Power Play

D.C. Stars #2

by Chelsea Curto

Piper Mitchell needs one thing to go her way.
Divorced, feeling stuck in her professional life and terrified of reentering the world of dating, she’s decided she’s going to work on something she can control: learning how to be good in the bedroom.
Enter Liam Sullivan.
The star NHL goalie might not be a people person, but he's the perfect teacher. He knows what he's doing behind closed doors, and with a little convincing, he agrees to be Piper's guide.
Things between them are casual and easy. Something they can both benefit from. And when a road trip to Vegas has Piper and Liam waking up from a night they can’t remember with matching wedding rings, they decide to figure out how much more fun they can have as husband and wife.
It’s just for the hockey season.
It doesn’t mean anything.
But as the clock ticks down on their fake-marriage-with-benefits, can Piper and Liam make it work in the real world? Or will their relationship be a power play straight to disaster?

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Sports, Hockey Romance, Fake Dating, Marriage Of Convenience

514 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2024

About the author

Chelsea is a flight attendant and romance author who writes fun, fresh and flirty love stories with plenty of spice. When she's not making fictional characters banter for twenty chapters before they finally kiss or serving chicken or pasta on an airplane, you can find her trying to pet as many dogs as she can.


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Website: www.authorchelseacurto.com

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I’m so obsessed with this series it’s not even funny. New favorite hockey romance.

This was sooooo good oh my god! I am in fact a Liam girly. The grumpy, mean goalie, who barely speaks and hates everyone but her…. AND HAS THE FILTHIEST MOUTH ON THE PLANET???! Yeah. My type.

Gahhhhhh this had everything I adore:
- grumpy sunshine
- fake dating
- he teaches her during spicy time
- found family
- JUST A SILLY FUN GIGGLY TIMEEEEE

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 3 out of 5]

sadly i didn’t like this as much as face off! but i still had a lot of fun!

the few things i didn’t like: it felt verryyy dragged out and long for no reason, tropes were just randomly thrown in there for no reason at all and at some points they didn’t even make any sense, the character development was lacking a lot & piper brought up her ex husband every five seconds and i could not stand it.

the things i liked a lot: this found family is so superior i love seeing the entire team!!!!!! their texts, banter, dynamic everything about the friendships! i also liked the communication between piper & liam!

very very very excited for the other books!

[ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[naz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝑳𝒊𝒂𝒎?" "𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉?" "𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏? 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆?"
"𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰'𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒈."

THIS BOOK!!!!!! 🥵

I’m not just steaming from the spice(which was amazing btw) I'm steaming because a grumpy guy going soft for his girl is absolutely ama-zing to read. Period. I adored every second, and even though it was thick, I could’ve kept reading MORE. LIAM AND PIPER 4EVER! 😍

Piper Mitchell is a broadcaster reporter for the DC Stars, divorced and determined to regain her confidence. She’s on a mission to explore everything the love department has to offer, minus the commitment 🔥 She’s all about rediscovering herself before diving into the dating pool again.

Enter Goalie Daddy Liam Sullivan a hockey star with no time for anything but the game except maybe some bedroom lessons for Piper, since she asked so nicely and he finds her VERY attractive 👀 Did I mention he needs her to play the part of his fake girlfriend for a family wedding? 🥂

AND IM NOT EVEN SAYING THE BEST PART let's just say the trip to Vegas in the book ended up rather nicely for them.

The tension, the banter, and the emotional growth were everything I could ask for. Their chemistry was off the charts, and watching Liam slowly let down his walls was just so satisfying. Piper’s journey toward rediscovering herself was inspiring and felt so real and relatable damn. This story had all the sweetness, spice, and heart I wanted and honestly? I could’ve read a hundred more pages of these two falling for each other aghhhhh

I can’t stop raving about this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The relationship was freaking amazing to watch unfold not only did Liam take such good care of Piper, but seeing her rediscover her confidence had me screaming, YESSS GIRL, GET IT! 🙌🔥

"𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑨 𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅-𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈."

The best part of this book, I swear, wasn’t even the plot or the main tropes it was the MICROTROPES! I adored every single one❤️‍🔥 taking care of her, forehead kisses, bringing her lunch, spoiling her, washing her hair... OMG, I could keep going, but I’ll stop. Seriously. READ. THE. BOOK. 📖🔥

Tropes
🏒 hockey sports romance
🏒 bedroom lessons
🏒 grumpy x sunshine
🏒 marriage of convenience (accidental)
🏒 fake dating

Thank you Lovenotes PR and Chelsea Curto for giving me an eARC in exchange for my honest review

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ this ARC just hit my kindle and it’s sports romance more precisely a grumpy hockey goalkeeper 👀 gimme

[kim ౨ৎ]

₊˚⊹⋆ 🩰 pre-read
⤿ started august 18

i dnfed the first book because the plot wasn’t doing it for me, but im beyond excited for this one!! the synopsis sounds so good, and to make things better, im buddy reading this with my fave girls giu, har, aislinn, mads🥹💘 i love you all endlessly and i can't wait to giggle over piper and liam with you guys !!

[aislinn ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭑.ᐟ3.5 stars
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⤷・spoiler-free review ‧₊˚ ┊

ʚ‎ I've seen the worst side of love, but here I am, staring at Liam
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎and knowing deep within every fractured piece of my soul, I
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ am completely and irrevocably in love with him ɞ

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⏦ﾟ♡︎ ┊tropes ‎ ٠࣪⭑

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ grumpy x sunshine
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ fake dating
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ marriage of convenience
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ found family
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ he falls first
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎∘ "teach me"

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⏦ﾟ♡︎ ┊thoughts ‎ ٠࣪⭑

wow okay so it's honestly really hard for me to agree with a rating for this one because the things that I liked about this book, I LOVED. so many aspects of this book are perfection in my eyes but at the same time, the amount of spice felt extremely excessive and not only was there a lot, it happened too quickly AND was overly descriptive when it absolutely didn't need to be. I think that where there was opportunity for more eventful scenes to take place, it was replaced with spicy scenes, making it feel incredibly repetitive. I also have been learning that I don't think I'm actually the biggest fan of the fake-dating trope so that's another reason why I didn't enjoy this one a bit more.

on the other hand, these characters are beyond perfect to me and there were countless scenes that had me just squealing, giggling and kicking my feet constantly. the grumpy x sunshine trope was done absolutely flawlessly in this book! usually there's way too much "nonchalant asshole" involved with that trope but this was not the case for Power Play. this book was the perfect example of "he hates everyone but her" but ALSO, "he's been smiling so much more since talking to you." if this trope was done as well as it was in this book every time, it would have me in the biggest chokehold.

