The Best Friend Power Play

by Ash Kelly

After seven years of raising my younger brother and sister, my friends convince me to do something for myself and have a hot girl summer.

Being a list girl, I compile a spreadsheet of things I'd like to do and places I'd like to see.

Not on my list?

A marriage of convenience with one of the greatest defensemen in the NHL, my best friend, and the guy I'm secretly in love with—Culver Palladino.

Culver needs a wife to get his inheritance. I need someone to make sure I go through with my hot girl summer plans.

So we help each other out. Simple, right?

Wrong.

As we tick off items from my list, things begin to change. Feelings I've kept hidden for years bubble to the surface.

Except this time…it's not just a one-way thing. Culver feels it, too.

As the summer comes to an end, so will our fake marriage arrangement—and along with it, our nightly foot rubs, home-cooked meals, deep conversations, and the growing sense that something more is developing between us.

There's no denying that Culver and I love each other as friends, but after all this time, can we go from best friends to lovers

The Best Friend Power Play is a best friends to lovers closed-door romance featuring an injured pro hockey player and a florist who puts everyone's needs ahead of her own. You can expect plenty of banter, fast-talking friends, inside jokes, too-small bathing suits, she wears his shirts, as well as some truly heartfelt and healing moments. It's the second book in the Hockeymances series, and while it can be read as a standalone, for maximum enjoyment, you may like to read book 1 first.

The Best Friend Power Play is PERFECT if you love:
Friends to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Injured hockey player x florist with a list
Golden retriever hero
Only one (water)bed
Small-town shenanigans
Secret jokes and foot rubs
Discovering who you really are
Chosen family
Closed door romance

Genres: Friends To Lovers, Hockey Romance, Clean Romance, Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Hockey

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2024

About the author

Author of fast-paced sweet romcoms with lovable characters, swoony romance, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Reviews

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...)]

DNF at 1%. Not really a spoiler because it happens in the very beginning- FMC advises younger sister to have premarital sex with boyfriend, then makes a goal to lose her own virginity that summer.
(Author statement in the front matter warns this is not a Christian romance, and that it is closed door with on page kisses and discussions of off-page intimacy).
I was disappointed because even though the intimacy might be kept off-page and “closed door”, that the read would not be a clean one according to my own standards of the term. Although I guess it was good to be aware before getting too far in.

[Megan | Megan.Reads.Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta read this for Ash. Full review to come!

[Monroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first book in this series, but this one was disappointing. "If it feels good, do it" has got to be the worst recommendation ever, especially for many young females reading this type of book.

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of this series and I loved it! Hannah is a down to earth kind of girl who has put everything on hold for the last seven years raising her twin siblings after losing her parents. The twins are finally graduated high school and off doing their own thing this summer. Hannah's best friends convince her to have a summer just for herself after sacrificing so much to raise her siblings.

Hannah loves lists and of course she makes a list of all the things she would love to do this summer. She invites her childhood best friend, Culver, to help her with all of these tasks.

The one thing not on her list is getting married, but that's the first thing she knocks off when she plans to help Culver get his inheritance from his terrible grandfather. He wants to help his parents and this is how he can.

Culver and Hannah are very close as they have grown up together. They support each other and only want the best. I really enjoy reading how Hannah grows into her own person away from being a mom to her siblings and how Culver works through his sport injuries.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Friend Power Play was a lot of fun! Friends to more is a favorite trope of mine and this one definitely does that trope justice. A marriage of convenience is also part of the storyline and that made it even more fun. Hannah and Culver were sweet and their romance was super cute. There are lots of laugh out loud moments which is always a personal favorite and the ending was adorable. This is a series I am invested in and I can’t wait for book 3. I also am hoping for stories with Culver’s brothers!

I received a copy of this book from the author and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A best friend romance you won't want to miss! Best friends to more is a delicate balance but Ash Kelly nails it with this one!

I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.

