Teammates

Tampa Talons #2

by Layne Wren

Lila

There’s nothing worse than pretending to be friends with a man you really don’t like.

But as the Tampa Talons team reporter and social media coordinator, I strive for excellence in my job, even if it means I have to smile on camera at Hudson Jones, the hockey player who’s convinced I’m the complete opposite of professional.

When a natural disaster forces us to be roommates, things between us should get worse. But they slowly head in a heart-warming direction I don’t expect.

Am I falling for the man I really don’t like?

Hudson

I’m the team captain, so I take my role seriously. I look out for my fellow players. I work hard on the ice.

One person thinks otherwise, though—the reporter I have to pretend to like for the cameras. That I have to share a condo with after disaster strikes our city.

I try to keep out of Lila Stewart’s way in our shared space. Try to keep her out of my mind. But I’m too aware of this woman, too drawn to everything about her.

I shouldn’t fall for her, but I’m fighting a losing battle and losing hard.

Teammates is a spicy, forced proximity hockey romance with enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Genres: Romance, Hockey, Sports, Hockey Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2026

Reviews

[Mary]

This book floated right on top of the water, surface level.
The characters had very little depth and they hate one another, but the reader doesn't discover the reason for the hatred until the last thirty pages. The reasoning for their animosity is a bit baseless and childish. Their hatred manifested itself in childish ways also- bashing each other and their job performances while also being repetitive in their insults. It was mean and thoughtless.
I didn't enjoy this one.

[Stacey Ayoub]

It wasn't bad but I just didn't quite get how they could be so mean to each other and hate each other so much to one day, being so so in love & obsessed with each other. I don't know, something about it didn't register with me but I still did enjoy it in saying all that.

[Natalie]

This is the second book in the Talon series and I had the chance to read their story as an ARC read.
Hudson and Lila are the perfect enemies to lovers romance which was written really well by Layne.
There are hints throughout the first 50% of the book that something had happened in the past between them but this isn't told until later in the story but it makes perfect sense that their hatred for eachother is a cross communication.
Hudson has a big heart but comes across as grumpy 6ft 5 hockey player but he is a big friendly guy who has love for the right girl.
Having a troubled upbringing with narcissistic parents, Hudson still has love to give and this is well written by Layne.
Lila has her own troubles, losing parents and trying to stay positive and continue her future and passion to be a sports reporter but both overcome past troubles and give into that temptation to go from enemies to lovers.
Well written and definitely worth reading this series.
Can't wait for book 3!!

[Jyoti]

Teammates (Tampa talons #2) by Layne Wren is a forced proximity romance between a hockey player and a sports journalist/reporter.


I received this book from the author as an ARC for an honest review.


“Hate to Love” is a common trope - but when Layne Wren introduces us to Hudson and Lila we are carried away in their story.
Hudson is the team captain of the Tampa Talons hockey team. He is a really good hockey player and extremely close to his friends on the team except for Lila who he hates.
Lila Stewart is the sports reporter on the Tampa Talons team. She is sweet, friendly and has a great rapport with the whole team except for Hudson who she hates.

The story starts off great with a good background on both MCs. The dialogs between them are witty and the underlying chemistry comes out through the sharp remarks.
A natural disaster in their city forces them to share an apartment and their romance develops through this.

I liked the dialogs in this book and found the story engaging. I also liked all the characters introduced through the book and who may be the main characters for other books in the series. The way their relationship develops feels natural and not rushed.
Their mutual dislike starts from a simple misunderstanding that feels quite natural.

The natural disaster serves more as a backdrop than a gritty reality, but that's easy to overlook given the book's romantic focus

I would definitely recommend reading this book for a good sports romance.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes:
Hate to love
Co workers
Forced proximity

[jess]

I absolutely love a good hate-to-love romance, and this one completely delivered.

River stole the show from the very beginning. Before they even admitted their feelings, his actions spoke louder than anything he could have said. Driving through a storm to make sure Lila was safe, carrying her through floodwater without a second thought, dropping everything when she was injured, leaving a hockey game to be by her side, and then insisting she wasn’t going anywhere without him… this man never once hesitated when it came to protecting the woman he loved.

“You just got injured and expect me to just continue playing a hockey game like everything’s normal?”

River wasn’t just attractive—he had a beautiful heart. He was protective without being controlling, caring without expecting anything in return, and his love showed through his actions long before either of them admitted what was happening between them. That’s exactly the kind of book boyfriend I fall for.

The chemistry between River and Lila was fantastic. The banter, the tension, and the slow shift from irritation to genuine care felt natural and made every payoff worth it. Add in some great spice and emotional moments, and I found myself smiling through so much of this book.

This wasn’t just a romance about falling in love—it was about showing up for someone, even before they became your person. River proved over and over again that when it mattered, he’d always be there.