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⏦ﾟ♡︎ ┊characters ‎ ٠࣪⭑

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎piper mitchell 🎙
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎all-american bitch - olivia rodrigo

oh my gosh, I could go on and on about how much I love Piper. first of all, I relate to her a scary amount; all her worries, thoughts and overall outlook on life were how I feel to a T. in this book, Piper struggles with worrying about all the lost time from her 10 year marriage and discovering a sense of self-identity as well which I found so much comfort in. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say this but, I'm someone who tends to worry about the future and lost time but just like Piper, I'm still so young and there's no need to take everything so seriously all the time. Piper is such a ray of sunshine and I was so happy to see her realize her self worth and how wonderful she truly is. also I mean come on, her and I literally have the same favourite flower and colour?! yes, that's my girl.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎liam sullivan 🐈
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎from eden - hozier

he has a cat so I think that speaks for itself. but no seriously, I ended up loving Liam so much. I really didn't care for him in the first book but wowzers, he may just end up being my favourite of the whole series. this man has a heart of gold. the way he speaks to and about piper, the way he only has eyes for her, the way he has had his eye on her for YEARS?! everyone deserves a man like Liam. he pays attention to the smallest details, cooks for Piper and makes it his priority for Piper to understand her self worth. he makes it known what's his is his but also is confident enough in himself to not hold Piper back in life and encourages her to chase her dreams. Liam deserves the entire world in my eyes.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎piper & liam 💍
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎call it what you want -taylor swift

I'm geeked over these two. sorry but call it what you want is 100% their song and describes them perfectly. these two are so much fun to watch together (although I don't need to know what goes on in the bedroom) and I'm obsessed with their story. the way they have known each other for years and have always been curious about one another but nothing was ever pursued will always be something I enjoy in a romance book. their banter was so much fun and when it began to get real I was so excited! they acted so maturely throughout the book whenever it came to conflict. in fact, there really was no conflicts at all because they both talked about their feelings and emotions like the adults they are.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎piper, emmy, maven & lexi 🎀
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎new romantics -taylor swift

this girl group is once again one of the biggest highlights of this book. I love how no matter what, they will always find the time to get together and have a cute little girls night. the trust, support and love that these girls give each other is so heartwarming. I love how there is never judgement between them and they all truly have each others best interests at heart. the way they all speak of each other is the sweetest thing ever! I think it's so great of Chelsea Curto to show in these books that even if these girls find their prince charming's, they will always prioritize their best friends as well.

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⏦ﾟ♡︎ ┊quotes ‎ ٠࣪⭑


"because it's one of the things you said you wanted, and I want them too. with you. slow dancing in the kitchen. kissing in the rain. getting matching tattoos and being an absolute idiot with the next person you fall for. be an idiot with me, Piper. I'm begging you, because I'm head over heels for you."

"I fell in love with your determination and your drive. with the way you speak into a microphone and how hard you work. I fell in love with your kind heart and the way sometimes, when I'm feeling really fucking positive, I let myself believe you might one day love me back. when you're ready. but you take all the time you need, sweetheart, because I'm not going anywhere."

"she gives me that smile again. the one that makes me feel alive. like I've been sleeping for thousands of years and now that I'm finally waking up, she's the only thing I can see."

"Liam stares at me the whole time, his gaze full of want and desire, and I'm learning this is how I should be looked at in the bedroom. not like I'm asking for too much or being a bother."


thank you again to my girls, kim, har, mads & giu for buddy reading this with me! I know not all of us loved this one but I always have the best time with you girls anyways ꨄ I love you girls always!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚--pre read ۶ৎ
‎when i tell y'all i'm so excited to be continuing this series, it's an understatement and i'm ecstatic to be reading this with my favourite girls, kim, har, mads & giu 💋 i love you girls so much, thank you for doing this with me!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so engrossed in this book that it's now 5am and I finished it in one breath.. If that doesn't show how obsessed I'm becoming with this series, nothing will..
Piper and Liam were the cutest, love them sooo much!!

Piper was such an inspiration, hard working, determined and so amazing. She was a woman in a male dominated field and seeing her shine was so special. I loved how she was trying to take charge of her life after an awful marriage and seeing her grow more confident was my favourite part. She deserved someone who's going to cherish and respect her and Liam gave her exactly that!!
Liam was so grumpy to everyone but her and there's nothing I love more than that!! He was kind and focused and I loved how he made sure he remember everything about Piper, to show her how amazing she is and to always validate her feelings. He might be grumpy, but he was always there for his team and he made sure he was there for Piper. And the fact he has a cat, I mean, come on!!

They were so freaking cute together. Piper needed to gain her confidence in the bedroom and Liam was such an amazing teacher. He worshipped her and showed her how she deserved to be treated, in and outside the bedroom. He cooked her favourite meals, bought her favourite flowers, remember every little thing about her, listened to her, took care of her in the best way possible. That scene where her took care of her when she had a migraine attack is one my favourite scenes ever!! As someone who suffers from them, if anyone did that for me, I would marry them in a second, I honestly would give this book five stars for that scene alone.. I loved their balcony conversations, all the lessons, the wedding, the rings, the interviews, the date ahhh, I melted every single time honestly!! They communicated with each other and every conflict was resolved in a way that made me realise even more that you don't to need unnecessary drama just to make it more exciting.. This was so much better!!

There were a lot of spicy scene, which make sense since he was teaching her how to be more confident in the bedroom. I, personally, really liked that, it was empowering for her and I feel it was necessary. You get their emotional growth too, they both had things they needed to overcome, but it did take a backseat at times, so if you not a fan of that, consider this your warning..
I really enjoyed seeing them fall in love and slowly realise their feelings and I do love an accident marriage, it's always so fun!! Him calling her my wife was sooo good, I screamed every time!!

The team and the way they're with each other is so special. I love them so much, they are so present and their connection is truly everything. The group chat is my favourite thing and so is their book club!!
And, the girls, they are absolutely wonderful and I love how close they are, they really have my heart!!

I'm so excited for Hudson, he such a sweetheart, can't wait to read his book next.

[har ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ₊ ° ⊹ ♡
╰┈➤ review w NO spoilers ⋆

“i’ll wait the rest of my life for you, sunshine,” he says, and i can hear the smile infused in his words. “you take as long as you need.”

tropes:
.ᐟ marriage of convenience
.ᐟ grumpy x sunshine
.ᐟ opposites attract
.ᐟ fake dating

‧₊˚ ┊read this with my favourite girls, read this with my favourite girls aislinn, madi, giu &kim. i love you all so so much even though it wasn’t the best book 😽💌 so grateful for each one of you!!

‧₊˚ ┊summary and thoughts 💋
power play is about piper mitchell, an ambitious reporter for the dc stars, whose life is unraveling after a brutal divorce that shattered her confidence and left her questioning herself. between a toxic boss and the pressure to prove her worth, piper has no time for distractions. liam sullivan, the dc stars’ relentless goalkeeper, a man with one unbreakable rule: hockey first, no relationships. but that was before piper.

so! in all honesty, i had a love hate relationship with this book. purely because of the amount of spicy scenes there were. agreed that piper wanted help in the bedroom from liam, but i really did not need to know the positions they were in or any other tmi details. i had to stop reading from time to time because of how many spicy scenes there were. other than that, i loved this book too. i loved how liam helped piper build her confidence, stood up for her and was there for her as a friend whenever she needed it. and i also loved how piper was so understanding towards liam. their story was so cute! and there was no third act breakup so thats a win in my eyes because they communicated! like adults! and fit each other into their schedules

‧₊˚ ┊piper mitchell 🌸

purple lace bra - tate mcrae

i loved her so much. i loved how fierce she was towards her work and was determined to do her best. what i didn't like was her boss and how much he harrased her. which basically proves the point! that women find it harder to work in male dominated areas. but at the same time i'm so grateful that hr took her side. i really did want to give her a hug for all the things that steven, her crappy ex husband put her through. she really didn't deserve any of that. and also hello?! her friendship with maven, lexi and emmy was ADORABLE. i'm so glad she had them and liam at the same time to help her not feel alone! and also i loved how she tried her best to communicate with liam no matter what. and her confidence grew throughout the book!! my fave pink lover 💐💗

‧₊˚ ┊liam sullivan 🪽

all of me - john legend

mr grumpy but is actually a softie! i loved how he was a cat dad honestly. that made me love him even more. he was so determined to do his best as a goal keeper and not let anything distract him. and hello! the way he didn't go with any other woman for 4 years just because piper got out of a divorce and had some hope that maybe they would get together?! he really is a yearner in my opinion. he treated piper with kindness and respect. he cared for her and would've done anything for her. his reaction to the marriage was completely fair but he didn't have to yell for a drunken mistake. but at least he apologised for it so! but yes i loved how he changed in the book and would LITERALLY do anything for piper.

