Play Your Part by @authorkathrynkincaid is a fun read!

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

Kennedy Cole’s life stalled one year ago after she tragically lost her mom. She abandoned her plans to finish college and quit working for her family’s professional hockey team, the Palmer City Wolves. She’s finally ready to move forward with Wolves star player Justin Ward at her side, but when he’s traded to another team, he hightails it out of town, leaving Kennedy behind.

Alexei Volkov is known for his hotheaded reputation, on-ice antics, and rivalry with Justin. After being fired by his last team, the Wolves offer Alexei a one-year contract to prove he can stay out of trouble. When a misleading photo of Kennedy and Alexei in a compromising position goes viral, his career is in jeopardy, along with the team’s public image.

Alexei wants nothing to do with the sassy brunette who got him into this mess. Kennedy would rather avoid the arrogant hockey player. But pretending to date each other can fix the negative press. The agreement was simple: three months together, with clearly outlined rules. But the more time Kennedy and Alexei spend together, the harder it becomes to fight the sizzling chemistry between them, making it difficult to know where pretense ends and reality begins.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have never been much of a sports romance fan, yet, I decided to read a hockey romance. Boy, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! The story was very cute and heartwarming. Alexei is the perfect book boyfriend and I love him so much!!! Kennedy is the person I strive to be…confident and sassy. Both of them together on the pages are sexy and utter perfection!!! Do not miss this novel when it arrives August 3rd, 2023!!! Thank you @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC. 😍🏒❤️✨

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Thanks to NetGalley & Kathryn Kincaid for sending me an arc of Play your Part! Honestly I love a good hockey romance! I wish there was a little more of actual hockey in this book, but it doesn't make or break it for me.
loved the reverse grumpy sunshine going on, he falls first, somewhat enemies to lovers, one bed/forced proximity. Literally just a bunch of my fav tropes rolled into one Book!
One this I wish was that the MMC's name was somewhat different. It's so similar to Alex Volkov from twisted love that it was throwing me off but besides his name I loved his character!
I hope this becomes a series with spin offs of the other characters because they all had good growth and I just loved all the side characters!
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a fun sports romance!

This is probably the best enemies to lovers romance I have read in a very long time. I feel like this trope isn’t done well most of the time in romance novels. But I was impressed with how well I liked the trope in this book and I absolutely devoured every single chapter this story brought. I felt the electricity between the two main characters, their tension came to me through words on screen. Amazing.

And can we take a moment to talk about the spicy scenes? There weren’t many, but gosh they were so good. I got all heated up from just one hottub scene!? Well done, well done.

Like I said, there weren’t many spicy scenes. But I feel like they weren’t necessary and they wouldn’t have brought anything new to their relationship, as the one or two scenes were more than enough to give the idea to them [the characters] and to us [readers].

But what I think was done best is the character development. These characters have my heart with how they opened up to one another after giving up on love. They found within each other by accident, or fate, however you may look at it.

My favourite side characters are definitely Gemma and Zach. Two very bright sunshine characters that added a lot of humour and flavour to the story. We love a hyped up best friend and a annoying little brother. Even though he isn’t anyone’s brother in the story, he sure acted like one and I loved it

If there is one thing I would’ve loved to see more is the relationship between her father and her. They went through something terrible and lost their wife and mother. I personally would’ve just felt complete if the father-daughter relationship would have got just a little more attention.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A fairly predictable concept and story. I feel like I have read similar story lines.

Another hockey romance…don’t mind if I do!

I saw this one on netgalley and decided to request it! I mean it has quite a few of my favorite things:
🏒hockey romance
🏒enemies-to-lovers
🏒fake dating
🏒only one bed

I loved the dynamic between Kennedy and Alexei! Give me all the banter and these two delivered! This was a quick read for me and I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Kennedy’s growth in this book was amazing. Even though the beginning of this book sucked for her when her boyfriend just leaves her almost without explanation, she realizes she hasn’t been living the way she wants to and is just static. It’s completely understandable as to why, but I loved watching her come alive!

Alexei was such a sweetheart 🥹 he definitely puts his feelings on the line more than Kennedy, but they both get confused as to what is real and what is pretend in their fake dating relationship. I will say the ending felt a little rushed and I wanted some more from Alexei actually. I know he did a gesture, but I felt like Kennedy did all the talking and I wanted Alexei to do more talking too. The epilogue also fell a little flat for me!

