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Denver Direwolves #1
Power Play
Gunner Ryan has come a long way since his turbulent rookie season with the Indianapolis Racers. He knows they traded him to the Denver Direwolves just to get rid of him, but that trade gives him a position on the first line, a shot at winning the Cup, and a team that accepts him exactly as he is. He’s found his place, and he’s slowly figuring out how to be happy again.
But the arrival of a six-year-old daughter he never knew existed brings it all flooding back, a physical reminder of the past he thought he'd left behind.
As Gunner navigates unexpected fatherhood, no one is more supportive than his captain and best friend, Will Calder. Gunner knows his new daughter and his team have to be his first priorities, instead of his own selfish wants. Now more than ever, he can’t risk letting Will know how he feels, not when one careless word could bring the whole thing tumbling down. But Will doesn't make it easy, and if Gunner isn't careful, he’s going to lose it all.
But the arrival of a six-year-old daughter he never knew existed brings it all flooding back, a physical reminder of the past he thought he'd left behind.
As Gunner navigates unexpected fatherhood, no one is more supportive than his captain and best friend, Will Calder. Gunner knows his new daughter and his team have to be his first priorities, instead of his own selfish wants. Now more than ever, he can’t risk letting Will know how he feels, not when one careless word could bring the whole thing tumbling down. But Will doesn't make it easy, and if Gunner isn't careful, he’s going to lose it all.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2020
139 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
February 14, 2023
1.5 stars
What a waste of an amazing trope. Friends to Lovers story shouldn't be this dull and time wasting.
What a waste of an amazing trope. Friends to Lovers story shouldn't be this dull and time wasting.
dnf
July 9, 2020The premise of this book was iffy at best based on the blurb. Killing off a woman to start off a m/m book? It’s 2020. Can we not?? But then I actually started reading the book and it’s even worse. This book kills off a Black woman from cancer to kick off a very white m/m hockey romance??? And only publishing this a few days ago in July 2020? This is a simple case of literally not reading the room.
The two hockey players in this book are white and there seems to be some unrequited love happening, but it seems like all of Gunnar’s angst in the book will start off with a one night stand with a woman he doesn’t remember, who had her whole life ahead of her, and then dying without ever talking again with Gunnar because Gunnar can’t be reached through his agent AND he forgot the password to his voicemail? Can her life be more tragic? And we’re expecting Gunnar, a very white party boy, to know how to raise a half-Black six-year-old girl named Olivia? I was barely into this book 10% and the book focuses in on Olivia’s hair and that he won’t know how to handle it. I think systemic racism is going to be a bigger problem for him to handle, but okay.
This book is embarrassing to witness. Did a search on this book to see how this book handles race and this tells me all I need to know (takes place 44% of the way into the book):
Why was this part of the book even necessary?? I don’t know. This book is a hard no for me.
The two hockey players in this book are white and there seems to be some unrequited love happening, but it seems like all of Gunnar’s angst in the book will start off with a one night stand with a woman he doesn’t remember, who had her whole life ahead of her, and then dying without ever talking again with Gunnar because Gunnar can’t be reached through his agent AND he forgot the password to his voicemail? Can her life be more tragic? And we’re expecting Gunnar, a very white party boy, to know how to raise a half-Black six-year-old girl named Olivia? I was barely into this book 10% and the book focuses in on Olivia’s hair and that he won’t know how to handle it. I think systemic racism is going to be a bigger problem for him to handle, but okay.
This book is embarrassing to witness. Did a search on this book to see how this book handles race and this tells me all I need to know (takes place 44% of the way into the book):
He was starting the truck when there was a rap on the window. Will jumped, turning to see a young Black man with crooked teeth and a charming smile. He was wearing a hoodie and seemed harmless, so Will cautiously lowered the window a few inches.
Why was this part of the book even necessary?? I don’t know. This book is a hard no for me.
November 13, 2022
3.5
This one got better after a weird start.
