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Power Play #1
Icing
He's the last person I should want. He's the only person I do.
Cole Briggs was Chicago's golden boy—until he came out and they traded him to a team that doesn't exist yet. Now he's the face of the Atlanta Reapers, an NHL expansion franchise built from castoffs and second chances. He's ready to prove Chicago wrong. He's ready to lead. He is absolutely, categorically not ready for Mikhail Volkov.
Mik is six-foot-three of cold Russian granite with a scar through his eyebrow and the emotional range of a parking meter. He doesn't talk. He doesn't smile. He hip-checked Cole into the boards two years ago and never even apologized. And now, thanks to the world's worst housing coordinator, they're sharing a hotel room for training camp.
One room. One bed. One Russian who won't stop being shirtless.
Cole can't stand him. Mik won't look at him. The tension between them could melt the ice they play on. And when a road trip, a snowstorm, and a single hotel room conspire to put them exactly where neither of them wants to be—close enough to stop pretending—the thing they've been fighting turns out to be the thing they can't live without.
But Mik has spent his entire life in the closet, and Cole has spent his entire career being the NHL's most visible out player. Going public means risking Mik's family, his career, and everything he's built behind his mask. Staying secret means asking Cole to go back into the dark he fought so hard to leave.
The ice doesn't care who you love. The world does.
Icing is an enemies-to-lovers MM hockey romance with scorching heat, a grumpy Russian defenseman, a golden boy with a chip on his shoulder, and an HEA that'll make you ugly-cry on public transit. First in the Power Play series. Dual POV. No cliffhanger. KU enrolled.
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, forced proximity, secret relationship, coming out, he falls first, bi MC/gay MC
Cole Briggs was Chicago's golden boy—until he came out and they traded him to a team that doesn't exist yet. Now he's the face of the Atlanta Reapers, an NHL expansion franchise built from castoffs and second chances. He's ready to prove Chicago wrong. He's ready to lead. He is absolutely, categorically not ready for Mikhail Volkov.
Mik is six-foot-three of cold Russian granite with a scar through his eyebrow and the emotional range of a parking meter. He doesn't talk. He doesn't smile. He hip-checked Cole into the boards two years ago and never even apologized. And now, thanks to the world's worst housing coordinator, they're sharing a hotel room for training camp.
One room. One bed. One Russian who won't stop being shirtless.
Cole can't stand him. Mik won't look at him. The tension between them could melt the ice they play on. And when a road trip, a snowstorm, and a single hotel room conspire to put them exactly where neither of them wants to be—close enough to stop pretending—the thing they've been fighting turns out to be the thing they can't live without.
But Mik has spent his entire life in the closet, and Cole has spent his entire career being the NHL's most visible out player. Going public means risking Mik's family, his career, and everything he's built behind his mask. Staying secret means asking Cole to go back into the dark he fought so hard to leave.
The ice doesn't care who you love. The world does.
Icing is an enemies-to-lovers MM hockey romance with scorching heat, a grumpy Russian defenseman, a golden boy with a chip on his shoulder, and an HEA that'll make you ugly-cry on public transit. First in the Power Play series. Dual POV. No cliffhanger. KU enrolled.
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, forced proximity, secret relationship, coming out, he falls first, bi MC/gay MC
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 23, 2026
⸺ 2 stars ✩⋆˚࿔
⤿ short review (rant) incoming:
Me: Mom, can we have Heated Rivalry?
Mom: We have Heated Rivalry at home.
Heated Rivalry at home:
Cheap tactics such as this annoy me. And the thing is: once I’m annoyed, I stop being fair. Icing isn’t long; I could finish it in a single evening, but I’ll refrain from doing so, simply because I’m not into wasting my time. I don’t want to sound disrespectful. From what I've read so far, the story is pretty cute, and the author’s prose doesn’t feel half bad, but, as I said, inspiration can only go so far as the reader’s willingness to ignore it. For example: Enemies to lovers. And take the word "enemies" with a grain of salt, because they had barely a single misunderstanding on the ice, which was quickly resolved. Freckles. Seriously, were the freckles necessary? Russian MMC, who jokes about vodka, reads Dostoyevsky (because duh??), hides his sexual orientation and feels suffocated by his homeland's politics. Not to mention the relationship defining conversation over a phone call (at least it was with the MMC's sister 👍).
Do I need to continue?
To any aspiring authors that might be reading this review: don’t do this shit. It’s wonderful to feel inspired by others, sure, people often start their writing journey through fan-fiction or personal spins of more popular books, but this feels like a cash grab, trying to gauge Heated Rivalry fans into giving Icing a chance, and while this might have worked on some, I’m too petty to ignore the similarities. I’m not saying this book is bad; it’s not straight-up plagiarism. In fact, the more you read, the more originality you find. I was considering giving it three stars at first, but after tossing and turning under the duvet at night, I decided to drop it to two. I’m glad others enjoyed it. I’m not bashing the author’s writing style, and I don’t have anything personal against him, just… Well, this wasn’t necessary and could’ve been easily avoided with a couple of clicks. That's all.