A fun, swoony, heartwarming hockey romance with one of my favourite protective MMCs I’ve read this year.

⭐️ 4.5/5

[Cara]

ARC Review: Teammates by Layne Wren
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Stars

I ate this book up!

Teammates is the second book in the Tampa Talons series by Layne Wren, and once again, I feel so lucky to have received an ARC. This series just keeps getting better!

The chemistry between the Lila and Hudson was electric and the tension was sizzling! From the very beginning, you could feel the push and pull between them, and it made every interaction crackle with emotion. I genuinely didn’t want to put it down.

The forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers dynamic were executed so well. Add in that grumpy X sunshine energy and a team of hockey hunks, and it’s basically romance perfection!

It’s an easy, addictive read that flows effortlessly and keeps you hooked from start to finish. If you love hockey romance with tension, banter, and plenty of steam, this one needs to be on your TBR.
Bring on book three!

[Haley]

The Banter is Top-Tier....

If you want true enemies to lovers with banter so good your jaw literally drops, this book is for you. The dialogue is witty, sharp, and honestly addictive. It is the kind of story that you want to read in one sitting because you can’t put it down.

I’ve read a lot of books in this genre, but this one is a standout because of how well it portrays the actual dislike between the leads. Layne gives the characters plenty of time and multiple tension-filled interactions to let that friction build. The slow burn is perfectly paced, and the tension is felt on every single page. Layne really knows how to feed the readers exactly what they want.

What to Expect:
-Forced proximity
-Only one bed
-Protective MMC
-Open door spice
-Hockey romance

I highly recommend picking this one up if you’re in the mood for a spicy, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance.

Thank you to the author, Layne Wren, for providing a copy of this book to review.

[Sofia Hartell]

ARC read. 3.75 ⭐️ rounded up. This is a mutual hate/dislike-to-lovers hockey romance. I genuinely enjoyed the 80% procent of the book when the MCs still dislike each other but there’s tension. For the last part of the book it was a little bit too much head over heels too fast for me. I would have love to know more about the characters in depth. Now it was a lot of revelations in the last 5-10% of the book. I will still recommend the book if you enjoy a spicy hockey romance and I will most likely continue the series.

📍Mutual hate/dislike to lovers
📍Spicy scenes
📍Hockey captain x team reporter
📍Forced proximity
📍Miscommunication

TW: cheating (mentioned, off-page), violence against partner, self-doubt, death of parents (mentioned, off-page), psychological and physical abuse of parents (mentioned, off-page)

[Kay Smithers]

At first, I was pretty skeptical of this book because I had never read this author before, but WOW was I wrong! I realized pretty quickly just how much I was going to love this book because it was AMAZING! 😭🤩

Holy crap, I LOVE Hudson. Seriously, he is the definition of a selfless man. The way he constantly went to bat for Lila, even when he supposedly “hated” her, was SO freaking swoony. 🥹

These two really proved that there’s a fine line between love and hate, except in their case, there was never really any hate. Just anger, hurt, and a whole lot of miscommunication. And honestly? I ate it UP.

I absolutely loved these two and their story! Hudson had my whole heart, and now I NEED to read the rest of this series. Needless to say, I’ll definitely be continuing! ❤️‍🔥

[Kayla (KK)]

This is the second book in this series and I couldn’t have been more excited to get to Hudson and Lila’s story cause of all the hints from book one!

Hudson being a hockey player and Lila is the sports reporter for the team means they are not allowed to have a relationship. Well that is no problem since they do not like each other at all… or at least that is how it starts.

The tension between these two was everything. It was for sure a slow burn but when it hit the chemistry hit! Hudson is supposed to be a broody grump but he gives off golden retriever underneath it all! I just loved these two and can’t wait to see what is in store with book three!

[Lamia Amiri]

I liked this one more then the first book. I like the hate to love but i felt like it was dragged to much there hate and then boum they are falling for eachother the transition felt a little brusque there. I would have loved that they talked about there hate at the middle or something better then till the end it felt rushed or it needed more chapitres to show how they navigated there new feelings. But still i enjoyed reading it. Also i like hate to love but with a good reason even tho it feot like it was a misunderstanding twisted situations felt little meh okey thats it. Anyway going to read 3rd one and see we didn’t see the fmc at all so far so new carachter apparently

[Hannah M Burrow]

Teammates was such a good hockey romance.
I finally found out Lila and Hudson’s backstory. I loved their chemistry. The angry tension between them was so good to read.
All the Tampa Talons characters are interesting and I can’t wait to read more.

“I… hated how beautiful I found her. Insanely hot, even. I shouldn't find someone I hate to be insanely hot, and in a way, it makes my displeasure for her even worse.”
Excerpt from Teammates
By Layne Wren

I was lucky to be given the chance to review Teammates, of my own accord, through being offered an eARC.