I liked the building relationship between the 2 MCs but they literally didn't get together properly until the very end of the book, which was pretty frustrating. It would have been nice to see how they worked as a family. Gunners insecurities also were a bit OTT even after he talked things out multiple times which was frustrating because it delayed seeing them together for like 90%+ of the book.
This was only the second relationship in the series where there was a really strong bond between the two characters (Rory and Dima were pretty strong too), so that definitely was nice to read.
I also really enjoyed how Gunner took on the responsibility of being a dad, and Will basically stepped up as a dad from the start too, even if they wouldn't admit it.
I didn't really get the end where there was a message from the mum, it had already been said so seemed pretty pointless - would rather have had an actual epilogue!
Still didn't quite work though because drama seems to be being forced in for the sake of it. Why did the lawyer have to be so abrasive? He implies Gunner will need luck to cope, but then the kid is literally sweet the whole time?!
Also the whole finding him through Instagram thing was just weird - surely as a lawyer they would just get in touch with the team if they couldn't get in touch with Gunner! There are just so many small inconsistencies and plain weird occurences that stop me rating these books any higher than 'ok'.
This one got better after a weird start.
I liked the building relationship between the 2 MCs but they literally didn't get together properly until the very end of the book, which was pretty frustrating. It would have been nice to see how they worked as a family. Gunners insecurities also were a bit OTT even after he talked things out multiple times which was frustrating because it delayed seeing them together for like 90%+ of the book.
This was only the second relationship in the series where there was a really strong bond between the two characters (Rory and Dima were pretty strong too), so that definitely was nice to read.
I also really enjoyed how Gunner took on the responsibility of being a dad, and Will basically stepped up as a dad from the start too, even if they wouldn't admit it.
I didn't really get the end where there was a message from the mum, it had already been said so seemed pretty pointless - would rather have had an actual epilogue!
Still didn't quite work though because drama seems to be being forced in for the sake of it. Why did the lawyer have to be so abrasive? He implies Gunner will need luck to cope, but then the kid is literally sweet the whole time?!
Also the whole finding him through Instagram thing was just weird - surely as a lawyer they would just get in touch with the team if they couldn't get in touch with Gunner! There are just so many small inconsistencies and plain weird occurences that stop me rating these books any higher than 'ok'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2020
Another lovely story by this author, 3,5 stars from me, my least favorite but it had it's perks. 🥰❤
This one was well written, the characters felt more mature than Blindsided Hit. They had strong personality traits, the main characters had great chemistry and the story was just lovely agh!
Why 3 stars? The romance in this one was weak, even though there was some kind of partnership, they got together at the really end and the reason for why this happened wasn't tackled as the problem it was, it was just avoided all the time and it wasn't explained with depth wich would have explained all the avoidance, so it seemed childish and it was hard to connect to it.
Still, the writing was lovely, she made me cry again! I loved Olivia and her story and how Gunner became her father (I do not like the situation with all the secret that the mother had to endure, it's just ridiculous) and I want to read about Will's brother soon, he so cool! I still am surprised by this author's power to write stories that just move me, that's why I considered rounding this up, but no, I'm strong!
I'll be in the look out for more of this! Lovely. 🥰❤
This one was well written, the characters felt more mature than Blindsided Hit. They had strong personality traits, the main characters had great chemistry and the story was just lovely agh!
Why 3 stars? The romance in this one was weak, even though there was some kind of partnership, they got together at the really end and the reason for why this happened wasn't tackled as the problem it was, it was just avoided all the time and it wasn't explained with depth wich would have explained all the avoidance, so it seemed childish and it was hard to connect to it.
Still, the writing was lovely, she made me cry again! I loved Olivia and her story and how Gunner became her father (I do not like the situation with all the secret that the mother had to endure, it's just ridiculous) and I want to read about Will's brother soon, he so cool! I still am surprised by this author's power to write stories that just move me, that's why I considered rounding this up, but no, I'm strong!
I'll be in the look out for more of this! Lovely. 🥰❤
March 8, 2021
Not even close to my favorite Michaela Grey book.
