The Secret Play

Pucking Daddies

by Mia Mara

A wild night at a masquerade ball should have stayed anonymous.
Except it didn’t.

Five years later, I’m a single mom, starting fresh in Atlanta, writing a piece on the NHL’s most respected coach—Casey McConnell.

He’s a silver fox with piercing blue eyes that ignite a spark in me.
A man who commands the ice and his team with sexy authority.
And completely off-limits, given I’m one of his player’s younger sister.

Despite our age gap, I didn’t think we’d get this close this fast...

Until I notice the birthmark on his shoulder—the same one I saw on my masked lover five years ago.

OMG. He’s the one who left me with a little surprise that night.
And he has no idea he’s her father.
And I plan to keep it that way.

But when he starts piecing the clues together, I realize the truth could spark a career-ending scandal that threatens to shatter the team.

And for my daughter—and my heart—I can’t afford to puck this up.

This is Coach's story, book 3 in the Pucking Daddies series. It can be read as a standalone and has a HEA!

Genres: Hockey, Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Second Chance, Hockey Romance, Contemporary

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2025

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to be nice and round 2.5 stars to 3

This is okay. It’s not great. The writing is meh. The conversations are not realistic sounding. The spice also, not super well-written. It’s okay. The plot, uhhhhh. The two MCs hook up, Gemma gets pregnant, doesn’t tell the father, Casey. She comes back to town five years later and proceeds to date the father without telling him that he has a daughter. And when Casey asks, she gets angry. The next time he asks, she freezes, then admits the truth. He asks for space to figure out what he thinks and how to proceed. She refuses to grant him the space that she forced him to give her. At this point, I detest her. And he is the blandest man ever born. If you want to read, go ahead, but there are actual good books out there in the hockey romance world. Give this one a pass and choose the next one.

[Zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

GIRL—— I forgive the five years but present timeline??you are almost 30 years old and you cant communicate that he is the father within a few days of you finding out!?

YOU DECIDE TO KEEP HAVING SEX WITH HIM???? while he doesn’t know this?????

AND THEN HE STARTS CONNECTING DOTS AND YOU GET MAD????? and say “oh well i shouldn’t be criticized for my sex habits” WE AREN’T TALKING ABOUT THAT!!! he literally is asking if there is a chance y’all have hooked up in the past and if he is Winnie’s father!!! AND YOU DIDN’T SAY SHIT!!!

and he doesn’t find out until he point blank asks you if he is the father!!

Girl the amount i wanted to smack your grown ass…

AND MY GOD it takes y’all so long to communicate you guys are 29&48 FIGURE IT OUT!

Also did I miss the part where the love was developing?

ALSO MARRIAGE??? YALL HAVEN’T HAD A SERIOUS TALK AT ALL!!

[Tori Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

The timings of this book were completely all over the place. They’ve been dating “a few weeks” yet it went from pre-season hockey practice to the playoffs while they dated? The playoffs lasted 1 game each? It seems the author has literally no idea how or when the game of hockey is played. Kind of embarrassing, honestly.

[Carly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fulls disclosure- I dnf’d at 60%.

This story had potential and these are tropes that i usually enjoy but i just couldn’t get past the amateur writing style and some of the ridiculous plot points. I also don’t enjoy insta love and I really never got more than physical attraction from these two main characters.

A few of my icks-

- from a hockey perspective the timeline made zero sense. At one point the team owner is lecturing the MMC about stepping up his approach for the upcoming season, then they go on about 3 dates and suddenly it’s the playoffs??? And they never once mention the MMC traveling for away games.

- the idea that this is a professional hockey team and all these players came from previous jobs or have side hustles is just silly. One doesn’t go from being a hip hop choreographer to playing in the nhl. Or being a drummer in a band or a Chaplin…one doesn’t just trip into a hockey career and they aren’t selling candles on Etsy in their spare time.

- the FMC keeps talking about the financial impact of losing his job and says it’ll probably be ok. He’s a fuckjng nhl coach and has been there for 7 years making a couple million per year. I think he’s going to be ok. And being insecure and thinking the FMC will be attracted to the players because they make more money is just dumb.

- I’m all for an age gap, but I would have preferred this gap to be smaller. 19 years is significant. I couldn’t help picturing the MMC as geriatric when Winnie goes to prom.