‧₊˚ ┊piper + liam 💌

the alchemy - taylor swift

OH. MY. GOD. spicy scenes aside, i loved their relationship so much. whether it was fake dating, or friends or even marriage. i loved how they communicated with each other and helped bring out the better side. and hello?! i need to talk about how liam DROPPED everything and ran to piper after his win?! and didn't even care about cameras but just for her!! i felt like that was so the alchemy coded with the lyric where's the tropy? he just comes running over to me. but other than that i loved how liam showed her that she was cared for and that she deserved it!! the way he helped her when she had her migrane was adorable honestly!! and how piper would read to liam cause he's dyslexic and never made him feel bad about it! oh i could go on and on about their relationship!

‧₊˚ ┊piper + lexi + emmy + maven 💐

dorothea - taylor swift

i loved their friendship so much and how much they were always there for each other! they all had different careers but somehow were able to manage their schedules with each other too which was PERFECTION. i have no complaints!

‧₊˚ ┊emmy + maverick 🌷

lovefool - the cardigans

HE. IS. ALWAYS. DOWN. BAD. FOR HER. end of discussion, they were even cuter in this book! i had to mention them here because god i loved how whipped maverick was for emmy!

‧₊˚ ┊quotes

Fuck. She’s so pretty. Has she always been this pretty? I think she has. It’s why I’ve been looking at her for four years. Because she’s so pretty.

“I think you’ve become one of my best friends, and treating you that way was out of line. I hate myself for it. This thing between us is going to be meaningless when you find the guy you’re going to settle down with, but until then, I don’t want you to walk around believing I think you’re a mistake. You’re not.”

Kind and considerate. Soft and tender. A man with a heart so big, I never have to worry about where I stand. He’s my best friend too.

Holy shit. He’s still wearing his wedding ring.

“You called the emergency nurse hotline?” “Yeah. Asked them what I’m supposed to do and how I can take care of you. I took a lot of notes. I’ll show you when the light isn’t triggering. My handwriting is chicken scratch, but you’ll get the idea. I also got your prescription refilled and delivered so you’re covered for the next few months.”

“Yell out that I can handle you? I can. Tell you that it doesn’t matter if you think you’re a mess or too difficult or too quiet or not enough because I think you’re everything in the world and more? It doesn’t, because I do. I want you in ways I’ve never wanted anyone else, and it’s driving me fucking insane.”

“Do you think you could read some of it to me when we’re together? I like listening to you. It helps me process the words.” “Hey.” I stand and touch his jaw. His eyes snap to mine, and I smile. “I’ll read you whatever you want. Monster smut. Books about fairies. A thriller that includes graphic details about brutal murders.”

“I fell in love with your determination and your drive. With the way you speak into a microphone and how hard you work. I fell in love with your kind heart and the way sometimes, when I’m feeling really fucking positive, I let myself believe you might one day love me back. When you’re ready. But you take all the time you need, sweetheart, because I’m not going anywhere.”

I watch Liam skate over the red line. His teammates surround him and Maverick, but he shoves past them. Throws off his gloves and drops his stick on the ice. He bolts toward me, blades slicing across the Stars logo, eyes locked on mine. I don’t have a second to breathe before he’s yanking me out of the tunnel. Sweeping me off my feet and hugging me to his chest.

➤ started: aug 18
➤ finished: aug 29

[madi · Rating 2 out of 5]

⋆｡˚⟡ — 2.5 stars
𐙚 spoiler-free review ♡

♡ ⋆｡˚ thoughts
i hate to say it but this is definitely my least fav in the series ☹️ i had hope that maybe the reread could redeem it bc the first time i read this i also didn’t like it, but nope… that wasn’t the case. the biggest issue for me wasn’t really the characters, it was the plot and the overwhelming amount of smut 😭 it felt like it was constant and ended up taking away from the story.

♡ ⋆｡˚ characters

♡ ⋆｡˚ piper
i love her sm 🥹 piper was literally everything. she’s ambitious, caring, and so determined to prove herself. i admired how she didn’t let her past or her awful ex define her, and she kept pushing forward even when she was treated unfairly. she definitely deserved better than what she went through, and i loved the little glimpses of her slowly building her confidence again. i also appreciated how she always tried to communicate, even when it was hard, and how she never stopped giving her full heart to the people around her 💗

♡ ⋆｡˚ liam
don’t let this man fool you, he may come across super grumpy and shut off at first, but when it came to piper he was such a softie 🥹 i liked seeing those moments where he actually showed her how much he cared. now i wouldn’t say he’s my fave mmc in this series, but he still had his sweet moments that made me smile 🤭

♡ ⋆｡˚ piper + liam
these two were sooo cute!! i really did enjoy seeing them open up to each other, and there were definitely some swoony scenes. BUT my biggest complaint is that the smut completely took over their story. it felt repetitive and honestly made me lose interest after a while. some of the things they would say during those scenes also made me a little uncomfy 😭 which just took away from the emotional connection i wanted to see more of.

♡ ⋆｡˚ final thoughts
even though i didn’t love this one, i already know that the rest of the series is gonna make up for it 🤭

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ pre-read ♡⋆°｡⋆𐙚
⤷i missed these characters sm that i had to reread this series 🙂‍↕️ and i get to do it with my fav girls giu, kim, har, & aislinn ♡ i love you all sm, and i just know this reread is gonna be even better since we’ll get to yap and scream about everything together 🤭

[giu (back!)]

. . . ᝰ pre read .ᐟ

this book gives me so indy & ryan vibes but the grumpy x sunshine trope scares me a lot… still to keep me company there are my lovely girlies kim, har, aislinn and mads. i love y’all to the moon and back <3

[julia ⊹ [ trying to be back! ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

⟢ 4 stars┊power play — chelsea curto
⤿ no one noticed by the marías
no one tried to read my eyes,
but you..

⊹ “i would’ve always found you,” i say hoarsely. “and if i couldn’t find you, i would’ve waited for you. two years. three years or four. doesn’t matter.”

i ate this up! i love how chelsea writes this series with woman being in the spotlight in the nhl! they deserve it so so much. all the boys in this series are such gentleman’s omgg. i love them all individually so so much! the way they were there for piper after her break up and making her feel loved is so special! 🥹 chelsea’s writing is quick and easy to read so reading her stories is extremely addicting. also the way man has been utterly obsessed with piper for four years straight. 🧍‍♀️

the only random thing was the fact that the marriage in convenience trope begann at around 50-60% into the book. like at that point you could’ve just let it be.
…..

⌗ 💌⌇piper + liam -
their banter was so so good! piper and liam‘s love is so real and pure! they were always destined for eachother without even knowing eachother. i feel like they would’ve found eachother in every universe.
piper always thought she wasn’t worth anything and felt like her needs weren’t as important as others and that breaks my heart. liam showed her that she’s worth more than anything. he was so gently and supportive of her. #daddymaterial

ㆍremembers the exact weather and outfit she wore when they first met four years ago.
ㆍ makes sure her boss is fired because he overheard a conversation about him being disrespectful to her.
ㆍpanics when he realizes he lost his ring so he ties it onto his skate after finding it.
ㆍhasn’t been with any woman since laying eyes on her four years ago.
ㆍbooks a private plane because she told him she doesn’t like flying and says it makes it more comfortable for her.
ㆍkeeps a list of things she likes, hates and important dates in his wallet.