I cannot stand manufactured angst, miscommunication, or the trope where both MC's are unequivocally in love with one another but they do nothing for fear that it will alter the relationship they currently have. 'Power Play' includes all three, so there was little possibility I was going to like, or enjoy, this book, but I kept hoping, because I really enjoy the author, that I would be able to get over those things... But I didn't and now I'm just mad at myself that I continued to read this. I should have stopped it at 20% and moved on to something I would enjoy more, instead I pushed through and there was absolutely no payoff for me. And don't even get me started on the dead one night stand that ends up giving him a daughter MM trope. There was just so much that really didn't work for me in this book.
Dual POV, best friends to lovers, slow burn, hockey romance with a surprise kid, miscommunication, plenty of angst, and a happy ending.
I cannot stand manufactured angst, miscommunication, or the trope where both MC's are unequivocally in love with one another but they do nothing for fear that it will alter the relationship they currently have. 'Power Play' includes all three, so there was little possibility I was going to like, or enjoy, this book, but I kept hoping, because I really enjoy the author, that I would be able to get over those things... But I didn't and now I'm just mad at myself that I continued to read this. I should have stopped it at 20% and moved on to something I would enjoy more, instead I pushed through and there was absolutely no payoff for me. And don't even get me started on the dead one night stand that ends up giving him a daughter MM trope. There was just so much that really didn't work for me in this book.
Dual POV, best friends to lovers, slow burn, hockey romance with a surprise kid, miscommunication, plenty of angst, and a happy ending.
September 19, 2021
This book is fine, I guess? The bare bones of this one are right up my alley: sports romance, unknown child, friends-to-lovers. But my god, the dithering over going from friends/teammates to lovers! Despite the fact that normal people would have gotten over themselves by page 50, by the time the characters gave in the book was pretty much over. This was long after my patience with their whiny "I can't but I want to but I can't!" nonsense had up and left.
And a quick rant: do people really pull the "I love you so much that I'm not going to burden you with me in a relationship" thing? Is that a real thing? Because it's incredibly common in romance novels and it rings very false to me. Maybe I'm naive, but I feel as if the average person is too selfish to let the person they love go? Idk, just a thought.
And a quick rant: do people really pull the "I love you so much that I'm not going to burden you with me in a relationship" thing? Is that a real thing? Because it's incredibly common in romance novels and it rings very false to me. Maybe I'm naive, but I feel as if the average person is too selfish to let the person they love go? Idk, just a thought.
June 30, 2021
This was pretty charming and a very easy read and even though I'm not one for stories about/driven by the addition of a kid, I thought this was done just a hair better than other similar plots I've read. Characters are pretty strong and easy to care about, secondary cast is nice, relatively low-stakes, with a solidly satisfying ending. I was thrilled to see third person again and initially thrilled that the POVs didn't alternate, but then like, 40 pages in it suddenly switched and then never developed a rhyme, reason, or rhythm to it which was disappointing. This also suffered from Meddling Sibling Syndrome which is a trope I can never understand in romance, but I did at least like the sibling, so! It was a good time overall and I will most certainly read more of Grey's books.
January 20, 2025
I usually really dig this author's writing. There is always some drama, the characters are flawed with good intentions, there is tension and tender moments.
Everything of the above is in this story, too. But overall things are super unbelievable and unrealistic. You need a lot of willingness to overlook some events: come on a lawyer showing up with your daughter on your doorstep...really?
I'm still missing some books in this overall universe and I'll just jump into the next. Hopefully it's more believable 🤷🏻♀️
Everything of the above is in this story, too. But overall things are super unbelievable and unrealistic. You need a lot of willingness to overlook some events: come on a lawyer showing up with your daughter on your doorstep...really?
I'm still missing some books in this overall universe and I'll just jump into the next. Hopefully it's more believable 🤷🏻♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2021
I am on a Hockey trip at the moment and this fits my mood perfectly .
