Punchline: The Games We Play - Season 2

The Games We Play

by Cari Z., L.A. Witt

Jake Radovitz is finally figuring himself out again. After he accidentally injured a friend so badly during a tournament that it ended the guy’s MMA career, Jake shied away from the mat and their friendship. Now he’s inching back into that world, working alongside his friend and coaching young fighters.

Ethan Bernier is trying his level best to prove that he’s ready to move up from the farm team to the NAPH. He’s playing hard, he’s playing well… and he’s playing with some newfound grit. Unfortunately, a humiliating attempt at fighting turns him into the joke of the league.

When a teammate suggests fighting lessons, Ethan agrees. Anything to avoid a repeat of that embarrassment.

But it’s really, really hard to focus on the instruction when the fighting coach is the hottest man Ethan has ever seen.

And now Jake is struggling to teach this cute student who’s making him face the bisexuality he’s tried to ignore.

Even as their careers pick up steam, maybe they can have it professional success, strong friendships… and love they won’t have to hide from their fans.

The Games We Play - Season 2 is the second season of this multi-author minor league hockey romance series! All titles run concurrently through the same hockey season and the books can be read in any order, so jump in anywhere!

Genres: Hockey, M M Romance, Sports

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2025

About the author

Cari Z. is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She has a wonderful relationship with her husband, a complex relationship with the characters in her head and a sadomasochistic relationship with her exercise routine. She feels like Halloween should happen every month, which is why you get this picture of her, and hopes that you enjoy reading what she's put out there as much as she enjoyed writing it in the first place.

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It was okay for me - though I felt that it didn't really have conflict.

Despite Ethan sometimes getting neurotic about whether he was good enough for Jake (because apparently, Ethan was really bad at fighting and he worried that he embarrassed his boyfriend/fighting-coach) and Jake also went overthinking, I thought relationship-wise, there wasn't a big obstacle between them.

So most of the book were following up Ethan and Jake from introduction to be in a relationship doused with some hockey watching, smoker watching, in between. And of course, both their friends.

The "problem" was introduced a bit later on - NOT about the two of them but mostly related to Jake's sport, and it was solved quickly. So yeah, this one was just okay for me. It was nice reading about Marek and Carson though - they were the characters from Even Strength, the first season of this series introduced by the authors

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book harks back to Even Strength: The Games We Play, Book 2 but IMO you could read it as a stand alone (although poss minor spoilers) - I enjoyed book 1 as well.

Jake made a mistake in an MMA fight - he's a very big guy, he overused his strength and size, and badly injured the friend he was competing against. If they'd been unlucky, he might have killed Carson (an MC in the previous book.) Carson has made it through his rehab, and now runs a fight gym, but he's never going to compete again and Jake can't forgive himself. He quit competing too, and is working as an instructor, still fighting bad days of body image and self-distrust and regrets.

Then Carson's boyfriend Marek, a PHL hockey player, suggests his teammate Ethan should get fight coaching. Naturally he suggests his boyfriend's gym. And that throws Ethan and Jake together.

Ethan had one hockey fight so humiliating he'd do anything to never fight that badly again. But training with a guy who has Ethan breathless is a whole other challenge. Jake isn't out as gay, although he's clearly fine around Carson and Marek, so he's not homophobic. But Ethan's there to learn, not to drool.

I liked these two guys together. Jake's issues felt real, and he was in therapy and addressing them. Ethan was cute. The MMA fight elements of the story went past my vocabulary, but were easy to make out in context. And the outcome was satisfying.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake has been struggling on the mat since the day he accidentally injured his friend in a tournament that it ended his career and could have cost him his life. He’s gotten help and his friend has long forgiven him and even has him working at his gym. But still doesn’t mean Jake is over it. Though he is trying bit by bit to gain his confidence back in the mat. And that starts with taking on a new client his friend Carson brings him. Ethan is mortified to watch a fight he got into on the ice look absolutely ridiculous. He thought he could hold his own but watching the playback? Yikes. So when his friend brings him to his boyfriend’s gym to help him learn, well Ethan is definitely willing to try. But the moment he sees Jake he knows he is in trouble. How can he not be when he looks at Jake and he is filled with butterflies and nerves? And when Ethan learns that Jake may be into him too? Well, neither would have thought they would find love like this. These two were so cute! They were so awkward and unsure with one another. Not sure how to act because they were definitely interested in each other, but I loved how they stumbled into it. It was really sweet and adorable. Throw in some hockey and mma fighting? And we’ve got quite the story! I also loved revisiting characters we met from the previous season of this series. It was nice to come back and catch up with them. Great story all around!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I found it funny that in a series about minor league hockey players, this book spent a lot more time focused on the MMA aspect from the second MC instead, but I did like the two MCs a lot. I don't often see two MCs who are both athletic like these two are also struggle with such high levels of insecurity, and it made them endearing as characters. However, I didn't like how suddenly this book ended, and I was also really surprised that Jake wanted to be a pro fighter again considering his mental health struggles had been exacerbated by having been a pro fighter before. If it had just been trauma for having ended Carson's fighting career, then it would make sense to try and recover from that and go back, but it was also body dysmorphia issues, and he'd struggled with an eating disorder in the past. The pressure of having to stay in fighting condition doesn't seem worth it if his mental health might worsen.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and fun but very forgettable, alas. (Can we still say alas? Is that a thing we do in 2026?) I really enjoyed Even Strength which is related to this book-- the MCs in that are close to the guys in this book, and Jake accidentally caused the injury that ended Carson's career. There was a fair bit of Carson and Marek in this one, which I loved, but sadly was a bit more invested in them than the actual MCs. Their voices were so similar I kept getting confused about who I was reading, and although they started off cute together it quickly segued into focusing on Jake's troubled relationship with MMA and professional fighting. Which was fine, but not what I signed up for. Anyway, it was good enough to finish it, and I do recommend Even Strength, but I wanted more from this one.

[Didi Ps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan & Jake are both trying to re-establish themselves in their careers after some errors. Ethan is taking fighting lessons to help him focus in his hockey career. Jake is slowly trying to get back into his career in the MMA, teaching fighting skills as he slowly gains back confidence.

As they work together, they slowly become friends, & maybe a bit more. Jake is actively exploring being bi for the first time.

Maybe, as they each become more confident, they can be better together.

The only part that seemed unresolved was how we didn't see Jake get over his fear of fighting while above other fighters. It was assumed that this was resolved without any details written about this.

Still, this was another great story by LA Witt.

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a follow up to Even Strength from Season One.

Jake is the guy who hurt Carson and ....Ethan... is a blank canvas of a man on Marek's PHL team.

I thought this book was exactly fine. Good enough to finish, so at least three stars...but I got pretty bored. This is billed as a hockey romance, sure, but there is like....2 seconds of hockey and its all centered around fighting and MMA which bores me to tears.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the end, I enjoyed this, but it was a long time (nearly 80%) before anything particularly interesting happened. I would have loved more of the main challenge earlier in the book, then some kind of resolution of both characters' mental health issues, which were relevant early on but then forgotten later.

[Shelly Cerullo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, but also I’m really bummed that we didn’t get more about Ethan’s very obvious anxiety disorder or Jake’s body dysmorphia. Because I feel like these authors could have done either/both of those topics justice, and it always makes me a little sad when talented folks don’t dig a little deeper, you know?

[Grace]

DNF ~42%

Another it's not you, it's me. I was enjoying it well enough, but this is another instance of dynamic bait & switch, and it's just not what I was in the mood for, or what I wanted from these characters.

[Crisana]

DNF. Not feeling it at the moment. May come back to it later.