[McKenna Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Book two in the Hockeymances series and I loved it. Hockey sports romances are just too good. It was fun and clever, I loved the hot girl summer bucket list Hannah comes up with. I enjoyed the friendship between Hannah and Culver. It was so cute to see them as friends and then more. I also loved the MMC and that even though he was suppose to be a macho hockey player, he still loved to cook, clean and nurture those he loves. We need more men crossing gender roles. I enjoyed the romance and sparks were still there, but the intimacy was off page.

So many enjoyable tropes:
💛 Friends to lovers
🩷 Marriage of convenience
🩵 Hockey romance
💛 Bucket list
🩷 Only one (water)bed
🩵 Chosen family
💛 Closed-door romance

🩷Quote: “Heat surges through my body, and I do everything I can to contain the simmering heat. I had no idea I had a primal caveman lurking inside me, but something about kissing Hannah unleashes a new side to me.
But I never let the caveman win. I make sure Gentleman Culver does, and I kiss Hannah the way every woman deserves to be kissed-with what I'm hoping is the right mix of tenderness and strength.”

Thank you to the author Ash Kelly for the advanced electronic copy of the book!

[The Closed Door Book Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I mean, what’s a hot girl summer without a fake marriage to your best friend slash man of your dreams who you’re secretly in love with?”

YALL. When I say I FLEW THROUGH THIS. @ashkellyauthor literally knocked it out of the park with her new book The Best Friend Power Play. It is easily one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Hannah and Culver have been best friends for years and each have had to deal with their own share of loss. Hannah is getting ready to embark on a new season of life as her teenage siblings she had raised are leaving for college and Culver is nursing a hip injury that could end his hockey career early. Culver is in Comfort Bay to stay the summer with Hannah and is devoted to making sure she has the “Hot Girl Summer” she deserves.

Their friendship takes a rapid detour when Culver finds out he has to get married in order to receive his inheritance from his late grandfather, and being the best friend she is, Hannah (who secretly loves Culver), is first to volunteer. Forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and friends to lovers make this book the master of multiple tropes with plenty of swoonworthy moments that have you feeling alllll the feels.

This book does have a few content warnings that include loss of a parent, loss of a sibling, alcohol use (very mild), and implied intimacy off the pages/fade to black. There is minimal language in this book.

This book is second to The Fake Out Flex, but can be read as a standalone if wanted :) it was SO cute and fun and I literally stayed up late just to finish!! It had the PERFECT ending (THANK YOU for no 3rd act breakup 🫶🏻).

Grab your copy on Kindle Unlimited or Amazon today!!

#bookstagram #closeddoorromance #booklover #cleanreads #bookreview #ashkelly #hockeyromance #marriageofconvenience #friendstolovers #kindle #romcom

[Randi Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best Friend Power Play is the second book in the Hockeymances series. While I think it could be enjoyed as a standalone as well, I do think you'll understand the friendship dynamics (and avoid some spoilers) if you read these in order.

Hockey + marriage of convenience + best friends to love? Yes, please! This was a fun read that mixed some of my very favorites. Hannah and Culver were so cute together. He's an injured professional hockey player. She's a florist who has been busy raising her siblings she was eighteen years old. With her siblings grown and leaving the nest, she embarks on a 'hot girl summer' doing things just for her for the first time... and he's along for the journey as he recovers from his injury. I loved seeing Hannah getting to spread her wings a little bit, and how supportive Culver was of her throughout everything. Their friendship is just the sweetest and seeing them realize it could be more was fun. Theirs felt like a really unique relationship and one that I found I enjoyed very much. Seeing his caveman side come out a bit--- so good!

The Best Friend Power Play is a closed-door romance but does have implied intimacy off pages and talks pretty openly about the topic of sex and virginity. It does have some minor language as well.

**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Momma6 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost a clean read read

This book talks about sex quite a bit and is not closed door. I didn’t read all of it either.

[𝕸𝖎𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖊𝖑 𝕮. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t know how to start this review off, but then I remembered this WONDERFUL quote from Hannah that I thought would be a great way to start things off (I’m being sarcastic):

“I can’t believe my hot girl summer has become my hot girl life.”
WHAT THE HELL!!!! Well, this sentence pretty much encompasses this whole book pretty well.