[Micah Woodbury]

It was so good. I finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down. It was THAT good.

Ever the professional, Lila is sure to make sure she is the best reporter on the ice. Even when she's interviewing her nemisis, Hudson. Despite their clear distaste for each other, they keep ending up in each other's orbit.

Bad ass FMC? Yup. Forced proximity? Uh huh. Enemies to lovers? Perhaps.

I love the way the author plays with scent in this book. While subtle, it almost like its own character.

[Lauren Ali]

I read the first book ‘home advantage’ and loved it. I have been waiting for an opportunity to read ‘teammates’ to follow Lila and Hudson and I was lucky enough to receive it as an ARC.

I loovvvee Lila and Hudson. This book has storms, and yearning, and close proximity, and everything you could want in a hockey romance. This is just such a fabulous series I can’t talk about it enough.

Very excited for the third book!

[Chantal]

This got a but frustrating because it’s a short book and they didn’t have a first kiss until around 60% then nothing. They shared a bed then nothing. Still arguing. Then at 71% they have sex but the next morning she wants to forget it. What? The book was almost finished. I just can’t believe at 81% they’re now having a proper conversation getting to know each other better. We have the “big” revelation of why they disliked each other…which was underwhelming then it ends. This was frustrating.

[basic bitsh]

Definitivamente le pasa el trapo al anterior. Se vuelve un poco tedioso sobre el final, más que nada porque es un poco raro como pasan de odiarse a amarse tan rápido y sin explicar hasta las últimas 20/30 págs aprox ? porque carajo se odian, pero no es algo que no se pueda leer.
Me gusto, buen enemies to lovers (osea mirándolo con un ojo para nada crítico y centrado exclusivamente en que me gusto leerlo y sin ponerse para nada detallista)

[Maria Alvarez]

Five⭐This is the second book in the Talon series, I had the opportunity to read as an ARC read, I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book, The character development of Hudson and Lila is great, If spice and sport romance is something you enjoy read this book!You won't be disappointed!Looking forward to reading more books from this author!

[Lucrezia]

It started in the best possible way. I really liked the bickering between the main characters, but unfortunately it gets lost as the chapters progress. The story shifts from them hating each other to loving each other far too quickly, and it doesn’t feel entirely convincing. The final chapters feel rushed, and I would have liked to see more development in their relationship as a couple.

[Fion]

typical hockey romance. it definitely felt like an extreme enemies to lovers trope! the hate was so strong then it felt like a flick of the switch into lovers. i loved the way the mmc is presented. he was completely uncontrolled around fmc, willing to do anything for her. to the point where the enemy part felt one-sided really. but of course, as a female reader, i ain’t complaining ;)

[Ashley Royer]

Arc read this book.

I just realized this is the second book in the series. But it’s fine! I enjoyed this so much. I couldn’t get enough of Lila and Hudson! The enmities to lovers vibe, the banter, the love. All of it! I will continue this series!

[Hanna-Stiina O]

2.8✨ Do I love a good enemies to lovers book? YES! Was it good? It was okay. The enemies to lovers portion of the book was portrayed well and Hudson and Lila had strong disliking to each other. But it was rather long slow burn and once they got together nothing noteworthy happened.

[Azoy]

this story started really well and the plot had so much potential. but i was left wanting more and the ending with shit, like why did we discover why they hated each other in the last fkn twenty pages and it turned out being a super dumb reason anyways like tf

[Kensi Mull]

The pointed out they hated each other almost on every page it was so annoying like we get you hate each other. The story had good potential it really did I would have enjoyed it more if it was stated they hated each on every page idk I’m surprised I finished it tbh.

[RaeAnn Cruz]

Aww

It all made sense the last 20 pages. What a great couple tho. As much as they bicker, you could feel there was more to it. Going to read the next one. If your thinking of reading this book, you should. Lila and Hudson are great together.

[Keles Wyntor]

While I did enjoy the first book in the series, parts felt contrived. This book was everything the first wasn’t! Hudson and Lilas chemistry leapt off the page. Their dynamic was so good! True enemies to lovers!

[Jas's booktok]

Review...
This a Slow burn, Hockey romance. Lila is the team reporter and Hudson the captain. They have been enemies from the start and wow I loved Hudson and his growly self. A really good Grumpy-sunshine, Hockey, enemies-to-lovers.

[thepaigesinabook]

I think the story was good but when everything happens it pretty much happens all at once, the spacing could have been better. I do love the characters though and the friendship dynamics they all had. 3.5⭐️

[Ellen]

Loved!!

I really enjoyed this book, an easy read and couldn’t put it down. It was just as good as the first one, looking forward to the next ❤️

[Kayleigh Tharling]

3.5⭐️

[Sadia]

Omggg I absolutely devoured this book and loved it with all my heart. Lila and Hudson are my favourite couple. The tension between them. Ughhhh I love love 😩