Gunner is great and Will is mostly adorable. Together they are sweet ... unfortunately we don't see that much of them together.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it
Gunner is great and Will is mostly adorable. Together they are sweet ... unfortunately we don't see that much of them together.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it
September 17, 2020
Anybody else get a Tyler Seguin/Jamie Benn vibe from this? Just me? Okay.
September 7, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up.
So I believe that these two characters wouldn’t fully give into their feelings during the timeline of the book. They’re idiots, but other characters acknowledge their idiocy, and you can sorta (sorta) see Gunner’s reasoning.
What I don’t believe is that these feelings would never be revealed in their six full years of mutual pining.
I wish Stephanie’s race had never been mentioned. As another review mentioned, it feels a bit ick to fridge a Black woman before page one to serve the narrative of two white guys. Also the beginning hinted at potential conflicts of daughter Liv being Black (ie her hair) but those never explired or mentioned again.
Contains: secret baby, friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, teammates, single dad
CW: offscreen death by cancer
Steam: 2.5/5🔥
So I believe that these two characters wouldn’t fully give into their feelings during the timeline of the book. They’re idiots, but other characters acknowledge their idiocy, and you can sorta (sorta) see Gunner’s reasoning.
What I don’t believe is that these feelings would never be revealed in their six full years of mutual pining.
I wish Stephanie’s race had never been mentioned. As another review mentioned, it feels a bit ick to fridge a Black woman before page one to serve the narrative of two white guys. Also the beginning hinted at potential conflicts of daughter Liv being Black (ie her hair) but those never explired or mentioned again.
Contains: secret baby, friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, teammates, single dad
CW: offscreen death by cancer
Steam: 2.5/5🔥
May 13, 2024
Ilość bohaterskiego męczeństwa, cierpienia w milczeniu przez lata, poświęcania własnego szczęścia i powtarzania "on zasługuje na kogoś lepszego" praktycznie mnie zabiła 🤦♀️
Może nie przyjęłabym tego aż tak źle, gdyby nie to, że w książce, którą czytałam słownie tuż przed tą historią, czyli Double Shifting, był taki sam układ - dwóch najbliższych przyjaciół z tej samej drużyny hokeja, kochających się od lat, ale nie mówiących sobie tego, bo... Tylko tam dodatkowym tropem była amnezja, a tutaj niespodziewane pojawienie się 6-letniej córki. I jak w tej wcześniejszej było to do wzięcia na klatę, gdyż przy amnezji tylko jeden cierpiał w milczeniu od lat - bo ten drugi nie pamiętał, że to też robił 😜, tak tutaj już po prostu nie mogłam - współcześni męczennicy mnie po prostu dobili 🤷♀️
Może nie przyjęłabym tego aż tak źle, gdyby nie to, że w książce, którą czytałam słownie tuż przed tą historią, czyli Double Shifting, był taki sam układ - dwóch najbliższych przyjaciół z tej samej drużyny hokeja, kochających się od lat, ale nie mówiących sobie tego, bo... Tylko tam dodatkowym tropem była amnezja, a tutaj niespodziewane pojawienie się 6-letniej córki. I jak w tej wcześniejszej było to do wzięcia na klatę, gdyż przy amnezji tylko jeden cierpiał w milczeniu od lat - bo ten drugi nie pamiętał, że to też robił 😜, tak tutaj już po prostu nie mogłam - współcześni męczennicy mnie po prostu dobili 🤷♀️
March 4, 2025
I’m trying to spring clean my kindle, so this will not be the last questionable read. Apparently I’ve owned this book since 2021? Which if that isn’t a testament to the weird and wild things covid lockdowns did to be idk what is.
Despite having ZERO memory of finding and purchasing this book, the cover with the teddy bear caught my eye. But oh man, what a painfully mid book. The pacing was atrocious, the stakes illogical, there is somehow a fridged woman who barely gets any narrative import, and an orphaned child who makes zero sense. And like, I get in a romance you do have to sublimate other plot lines for the romance ,,, but at least have the decency to make the romance worth that??
Fantastically easy read, for all my sighing, so it has that going for it.