Overall though I enjoyed this book! I would definitely pick up another book by Kathryn Kincaid. This one is out August 3 and will be available on Kindle Unlimited. I did receive an advance copy but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What’s this book about?

Kennedy Cole’s life came to a standstill after her mother’s sudden death over a year ago. To try to support her father and battle her own grief, Kennedy abandoned her dreams of finishing college and working for her father’s hockey team. But during this transitional period, she forms a relationship with star player, Justin Ward. Justin continued to promise Kennedy that they would soon make their relationship public. Unbeknownst to Kennedy, Justin never intended to keep that promise since he dropped her like a hot tamale when he was traded to a new team for Alexei Volkov.

Alexei Volkov and Justin Ward have endured a long-standing rivalry that stems back to their times playing Junior hockey together. He is known around the league for his hot-temper and on-ice antics, but he is determined to prove to the Wolves and the world that there is more to him than meets the eye, but that all changes when he and Kennedy Cole are photographed in what appears to be a seemingly compromising position - putting both their reputations and the teams at risk.

Initially wanting nothing to do with each other, Kennedy and Alexei agree to pretend to date to repair their tarnished reputations. The arrangement is simple: three months together with clearly defined rules. However, as they spend more time together, their sizzling chemistry becomes increasingly difficult to resist. The line between pretense and reality blurs, making it challenging for them to discern where their true feelings lie.

My review of Play Your Part

I really enjoyed this one! Again, an avid hockey/hockey romance fan, so those are typically my favorite anyways! I think this book did such a wonderful job intertwining the two individual journeys of Kennedy and Alexei. Also it was so fun to follow their rollercoaster journey of a romance from basically enemies to lovers to fake dating to happily ever after.

It was inspiring to see how Kennedy found herself again and how Alexei continued to push her outside of her comfort zone when it came to her life. He was so supportive of her decisions and made sure he gave her the opportunity to grow on her own. I also felt Alexei was such a relatable character - almost all of us have been put in a situation where we feel like we’ve been doubted and it’s our chance to prove our worth. I loved seeing the joy that Alexei found in hockey again with his new found team.

Also, I loved Zach - he was a precious puppy that Kennedy and Alexei shared custody of, and he needs to be protected at all costs.


If you like _____, you’ll enjoy this book!
- Hockey Romance
- The owner’s daughter
- Dual POV
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fake Dating

This book was a fun summer read! I love a sports romance, especially hockey, so I was excited to dive into this debut from Kathryn Kincaid. There were a lot of things that worked for me here, and a few that didn't.

Kennedy has had a terrible day. Her hockey player boyfriend got traded from her dad's team and dumped her. Her life feels in limbo after quitting school and her mom passing away. Alexei has one chance to prove that he's more than just a hothead on the ice. He plans on towing the line on his new team and stepping up as the leader for the team. When the boss's daughter, Kennedy, gets caught in a compromising position with Alexei, her ex's nemesis, the only thing that can salvage the situation is a fake dating relationship. Kennedy can save face, Alexei can prove he's stable, and the team can get some much needed publicity.

Once on her Fated Mates podcast, Sarah MacLean said that in her first book she put in every trope she loved just in case she never got to write another book. I have a feeling that may be the case for this book. Fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, revenge against the ex, professional sports romance,... they are all here. It made for a fun, quick read. I liked the characters personal journeys as they overcame insecurities and grief. I liked the slow burn nature of their relationship and I loved the supporting characters that made up their friends and family. Now for the thing that didn't work for me--Kennedy was a total jerk for the first half of this book. I understand where the behavior was coming from, but it was tough to read since she had no remorse after saying really hurtful things. I'm happy to say this book ended adorably with plenty of character growth.

I have high hopes for this author's future. Hopefully we will get more books set in this world. Fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy this slow burn sports book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid Publishing for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I am deep in my hockey romance era and Play Your Part did not disappoint! This was such a fun read. The enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes are some of my faves and this book had that down pat.

Kennedy Cole is the daughter of the hockey team’s owner. She’s newly dumped and going through grief of losing her mom. She’s struggling through life and not really sure what she’s doing or where she’s going to go.

Alexei Volkov is a newly traded hockey player, who is hard around the edges and has a not so great reputation in the hockey world. He is so much more than what he is made out for!