⸺ Dnf'ed at the 43% mark. ⟢
At least they swapped positions in the bedroom, I guess.
⤿ short review (rant) incoming:
Me: Mom, can we have Heated Rivalry?
Mom: We have Heated Rivalry at home.
Heated Rivalry at home:
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ my thoughts 🏒 ꒱
Cheap tactics such as this annoy me. And the thing is: once I’m annoyed, I stop being fair. Icing isn’t long; I could finish it in a single evening, but I’ll refrain from doing so, simply because I’m not into wasting my time. I don’t want to sound disrespectful. From what I've read so far, the story is pretty cute, and the author’s prose doesn’t feel half bad, but, as I said, inspiration can only go so far as the reader’s willingness to ignore it. For example: Enemies to lovers. And take the word "enemies" with a grain of salt, because they had barely a single misunderstanding on the ice, which was quickly resolved. Freckles. Seriously, were the freckles necessary? Russian MMC, who jokes about vodka, reads Dostoyevsky (because duh??), hides his sexual orientation and feels suffocated by his homeland's politics. Not to mention the relationship defining conversation over a phone call (at least it was with the MMC's sister 👍).
Do I need to continue?
To any aspiring authors that might be reading this review: don’t do this shit. It’s wonderful to feel inspired by others, sure, people often start their writing journey through fan-fiction or personal spins of more popular books, but this feels like a cash grab, trying to gauge Heated Rivalry fans into giving Icing a chance, and while this might have worked on some, I’m too petty to ignore the similarities. I’m not saying this book is bad; it’s not straight-up plagiarism. In fact, the more you read, the more originality you find. I was considering giving it three stars at first, but after tossing and turning under the duvet at night, I decided to drop it to two. I’m glad others enjoyed it. I’m not bashing the author’s writing style, and I don’t have anything personal against him, just… Well, this wasn’t necessary and could’ve been easily avoided with a couple of clicks. That's all.
⸺ Dnf'ed at the 43% mark. ⟢
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ post scriptum ꒱
At least they swapped positions in the bedroom, I guess.
June 1, 2026
May I interest you in:
🏒 MM sports romance (hockey dah)
🏒 forced proximity
🏒 dual POV
🏒 mid level steam
🏒 MM sports romance (hockey dah)
🏒 forced proximity
🏒 dual POV
🏒 mid level steam
Did Not Finish
May 1, 2026DNF. A lot of the prose felt like reading those really long AI Facebook posts, the repetitive ones that say stuff like, “His silence was louder than any statement. It was a revolution.”
April 29, 2026
editing
For me, the choppy writing, repetition, and need for proofreading took away from the story. There was some stereotypes in the novel, in my opinion. Short read with some spicy scenes.
For me, the choppy writing, repetition, and need for proofreading took away from the story. There was some stereotypes in the novel, in my opinion. Short read with some spicy scenes.
April 24, 2026
not spicy
I like the characters in this book, but it seemed very blocky, and like it was written following a very basic how-to-write-a-hockey-romance-novel pattern. There are explicit scenes, but the book is not spicy; you could read it to a child and that kid would be fine. I don’t plan to read the rest of the series.
I like the characters in this book, but it seemed very blocky, and like it was written following a very basic how-to-write-a-hockey-romance-novel pattern. There are explicit scenes, but the book is not spicy; you could read it to a child and that kid would be fine. I don’t plan to read the rest of the series.
March 29, 2026
3.5
I loved Mik
"You have spent your whole life surviving, when will you start living?"
"You feel like you were made for me."
"You are my everything."
"This was what it was supposed to feel like. Not desperate. Not stolen. Just two people who wanted each other in the daylight."
"I didn't look at him. I didn't need to. I felt him the way I felt my own heartbeat. "
I loved Mik
"You have spent your whole life surviving, when will you start living?"
"You feel like you were made for me."
"You are my everything."
"This was what it was supposed to feel like. Not desperate. Not stolen. Just two people who wanted each other in the daylight."
"I didn't look at him. I didn't need to. I felt him the way I felt my own heartbeat. "
April 10, 2026
A pretty cover on a good book.
Maybe if this was the first hockey romance I have read, I would have felt differently. If this was my first gay romance, I would look at it in a new light. If I didn't read way too many books before coming across this one, I would highlight the flowery (but not too overdone) language that trnaformed this story into something a bit more special.