Despite having ZERO memory of finding and purchasing this book, the cover with the teddy bear caught my eye. But oh man, what a painfully mid book. The pacing was atrocious, the stakes illogical, there is somehow a fridged woman who barely gets any narrative import, and an orphaned child who makes zero sense. And like, I get in a romance you do have to sublimate other plot lines for the romance ,,, but at least have the decency to make the romance worth that??
Fantastically easy read, for all my sighing, so it has that going for it.
February 13, 2025
I won’t lie, I’m kinda glad I’m finished this series. The holding my breath for the next one to be great had my teeth on edge a bit.
I don’t mind books that go back and forth in time, so long as it’s clearly stated. That doesn’t always happen in this book.
Gunner did a great job stepping up to be dad and so did Will, even though they were both being so obtuse the whole book, skirting around the fact they both love each other.
The lawyer who handed over Olivia was for some mysterious reason not a fan of Gunner, and was a bit of a prick because of it.
We never find out why Gunner calls his mam by her name. We never get to learn anything really about Will apart from he has a very protective brother.
Once again, I was not a fan of the ending. All of that had been said more than once before in the book. I would have much preferred an actual epilogue about how they moved forward together as a family. It seems this author is hell-bent on not going down the traditional route of the epilogue.
From the start of this series to the end, there has been no depth to the character, endless amounts of injury, moping, and forced drama. It’s like scraping at the bottom of the barrel for ‘what else can I shove in here to fill it out’ which dilutes the bits that could have made it great if she’d just focused on those. It leaves too many inconsistencies and questions to make them rate any higher.
I don’t mind books that go back and forth in time, so long as it’s clearly stated. That doesn’t always happen in this book.
Gunner did a great job stepping up to be dad and so did Will, even though they were both being so obtuse the whole book, skirting around the fact they both love each other.
The lawyer who handed over Olivia was for some mysterious reason not a fan of Gunner, and was a bit of a prick because of it.
We never find out why Gunner calls his mam by her name. We never get to learn anything really about Will apart from he has a very protective brother.
Once again, I was not a fan of the ending. All of that had been said more than once before in the book. I would have much preferred an actual epilogue about how they moved forward together as a family. It seems this author is hell-bent on not going down the traditional route of the epilogue.
From the start of this series to the end, there has been no depth to the character, endless amounts of injury, moping, and forced drama. It’s like scraping at the bottom of the barrel for ‘what else can I shove in here to fill it out’ which dilutes the bits that could have made it great if she’d just focused on those. It leaves too many inconsistencies and questions to make them rate any higher.
September 12, 2021
This wasn't awful, but I didn't love it. The writing, for the most part, was really good - just the pacing felt really choppy and off, and there were tonnes of time skips that just left me more confused than anything.
I don't really get Gunner's past with his former team, because that's never explored? It's hinted that they beat him up (and potentially spanked him, which I just find a bit weird as men with a purely professional relationship, TBH) and he refers to himself as being too wild... but there's never really any examples of that.
It just seemed like throwing self-esteem issues in there with no basis.
The romance was sweet in parts, but just went back and forth so many times when Gunner was changing his mind and stringing Will along...
I liked Olivia, and I couldn't stop crying when she missed her mom. But one thing I was confused about - was Stephanie still alive during this book? She implies she is in the letter, and is slowly dying, and then the voicemail at the end seemed like she was about to die and leaving the message? So why didn't Gunner or Olivia go to visit her? If it would be too upsetting for the kid, fair, but surely Gunner would go...
I'm just confused.
I don't really get Gunner's past with his former team, because that's never explored? It's hinted that they beat him up (and potentially spanked him, which I just find a bit weird as men with a purely professional relationship, TBH) and he refers to himself as being too wild... but there's never really any examples of that.
It just seemed like throwing self-esteem issues in there with no basis.
The romance was sweet in parts, but just went back and forth so many times when Gunner was changing his mind and stringing Will along...