“i put other people first, preferring to help them solve their problems instead of agonizing over my own.”
“hockey is the priority. it’s always going to be the priority, and a girlfriend—real or imaginary—won’t ever change that.”

🎟️ - quotes

“shit, liam. you want me out as captain?”
“believe it or not, i think you’re the best captain this team has ever had.”
“aw, shucks, goalie daddy. you’re going to make me blush.”

“my friends’ partners look at them like they hang the moon. like they’re grateful to even breathe the same air as them.”

“you loved me when i didn’t feel lovable. you showed me that the good kind of love—the kind that lifts you up and supports you when you’re feeling low—is worth fighting for.”

“i’d run into a fire for emerson hartwell—all of the boys would and i know she’d do the same for us.”

“in every lifetime, in every reality, in every version of their story, maverick is going to pick emmy. she’s it. his top priority. his only focus. the owner of his heart.”

“i love her so much. i saw her six minutes ago, but i miss her. i can’t imagine not spending the rest of my life with her.”

“has she always been this pretty? i think she has. it’s why i’ve been looking at her for four years.”

“i need you to know just fucking existing with you in my orbit is enough.”

“it’s exactly how you look at her. like she’s the only one in the world.”

“piper grins at me, and i feel it everywhere. behind my ribs. deep in my heart.”

“the first day i met you, i thought you were the most beautiful woman in the room. any room.”

“i think i’ve been waiting for you my whole life, piper mitchell.”
“i think i’ve been waiting my whole life for you too, liam sullivan.”

“there might be a hundred people at dinner tonight, but i’m going to be the luckiest one in the room. because i’m there with you.”

“slow dancing in the kitchen. kissing in the rain. getting matching tattoos and being an absolute idiot with the next person you fall for. be an idiot with me, piper. i’m begging you, because i’m head over heels for you.”

“a million lifetimes with her won’t be enough. it’ll never be enough.“

“i fell in love with the way you laugh. the way you smile. the way you’re brave and bold and so fucking beautiful.“

you’re the thing that’s keeping me afloat.” “i always got by on being happy enough, but i didn’t know what happiness was until i met you.”

“it hurts when you’re not around.” “i miss you when you’re gone and i count down the minutes until you come home.”

“i’m so proud to be a chapter in your book, liam.”
“a chapter in my book?” you’re the whole damn story, piper. there’s some hazy version of myself that existed before i met you, and then everything after. i’ve never loved anything like i love you, and i’ll never love anything else like i love you.”

“i will love you, piper mitchell, until my dying days. when it’s stormy. when it’s sunny. you will always have my full attention. you’ve had it for years and you weren’t even mine. i wasn’t kidding when i said you’re my favorite person in the world. no one else could ever come close.”

“the day you walked into the united airlines arena was the best day of my life. it was a wednesday. partly cloudy. eighty-five in the first week of august. august seventh, actually,”

“i don’t know how i ended up here, with a man who looks at me like i hung the moon and a group of friends i couldn’t dream up if i tried, but it was worth wading through the shit for.”

[Seeraaa ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙋𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.

𝙎𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙭 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 🩷

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙙: 𝘼 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙭 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me 🫤 I considered DNF’ing multiple times but pushed through till the end. It felt like several plot points were recycled from Face Off, just slightly rebranded — and that left me more bored than invested. Nothing really exciting or fresh happened. Everything felt... just average 😐

Piper wasn’t the bold, fierce woman I expected. I didn’t see it coming that she’d struggle so much with self-confidence 😕 It made her character feel very different from what I imagined.

As for Liam, he didn’t give off strong grumpy vibes at all — not sure what I was expecting from him, but this wasn’t it.

Their relationship? I seriously don’t get why it’s labeled fake dating 😂 They were doing way more than most actual couples. And the team interfering all the time — during their first date, the proposal — it ruined those moments. Some things should’ve just been between them 💔

What I did enjoy: Piper’s interviews (super fun!) 🎤 and the whole team helping Liam look for the ring — that part was actually sweet 💍💙

Overall, not for me.


🩷✨|𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 - Friends ➝ fake marriage ➝ lovers
Can’t wait to see how Liam and Piper survive all that tension and fall anyway! 🏒🎙️

[ʚ turtle ɞ (v. busy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

September 11, 2025 (3/5 ⭐️)

Okay… so turns out this was more of an accidental Vegas marriage (of all tropes, seriously 😭) type of situation rather than a fake marriage. And yeah… they did not handle it well. So safe to say, I ended up a bit disappointed.

I loved Liam’s character at first, but as the story went on I just got more and more irritated with him. He was emotionally immature and selfish (even his own sister clocked him 🧍🏻), and not once did he try to reassure Piper when she was clearly catching feelings and just needed a little validation. But no, to him it was hockey > her > literally everything else.
I mean, the girl poured her whole heart out to him at his sister’s wedding, told him everything she was feeling, laid all her fears and insecurities on the table, and what did he do? Stayed silent. Didn’t say a word. Then had the AUDACITY the next chapter to be like, “hmm something is wrong with Piper?” HELLOOO??

"Liam doesn’t answer me, and that only reiterates my fear. It makes me uneasy, like everything that happened on the balcony was make-believe. Something I dreamed up that could never come to light. I’m surrounded by love, but I’ve never felt so unlovable and alone."

I honestly felt so sad for her atp.
Thankfully, he finally came to his senses and redeemed himself after his sister called him selfish and told him to get his head out of his ass. From then on, he was actually a decent human being for the rest of the book, and I even started liking him again.

Anyways... all things considered, this book was actually a quick and fun read. Their chemistry was pretty good ngl, and I really enjoyed their scenes together. The dinner date at the arena was super cute and definitely my favorite moment in the book (I was literally giggling lol). And just like Face Off, this one also didn’t have a third-act breakup, which I appreciate the author for so much <3!
That being said, it did not need to be 500 pages long, 300 would’ve been more than enough honestly. And I went in with high expectations, so I was a little disappointed and didn’t enjoy it as much as I did Face Off. I've also realized I don’t really prefer this author’s writing style, something about it just isn’t clicking for me. But still, I’m definitely reading the rest of the series because I hate quitting halfway lol.

Leaving you with this quote because it was just too cute:

“I think I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, Piper Mitchell.”
“I think I’ve been waiting my whole life for you too, Liam Sullivan.” <𝟑 .ᐟ

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
₊˚⊹⟢ Pre-read:
grumpy x sunshine fake marriage AND he's a cat dad????
Say no more I'm already sold 🤸🏻

[Jen ♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought about writing a long rant, but when I looked at my notes, I realized it would take forever to go through each point, so I just decided against it. And tbh, it doesn't seem worth the effort. 🤷‍♀️

I'm really frustrated with how much time I've put into this book, only to end up feeling pretty disappointed. 😩 It also annoyed me that I spent way more time into this story than I usually do for something that's over 500 pages long, because it was sooo dragged out for no reason. Some parts felt repetitive and unnecessary, like they were just written as fillers. I don't think this book needed to be that long; it could've been a bit shorter, maybe just a few pages less. 🥴

Ngl, this is definitely the least enjoyable book I've read from this author (by far), and that's saying something since I've usually rated her other works a solid 4 or 5 stars. I'm not thrilled to give this a 2, but I believe in being honest with my ratings all the time. 

