I really enjoyed this book! I enjoy sports romances very much but am pretty picky about them. I felt that this one met all of my standards. I loved Alexei - I thought he was so sweet. I also loved Kennedy!! I tend to not like FMCs in romances, but I really did like her a lot! She was easy to root for. I also loved the friend group dynamic!!!! All of the characters in this book were just so lovable (aside from Justin obvi). I loved it!!!

I also really appreciated the fact that the drama was not dragged out. Anytime something dramatic happened, it was resolved fairly quickly. I loved it and really appreciated that the author did that.

Overall, this book was fun and fluffy, with cute relationship/friendship dynamics and lovable characters. I would recommend to anyone that loves sports/hockey romances :)

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!! I really enjoyed it!!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book! It follows the newest captain of the hockey team as he gets roped into a fake dating scheme with the team's owner's daughter. It doesn't help that the two don't get along in the beginning. I really enjoyed watching their relationship change and grow, especially as they began to confide in one another. Oh and the spice is really good too.

Perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Elle Kennedy.

oh. my. god. this was everything!!!

this follows kennedy (team owner’s daughter) and alexei (ice hockey player) who have to fake date in order to improve the way fans see alexei.

i cant say too much without spoiling it but this is the PERFECT hockey romance!!! the development of their relationship was so natural and the chemistry was insane. there’s found family too!!!! literally everything you want in a romance and more.

i read this in a day and that just proves how easy it is to fly through! it’s dual pov and told from the characters perspectives.

thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!!!! it has introduced me to a new favourite author :)

First off THANK YOU to Netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the arc!!


Who doesn't love a good hockey romance and this one was amazing! From enemies to lovers, fake dating, slow burn and a bad boy MMC who is the sweetest, this book hit some of my favorite tropes. I just loved the tension/banter between Kennedy and Alexei. It had me laughing and connecting with the two main characters and I loved how much we got to know about the side characters. I need more Zach!!

Overall, I devoured this book in under 24 hours. I highly recommend it!!

I was blessed enough to receive this arc from @netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid but the thoughts and opinions of this review are my own.

If you like Hockey Romances this is a fantastic addition to the roster. The characters, the plot, the spice and humor are perfect. The delicate balance of it all has you not wanting to put the book down, and you really don’t want to say goodbye to this fun group of friends. The main character each are at pivotal point in their life and get tired together unexpectedly. The way they each fight to over come their own internal battles for themselves and each other is touching. I can’t wait to see more from Kathryn as I thoroughly enjoyed her writing.

Three months. Two enemies. One goal. Zero time for distractions.

Play Your Part is a fast paced, fun hockey romance. I loved both Alexei and Kennedy and how they played off of each other, fought, bantered and brought out the best in one another. This enemies to lovers story is not one you are going to want to miss 🏒

Read if you like:

⛸️enemies to lovers
⛸️sports romance
⛸️he fell first
⛸️fake dating
⛸️slow burn

I absolutely ADORED Alexei and Kennedy! The bickering between these two is top tier and made me laugh the whole way through. And the SLOW BURN-burned so slow but so so well. I loved watching these two fall in love. The mutual pining 😍🥰

I may have wanted to kick Kennedy’s ex in a cajones at times😡

I also loved all the NC references as an NC girly myself! GO CANES! 🌀🏒🥅

If you’re looking for a hockey romance with close proximity, fake dating, enemies to lovers with a slooooow burn, I highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Special thanks to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for an ARC of this book!

I absolutely devoured this book on two flights. It was well written, characters were easy to connect with and fall in love with, and it was an easy read. I can be picky with my hockey romances but I am so excited for this book to come out on August 3, 2023. If you're thinking about reading it I highly recommend you do! Kathryn, thank you for giving me access to this ARC as it introduced me to your writing. I cried, I laughed and I just overall enjoyed this book. I hope we can get a book a book for Zach, he had me laughing.

Posted on July 25, 2025 on Goodreads.

"Play Your Part" marks Kathryn Kincaid's impressive debut into the world of romance novels, and let me tell you, it's an excellent introduction to hockey romances! This enemies-to-lovers, fake dating story had me hooked from the first page, and I am officially ready for my hockey romance era!

