This is the second book of Kate Green series. Even though I haven't read the first book of the series, I read this book as a standalone.

Kate Green is covering the sports news for the Olympic football match between USA and Argentina. However soon, a body is discovered in the locker room and Kate realizes that the body belongs to a woman named Alexa Kane, a popular jewelry designer. Kate, Alexa and the coach of the football team Savannah has a history with each other. With the help of her estranged father, Kate must dwell into her past and find Alexa's killer.

This was really a fast-paced thriller. There are some twists and turns and the whole story as a whole was engaging and entertaining. I like how the story is divided into the present day and past, the past talking about Kate's teenage years when she first met Alexa when they were both competing for the soccer. I like how there are numerous suspects in the story, particularly Savannah who had bullied both Alexa and Kate during the matches. The ending was completely unexpected. The whole teenage friendship between Alexa and Kate was realistic particularly when Kate failed to help Alexa when Alexa was bullied. The story touches about bullying, sexual assaults in general.

Overall this is a page turning thriller that will keep you up all night. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

📚: Dangerous Play by Elise Hart Kipness
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

The gist: Sports reporter Kate Green is back, this time covering women's Olympic soccer. Kate herself is a former Olympic gold medalist, and has close ties to the women's soccer coach, Savannah Baker, a former teammate and frenemy. Ties become even closer and secrets from the past bubble to the surface when Alexa Kane is found dead in the training room after a game - another former teammate of Kate & Savannah's. And one look to each other in passing between police interviews says it all -- don't say a word.

The good: This police procedural thriller has a great pace, complex characters, and multiple plots that kept me interested and invested. I admittedly haven't read Kipness's first installment in this series (Lights Out), and while this spoiled that book a bit for me, I'm looking forward to picking it up to catch up. That said, I found firsthand, that this book works as a standalone, although I'd recommend learning from my mistake and read Lights Out first.

The eh: The reveal felt flat - the pieces came together nicely, but as the truth finally unfolded, it was more of a, "oh..." moment than an "ah-ha" moment. For me, this lands it at a rounded up to 4 stars vs. a solid 4 star rating.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Dangerous Play comes out this Tuesday 9/17.

And I’ll tell you, I know you will love this thriller!!! There are so many twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the very end!!! I was totally hooked and could not stop listening! This is a must add to your TBR!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy!!!

Kate is covering the soccer games in the Olympics and has a especial role in working with the US Soccer Olympic team, however, the coach is not a person who she really enjoys to talk to as she was bullied in the past by her. In one of the games, Alexa, one of Kate's best friends when she was in the Olympic Soccer team, is found dead in the stadium. Kate will team with her father and investigate Alexa's murder to bring the justice to her family and to settle their past. A story full of twists and turns, mystery, greed, envy that will entertaining the readers, even the ones who are not soccer fans.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I am totally obsessed with Kate Green! Elise Hart Kipness took home the gold medal with this sequel to Lights Out. What could be better than a strong female lead, sports, and a little murder. I cannot wait for next installment because I know it’s going to be great. Literally, could not put this book down. Cannot recommend enough.

After reading the second rip-roaring mystery about sports reporter Kate Green, I would have known without being told that author Elise Hart Kipness was a former sports reporter herself. The book is overflowing with the authentic detail available only to the subject matter expert. Some of the very best parts describe the pressure of live reporting from a dynamic scene while simultaneously coordinating with producers and technical staff back at the broadcasting station. These sections will give readers a new appreciation for live action reporters, who make what they are doing look easy.

The book tells two stories, one about Kate Green the budding soccer star who helped bring an Olympic gold medal home years ago, and the second about an older Kate Green who moved on from the game and turned her experience into a live network sports reporting career. The first thread describes the grueling training Olympic hopefuls and their families endure, and the cutthroat competition among the players for a few coveted places on the final team.

The second thread takes place in the present during the Olympics summer games being hosted in New York, where Kate gets the on-air reporting assignment because the coach of the U.S. soccer team is one of her former Olympics team mates and Kate’s management assumes she will be able to capitalize on the relationship to gain access to the team and exclusive material.

One of the U.S. soccer players is displaying shockingly poor sportsmanship and creating a disruptive locker room, and the media’s focus is on her antics until the body of a former Olympic hopeful from Kate’s playing days is found in the medical treatment area underneath Madison Square Gardens. Both Kate and the U.S. soccer team coach knew the victim well at one point in their lives, and naturally the police assume they had something to do with the death. Not unnaturally Kate decides to investigate on her own.

Kate’s father, who had chosen his law enforcement career over his marriage when Kate’s mother gave him an ultimatum, is active in the investigation and he is Kate’s source for forensic information. So often in amateur sleuth mysteries the nonprofessional relies on a police boyfriend, a device that has been overused, so supplying a parent as an inside source is a refreshing change.