I was ready to give this a 1⭐, but the last 10% got a little better, and I like the pink theme on the book cover. So I decided to bump it up by another star just for that slight improvement. 🤷‍♀️

But would I recommend this book? I don't think so. Like I said, it's way too long for a story that's not even that complicated. 😮‍💨 There’s a lot of representation that was mentioned, but it didn’t really get explored much (dyslexia, ASL, chronic migraine, insufficient healthcare, women in sports, sexism, etc...) Also, there are a ton of tropes thrown in here; it felt a bit all over the place. 😬

Anyhoo, even though this one didn't really do it for me, I'm still looking forward to checking out the next books in the series. Hoping they're better than this. 🤞


Book info:
- Sports romance
- Spicy lessons/coaching 🙄
- Vegas wedding turned MOC
- Mention of infidelity (FMC's ex-husband)
- Grumpy (debatable) x Sunshine
- No cheating, OM/OW, separation
- No V
- HEA (they're still married, so... 🤷‍♀️)


Notes:
- Piper had been with her ex for a decade, but it appears she only received an O five times during that time. 😑 He's also the only man she's ever been with. So she's inexperienced AF, and Liam became her freaking teacher. 🤧 
- Liam has never been with anyone for the last four years (since he met Piper, who was married at that time). He developed a crush on her but still didn't do anything once he found out she's single. If she hadn't asked him to teach her, I don't think anything would have happened to these two. 😒

[Becca Voisich · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only take away from this book was the cat’s name being Pico de Gato

[Alds ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10!! the best hockey romance I've read since Face Off by Chelsea Curto 🩷 🎤 🏒

Idk what kind of crack Chelsea wove into these pages, but I was fully possessed. This book had me by the throat, and I didn’t even want to be set free. I breathed Liam and Piper. I lived for them. I would willingly sell my soul to relive this story for the first time.

Liam and Piper consumed me for daysss. The chemistry? The tension? The grumpy-sunshine trope??? It hit me like a truck. Liam’s the broody, laser-focused hockey goalie who has no time for dating or messing around because his eyes are on the Stanley Cup. He’s disciplined, serious, and quiet.

And then there’s Piper. Loud, bright, funny as hell. She talks a mile a minute and lights up every room she walks into. She’s a rinkside reporter in a male-dominated field, surviving sexism and a brutal divorce that wrecked her confidence, but she still shows up, does her job, and supports everyone around her. I love her. So much.

They make this deal to be friends with benefits — Liam helps her feel confident in bed again, Piper pretends to be his girlfriend to get his parents off his back. Simple. No emotions. No strings. Until Vegas decides to spin the bottle and suddenly these two are married. Not fake dating. Not friends with benefits. Legally bound. And oh, the way they fall — slowly, achingly, deliciously. From fake marriage to late night talks and soft looks across shared spaces. From rules to routines. From sex to something terrifyingly real.

Piper’s story really got to me. She’s so strong but still struggling. She gives so much to others that she forgets she deserves that same love in return. And Liam? He’s a grump, sure. But he’s also gentle. Thoughtful. Protective. The kind of man who remembers the little things. Who stands up for her without hesitation. Who makes her feel wanted and safe without ever making it about ego. He has a freaking list of things she likes. He cooks for her. Supports her career. And when someone talks down to her?

"I’d be very careful what you say next. That's my wife you're talking about."

That line lives in my head rent-free.

And don’t even get me started on the side characters. His teammates? Her girlfriends? Everyone feels like someone you know. The friendships are so real, so full of love. The boys literally helped Liam look for his fake wedding ring on the rink before a game. That’s loyalty and family right there!

This book wrecked me in the best way. I need a Liam Sullivan in my life. Six foot two of love, rage, tenderness, and filthy promises. A man who’s soft where it matters, rough where it counts, and absolutely unhinged when it comes to protecting what’s his.

Chelsea, you did not have to go this hard. But you did. And I’ll never be normal again.

-----------------------------------------------
"Society tells women we're supposed to hit these milestones by certain ages, or it's too late. Like, if we're not settled down by our twenties, we'll never find love or have time for children, and that's bullshit." PERIODDTT

"Roses are the bottom of the list. Peonies are my favorites. But I do like Tulips. What are these for?"
"An apology."
"No one's ever bought me flowers before."
"I'm sorry the first time you're getting them is under these circumstances. I took my shit out on you. How I reacted in your room in Vegas was uncalled for."

WE LOVE A MAN WHO KNOWS WHEN HE'S WRONG 🥹

"You said you're already on top of the world, Piper. I'm sending you to the stars next."

"Piper" I almost growls. "Open your eyes and look at me when I fuck you." SHEESHHHHHH 🥵🥵

"Almost there. God, I can't wait to see what my wife looks like when she takes all of my cock." I need this man now!! 💥

"I want to try rough. I want you to let go with me. I can take it. I want it."
"Okay, wife. I'll fuck you rough" my ovaries are in shambles 🤯😋

"If I never saw Piper again, I'd be fucking devastated. This week showed me that. When I'm not at the rink, I'm thinking about her. Wondering if she had a good day. Wondering what she was doing. Wondering if she's thinking about me too." LIAM SULLIVAN IS WHIPPED.

"I think I've been waiting for you my whole life, Piper Michell."

"You fixed me, Liam."
"You were never broken, Piper."

"You're the damn whole story, Piper. There's some hazy version of myself that existed before I met you, and then everything after. I've never loved anything like I love you. And I'll never love anything else like I love you." AWWWWW 😍🥹

[Emma.catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 was binge-worthy. Bring on the rest of the series 📚🙇🏻‍♀️💖✨

Face Off set the bar HIGH, but Chelsea went and did it again only to succeed to an even greater degree 👏🏽

Piper and Liam are my new favourite couple of the series. They were on FIRE ❤️‍🔥 but moreover, I ADORED the tenderness, thoughtfulness, and empowerment in this story. To all women: Let this be a lesson on becoming more confident. And, to all men: Let this be a lesson on how to treat a woman as she deserves to be treated 🙌🏽

“You can do it, Piper.” “There’s magic in his gentle encouragement. Affirmations I’ve never heard before, and, for half a second in a world of pretend and make believe, in a reality where I’m lifted up instead of brought down, I know I can do it." 🥹💖✨

After reading about Emmy I thought she topped FMCs. I was wrong. Piper is MY GIRL 🙌🏽 Her transformation over the course of this book was nothing short of inspiring. Watching her confidence grow was an emotional experience in itself. Who was the one to help her get there? Our MMC - Liam Sullivan…

Liam, the introverted NHL goalie might not be a people person but he is definitely a Piper person. After the two of them make a pact to help each other out, they becoming more and more involved in each other’s lives. Things are fun, casual, and easy. That is until they did a ‘Ross and Rachel’ in Vegas 🤭 Now: husband and wife - as the clock ticks on their marriage with benefits, will it remain just for the hockey season or can they make it work in real life?

AHHH 🤩 I loved this SO much!!! Especially once the accidental wedding scene took place…and the Ross Geller comparison had me laughing my head off 🤣

“I’ve never wanted to be an idiot before, but you make me want to be stupid. You make me want to get married in Vegas and laugh until my sides hurt. I thought I knew what being happy was, but then I met you, and everything changed. That wasn’t me being happy. This is me happy, and it’s because of you.” 😌

While Piper flourished, Liam cherished and respected her. He was such a kind and caring character. He may have come across as grumpy to some, but I totally understood his wanting to take a back seat from the spotlight. And most of all, he was there for the people that mattered; I loved watching his hockey vs personal life balance shift throughout the book as his priorities changed.