But I am here after Heated Rivarly, after reading the book years ago, before it was fashionable. After reading plenty of hockey gay romance. I am not that impressed.
The book was nice but as a reader, since I can't go through it as a person, I have already "lived" through the shame, the pain, the confusion and fear of... well, everything in this book. I know it can't even come close to what real people experience but... this is fiction and yes, as a reader, I am no longer here. I am no longer in the closet. I mentioned this before but let me repeat myself:
I now expect my "closeted" romance books to be a few steps ahead.
A hockey book I would prefer/enjoy is about someone who is already to out to his family and at least one friend, who supports him. Their high school/college teams probably knows and they have experienced acceptance from this side as well. They don't think about being outed but how can they come out, when and how to tell people (mainly the coach and their teammates). They will acknowledge potential problems but won't lose any sleep over it or if they feel bad, it passes quickly. After the first book in the series, after the first public coming out, the following books lose even more of those mentions. The new MC isn't afraid of the press, they are annoyed. Maybe they will even flaunt their new boy toy and proclaim their right to live their life and that while they don't invite the public to their bedroom, they won't hide for their fragile sensibilities. Any homophobic characters are no longer normal, they are the exception and are shunned by the world/characters around.
Icing, just like Heated Rivarly, could have been worse. I don't want to spoiler so let me just say that if there was a scale for this openness, from "repressed, has to be convinced to even acknowledge the truth" to "boys kissing is generally expected, accepted and only bad people act like they have to tolerate it" - this book would be almost in the middle.
Mostly, this book was nice. I smiled and I rooted for them but it never crossed into anything more and to be clear, I had the exact same experience with Heated Rivarly. I even tried re-reading it after the serial and... it was too boring, ok? Some things (art) you only need to experience once. And that's okay. This book was pleasantly short? That seems a bit harsh but what I mean is that the book had only as many pages as it needed to tell this story, not more, not less. There was no unneccessary 3rd act breakup.
I am sure some people would find this book transformative, relevant, cathartic... the best I can do is: recommend. I enjoyed the book - at around (my) 3 stars.
Maybe if this was the first hockey romance I have read, I would have felt differently. If this was my first gay romance, I would look at it in a new light. If I didn't read way too many books before coming across this one, I would highlight the flowery (but not too overdone) language that trnaformed this story into something a bit more special.
But I am here after Heated Rivarly, after reading the book years ago, before it was fashionable. After reading plenty of hockey gay romance. I am not that impressed.
The book was nice but as a reader, since I can't go through it as a person, I have already "lived" through the shame, the pain, the confusion and fear of... well, everything in this book. I know it can't even come close to what real people experience but... this is fiction and yes, as a reader, I am no longer here. I am no longer in the closet. I mentioned this before but let me repeat myself:
I now expect my "closeted" romance books to be a few steps ahead.
A hockey book I would prefer/enjoy is about someone who is already to out to his family and at least one friend, who supports him. Their high school/college teams probably knows and they have experienced acceptance from this side as well. They don't think about being outed but how can they come out, when and how to tell people (mainly the coach and their teammates). They will acknowledge potential problems but won't lose any sleep over it or if they feel bad, it passes quickly. After the first book in the series, after the first public coming out, the following books lose even more of those mentions. The new MC isn't afraid of the press, they are annoyed. Maybe they will even flaunt their new boy toy and proclaim their right to live their life and that while they don't invite the public to their bedroom, they won't hide for their fragile sensibilities. Any homophobic characters are no longer normal, they are the exception and are shunned by the world/characters around.
Icing, just like Heated Rivarly, could have been worse. I don't want to spoiler so let me just say that if there was a scale for this openness, from "repressed, has to be convinced to even acknowledge the truth" to "boys kissing is generally expected, accepted and only bad people act like they have to tolerate it" - this book would be almost in the middle.
Mostly, this book was nice. I smiled and I rooted for them but it never crossed into anything more and to be clear, I had the exact same experience with Heated Rivarly. I even tried re-reading it after the serial and... it was too boring, ok? Some things (art) you only need to experience once. And that's okay. This book was pleasantly short? That seems a bit harsh but what I mean is that the book had only as many pages as it needed to tell this story, not more, not less. There was no unneccessary 3rd act breakup.
I am sure some people would find this book transformative, relevant, cathartic... the best I can do is: recommend. I enjoyed the book - at around (my) 3 stars.
March 31, 2026
I liked the book. As I said in my initial post about 16% in I appreciated the musical quality of the authors prose. There were a few errors that could have been fixed in editing, but they were not continuity issues.... I cannot stomach a continuity issue... that is just lazy.