I liked Olivia, and I couldn't stop crying when she missed her mom. But one thing I was confused about - was Stephanie still alive during this book? She implies she is in the letter, and is slowly dying, and then the voicemail at the end seemed like she was about to die and leaving the message? So why didn't Gunner or Olivia go to visit her? If it would be too upsetting for the kid, fair, but surely Gunner would go...
I'm just confused.
dnf
September 13, 2024DNF @ 67%
I cannot be bothered anymore. The start was okay, then it quickly went downhill and I really don't like anything about this: Logically I understand where Gunner's reluctance to start a relationship with Will is coming from, however the way it's written is just... bad... it feels we're just rushing from one scene to the next and I never really felt like the author took time and care to write the scene as best as they could?
Add to that the really, really questionable "diversity" in here. Killing off a Black woman to have your white m/m romance where one of them has a mixed-race child is like. Not great. Especially when it's then later followed up by this:"Will jumped, turning to see a young Black man with crooked teeth and a charming smile. He was wearing a hoodie and seemed harmless, so WIll cautiously lowered the window a few inches." That's weird, right? I'm not the only one who thinks that's really weird? (That character then turns out to ask some insensitive questions about Gunner's child, but that's neither here nor there.)
I cannot be bothered anymore. The start was okay, then it quickly went downhill and I really don't like anything about this: Logically I understand where Gunner's reluctance to start a relationship with Will is coming from, however the way it's written is just... bad... it feels we're just rushing from one scene to the next and I never really felt like the author took time and care to write the scene as best as they could?
Add to that the really, really questionable "diversity" in here. Killing off a Black woman to have your white m/m romance where one of them has a mixed-race child is like. Not great. Especially when it's then later followed up by this:"Will jumped, turning to see a young Black man with crooked teeth and a charming smile. He was wearing a hoodie and seemed harmless, so WIll cautiously lowered the window a few inches." That's weird, right? I'm not the only one who thinks that's really weird? (That character then turns out to ask some insensitive questions about Gunner's child, but that's neither here nor there.)
March 28, 2023
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
Review - reseña
Español - English
I liked it , you always welcome the romance of field hockey players with open hugs but sometimes I felt like they were making drama over something that could be fixed by just talking and some things happened too fast for my liking .
On the other hand , it was a read that brought tears to my eyes from time to time for Olivia's mom and their relationship was cute
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Me gustó , siempre se recibe los romance de jugadores de hockey con los abrazos abiertos pero algunas veces sentí que hacían drama por algo que se podía arreglar con solamente hablar y algunas cosas sucedían muy rápido para mí gusto .
Por otro lado,fue una lectura que me saco de vez en cuando lágrimas por la mamá de Olivia y la relación de ellos era linda .
Review - reseña
Español - English
I liked it , you always welcome the romance of field hockey players with open hugs but sometimes I felt like they were making drama over something that could be fixed by just talking and some things happened too fast for my liking .
On the other hand , it was a read that brought tears to my eyes from time to time for Olivia's mom and their relationship was cute
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Me gustó , siempre se recibe los romance de jugadores de hockey con los abrazos abiertos pero algunas veces sentí que hacían drama por algo que se podía arreglar con solamente hablar y algunas cosas sucedían muy rápido para mí gusto .
Por otro lado,fue una lectura que me saco de vez en cuando lágrimas por la mamá de Olivia y la relación de ellos era linda .
March 16, 2024
I'm conflicted.
No.
I'm cross because of missed potential.
I liked the premise: once rather wild hockey player is suprised by the revelation of having a kid.
Is also in love with his captain but doesn't want to risk their friendship by wanting more as he believes his crush to be straight.
I also liked the two MCs, Gunner and Will.
However: He also doesn't believe that he deserves this great guy. That he deserves to be loved in general.
Why???
The reason: his self esteem was crushed by his former (first team), also he treated his ex unfairly (though not by cheating but by immaturity). His es was a player on that nasty team.
He's carrying that around for 6-7 years?
While being respected and well-liked by his current team and fans? Which doesn't seem to count for nothing?