- the conflict is written without any sophistication. Why is he mad that the FMC didn’t tell him. She literally didn’t know who he was. And if he thinks she did know, why doesn’t he think she sought him purposely when she returned? They both keep acting upset and angry and still keep having sex. These don’t seem like adults who know how to solve problems.


I could go on, but that’s enough to make the point. This one definitely wasn’t for me.

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7⭐️




Tiene potencial, pero no me gustó cómo se manejó el tema de la paternidad. ¿Por qué no decirle la verdad? No entendí su miedo.

Casey no se merecía la falta de respeto de su equipo cuando él no hizo nada malo.

[Thais Padilla]

I don’t usually leave reviews for books I dnf but after sleeping on it , it really annoyed me I wasted all that book pages. I dnf at 44%.


First let me start off that I love a surprise pregnancy / secret baby trope. Top 3 tropes in my book IF it’s done correctly and I don’t feel like this was done correctly.

I understand this is fiction but at the same time as a woman it really grinds my gear.


How is that 25% in the book you know who the father of your child is and then you MAKE THE CHOICE to not tell him because you don’t want to ruin the relationship YOU are building with him? That is just selfish you aren’t thinking about the child at all.


Then how is it that when the guy figures it out and ask you DIRECTLY if the child is there’s then you act offended and turn the table on him and deny it all to just turn around and ask him to dinner and drop the bomb on him then AFTER there is already rumors going around about it? Also what SHITTY human being admits they lied about the father then when he calmly ask I need space to think you guilt trip on staying just to jump his bones?


Like I am sorry that just was a huge turn off and just no .

I get it this is fictional but this is shitty.

[Dianna F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome book by Mia Mara! In this book you’ll find the following troops: hockey romance, silver fox, single mom, second chance and a secret baby.

I loved how fiercely independent Gemma is as a single mom, how full of life her daughter Winnie is and how Casey’s had the shock of his life knows what he wants. The spicy scenes were smokin hot (seriously you’ll want to read them). I also loved how fiercely protective Gemma and Casey were of each other when they shared their journey.

I could not put this book down and recommend checking it out if anything from above sounds interesting. I truly believe you wouldn’t be disappointed.

[Mini_bookreader]

DNF 43%.
I didn't liked this book.
Whiny FMC, who had a lot of chances to tell MMC everything, but she lied and kept secrets even when he asked directly. Why? Just tell already. And for a single mother, her daughter was always out of picture, on sleepovers and etc.
MMC- I don't think that it's how 49 y.o acts. Nope. It would have made sence if he was she.

I just have to stop picking up any recommendations from FB.

[Lexi]

dnf @ 65%

i really wanted to like this i just couldn’t. it sounded so promising; single mom, age gap, secret baby.

for a single mom, secret baby romance the kid was hardly in the book which is part of what i love about single parent books. also i hated the way they handled conflict, they literally just had sex instead of talking. and on top of all that it was just kinda cringe and the relationship didn’t feel natural.

i really couldn’t find it in myself to finish this and just wanted to move on to something i’ll actually like

[Lumppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 stars

This was ending was so adorable! To be honest I don't even know how to describe what I'm feeling after finishing that. But all I know is this story between Gemma and Casey has set my standards for a relationship even higher. The pure emotion that they feel towards each other was carried out so well in this story! There were a few moments that kept it from being a full 5 stars or even 4.5 stars as felt it was lacking in actual hockey action. We only really got the final game, and not even a whole lot of that. But the proposal was solid!

[Elena Morrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 38%

Pretty much the same opinion as most other low ratings that I was SCREAMING at FMC. There is literally NO excuse for not telling MMC that the kid is his. I was so excited to read this age gap with a silver fox, and when I started reading and there was good communication between the two MC’s I thought I’d struck gold. That then took a steep decline when it comes to FMC not admitting parentage. I somewhat understand the initial hesitation but anything beyond being cautious and then saying it I don’t get with these characters. You have a loyal, kind, good, level headed man that adores your kid and wants to build a relationship with both of you?!? And FMC acknowledges that keeping it a secret will hurt him? AND he very clearly states that honesty is important to him?? AND AND FMC lies and gaslights him when he confronts her about it - you had your perfect excuse to come clean. I really wanted to try with this book but lost all respect for FMC and didn’t even want to get it back by continuing. This had all the ingredients for an amazing book, just very poorly executed im afraid. Okay, rant over.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good but still don't understand these one night hook-ups with no names or other important, required information.