"Piper Mitchell is sunshine incarnate, and it must be exhausting to always be so happy. There’s this presence about her that makes me think she’s going to save the world or die trying. I’ve had a small, stupid crush on her since she introduced herself to me with that peppy attitude of hers, but I’ve always kept my distance.” 🥰💖✨

I LOVED watching their relationship morph overtime. Liam worshipped her, built up her confidence, and showed her that she had worth. Furthermore, they both communicated with each other with maturity, resolving any conflict that came their way; it was a refreshing change from toxic drama!

The ONLY thing that took this book down a notch from the full 5 ✋🏼 was that the spice level was a bit high for me, but that is just personal preference. I liked the fact he was able to give her more confidence in her mind and body, empowering her. And, although I wasn’t a big fan of these scenes, his empowerment went far beyond the bedroom and skyrocketed her confidence in the world.

"I’ve never been someone’s favorite person. I’ve never been someone’s top priority. I was married to a man for years and always came in second place. Maybe that’s what I’m destined for: being almost perfect, but never quite good enough,” she says softly. “You’re my favorite person.” 🥹💖✨

Overall, this was another knockout book by Chelsea. I really enjoyed the way she handled workplace drama in this book - showing women that they DO belong in a ‘men’s workplace’. She not only built Piper up, but she empowered women as a whole (characters and readers, alike). As with the first book, I loved the ‘found family’ aspect of the story, especially between the women. They were absolute powerhouses. All in all, this was a fantastic and entertaining read that made me laugh (A LOT), and almost cry (thank you chapter 50 🥲).

“To the women who get knocked down but come back stronger than before.” 💪🏽

"A million lifetimes with her won’t be enough. It’ll never be enough." ✨

I am SO excited for Hudson’s story next… 🙇🏻‍♀️

4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

[joni ౨ৎ (semi-ia)]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
im beyond excited to finally be continuing this series!!! i adored face off and i can't wait to read all about piper and liam 🤭 i have a feeling i'll love this one 🩷


↪ started dec 12
↪ finished dec 14

[poppi ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5☆

i’m beginning to believe this is just a 5 star series, and i can’t wait to immediately pick up book 3. i am having the best time going through this series.

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡°

seeing liam and piper’s story unfold was so much fun, i had a complete blast. i knew i would adore them both from the very first book, but this extent? i will forever think about them.

seeing liam come out of his shell and open up was the most beautiful thing. ever. i knew there was so much to him and so much depth to his personality and i completely fell for the man, even if he’s just on paper. he’s perfect.

attentive, caring, someone who pays attention and takes actual notes of things you like, don’t like, things you want, you name it. a man who goes out of his way to do the simplest things for you because you’ve never had this done, small things like buying your favorite flowers, cooking dinner for you, taking care of you when you have a migraine attack. this man is actual perfection.

and piper is the cutest angel ever. i love everything about her and i loved learning more about her. i knew she’d be perfect the moment she became a prominent character in emmy’s life. she’s someone who has been through hell and back, but come out stronger in the end. she’s someone who puts her friends and family above herself. she’s someone who deserves the absolute world and she finally found it with liam.

“You’re the best thing to ever come out of my heartbreak, and even though it hurt like hell, I’d do it again if it meant finding you.”

oh, and liam is a cat daddy. that automatically makes him perfect in my eyes.

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

do they want a third?

♾️⭐️

[✨sofia✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (there are lots 😋)

”I’ll wait the rest of my life for you, Sunshine,” he says, and I can hear the smile infused in his words. “You take as long as you need.”

Ahhh sorry gang this review took so long, procrastination is real lol.
Anyway this won’t be like my usual reviews, partly because I’m lazy and partly because fantasy (what I usually read) has way more components to rant about.
Now that’s over and done with, on to the rest!!

~read if you like~
➻ grumpyxsunshine
➻ hates everyone but her
➻ “teach me”
➻ he wants her last name
➻ gets on his knees to find their ring
➻ marriage of convenience
➻ friends with benefits to lovers
➻ she’s divorced & wants to focus on herself, he doesn’t want a relationship
➻ NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!
➻ a lot of other stuff I forgot!!

💋 Intro 💋
⤷ this book was really good!! I lowk don’t remember much but that’s ok lol, I remember really liking it. It was super sweet with no big arguments and, as said before, no third act breakup. It’s basically a book of fluff with an added benefit of spice, and it is such a good breather. They supported eachother and grew together. The spicy scenes were good too, and started very early, but it didn’t feel too rushed with the romance aspect of the story. There wasn’t really a plot except for their relationship and jobs, but it’s so chill it doesn’t matter. I do wish they did more regarding her ex, but that’s ok. I’m still a Maverick girly, but Liam is a close second who had me debating who should have first place.

🫂 Characters 🫂
⤷I really enjoyed them, and the cameos of other characters (I won��t be doing those cuz they will each get their own review)

🎤 Piper Mitchell 🎤
⤷so sunshiny I love her

”I love you,” she says again, the three words muffled against my chest. Cemented in my soul and close to piercing my heart. “You’re the best thing to ever come out of my heartbreak, and even though it hurt like hell, I’d do it again if it meant finding you.”

She’s so sweet yet also knows how to stand up for herself. I was so proud of how she embraced her new job of being the head reporter, because she was absolutely amazing at it. I like the rep of how she always puts people before her, and I loved her journey in finding herself again.

🥅 Liam Sullivan 🥅
⤷this man has a mouth ahhhh

”I will love you, Piper Mitchell, until my dying days. When it’s stormy. When it’s sunny. You will always have my full attention. You’ve had it for years and you weren’t even mine. I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re my favorite person in the world. No one else could ever come close.”

He was so grumpy I loved it!! All he did was support Piper and show her what it really meant to be cared for, and I was loving for it. He had a crush on her for forever and I’m so glad he finally got to act on it. He was actually so sweet I loved him.

✍️ Quotes ✍️

MAVERICK x EMMY CAMEO!!!

“In every lifetime, in every reality, in every version of their story, Maverick is going to pick Emmy.
She’s it.
His top priority.
His only focus.
The owner of his heart.
If she disappeared tomorrow, he’d burn the world down to find her.
And if he couldn’t?
He’s leave this world before loving without her.”

MOVING ON :)

⤷ ”I’m going to prove every last asshole who ever doubted me wrong.”

⤷ “She’s so nice. The kind of woman who finds the good in everyone, even if they aren’t deserving of it.”

⤷ “I’m not a boy, Piper. I don’t need surveys or ratings. I’m a man, and I know how to listen. Listening goes a long way, and it’s not difficult to do.”

⤷ “Fuck the guy who never gave her what she needed to help her shine.”

⤷ “I might be tough on the ice, but when she’s under me, saying my name like I’m important, like I’m so much more than a hockey player who stops a couple goals every night, I’m goddamn weak.”

⤷ “I’m not looking at her like she’s my friend.
I’m not looking at her as a man who has his priorities sorted out and isn’t interested in anything serious.
I’m looking at her like my heart is about to flatline. Like I’m close to meeting my end, and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever regretted being a professional athlete.”

⤷ “We could’ve been good, I think. We work well as friends. We work well in the bedroom. WE work well doing domestic things like cooking dinner and watching TV, but it’s not meant to be.
And fuck does that make me want him more tonight.”