The characters in "Play Your Part" are simply delightful. I couldn't help but fall in love with them as they navigated the tumultuous journey from adversaries to something much more. The chemistry between the main characters sizzles on the pages, making their interactions incredibly engaging and entertaining.

One of the standout features of this book is its willingness to delve into deeper and more complex themes. Kincaid fearlessly explores sensitive topics like the death of a parent and anxiety, adding layers of depth to the story. While maintaining the romance and humor, the book doesn't shy away from portraying the characters' struggles with authenticity and sensitivity.

As a fan of enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes, "Play Your Part" absolutely hit the mark for me. The tension and banter between the characters kept me glued to the pages, and their journey toward a genuine connection felt both believable and heartwarming.

Kathryn Kincaid's writing style is engaging and emotionally resonant. She skillfully weaves together a story that balances romance, humor, and more serious themes, creating a well-rounded and captivating reading experience. It's clear that Kincaid has a talent for crafting lovable characters and compelling narratives that leave a lasting impression.

"Play Your Part" is a wonderful debut romance novel that perfectly introduces readers to the world of hockey romances. The enemies-to-lovers and fake dating elements, combined with lovable characters, make for an incredibly enjoyable read. Furthermore, Kincaid's exploration of heavier topics adds a layer of depth and authenticity that elevates the story to a whole new level. I eagerly anticipate more from this talented author, and I'm excited to see what hockey romance gems she brings to the literary world in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the ARC.

OH MY HOCKEY STARS!!! Thank you NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid Publishing, LLC for granting me access to the book in exchange for an honest review.

AHH-MAZING!!! Hands down one of my favorite reads for 2023!! I cannot recommend this book enough!! What a wonderful and heartfelt hockey romance with some of my favorite tropes! It has your fake dating, enemies to lovers, ex-rivalry, slow burn, forced proximity, owner's daughter, dual POV and guy falls first and is filled with witty banter, angst, tension, chemistry, spice, romance and incredible secondary characters. If all that is not enough to convince you to read this book then let me tell you more! Is this a love story? Yes, but so much more! The story is about love, loss, grief, healing, redemption, family, friendships, overcoming your fears and having the courage to move forward with what you want in life. Once I started reading I could not put it down! I am utterly amazed that this is a debut novel!!! I am a huge fan already of Kathryn Kincaid and I am super excited to read more of her books! Literally, everything you could want in a story and I absolutely loved it so much!!🏒🥅⛸️🧊🩵🤍🩵

Kennedy is the daughter of the hockey team owner and has just been dumped by her boyfriend. Alexei is the new player on the team and her ex's long time rival. After a misinterpreted photo is released to the media and social platform, Kennedy and Alexei agree to a fake relationship for three months. This will save his career and allow her to get back at her ex. The only problem is, she hates Alexei because of what she has been told about him from her ex. How will they ever be able to pull this off? However, as they begin to spend time together, she realizes that he is not the person she originally thought. The banter and tension between them is off the charts! Suddenly, the line between what is fake and what is real becomes confusing as feelings are involved!

Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish. I highly recommend this book and it deserves a gazillion stars!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

**Thank you to Kathryn Kincaid Publishing and Netgalley for letting me read this ARC <3

"Who are you?"...
..she rose to her feet... "Not a fan of yours."
That didn't narrow things at all. "Join the f**ing club. I hear they meet on Thursdays."

Kennedy is struggling to overcome her grief and hardships and is triple whammied when her boyfriend breaks up with her the day she expected to be able to tell her friends about it. Alexei is struggling to overcome the reactions and media spin of his aggressiveness off the ice to his teammates. Thrust together due to poor angled photo and crazy media obsession, they fake dating each other to rub it in Kennedy's ex boyfriend's face and help Alexei's image (who also happens to be rivals with jerko-exo)!