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️




This book was okay, but there were way too many things that ruin the whole vibe of the book. Here they are:

1. Hannah’s two younger siblings decide they want to have sex with people, and she lets them do it; Hannah doesn’t say a single word of caution to either one of them. It’s as if they’d simply said something like “I want to get a cherry Icee” and she said “okay”. WHAT THE HELLLLLLLL??? Why is this normal? Besides the fact that it’s totally unnecessary and useless to have added this to the story.
2. The stupid group text chat between these 5 girl friends is annoying as crap. PLEASE STOP THEM!
3. Hannah never shuts up about having a “hot girl summer”, something her friends pressured her into trying out. “Hot girl summer” is mentioned a whopping 58 (YES- FIFTY-EIGHT!!!) times and is the most unrealistic, immature thing ever. Hannah is a grown adult. Why is she making this her whole personality???? Better question: Why is Culver all about it? 😒
4. Hannah adding “lose my virginity” to her “hot girl summer” to-do list (she does this because her sister Katie mentioned that she plans to sleep with her boyfriend, Dean, soon, and Hannah feels like a weirdo for still being a virgin) is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read in a book. WHAT THE HELL???????
5. Hannah lives her life by the stupidest advice ever: “If it feels good, do it” (This is said 11 times in the book)!
6. It’s so annoying, the girl friends in this book talking about popular book tropes. It’s too weird because you (you, the reader) are literally reading a romance book with these tropes.. it’s just weird and cringey.
7. Culver in the epilogue wearing nothing but an apron. Yes, I’m serious. I wish that was a lie.

I really liked some of the scenes in this book, like when they were staying at the old motel after their wedding, and I also like that this book was shorter than book #1 in the hockey series: “The Fake Out Flex”.

After a certain point this book is just WAY too dragged out and annoying.
Culver was a cool character and this book wasn’t TOO terrible, but seriously, the whole “hot girl summer” crap was way too much, everything was done out of order (which would’ve been fine if it had been written better), and the ending was mediocre. :7

[Lindsey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 🌶️🌶️

Who doesn’t love a best friend to lover’s trope, especially when one of the characters is already secretly in love with the other. Yes, in real life, this would probably never work, but in the book world, let a girl enjoy her guilty pleasures! Ash Kelly wrote an easy to read, fun, sweet book that focuses on Hannah and Culver.

Hannah has loved Culver for years, but being his friend always comes first. So when he needs to get married in order to claim his inheritance, it’s easy for Hannah to volunteer. I mean, anything for her best friend right? Hannah has given up a lot of her own life to care for her twin, after their mother died. Always putting others first, so when her siblings are going on extended trips, she is finally getting some much needed time to herself.

Culver is a hockey player who is thinking about retiring soon, due to his many injuries. He is excited for the off season, to spend the summer with Hannah, and hopefully figure out what he wants from life. He is going to help Hannah have the “hot girl summer” she deserves and help her spread her wings a bit. What neither of them expect is for their marriage of convenience begin to develop in something much deeper.

As feelings that have long been hidden, or not even realized, begin to bubble under the surface, Hannah and Culver have to decide what to do. It was wonderful to see Hannah put herself first and I loved seeing Culver’s possessive side come out. Overall this book was a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and cannot wait for the next one in the series.

As always, review any author notes before reading.

Tropes:
🌞Best Friends to Lovers
🌞Marriage of Convenience
🌞Forced Proximity
🌞Fade to Black Romance
🌞Hockey Romance