⤷ “I saw the way she looked at you last night.” Lani’s smile turns softer. More reverent as she rests her head on my shoulder. “It’s exactly how you look at her. Like she’s the only one in the world.”

⤷ “I would’ve always found you,” I say hoarsely. “And if I couldn’t find you, I would’ve waited for you. Two years. Three or four. Doesn’t matter.”

⤷ “A million lifetimes with her won’t be enough.
It’ll never be enough.”

⤷ “You make life so fucking fun. You’re the thing that’s keeping me afloat. I always got by on being happy enough, but I didn’t know what happiness was until I met you. Not really. Now every day is the best day of my fucking life. Because of you.”

✨Outro✨
⤷overall this book was rlly good!! It’s such a light romance that will make you giggle, yet also hide the pages from any prying eyes. I 100% recommend this series!!

~i think i’ve been waiting for you my whole life~

[ivona &#x13212;ㅤׂㅤ&#x1065a; ࣪ ⭒ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ˋ°•*⁀➷4☆

”be an idiot with me, piper. i’m begging you, because i’m head over heels for you.”

i’ve really enjoyed this one too!! chelsea’s writing is so quick and easy to read and i found myself immersed in her stories. piper and liam are such a cute grumpy/sunshine duo. on the outside liam is closed off and broody and doesn’t care for anything other than hockey, but deep down he is soft and sweet person who has been pining for piper for four years. they had to, of course, have friends with benefits arrangement. which again, isn’t my biggest cup of tea but if done good and right, i can enjoy it. they both helped each other out of their comfort zone, piper got more confident because of liam. he is patient teacher that’s all i’m going to say.🤭

i am kind of confused why is this marketed as “marriage of convenience” since they got married at like 50-60%? it’s not right from the beginning but oh well. NONETHELESS i had great time. i can’t wait enough for next one since it’s hudson book. it better be worth the wait or i’ll sue.👈🏼

“there’s something so raw, so human about sharing the things you’re most afraid of. it’s intimidating to put them out in the universe. to voice your fears and confront them head-on.”

“i would’ve always found you. and if i couldn’t find you, i would’ve waited for you. two years. three years or four. doesn’t matter.”

[Emma Skapetis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-review
This was so cute. I loved seeing Liam treat Piper the way she deserved to be treated and I loved the message of Piper being a woman in a male dominated industry. I will continue this series sometime soon. RTC.
The plot
Power play follows Piper and Liam. Piper is a reporter for Liam's hockey team the D.C Stars and Liam is the goalie.
Piper is recently divorced and she lost a lot of her self-confidence in her marriage as her ex-husband was awful to her.
She also did not have much of an intimate relationship with him despite the fact that they were together for 10 years.
Piper wants to explore her sexuality by having someone teach her what she doesn't know but she has no one to do this for her.
Enter Liam of course who Piper has had a crush on for a while. He has had a crush on Piper for a while but he is extremely dedicated to hockey and doesn't do relationships of any kind.
This means he has been celibate for 4 years.
Anyway Piper ends up telling Liam everything and he agrees to teach her what she wants to learn. They begin their lessons which means they spend a lot more time together and Liam begins to build up Piper's self-confidence.
One night Piper and Liam get married after a drunken night out in Vegas and they agree to stay married for convenience. However their feelings for each are very real. Will they be able to convey to each their true feelings and have a real marriage or will their insecurities get in the way of this?
My thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I read it right after Releasing 10 so it was definitely needed after the emotional rollercoaster of that book.
It was so cute and lightheaded.
I loved Piper and Liam both together and separately and I am pretty certain that they will be my favorite couple of the series.
I especially loved the way Liam would build Piper up both before and after they got together.
I do love the marriage of convenience trope especially when a romance couple get married in Vegas and it was done so well here.
I loved the commentary of Piper being a woman in a male dominated industry and I loved that a issue she dealt with was taken seriously immediately.
Of course there was a lot of spice in this book but I really felt the emotional connection between the characters and that is my favorite type of spice.
I would recommend this series especially if you enjoy spicy hockey romance series that have great found family.

[Katie Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am LOVING this series! The bar was set with Face Off. The angst and buildup and tension and SPICE was glorious. And then Chelsea went and did it AGAIN in Power Play. I haven't really read a lot of spicy lessons books but I think I might be addicted now. The thing that I enjoyed the most about it though was more so the CONFIDENT lessons. How Liam was able to build up Piper not just in the bedroom but outside of it. I really really LOVED Liam. He was this grump, older goalie guy who kind of did things with the team but on his own terms. Then Piper came along, and it was like his playbook went out the window. To learn that he had been crushing on her for so long- SWOON! I loved how he really tried to play it cool when she asked for what she wanted from him. This woman who was so strong but had been crushed by men. She was in a mostly male role as a sports reporter and just needed the right setting to be able to show the world how incredible she could be. I loved Liam's silent support as well as his outright support. He said yes to the lessons thinking he could keep his cool and keep his boundaries. But Piper worked her way through to his heart with her honesty and how she made hm feel. I loved the found family in this one and that it was Liam basically finding the family that he had chosen to sit out on. I loved meeting his sister- anyone else think that her marriage is going to bust and SHE is the sister who ends up with the Coach?? The banter in this was chef's kiss- between the guys, between the girls, between Liam and Piper themselves. I just loved how much they made each other their best selves!

Piper is done being walked all over. She works her butt off in this business and because of her bosses just hasn't been seen yet. She got dumped by her fiance who she thought she loved. But now she questions everything. They didn't even have that great of a bedroom life together. It was very vanilla and not Piper focused. So she wants someone she can learn from so she can be ready for whenever she meets her person. After going back and forth on it, she decides to proposition Liam. The hot goalie on the team who is a complete grump but not really with her. She recognizes that there is more to this man than meets the eye. To her surprise he says yes. And then he legit rocks her world. He shows her patience. He shows her the art of foreplay. He shows her how beautiful he thinks she is. He starts to open up to her a little bit. He is very clear that hockey is his life so they keep boundaries. But then they wake up married in Vegas after a drunk night out. And after some careful deliberation they decide to keep things how they are now. There are some added benefits for her besides him calling her his wife. But then lines get really blurred to where she starts wondering if she is too invested. She really wants him to be her person. But is she a distraction for his one main focus or is he on the same page as her now?

Liam is a loner. Even though he is the goalie on the DC stars, he has always done his own thing. He can't get distracted from hockey. That is his main focus. At least that is what he tells himself. But he really can't stop thinking about Piper Mitchell. One of the side reporters and his captain's fiance's best friend. He will never forget meeting her for the first time four years ago only to realize she had a ring on which made her off limits. But recently he has noticed the ring is gone. He just doesn't know if she feels remotely the same about her AND he has to focus on hockey. So imagine his surprise when she asks him to help her learn things in the bedroom. When she asks HIM to be her person and says she TRUSTS him with this. WHAT?! Liam almost doesn't believe this is real. His dream girl asking him for this. But he takes a minute to digest this because he doesn't think he will be able to walk away from this unscathed. But of course he says yes which is how he gets to experience Piper unlike he ever has. He gets to watch her unravel, and HE gets to be the person that builds her up. He tries to draw lines. No one knows these are happening behind closed doors. But he finds himself wanting to hang out with her too not just in the bedroom. So when they wake up married after a drunk night in Vegas, Liam has to take a moment to process this. It feels like a mistake because of the timing. But after thinking it through they decide to stay together at least for a little bit. But the more he gets to call Piper his wife, the more he realizes he doesn't want ANYONE else to get to call her that.