After a photo of the two is taken way out of context, they decide to “date” — so Kennedy can get back at her ex, and Alexei restore his reputation. The banter was top tier and you could cut the tension with a knife! I loved their journey of discovery of who they really were and what they wanted out of life. Alexei proved he wasn’t the bad boy, but a person with so much depth with a lot of love to give. I loved watching these two bicker back and fourth and I found myself smiling so much! The supporting characters were all so good too— Zach was so funny and I definitely need more of him!! He is such a protect at all costs kind of guy and I loved it!

Kathryn did such a great job weaving in grief, lightheartedness, bickering, and rivalry. It all felt very real and relatable. It was a great balance of of cute/funny and spice. Overall, if you love enemies to lovers, fake dating, and he falls first this is the novel for you!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed! 🫶🏻

It is well written with just the right amount of detail and banter. Worth the read for a light hockey romance

Let me just start by saying that Alexei Volkov is not your average, stereotypical hockey mmc. He was so much more. I could tell that he had such a big heart and really cared about the people he loved. He wasn't exactly grumpy, but broody, and I really enjoyed that!

I LOVED the dual pov in this book. I was equally interested in both Alexei and Kennedy's povs, which is so rare for a book.

love love love the enemies to lovers and fake dating in this book! She perfectly executed it in such a great way! They were enemies to lovers the majority of the book -- making the tension absolutely amazing!

Most of the book their relationship was lust-based, which I am not the biggest fan of, but overall, I thought their relationship was cute!

I also thought that Alexei Volkov was a way too similar name to Ana Huang's book twisted love where the mmc is named Alex Volkov. This book definitely could have benefited from a more original name, but I do not think this was the author's intentions, so it definitely would not be a reason to not pick up this book.

This was definitely a cute story! I am deep in my hockey, romance era right now, like everyone else, and this was a great addition to the list. I really liked the two main characters, and the way the author wrote the banter/tension between them. It had me giddy, smiling as I was reading it. When I tell you I gobbled this thing up, I mean it! I read this in 24 hours and wanted more. I am really hoping the author continues the series by writing romance novels about the other characters. I want more Zach!!

The book revolves around Kennedy and Alexei. Kennedy just got "forgotten" about by her hotshot boyfriend who also happens to be Alexei main rival. Alexei, hothead trouble maker, just got a year contract with the same hockey team Kennedy's father owns and the one she use to work for. They both get an offer they cant resist, Kennedy is able to get back and Justin and Alexie is able to clean up his reputation. Can they keep this casual or will they give in to their true feelings?

*****

Fake dating, enemies to lovers, hockey romance. and undeniable chemistry..

Play Your Part did not disappoint on any front. The characters were relatable and the story line was fun. But in my opinion this was a very very slow book. I struggled to read the first 50% of the book as I felt like there wasn't anything to keep the readers attention. To be honest, I cant really even remember what happened in the first half of the book.. However once the book picked up, it was rather enjoyable. I loved the back and forth of them both trying to fight their feelings for each other. Alexei and Kennedy has some sizzling chemistry but I felt like the book didn't do them justice.

I'm not saying its a bad book, its a nice easy read with really mild to no spice.




Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kincaid’s debut novel DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT.

This cute hockey romance was a breath of fresh air. I found myself relating to both main characters throughout this entire story. Their internal struggles and the obstacles in front of them are something so many of us face, it was hard not to feel like you knew the characters personally.

I always love a book that plays on more than one emotion, and Play Your Part is definitely one of those! I found myself smirking throughout this book at the characters’ banter and even laughing out loud a few times. And the beautiful moments where Kincaid touches on grief, I found myself with tears in my eyes.

From the female MC’s character growth to the plot of this story to the emotional connection, Kincaid scores a hat trick with this one! (See what I did there?!)

Read this one if you love:
• Enemies to Lovers
• Fake Dating
• He fell first

Play Your Part is a fake dating hockey romance. This book was so much fun!

Kennedy Cole's life came to a grinding halt after her mom died a year ago. Her dad owns the local hockey team, but she stays away from games because they are such a painful reminder of her mom. Kennedy has abandoned her plans for college, stayed with her a$$ of a hockey boyfriend who treats her badly, and is just stuck. Until she's heading to her boyfriend's house one night to meet him for a party only to find him with a moving truck packed up and ready to leave her behind. He got traded to another team and didn't even bother to tell her.

Alexei Volkov is the new hockey player on the team, and he's a long time rival of her ex. He was fired from his previous team for being a hothead, and he's just happy to be given a second chance with this this mediocre team. At the team party to open the season, he meets a heartbroken, drunk Kennedy, who already hates him because her ex is his biggest rival.