[Jodi Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best friends to more can be a tricky trope to pull off. Readers want that fine balance of longing, friendship, and not wanting to end the friendship by adding feelings to it in the story. Ash Kelly’s latest release, the Best Friend Power Play is a perfect example of this trope done well. I loved everything about it.
The story follows Hannah, a florist and guardian for her younger siblings, and Culver, a pro NHL player. Hannah and Culver have been friends since childhood. After years of raising her siblings, Hannah is finally free to do something for herself. Her friends convince Hannah to designate this summer as Hannah’s hot girl summer. She makes a list of things she’d like to do this summer. Culver offers to help Hannah complete her list. Their summer is complicated a bit when Culver receives an inheritance that requires he be married to claim. Hannah offers to marry Culver so he can claim his inheritance. The story is full of family, laughter, friendship, romance, and love.
I loved both Hannah and Culver. Hannah was so selfless and kind to everyone. I loved how the hot girl summer list helped Hannah find out what she wants out of life. Her character arc was beautifully done. Culver was a sweetheart wrapped up in the body of a hot hockey player in his prime. I loved how he made sure Hannah completed her list. He was so patient and kind. The banter and chemistry between them was so hot.
Things I loved:
-best friends to more
-Hannah’s hot girl summer list
-karaoke
-the Vinaigrettes
-Culver’s conversations with his hockey buddies
-the balance between laughter and heartfelt moments of real life
-Hannah and Culver’s friendship
I adored everything about this book. I laughed, I teared up, I swooned, and I smiled throughout the book. I could go into more detail about everything I loved, but I think you need to read it to really enjoy it.

[Rachel (storybookcorner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash Kelly doesn't disappoint with Culver and Hannah's story. The chemistry between them is on point even if it takes them a bit to get out of their own way to acknowledge it. Everyone around them knows it before they do.

Hannah has spent the last several years caring for her twin siblings after the death of their mother. She has put her entire life on hold to make sure they're taken care of even her dating life or lack thereof.

Culver is a pro hockey player who is on the brink of hanging up his skates due to injuries. He is best friends with Hannah and is preparing to spend the summer with her while her siblings are on extended trips, and it's his off-season.

Love is in the air when things between them start changing, yet neither are ready to confess their true feelings for one another. The Best Friend Power Play is fun and totally swoon worthy. Hannah's Hot Girl Summer list is made and just waiting to be marked off one by one.

I can't wait to read Milo and Beth's story. Thank you, Ash Kelly, for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Alayna (the.bookstrovert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote:
And the Emmy for Best Performance by a Small Town Girl Who's Secretly in Love with Her Best Friend even Though He'd Never Think of Her as Anything More Than Friends goes to…Hannah Cooper.”

Who doesn’t love a Falling for your best friend/marriage of convenience?! 😍
I liked that this one didn’t feel rushed, and that we already had Culver and Hannah’s friend foundation set. It didn’t feel fake or awkward.

I would love to be friends with the Fast Talking Five! They were so funny, and I loved all their bookish talk!
And don’t even get me started on Nonna and her crew! 😂😂

Overall I enjoyed Hannah and Culver’s story! But I think Evie and Fraser might still be my favorite couple so far! 🥰 But we’ll see what Milo and Beth have in store for us!


🚨-While this is a closed door romcom, there’s some minor cursing, talks about being a virgin/losing it. Mentions of nudity (vague but you get the idea of what’s happening).

[Jamie Tuckwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Happy release day to @ashkellyauthor I'm a big fan of Ash Kelly ever since I read the Fake Out Flex. I was so excited to learn this was a series and good news there's another one to the series coming out. Thank you to Ash for providing me with an advanced copy.

The Best Friend Power Play is a closed door romance about two best friends. Culver and Hannah end up spending the summer together. Recovering from a hockey injury Culver moves in with his best friend and with her two siblings off for the summer, she decides to focus on herself by creating a "Hot Summer Girl List" This has things on it she's always wanted to do but never gotten the chance to do and with her best friend by her side, its sure to be a winner.

I loved this book. Culver is an absolute dream. The way he cares and supports Hannah is so cute. Hannah is also a great character and they are well suited together.

It's a lovely light-hearted read that has a feel a good factor. There is a lot of humour in this book and some of the scenes had me laughing out loud. It can be read as a standalone but I'd recommend reading the Fake Out Flex first for full enjoyment.