So when Gemma turns up pregnant, who is she suppose to call? GHOST BUSTERS???????

In addition, does Casey really have the right to be angry because he wasn't notified? If Gemma hadn't recognized Casey's birth mark, she still wouldn't know who "RED" was. These one night stand couples are nuts, but the story was still pretty good!

[Kristin Loves Plants · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a lot of holes like how the FMC’s eye color started green and changed to warm brown, their daughter was at day care but also Gemma went right to bed after Casey left the house so I guess it’s an overnight daycare? Continuity seemed less important moving the plot forward

Based on the scenes they had together, you might assume these two and had spent 7 days together but the story takes place over an entire hockey season. While it felt like we missed out on their relationship development, I also found myself emotional over him walking out on her after hooking up. Some things were written really well and others missed the mark for me. There are so many hockey romances out there, this one is a skip.

[Linda Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is written from a dual point of view which provides insights into the characters thoughts and emotions. Coach Casey and Gemma hook-up at a fund raiser right before Gemma moves away. Five years later she returns with a four year old with a new job as a reporter. She gets her brother, Nico, a fantastic character, to set her up with interviews with the hockey team. That is how she reconnects with Casey, the coach. The discussion about how hard it is to date and be yourself on their first date was so true and realistic. Casey's concerns about his age including his gray hair and how people would react was also very realistic. There is 19 years between them. Casey comes across as very vulnerable emotionally despite his position of authority. And while Gemma had the perfect opportunity to tell Casey he was her daughter's father, she didn't take it.Of course, conflict arises because of the hockey teams rules about fraternization and Casey's reaction to Gemma finally admitting that he is her daughter's father. A HEA is provided. There are great side characters and a great explanation of the hockey game for a reader who is not into hockey. Definitely a book worth your time. Hopefully, there will be a book about her brother and her best friend soon.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

The following could be a bit of a spoiler so continue at your own risk.

The book was just alright, if you can suspend belief a bit.

A silver fox and a red head have a life altering one night stand (while wearing masks), after meeting at a hockey team sponsored masquerade (he’s a coach; she’s a player’s sister and also a journalist). When they meet again and feel some sparks, neither one of these supposedly smart people think, “Hmm, I wonder if this could be the same silver/red headed person that was at that masquerade party I went to and still think about five years later?” Instead it takes seeing birthmarks and recognizing some character traits of the daughter before the light bulb moment.

Also, I’m no expert on hockey, but hockey teams usually travel, however, this team never seems too. Then they make the playoffs for the Stanley Cup and only have to play one game to win. Pretty sure it’s the best out of seven games. If they played more it’s completely glossed over.

There were other things that annoyed me as well. Overall, this just wasn’t for me.

[Jessica Fowler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every time I think an FMC cannot get worse, an author decides to take it as a challenge

I have to add this author to my do not read list because wtf is she doing?
The FMC is terrible. She's whiney and toxically claims independence while being the most needy and dependent on her best friend and brother. She is downright mean to the MMC for no reason. She has a kid that she constantly foists onto her bestie while she doesn't even think about charging her phone in case said kid needs her. She is the most selfish self-centered annoying FMC possible.
The MMC is ok but Casey takes the role of doormat to Gemma's bulldozer. He's not bad by any means but he's overshadowed by her.
The spice scenes are ridiculous. The details are all over the place, missing steps to make sequences work. They feel shoehorned into the storyline, a bit forced and inappropriate, not adding any value or enjoyment to the story due to their poor timing and poor scripting.
The storyline itself has potential but it cannot stand up to the rest of the madness.

[Candace Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜 ✨

𝚃𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎/𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛:

The Secret Play - Mia Mara

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

𝙼𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜:

- Casey
- Gemma

𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

"She offered that warmth I’d been missing. I’d been missing it my whole life."

"No more secrets. No more fear. Just love."

"For once, I wasn’t overthinking things. For once lately, I was doing something for me."

𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜:

A one night stand with a masked man left a little bundle of joy. Years later Gemma finds out who the father of baby is. But it could ruin everything.

𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:

This was a sweet little hockey romance. Coach Casey was my man! He was into Gemma from the start and I loved that. The plot was interesting and I liked how things played out in the book. Hidden pregnancy books are a hit or miss for me.

𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜:

• Hockey Coach
• Age gap(19 years)
• ONS
• Single mom
• He's a gentleman 🫠

𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎:

🌶️🌶️/5

𝚂𝚘𝚗𝚐:

Legend - The Score

[Janice M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every single time I read another book in this series I think it can’t get better. There’s no way this MMC can top the last one, but once again I’ve been proven wrong. Casey is BY FAR my favorite to date. There was absolutely nothing I didn’t love about this story.

I love how strong and fiercely independent Gemma was and how she always put everyone else first even when it meant she may be ridiculed by her choices.

I loved how Coach went for her even when he knew his contract said it wasn’t okay. He knew he wanted her regardless of the consequences and that is just so dang sweet!

If you’re here for:
Silver foxes
Independent strong single mommas
Hockey romance
Players sisters romance
The sweetest man known to date
The steamiest of smexy times

Then you’ve landed at the right location. The Secret Play had all of this AND MORE!


I just have one question…. When do we get Nikos story??? I NEEDS IT 😍.

[Chiquita Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved This Book

Great storyline about Gemma, a young journalist on her way to a new job in a new city who has a one night stand with a mystery man at a masquerade ball she attended with her hockey player brother. Fast forward five years, and she’s returning from LA with her little daughter, Winnie, the product of that one night stand where no names or numbers were exchanged. She gets an assignment to interview her brother, his team members and his coach, Casey to help renew interest in the hometown hockey team. Things get complicated when she discovers that her brother’s coach bears the birth mark of her baby daddy and she withholds that info from Casey and her brother Nico, while she carries on a secretly with the coach, a direct violation of his contract. Will he forgive Gemma for hiding his daughter from him, and will he lose his job, as well as lose the respect of Nico, the rest of the players and the public when it comes to light that he has an illegitimate child with a player’s sister? There is plenty of steamy chemistry between the fmc and the mmc, despite their age difference but so much angst between the two that nearly overwhelms the storyline, and can the author pull out a HEA for this couple and their adoring little girl?

[Lauren Dowben · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first the secret baby trope is an interesting part of the story. No names exchanged and masks are kept on post masquerade. MFC leaves for Los Angeles and the MMC stays in Atlanta.

Fast forward 5 years. They meet again and they don’t know each other but MFC has a baby from their epic night together. They realize that the other is from that AMAZING night and the kid is the result. But then the MFC feels at fault for never reaching out to MMC because of internal issues and writes an article about it apologizing.

Fine you’d think? No, this isn’t fine because no name exchanged and how was she supposed to know MFC from Jack, Joe or Dapper Dan off the street other than a birthmark shaped like Italy. It’s very unrealistic and I skimmed the last 75 pages to see if it got better which it didn’t really. They’re both in my opinion bland.

I also have to say that MMC’s uncle is dumb as shit for being from Maryland and calling people from Connecticut and Philly New Englanders. Pennsylvania is not part of New England. It sucks that geography isn’t known by the uncle.

[BP34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Pucking Daddies Series but can be read as a standalone. You’ll love Casey and Gemma’s story. A lot of troupes all rolled into one story, age gap, forbidden romance, secret baby, , etc.,single mom A masked ball and explosive chemistry with an older man left Casey with a precious surprise. Five years later she’s starting over in another town and her first big article is an interview with the top NHL coach who also happens to be her older brother’s coach. What happens when sparks fly? What happens when she see’s his ‘familiar’ tattoo? What happens when he starts connecting dots? No shortage of drama, attention, sparks and angst, Does a scandal erupt? This was a good story that I read as a free book via the author and voluntarily chose to review it. An HEA and no cliffhanger.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually thought this was a pretty cute book. I was looking for an easy read involving hockey, and I landed on this. Gemma meets a mystery man at her brother’s hockey team fundraiser. They sleep together, but wear their masquerade masks the entire time. They choose not to exchange names, as Gemma is moving out of state the next day. It was unforgettable for both Gemma and mystery man, Casey, who happens to be her brother Nico’s hockey coach. Fast forward five years, Gemma has a daughter from that night who has never met her father. Gemma moves back home to be around Nico, and she is reintroduced to Casey. They fall back in love without realizing their connection, although Gemma knows first. Casey holds resentment but ultimately forgives Gemma.