There are some things about Russian toward the end of the book that is simply not plausible, but the author was going for a full HEA so I will respect it. TBH it should be this way every where, but alas people will need to have many more years to come to grips with this... and the current American government is dismantling all progress made thus far.
But I'm looking forward to the other books. I like the family they've created. This is what sports should be. A group of individuals putting everything aside and working together for a common goal.... Hopefully we as humankind can emulate that in our daily lives.
There are some things about Russian toward the end of the book that is simply not plausible, but the author was going for a full HEA so I will respect it. TBH it should be this way every where, but alas people will need to have many more years to come to grips with this... and the current American government is dismantling all progress made thus far.
But I'm looking forward to the other books. I like the family they've created. This is what sports should be. A group of individuals putting everything aside and working together for a common goal.... Hopefully we as humankind can emulate that in our daily lives.
April 26, 2026
I really enjoyed this story. Take one hockey player who came out two years ago and his Russian teammate who refuses to accept his preference and you get this great story. Cole has decided his Russian defenceman, Mikhail, is a jerk as he sits in the corner and doesn't say anything to anyone just reads Russian classics. Mikhail was beaten by his father when he discovered he preferred males to females so has kept his secret even though he moved to the USA. Their forever is slow but they get there in thee end. I look forward to reading more in the series. Do not miss this book.
May 8, 2026
A Very Good Hockey Book
Ever since Heated Rivalry, everyone has jumped on the M/M and they've been really bad, not this book. This book was well written and kept me hooked from the first page. The MCs and the supporting cast were likeable, and the story had a great flow. My one complaint is the ending. This was my first Chris Savage book and I bought one more before I finished this one. I highly recommend this book.
Ever since Heated Rivalry, everyone has jumped on the M/M and they've been really bad, not this book. This book was well written and kept me hooked from the first page. The MCs and the supporting cast were likeable, and the story had a great flow. My one complaint is the ending. This was my first Chris Savage book and I bought one more before I finished this one. I highly recommend this book.
June 1, 2026
⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I think I’ve read so many hockey romances at this point that this one felt quite familiar, with a lot of the tropes and beats you’d expect from the genre.
The writing was also a little choppy at times.
That said, if you’re newer to hockey romances, you’ll likely enjoy this one.
There’s plenty here that makes the genre so popular, and it’s an easy read.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I think I’ve read so many hockey romances at this point that this one felt quite familiar, with a lot of the tropes and beats you’d expect from the genre.
The writing was also a little choppy at times.
That said, if you’re newer to hockey romances, you’ll likely enjoy this one.
There’s plenty here that makes the genre so popular, and it’s an easy read.
June 1, 2026
Short book, could’ve been shorter by half when you take out the verbatim repetition.
Frustrating read. Sometimes difficult to remember who was speaking. Lots of inconsistencies in storyline.
Plot devices introduced as foundational were abandoned. If you have 4 hours and want to read the same paragraphs every other chapter, this is for you.
Frustrating read. Sometimes difficult to remember who was speaking. Lots of inconsistencies in storyline.
Plot devices introduced as foundational were abandoned. If you have 4 hours and want to read the same paragraphs every other chapter, this is for you.
May 17, 2026
"I did not touch him. I did not move. I lay perfectly still and felt the warmth of his hand across the gap and thought about Dostoevsky and suffering and the question of whether it is braver to build a wall or to let one fall."
May 28, 2026
i enjoyed myself. it was quick and easy to read, and some of the lines chris savage wrote were INSANE (in a that’s-literature-on-a-Beautiful-level type way). overall it was nothing special honestly and i don’t think i will think about it again…
June 2, 2026
Were there issues with this book? Yes. Did I sometimes get confused about the dialogue, time frame, etc.? Also yes. Did I just love the way these characters getting to know each other made me feel? Yes. I jumped right to the next book, which I loved in the exact same way.
March 15, 2026
3.5 stars. While this didn’t blow me away, it was a pretty good story. I’m looking forward to reading the next ones.
Want to Read
April 30, 2026dnf, didn't realise it was going to be such a HR copy.
May 10, 2026
Wow, what a book! I liked it even better than the Game Changer series!
May 21, 2026
DNF at 48%. The choppy writing style here, with short sentences, isn’t my jam. It makes every sound cold. Detached. Clinical. Like delivering thoughts without actual heat behind them.
May 29, 2026
Very similar to Heated Rivalry but they’re on the same team.
May 31, 2026
Emotionally resonant
This story is well written and developed, and draws you into the feelings of the characters. A couple of minor continuity issues that did not detract.
This story is well written and developed, and draws you into the feelings of the characters. A couple of minor continuity issues that did not detract.
June 2, 2026
This devastated me in the best way possible. If you want to sob your eyes out and watch two people fall in love against all odds then here’s the book for you 😭
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews