Although they weren’t fond of each other at first, as they were getting to know each other they created trust and their characters developed along with the relationship to the point that they brought out the best of each other. None of them were who they seemed to be. Kennedy’s grief overshadowed her and that often resulted in her being snarky and snappy towards Alexei, even if she’s a sweet and brave girl inside. Alexei’s media portrayal was the polar opposite of him. He’s dedicated, focused and capable of being affectonate, not even close to being an egoistic brute. It’s a slow burn, the chemistry is palpable from the beginning and it had just the right amount of spice. The side characters and plot was great, too.
I recommend this book to all the fans of hockey romances.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book!

Play Your Part by Kathryn Kincaid

Kennedy lost her mom a year ago which dimmed her bright world filled with happiness. She became a shadow of the person she was before, following her boyfriend Justin's lead the majority of time. Until the hockey team her father owned decided to trade the captain of their team, Justin, for his rival Alexie, which prompts a bad breakup.

Alexie had to get his shit together, which meant maintaining a good reputation in the media or else he could kiss his hockey career goodbye. Annoyed yet grateful to have been traded to the Wolves, he decides not to get tangled in any messes during the season. But he fails when his photo with Kennedy in a "compromising" position goes viral, when all he was doing was making sure a drunk and heartbroken Kennedy wouldn't make a fool of herself in the party they were attending.

To clean up this mess, Kennedy agrees reluctantly to fake date Alexie for 3 months even though she despised him. But things aren't so simple when feelings get involved...

The story was very engaging from quite the beginning. Kennedy and Alexie's point of views did justice. The character development they had from the start of the story to the end was incredible. Their personalities and what made them the way they were was portrayed wonderfully.

The other characters were written beautifully. I loved Gemma and Zach, they really felt like a sibling to Kennedy and Alexie.

Overall, it was a well written novel. I'd love to read more of Kathryn Kincaid books.

I am a sucker for a sports romance and Play Your Part had the most delicious tropes with enemies to fake dating to lovers, I loved it.
I absolutely adored Alexei and Kennedy together, it was a bit slow burn but not annoyingly so since you could feel the tension building and their chemistry was amazing so when they finally got together it was definitely explosive. I enjoyed the storyline, both characters had to fake a relationship and then genuinely built a friendship that led to more and they did so while rebuilding and working on themselves.
I thought Alexei's teammate and roommate Zach was a nice touch and his hilarious antics added to the story.

There were just a couple of minor issues, when the characters were texting it was a bit hard to decipher since the text kind of blended in. Some scenes would just abruptly end to the point I thought it would go on to the next chapter but it would be a whole new scene with not much elaboration on the previous.
I also thought the conflict came out of nowhere and didn't really fit into the setting where it took place.

All in all, I still loved this story and would recommend it to all those who love a good sports romance that gives you so much more. Pick it up on August 20th you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley, the author Kathryn Kincaid and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars! After I read this book I looked up the author hoping to read more by her. I was shocked to find this is her debut novel. It was so good. I'm a sucker for sports romance and this one did not disappoint. I loved how it had a uniqueness to it so it felt fresh. This book had many tropes including fake dating, enemies to lover, he falls first, and only one bed. My favorite part was that it was more of a true enemies to lovers, especially on the side of Kennedy, rather than enemies but they both secretly like each other. I really liked both Alexei and Kennedy. They both had relationship issues but I liked them both as individuals but they were even better together. I liked the encouragement they gave one another. I loved how natural the chemistry felt. It flowed so well along with their fun banter. Their little arguments or irritants while fake dating also made it feel more realistic. I thought the author did such a good job handling the big topics like grief, courage, and finding yourself. Lastly, I really enjoyed the supporting characters, Matt, Gemma, and the hilarious Zach. I would love friends like them and they just made the book even better. Honestly there was not much about this book I could complain about. As an ARC there were a few mistakes, with name or inconsistencies but other than that the story was great.

Thanks so much to Kathryn Kincaid, Kathryn Kincaid Publishing LLC, and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a hockey enemies to lovers then this is your book!

This starts off as a fake relationship but as the book develops so does their feelings. I feel as though the author did a good job with character development and the plot of the story. There is good chemistry and banter between the main characters as well.

I would definitely read this again. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ARC and to review.

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for arc!

4.5 stars almost 5 but took off .5 because some parts were a bit too slow burn for my taste! Had so many tropes I love including my number 1 fake dating, but also had hockey romance & exes rival! The chemistry was fire and I loved them together! Her ex was such a tool and it was so happy them being together was the cherry on top of messing with him lol. Alexei was swoonnnnn we love a pining man! It always annoys me though how obtuse people are in these fake relationship trope books, like come onnnn so that was annoying for me as always.

Fake dating tropes get me every time!

In this book, Kennedy and Alexei begin a fake relationship after a photo of them together leaks right after Kennedy’s breakup with another hockey player, Justin. Their fake relationship is set to expire in three months and both of them seem to learn more about each other and more importantly themselves. Both of the main characters go on a self-discovering journey while the sexual and emotional tension between them grows as well.