The forced proximity, the enemies to lovers, the constant banter, and a dash of spice made this such a quick and fun read! I loved when they would pick on each other and recognizing when they crossed a line. Sometimes that tough talk is how we can process our feelings and I loved that they brought that out in each other. I could have easily read an additional 300 pages of them learning about each other and bantering back and forth! I hope that we get to revisit the Wolves someday again either with Briggsy or Matt!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes
• Forced Proximity
• Enemies to Lovers
• Misunderstanding
• H.E.A.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book early for my honest review! Y’all I loved this book! I’m fully in my hockey romance era and this gave me all the goodness I needed from it. Alexei and Kennedy are so freaking cute!!! I fell in love with them and the side characters very quickly. I loved the banter between the all the characters as well. The flow of the book was great, and the slow burn was even better! Can’t wait to see what other books this author publishes!

Thanks to Kathryn Kincaid & NetGalley for the eARC.

Ohhh, my dear Alexei… i love you! I loved this book, it had the feels, it made my heart skip a beat a time or two, made me angry, sad & HAPPY.

I loved Kennedy character's development…

A solid 4* for me! I highly recommend this book & i hope there’s more to come! 🤍🤍🤍

Enemies to lovers ✅️
Fake dating ✅️
Sports romance ✅️
Slow burn ✅️
This book covers so many of my favourite romance tropes, and I truly enjoyed it!
Kennedy hates Alexi from the off, thanks to her ex boyfriend's rivalry with him. A compromising situation leads them to fake a relationship in order to rescue the failing hockey team, with both quickly catching the feels!
Loved it.

As a massive fan of sports romances and enemies to lovers, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the fake dating situation and it was so sweet to see how the feelings development between Kennedy & Alexei change with time! I can’t believe this is a debut! Kathryn’s writing was amazing and I’d loved more books set in this world!

i adored this! it’s not often that i find myself relating to both mcs but kennedy and alexei made it easy. i was rooting for them, not just as a couple, but as individuals, the whole time. they were easy characters to fall in love with💚

was it a book that should’ve made me cry? no
did i still cry? absolutely

this is a must read if you love hockey romances and are looking for a quick read🐺🖤

READ IF YOU LIKE:
★ Fake relationship
★ Enemies to lovers
★ Only one bed
★ Sports romance
★ Slow burns

MY REVIEW | I did enjoy my read of this one. The story was interesting and there were some cute, fun characters. Sometimes, with sports romance, I feel like they skip the sport parts and I find it annoying to use a sport if it’s not part of the book. In this one, I felt like descriptions of the games, the follow up of the season, was actually a nice part of the book, it was well described and I loved it (yeah, I’m a hockey fan for real, can you tell?). I was happy to read about a player from another country, I love when there are cultural elements like that! The tension between the two main characters was so easy to enjoy! I’m a slow burn lover through and through and it was nicely done. Also, Zach was such a sweet and precious side character, I absolutely fell for him (like anyone in that book, he’s truly impossible to resist).

I did, however, have some things that bothered me, but that’s just me. I felt like sometimes, the characters were inconsistent in what they were thinking and how they acted a second later and that was hard to understand for me. There were also times where I felt like I missed something in the story, I don’t know how to explain that feeling but it just did not make sense to me how they went from one thing to another maybe, like I'd missed an interaction at some point. And one thing that was hard for me (and that’s just my lazy ass, I’m sorry) was when there were flashbacks or texting involved, there was nothing in the book layout to indicate it was that... and I sometimes was confused and wouldn’t get that they were still in that flashback or texting.

I’d say the first half of the book was really fast for me which I enjoyed a lot but after that I got a little annoyed at the "not saying how we really feel" and saying hurtful things to one another just to avoid talking about real feelings. There is just so much I can take and it went on for too long. Even though I did like the characters, I felt like everything was pretty surface level, I wasn't deeply fond of them. We know about their past a little but I felt like the parts where they talked about these important moments and other problems were always fast dismissed. (I’m sorry if I make no sense, I'm trying my best haha!)

But anyways, I still thought this book was really entertaining, It’s a great sports romance and I still recommend you try it!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

He is a famous NHL player who just come to his new team because of his temperment and it was the only only one that wanted him . She is the owner's team daughter and she hates him . When the first tome they meet she is drunk and she almost trip down and he catches her someone took a photo of them that looked like they where kissing . So they agree to fake dating for three months so he can save his carrer and she can get back at her ex . Spending time together brings them closer and they both open up . I loved Zack and want to read his story too .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Three months. Two enemies. One goal. Zero time for distractions.