[Mackenzy (tea.and.tropes) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.75⭐️ I just kept giving this author a chance because I like her writing, I like the smut, but the storylines are just everything I hate but I just know one of them is gonna hit so I keep giving her chances lol. Second secret baby of hers. I think we have a pattern. And I'm not happy about it. She is a horrific fmc and he is just a bland old man. Now tell me IN WHAT WORLD would you sleep with him, get pregnant, move away and never see him/tell him about this child for five years, DATE AGAIN AND STILL DONT TELL HIM ABOUT THIS CHILD!?! wtf. girl im out. Once again seems like MM has no idea what hockey is.

[Laurie Hudgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had it all

Rating- 4.8

This story had all the feels… love, anger, confusion, fear, family, laughter, joy, and less not forget the 🌶️.

This is the story of Gemma and Casey, brought together one night at an event neither really wanted to attend, but one that would eventually change their lives forever. It’s an older man, younger woman, unplanned but much wanted pregnancy story, where secrets kept threaten to tear apart a love that was truly destined from the start.

If you enjoy sports (hockey) romance, with a good amount of 🌶️ thrown in and an HEA to boot, this story will not disappoint. It will definitely go into my “to read again” file.

Happy reading!

[Jeri Hunnell · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first and last book by this author

If you’re going to write a book around a sport, know how the sport is played. Hockey playoff’s, even at minor league level, are more than one game. A professional player can’t just leave before the game to get his sister. Unless I missed it and the book was about a high school team.

The daughter the book is written around is basically an afterthought. She spends more time with MFC’s best friend than she does with the parents.

All around, this book is bad. There is no character development. The sports facts are off so much it’s a joke. If you’re a fan of hockey romance, skip this book and author until she learns the game.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 63%
I just don’t even know what else could happen. They got over their problems- besides the job thing
But I really have no interest
They’re in love but we haven’t seen them emotionally connect even one time. She gets mad at HIM for asking if he’s the father when he had to put the whole thing together himself? wtf he probably felt like an idiot asking that and she got mad even tho it was true 🙄 Gemma is annoying honestly
And she just keeps sending Winnie to a babysitter it’s like she’s never even with her and we’ve only gotten to see coach (forgot his name) with her once?
Idk skimmed tf out of it and didn’t keep my attention at all
And Nico being mad about it is just plain weird

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a HUGE confession to make. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE reading Mia's romance books. I think she right be one of my favorite authors. This book is pucking amazing with Gemma and Casey's romance. I found myself drooling over the really sexy blue-eyed hunk on the cover and once I started to read this romance book, I found myself sitting on the couch all day long. I am normally not a fan of colder temperatures but today was the best type of day to stay inside and just read all day long. So, skate over to the read now button and let this romance book be your next great read.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a night at a ball she attended with her brother, Gemma meets a sexy silver fox but does not get his name. So 5 years later she returns home and meets the sexy head coach of the Atlanta Fire and puts the clues together and realizes she has met him before. But of course there are issues and drama and trouble for Gemma and Casey to get a hay ending. It was funny, entertaining and full of that drama that hockey layers are great at providing. Had me laughing at times and shaking my head at others but it was fun to read.

[Patty McGovern Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love it !!

Megan and Cassie were pure magic. Their chemistry jumped off the page. Their one night stand was hot! Winnie was so darling and Cassie was thrilled the first time he met her. I loved the team and all the players especially Nico the perfect overprotective big brother. This was the first book I read in this series and I understood everything that was going on. Mia Mara is a very talented author and I was so happy to find this book. I can’t wait to read more books in this fun Hockey series. I highly recommend this book!! Ten stars good!

[Marranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent pallet cleanser

I'd been deep in the dark romance niche for a few months and needed a breather, but still wanted spicy and romantic. This book hit the spot. There's just something about a dignified silver fox that I just love reading about.
Excellent story, no plot holes (thankfully!), characters are each unique and consistent in their personalities.
.
Only inconsistency I noted was Gemma's eye color changes early in the book, from green to brown. Otherwise, no other inconsistencies noticed.