[MacKenzie Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the idea of Hannah’s hot girl summer! It was such an empowering thing for her even if she was weary at first. I truly think it helped her break the roles she has had to be in for the last several years and truly find herself. She is such a fun,selfless person that you can’t help but instantly love her. Culver brings us the best friend, hockey player that is here to help her fulfill her list while he spends the summer with her. He is a great best friend to Hannah and while he has his own stuff to work through, I know she is his safe place to do that. I absolutely love all the meddling side characters in this story and they are sure to give you a good laugh. This is a dual pov, closed door romance. It is part of a series but can easily be read as a stand alone novel.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah and Culver have been friends for a very long time but only friends. Everyone around them thinks they are more than friends and this summer it just might change to more! I loved that Hannah finally has the chance to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Culver is trying to recover from an injury and doesn’t know what he will do if he can’t play hockey. I loved the way they turned to each other to sort through their questions. There are plenty of heated kisses while remaining closed door. But I would suggest you read the authors note at the beginning because intimacy is certainly a topic of discussion.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥️:👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Hannah and Culver have been friends for a long time, but they are JUST friends despite everyone in their small town thinking they should be more. Truth is? Hannah does have feelings for Culver, but to admit that would risk their friendship.

This friends to lovers story was super cute, and I loved how Culver made it his mission to take care of Hannah after all the years of her caring for other people and putting herself last. The banter between them was so good and you can just feeeeel how much Culver grows to love Hannah.

-Dual POV
-Closed Door/ Fade to Black
-Small town
-Hockey Romance
-Friends to lovers
-Fake Marriage
-Close Proximity

[Abby Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best Friend Power Play

Such a cute story! Friends to lovers is not my favorite trope, but marriage of convenience is definitely near the top of my list. Culver is an exceptional MWBAW (man written by a woman), and it’s so sweet to see how he goes out of his way to make Hannah happy and comfortable. While this is definitely a fade-to-black book, there is a decent amount of implied spice, so if that’s something you’re sensitive to, be warned.

[Mim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hits the ideal marks for the tropes

This is a great closed door friends-to-lovers romance with some awareness of its own tropes, no frustrating screaming at the book, and an on-point HEA.

Culver and Hannah are strong leads who have a great friendship that transitions into more as they grow in themselves and together. It has a partially overlapping timeline with Book 1 so best to read in order.

[3boysmom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent friends to lovers story, I loved the evolution of Hannah and Culver’s relationship. I liked that they had good communication and honesty with plenty of drama without a third act breakup. Nice sparks and hints of heat; I appreciated that intimacy was off-page. Enough hockey to make it exciting! Highly recommend.

[Lynn Hyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love At Last

Hannah and Culver are so darn cute together as best friends. What that relationship morphs into makes this story so sweet. They're both perfect for each other, as all of their friends can readily see. I love all of her choices as hot summer girl and Culver for accompanying her. Perfect ending. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Teddy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I was not as big a fan of the first book but I’m so glad I gave this one a try.
I really liked it!
I loved Culver and Hannah…so cute together!
This one was paced really well and I liked all of the side characters.
Lots of great moments, connection and character development between the main couple but also them individually.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The build up and tension in this book was engaging.
Yet the way the casual way sex was treated gave me the ick. Just felt like a reflection of hookup culture and "not wanting to label the relationship " turned me off.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has wonderful characters, is well written and is humorous. The romance is closed door but the characters discuss intimacy in very casual ways and there is one spot of swearing. Cute story but not the clean wholesome romance I prefer.

[Words And Lore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like it

It was well written, I liked the characters, I just really hated the way sex and marriage were handled in this story. I love marriage of convenience and friends to lovers, but maybe because of how the topic was handled in the first book, I wasn't ready for this book to take the approach it did.
I also really didn't like the "if it feels good do it" and "hot girl summer rules" mottos.

But it's a rather well written book if that stuff doesn't bother you.

Honestly, the more I think about this book, the more annoying I find it. To the point that it makes me like the previous book less because I understand what it was doing now.

[Abby Huffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey! I loved Hannah & Culver💛! From the simple way their best friend moved to lovers, to their appreciation for their relationship being their own🥰. Loved their care & support of each other!

[Holly Dimitrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

Loving this series!!!!
This author has created such great characters and such a great series.
This book was fantastic! Loved it

[Mindy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need to read a sweet romance.