Kennedy Cole's life hit a roadblock a year ago when she lost her mom. She gave up on college and quit her job with the Palmer City Wolves, her family's hockey team. Now, she's ready to start anew with the support of Justin Ward, the star player. But just when things are looking up, Justin gets traded and leaves town, leaving Kennedy alone once again.

Alexei Volkov has a fiery reputation on and off the ice, with a heated rivalry against Justin. The Wolves gave him a chance with a one-year contract after his previous team let him go. But when a misleading photo of Alexei and Kennedy goes viral, his career and the team's image are at stake.

Alexei wants no part of the sassy brunette who caused his troubles. Kennedy would rather steer clear of the arrogant hockey player. But a fake relationship might fix their bad press. The deal is simple: three months together, strict rules in place. Yet the more they're together, the harder it gets to resist the chemistry. Can they tell where pretense ends and reality begins?

"When you're next to me, you're the only person who does exist."

After reading Icebreaker, I realized that I'm a true hockey romance fan at heart. This book reignited that passion in me. Play Your Part is an incredible enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, he-falls-first hockey romance that had me hooked from start to finish.

The banter, the tension, and the heartfelt conversations as they discovered they were mistaken about each other were absolutely swoon-worthy. It was captivating to see everyone else recognizing their connection while they remained oblivious. Every word I read was worth it. I adored both characters and admired how they faced their past obstacles together, without expecting the other to fix them, but instead accepting and loving each other just as they were.

I would have loved to see more of Kennedy and Alexei together, witnessing their sparks flying. Their moments cooking together and sharing late-night secrets on the phone were incredibly sweet and precious, and I wish there were more of those. The slow burn between them was torturous at times, but we all knew it would lead to a satisfying outcome. Alexei's heartfelt gesture for Kennedy at the end, in memory of her mom, was truly touching.

I personally feel like Kincaid has done a really wonderful job of portraying Kennedy dealing with the grief of her mother passing away, as well as excellently tackling all of the much lighter moments. That's not easy to do, but it was executed beautifully here. There's also the perfect amount of spice for this novel, and my final thought is that I will die if I don't get a book about Zach.

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC to read, I absolutely recommend this to all the sports romance readers!

“When you’re next to me, you’re the only person who does exist”

Kennedy Cole, daughter of the owner of Palmer City Wolves, does not have it easy. From losing her mum in a tragic accident, to finding out her boyfriend is leaving her behind when he gets traded to another team, all she wants to do is get drunk at the Wolves season-opening party.
Hot-headed Alexei Volkov has just been fired by his previous team and has been signed to the Wolves on a one-year contract, but has to prove he can stay out of trouble. That is until her overhears a ‘damsel in distress’ drunk at the Wolves party.
When Kennedy & Alexei get caught in a compromising position, there is only one way forward to calm the media frenzy… they need to fake date.

Wow, I would not have believed you if you would have told me that this was Kathryn Kincaid’s debut novel. Play Your Part is a Hockey Romance that not only has light and fluffy moments, but also touches on the loss of a parent and the grieving process, as well as showing how our parent’s toxic relationships can affect our own.

I absolutely adored both Alexei & Kennedy and it was so beautiful to see how their feelings toward each other changed and to see them slowly fall in love. Alexei definitely had me swooning at times with quotes like “I don’t talk to other people like I talk to you. I don’t share with anyone. And I don’t think you do either”.

Shout-out to Cale Cole, owner of the Wolves & Kennedy’s dad. It is always great to see a dad who is supportive of his daughter’s choices and chose to not get involved in her relationships.

And of course, I cannot forget the rookie, Zach. Zach was hilarious and had me cracking up whenever he appeared in the book. Would really love to see his story get explored so please could Zach get his own book?! Golden retriever hockey players for the win!

This book includes:
- Hockey Romance
- Fake Dating
- Ex’s Rival
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Dual POV

TW – Loss of loved one, grief

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of this book.