When someone takes an awkward candid of Alexei catching a drunk Kennedy and protecting her from herself, the misleading picture gets on social media, and the two are pushed into fake dating for a few months. It will be good for Alexei's image, good PR for the team, and will give Kennedy a chance to make her ex jealous. Win-win for everyone, right?

It was a delight to watch these two bicker back and forth, start getting to know each other, and eventually fall in love. Their relationship and the chemistry between them was so much fun to watch!

I loved the rivalry between Alexei and Kennedy's ex (Justin). This added so much depth to the story, both on the ice and off.

I loved the secondary characters in this book. From best friends Emma, Matt, and Zach, and Kennedy's dad, they all brought a lot of depth to the overall story.

I was impressed with the ease of how the author wove Kennedy's grief into the story. It felt real. It's rare for an author to pull that off and make me believe it. It brought the book full circle at the end.

If you enjoy sports romances, hockey, or fake dating romances, you will love this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a hockey romance that had me absolutely hooked from beginning to end. The characters were amazing and the writing was so good. It was a book I couldn`t put down. Kennedy and Alexei and the chemistry they had was fantastic. Their banter? Even better.
The found family and the side characters added so much to the story and were everything I wanted them to be and more.
It had me laughing and giggling but the also hit me right where it hurt in some chapters. There were lines that had me tearing up. I had such a great time reading this book.
Overall gave me everything I look for in a hockey romance and I can`t stop thinking about it! Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and hockey romance are easily some of my favorite tropes of the genre, and Play Your Part did not disappoint on any front. The characters were lovable, the chemistry was palpable, and the premise was fun.

Personally I’m not the biggest fan of a third act breakup or a slow burn, which is the main reason this isn’t a five star read, but I overall enjoyed the ride. The pacing wasn’t my personal ideal, but it was still a fun read!

Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and hockey...sign me up! This is such a short and fun hockey romance with some of the best tropes . The characters have good banter and perfect chemistry. The story holds your interest and was such an overall fun read.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed.

I never go into a book expecting to love it, and believe me, I questioned myself with this book.

When I first started it, I was getting a little annoyed at how much Kennedy fired at Alexei but pretty quickly I found myself loving her. She was just a girl in pain from the cards life had dealt her. And of course, Alexei can in and flipped her world upside down.

I love that Alexei wasn’t the grumpy jerk that most of the hockey romances have as their MMC. Instead, he was just as hurt and scared as she was.

They healed each other without trying and fell in love unexpectedly. I love this book so much and already with I could read it for the first time again.

I was so excited to read this book. I love all things hockey romance and this book does not disappoint. Kennedy and Alexi have a strong chemistry, witty banter and you can feel the love build. The supporting characters will have you laughing and cheering on Alexi and Kennedy more. This book had me cracking a smile and shedding a tear.

I devoured this book over the weekend. Watching Alexi and Kennedy be able to mend their past traumas and come together to find love was lovely and I wasn’t ready for the book to end.
Thank you Netgalley and Kathryn Kincaid for this ARC.

This was a great debut book and can’t wait for your next book!

What to Expect:
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake Dating
🏒 Dual Point of View
🏒 Amazing Characters

This book is released on August 3rd, go order today, you won’t regret it!

I'm not a big sports romance reader, but I just may be after reading this. It was such a quick read, I started and finished it the same day. Literally, once I picked it up I just couldn't put it down.

This book starts on a real downer, Kennedy basically getting ghosting by her awful ex. As the book went on I hated him more and more and loved Alexei more and more. Watching this enemies to lovers/fake dating turn into something believably real was a joy! A lot of times with fake dating tropes you kind of have to suspend reality and just kind of go with it, but not here. She wrote a believable and adorable story with this one! I was rooting for both Alexei and Kennedy (and I was smiling and rooting my girl on with her last Ward interaction).

The MCs are so genuine. We learn about their families, their trauma, the reason why they are the way they are. We watch them second guess their relationship (as any sane person would). We watch them BOTH grow right alongside of and because of each other. Just real ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ character arcs here.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED this story!! Maybe I'm a sports romance girlie after all 🤷

There were a few grammatical errors or misused words in pages 64 (know should be known), 100 (breath should be breathe), and 101 (make should be made). But, I suspect it'll be edited again since this was an ARC!

I'd like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.