4.5 stars! Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the advanced copy! You can pick up Dirty Hit on February 2, 2026.
Hello?? Forbidden romance that had me sweating and begging them actually NOT to kiss (but also, yes, pls kiss)??? This was a wonderful surprise of a book, from the character development to the high stakes of the plot to the absolutely SIZZLING romance. Our FMC, Sadie, is the first female NHL head coach, and the job definitely comes with complications (namely of the sexist and misogynistic variety). Rather than being brusque and punishing, Sadie hopes to connect with her players and coach them through building relationships, which is difficult to do when the players of one of the worst teams in the league barely respect themselves, let alone her.
Enter Leo McLaren, a washed-up hockey star dealing with a devastating injury that sets his career back. He's determined to tough it out and continue playing, though, even if it is for a terrible team. But together, he and Sadie might just be able to wrangle these men into playoff shape.
Knowing how much Sadie had on the line, not only to turn the Fury into a winning team but also to constantly battle unwanted commentary from fans and her own coworkers, had me SWEATING. She put so much of her heart and soul into this team, yet so few people believed in her. And while Leo slowly became one of her staunchest supporters, he's also the biggest threat to her reputation and credibility if people realized she was intimate with one of her players.
Both Leo and Sadie were WELL aware of the consequences, but sometimes chemistry overrides rational thought! And sometimes you just want to be around the person you feel most comfortable and safe with, even outside of your work environment. The crumbling of Sadie and Leo's resistance to each other was absolutely delicious, and the payoff when they finally acted on their feelings had me BLUSHINGGG. It's making me want to pick up all of Livy's backlog.
The only reason this book wasn't 5 stars is that I needed just a TINY bit more from a few specific instances. First, one of Sadie's initial ops is the team captain, Ivan. He was the WORST in the beginning of the book, but makes a change about halfway through and starts being kinder to Leo, and eventually Sadie??? There's a semi-explanation for his change in behavior, but I wanted more of a driving force behind his personality switch-up.
Second, I had this kernel of feminine rage growing bigger and bigger in my chest as I read about more disrespectful things happening to Sadie. I was READY for a massive payoff, where she FINALLY bit back at these assholes in some way, shape, or form. And while it did kind of happen, it was less of a big "f you" moment and more subtle manipulation of the situation. Which I still appreciated, but man, I think she deserved to kick at least one guy's ass.
All in all, if you want a sexy forbidden romance between an NHL coach and her player, this is def the book for you!