Another good bit is the incident involving the release of false information. While it was pulled within the hour, the release was so deliberately sensational that it spread like wildfire across the Internet and did some damage. Some pointed comments about the media’s responsibility in stopping misinformation instead of chasing ratings were completely on target.

I realized about two-thirds through what the motive for the killing was, which pointed at an obvious culprit but other readers may well not be as jaded as I am. Even so, the strength of this very good mystery is in the portrayal of the cutthroat world of Olympic sports and the similarly vicious ecosphere of network media.

🍂Book review 🍁

Dangerous Play
by Elise Hart Kipness


"Dangerous Play" by Elise Hart Kipness is a gripping sports thriller that pulls you in from the start. The story follows sports reporter Kate Green as she finds herself entangled in a murder mystery at the Olympic women’s soccer locker room. With a dual timeline, the book delves into Kate's past as an Olympic soccer star while unraveling the mystery of her former teammate Alexa Kane's death. The pacing is fast, and the plot keeps you guessing with twists and turns. I enjoyed how the soccer backdrop added to the story but didn’t overwhelm it—this is definitely a thriller at heart. The dual mysteries, both in the present and from Kate's father’s past, add depth and complexity. Even without reading the first book, I found this story engaging and easy to follow. Perfect for fans of crime fiction, sports drama, and strong female leads. Looking forward to the next in the series!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers The Pulse, Thomas & Mercer, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Dangerous Play in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the 1st book in this series and was excited to get my hands on this 2nd installment and it did not disappoint. And while this can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading Lights Out first so you can fully appreciate Kate and some of the side threads running through this book. ⁣
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This time around, we delve into the world of soccer and this is a sport I actually know, though I will say, it is not necessary to have any knowledge of the sport. While this can be considered a sports thriller, it really is a crime fiction/thriller at heart and the soccer is just the vehicle used to tell the story if that makes sense. ⁣
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I loved how we have a dual timeline to weave a captivating tale of the pressures that athletes face at all levels of the sport. I was equally invested in both timelines, finding myself so caught up in where we were at any given point, I didn’t want to switch when the switch would occur. ⁣
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This book kept me guessing as to who the guilty person was and I loved that. I definitely had my theories and it was only as the pieces started coming together did I begin to see where it was going – though I didn’t get it all figured out. ⁣
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This is a fast-paced thriller that keeps you engaged from start to finish. I can’t wait to see what comes in this series!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Thomas&Mercer for the book #DangerousPlay by #EliseHartKipness. Alexa and Kate were on the same competing soccer teams growing up. Kate has since played in the Olympics and is now a big time sports reporter. When Kate is covering the women’s Olympic Games, Alexa ends up there dead. Is this something to do with things that happened at the soccer camp years ago or is something else to blame

Check out one of the latest reads from Thriller Book Lovers—The Pulse! You won't want to miss "Dangerous Play" if you love thrilling mysteries or the Olympics. Even if you haven't read the first book in the series, "Dangerous Play" stands strong as a standalone.

Follow the gripping story of Kate Green, a former Olympic soccer player turned sports reporter, as she stumbles upon a shocking discovery during her Olympics coverage. A mysterious murder brings back memories from her past, and before long, she finds herself entangled in a web of secrets and scandal.

This page-turner kept me hooked with its cleverly intertwined timelines and a secretive journal filled with jaw-dropping revelations. Plus, thanks to the publisher's generosity, I had the pleasure of experiencing both the ebook and audiobook versions. The audiobook narration was top-notch and brought the story to life in a new way.

And check out the amazing book bling that the author sent over! It was like unwrapping a box of treasures. Who wouldn't love receiving such fantastic book goodies?

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer/Brilliance Audio and Elise Hart Kipness for providing the gifted ARCs through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Reporter Kate Green, former Olympic soccer star, is conducting interviews at Yankee Stadium, where the Olympic soccer games are taking place. She heads to the locker room to talk to Coach Savannah Baker, a former teammate and the current team coach. Kate discovers Coach Baker and the team's current superstar, Quinn, in the therapy room along with the dead body of Alexa Kane, a former friend of Kate's and another Olympic team member. Kate calls her father, Liam, who is a NYPD police officer and a task force is immediately organized. Alexa is a social media giant, with her own jewelry label and there are too many suspects to investigate. Who benefited the most from Alexa's death? As Kate digs into Alexa's past, she uncovers a lot of secrets and she regrets the time she missed with Alexa. An interesting look at the competitiveness and difficulty of competing at the Olympic level for young women (or any athlete, for that matter). This is the second book I have read recently narrated by a media person; the other was a radio personality. I wonder if this is a new trend in mysteries.

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!