I have to point out that the name Alexei Volkov is very similar to Alex Volkov in Twisted Love by Ana Huang however I love the last name, Volkov, for this male character and I think the nickname, “Volk”, makes sense for an intense hockey player. I really enjoy a dual POV as well and since Alexei is such an intense and one-track-minded type of guy I thought having his perspective on things very helpful. Through his POV the reader gains a better understanding of his past and why he interacts with people the way that he does. I also think it is great to see the male go through something like this and not just the female main character.

I thought Kennedy had an interesting history and was very cool for a daughter of a hockey team owner. I think her character wasn’t super defined. For example, when she is in shock over the break up she says something along the lines of “You will regret this”. However, she didn’t seem vengeful and even after beginning the fake relationship, she didn’t seem too interested in revenge. I was sort of uncertain of what exactly she wanted and felt throughout the book which I realize she probably was too. I also wanted to know what made her fall in love with Justin in the first place. During a flashback, Kennedy’s friend Gemma said how she was falling in love with Justin but shortly after Kennedy reflects on her relationship with Justin and said she wasn’t necessarily happy but just less sad. I think more could be added to better understand Kennedy and Justin’s relationship at the beginning of it.

I loved the overall plot of this book, especially with a fake dating trope and the one-bed trope included a few times as well. I would have loved to have had more tension between them in the hot tub scene and probably more arguments and dialogue in general between them as well. There is one scene in particular in which I think the characters could have had a deeper conversation which is when Kennedy visits Alexei at the rink for the first time. Later in the book, it is mentioned Alexei and Kennedy discussed her going back to school. I think this could have been brought up earlier. I say this because I would have read another 200 pages of this book if it was made longer, I love these two characters so much. I think this book could be longer and have deeper conversations and more sexual tension included. If I’m being honest, a few spicier scenes wouldn’t hurt either. I think that’s what Alexei would have wanted.

There are three uncertainties I thought of while reading this book.
The first is that at the event when Kennedy wears a green dress, it is first described as sleepless, and then later it is described as having sleeves at the end of the event.
The second uncertainty was how everyone got together for Thanksgiving. I do not think it was clearly mentioned how multiple people who were not invited by the host showed up.
Lastly, in the epilogue, I was confused about the purpose of having characters show up at the rink. Other than to hang out, I do not recall a character explaining the reason why they were all there at that specific time.

I would love to reread this book if anything changes and am excited for its release. I think this could easily turn into a series and I would personally love to read about Zach having a love interest or even a novella prequel of Gemma and Matt.

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

What an amazing debut! I went into this book thinking it was going to be an average 3 star sports romance. Boy was I wrong! Usually it takes me a little while to get into a book but I was hooked by chapter 2.

Alexei and Kennedy’s relationship was so fun. I loved all the banter and angst between them. I’m so happy it was in dual POV. Alexei’s chapters were probably my favorite and I really enjoy the ‘he falls first’ trope.

“I want to belong to you.”

I can’t even with this quote. I reread this scene a million times and I want to read it a million more. I want my own Alexei.

My all time favorite character was Zach though. He made me full on cackle pretty much every time he opened his mouth. Please give him his own story! I beg you!

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

Really good book! If you enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books, you’ll enjoy this. I especially liked the enemies to lovers aspect and the fake dating tropes that this book had. The dual perspective was great so you could see both main characters points of view as the relationship and interactions progressed. Great read! I loved how Alexi tries to be tough but deep down has feelings just like the rest of us. Highly recommend and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. These opinions are my own.

What an absolute delight! Kincaid builds an ideal hockey romance here with just the right amount of tension and angst to grab you until the book's conclusion. I read the PLAY YOUR PART on a trip to see friends I haven't seen in years and I kept ducking away to quiet corners to reads - that's how un=put-downable this book was!

I won't summarize the plot here, but will tell you things I loved:
-Great flirty banter between two people who really don't want to flirt with each other but can't help it
-Great stakes for both of them - Alexei sees his second chance at hockey here, and wants to prove himself. Kelsey knows she's been stuck in a rut and is looking for ways to get herself moving. I especially loved the role hockey played for both of them.
-So much cocky smirking from a guy who is, at his core, extremely soft and vulnerable
- Great, wonderful, vibrant side characters who add just the right amount of fun and context but don't steal the show
- A depiction of grief that felt very real but not dominating to the happiness and ease of the plot
- Fantastic slow burn that kept the tension tight as familiarity built between the characters
- Just enough hockey
- Consent consent consent!!!
- Characters who are ultimately very kind to one another. Even with a smirking and nudging enemies-to-lovers vibe, Alexie and Kelsey aren't out to hurt one another. When one crosses a line into the land of hurting feelings, they notice, apologize, and retreat. Kincaid really artfully builds a relationship between these characters that naturally grows in intimacy and trust, and we see how they bring out the strongest parts of each other while respecting boundaries.

This book just really lit up the pleasure centers in my brain. It was just what I wanted for a vacation read, and I can't wait to see what Kincaid does next.