I really enjoy how Chelsea's books make me feel. She does a really great job handling the discussion of women in a men's workplace. The anxiety and shame sometimes and even imposter syndrome involved. But then she builds the ladies up and it makes me feel so PROUD. I also laughed out loud, fanned myself/panted, and was on the edge of my seat to see WHEN these two were finally going to realize that this was real. I also felt ridiculously happy when getting to see Liam come out of his shell. His teammates giving him slack for that was truly adorable. I can't WAIT to continue on with this series and see the rest of the guys fall :) If you haven't started it yet, I can't recommend it enough!!

[Jenn C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Piper and Liam's interactions in Book 1 of the DC Stars Series (Face-Off) so I was eager to read their story in Power Play. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this one.

First, there were many instances where the pacing felt rushed and the conversations forced to further the plot. Early on, an entire chapter is devoted to a cringe-worthy girls' night convo where the FMC's issues are laid out simply to get the ball rolling. This type of approach to advancing the plot continues throughout the book in various admissions and conversations or in near monologues that go on for pages. It's all very glaring and issues are brought up in ways that are not at all organic. The conflict in this book is frequently unclear & there are way too many tropes/inclusivity attempts jammed into this overly long story.

I also really struggled with consistency in the characters. At times, Piper is so protective of Liam's wish for privacy. At others, she is divulging really personal details about their arrangement with mutual friends and colleagues before he has even consented to doing so. The locker room talk and banter between the teammates was off in this book whereas it was a highlight in the first book in the series. Piper is very much a people pleaser to the point of fawning and it was super ick when she did that in the bedroom.

At several points, I felt like I had already read this story. Perhaps it's partly because I've read quite a few hockey romances, but there were also several echoes of Business Casual by BK Borison here. It's possible that I am connecting thm because I happened to read the two back-to-back, but it felt odd that the silver formal event dress was described so similarily and the "you're my favorite" - "I've never been anyone's favorite" scenario happens in both books. Borison does it with finesse. Unfortunately, Curto's attempt lands flat.

The romance here is not believable and there is little if any emotional intimacy because they insist on this being a purely sexual 'teaching' arrangement while they both hide their growing feelings and attachment. YAWN. The sex scenes are frequent and yet this seems like one of the least sexy books I've read. In fact, this book unlocked several new icks for me when it comes to spicy scenarios - from gross descriptions to cringe dialogue or actions (like taking a phone call from her ex during sex & Liam threatening him then inviting him to listen in if he wants).

Lastly, I read an ARC. I hope to be able to scan the final version to see if further editing was done to finalize this for publication. I hope so. I would never rate a book based on the editing alone, but I do notice editing and grammatical mistakes that should be caught by a copy editor (ex: he's putting his hand under her shirt but 3 pages ago it described the dress she was wearing) so I find it distracting in a book. I am wondering if indie books are maybe not for me because I'm noticing this issue more and more. If the editing is being done by beta readers and the author alone, I feel like it's a disservice to the author and the readers.

[Muffinsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
Spicy spicy of course mais damn qu'est-ce que j'ai aimé ce roman ! Les personnages sont hyper attachants, les trope sont au rendez vous pour nous faire un roman addictif... et la relation. Si green flag. Si belle, si touchante, vraiment baaaanger ! Je sens que cette saga va faire partie de mes pref en romance sportive huhuuuu j'ai hâte de continuer ! Pour l'instant, le tome 1 reste mon préféré mais ça ne se joue pas à beaucoup.

[MillennialMomReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was anxious taking a chance on a hockey romance due to their extreme popularity on booktok since sports romances can go so sideways-but Power Play by Chelsea Curto has made me a convert. The first thing to know before picking it up is that it is SPICY. Like next level compared to a lot of contemporary romances. But you’re going to have to take my word for it that the spice is so well done you won’t mind its presence every few pages, and the surrounding story is so well written that you’ll be recommending this book to your best girlfriends in no time. This touches on some heavy topics like sexual harassment and gender discrimination in sports without feeling corny or over the top. It feels like Air Bud on ice (and I mean that in the BEST way possible) with this team of Golden Retriever hockey playing men that are so emotionally healthy you’ll do a double take. This is an immediate pick up if you’re into hockey romance or even just contemporary romance.

[Luciana (✿◠‿◠) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) Debería ser fantasía, porque no existen hombres así de detallistas y tan perfectos.


Hacía mucho que no leía un sport romance y me gustó volver a este trope, es una lectura sencilla, sin dramas innecesarios; lo que necesitaba.

Lo único que no me gustó fue la excusa del matrimonio por conveniencia, lo sentí medio random más que nada porque hay una sola escena en la que se ven las migrañas de ellas. Pero después todas las interacciones entre ellos me gustaron, también amé a todos los miembros del equipo y a las chicas.
Tal vez hay un exceso de escenas spicy, aunque ya lo sabía así que no me voy a quejar.

[suus⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ finally finished a book again after a 3 month reading slump !! rtc soon 🫶🏼

[Courtenay (ceelovesbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I don’t think I’ve ever fallen in love with two characters as fast as I did with Piper & Liam. I don’t think I’ll ever get over these two. I don’t think I ever want too.

I want to start off by saying that this book is DRASTICALLY different from Emmy & Mavericks story. In a wonderful way. A beautiful way. But very different. You still get the hilariousness that is the group chat, the teammate banter, the girl code chats, and you do get to see a lot of Em and Mav in this book, but Piper and Liam deserve all the attention here. They’re the true shining stars of their own love story.

Piper is finally out of a toxic marriage and she is hurting. Her confidence is shaken, and she’s lonely. All she wants is to find her person. But she doesn’t know where to even begin, when her experience begins and ends with her ex husband.

Liam is a grumpy goalie. RESPECTFUL, but grumpy. He likes being alone, and he likes his routine. He isn’t looking for any distractions from his one true love, hockey.

When Piper and Liam get a little personal one night, they come up with a solution to two problems that will benefit them both. With an expiry date of course. 😌

And after a wild night in Vegas, they end up in an even trickier situation than they previously thought ! 💍

This story was truly beautiful to experience. The self growth of both characters. The self confidence that grew and grew from Piper as the book progressed. Of course, the “how hard can it be? Boys do it.” That we saw a lot of in Face Off as well, was perfection. Overcoming fears. Overcoming heartbreak. And ultimately finding love in the place you least expected to.

There was ONE PART where Liam made a bit of an oopsie. One single slip up that he eventually grovelled back to Piper about, and she forgave him quickly, so I did too 😂

There is absolutely ZERO toxic masculinity in this book. Liam is the standard for book boyfriends, and I can’t wait for you all to experience this wonderful, perfect man. And his wonderful, perfect WIFE. (If you like “my wife” this is the book for you! 🥵) I mean, this man has a damn LIST of things Piper likes and doesn’t like, and PAYS ATTENTION to every single thing she says, does, or moans 😉

The spice was of course on point, and much spicier IMO than Face Off. I mean these two are FWB and having spicy lessons, how could it not be absolute 🔥? They’re LEARNING what the other likes and how to make it good for them. It was perfection. Just the right amount of heat vs. plot and I couldn’t ask for any more than what we got!

I fear I’ll keep raving about this book for the foreseeable future, and I’m not sorry about it one bit. I have nothing bad to say, and if you don’t see me shut up about them, well I’m not sorry about that either. Another ♾️⭐️ read from Chelsea that just made my entire life THAT much better.