Come on, he could have got over this trauma quite some time ago even by simple life experience.
Especially with such a great and assuring friend.
His father left the family when he was a kid. Did this affect how he thought about relationships? Seemingly not.
Why didn't he have a better opinion of himself in spite of having a great mom?
He can't remember the mother of his kid, a ONS, who never contacted him in spite of getting pregnatnt. Only because of the NDA? Gunner was too drunk to remember her but sober enough to have her sign the NDA and make as good an impression on her that she respected him and believed him to be kind? Not to forget that he wasn't drunk enough to have sex.
He's devastated by her fate but never in a moment ponders to seek her out in case she is still alive?
if she believed her familiy not be fit to raise her daughter, will they even know she had one? If tehy don't know they probably also don't know that she's terminally ill. And Gunner just believes her to be dead already? He doesn't care enough to investigate? To give his kid closure? To give himself closure?
And is the love for hockey really genetically transmitted????
Plus I really don't like it when kids are an important element of the story but they are always the cute and nice ones: His kid is far too trusting from the get-go, they have a ideal relationship, all the stuff Gunner is horrified of (enrollment at a school, caring for a kid, cooking etc.) is easily dealt with because: nanny!
Olivia has ONE meltdown about the loss of her mom. That's it???? I had more severe meltdown at her age when I spent some time at a very boring sleepover so could immerse myself in feeling homesick and longing so much for my mom that it HURT. And my mom was alive and kickin just 20 km away...
Plus: the skewed balance: Will get's some chapters from his POV. Not nearly enough. But these rare glimpses show the reader from the start that he is as madly in love with Gunner as Gunner is with him. And they never got the other one's feelings even though they are cuddly as hell?
Gunner also pretends to be a wild fuckboy when in fact he's been celibate due to his severe crush - and why oh why does he feel the need to keep the facade to such a degree that his image is still that of an immature and reckless boy toy when he hates this public image?
And what's with dropping names and characters from former titles? They don't really appear on the page and if I hadn't read some excerpts I just wouldn't have understood any of the hints about this team or that famous player, e.g. Saint: Gunner plays against this guy but somehow it seems as if they never ever face off each other on the ice. How come? Not every author can incorporate former protags well, some allow them to overpower a story, some do it elegantly and create a sense of community (e.g- R. Reid, S. Bowen, E.Finley/S. James, A. Kane/M. James to mention just a few very good ones). But here it's just confusing because such hints should make you care more and not leave you confused what you missed.
The author has talent, she really does.
She managed to made me care about the MCs but with a bit of distance I get really cross about the illogical plotting/reasoning/characterisation. Gunner suffers, makes his crush suffer when a bit of TALKING and introspection and growing up would have not suffer unnecessarily.
And this coming from a reader who loves e.g. Lois Bujolds line of thinking/plotting "how can I make my heroes suffer the most" (phrased much more elegantly of course)?
No.
I'm cross because of missed potential.
I liked the premise: once rather wild hockey player is suprised by the revelation of having a kid.
Is also in love with his captain but doesn't want to risk their friendship by wanting more as he believes his crush to be straight.
I also liked the two MCs, Gunner and Will.
However: He also doesn't believe that he deserves this great guy. That he deserves to be loved in general.
Why???
The reason: his self esteem was crushed by his former (first team), also he treated his ex unfairly (though not by cheating but by immaturity). His es was a player on that nasty team.
He's carrying that around for 6-7 years?
While being respected and well-liked by his current team and fans? Which doesn't seem to count for nothing?
Come on, he could have got over this trauma quite some time ago even by simple life experience.
Especially with such a great and assuring friend.
His father left the family when he was a kid. Did this affect how he thought about relationships? Seemingly not.
Why didn't he have a better opinion of himself in spite of having a great mom?
He can't remember the mother of his kid, a ONS, who never contacted him in spite of getting pregnatnt. Only because of the NDA? Gunner was too drunk to remember her but sober enough to have her sign the NDA and make as good an impression on her that she respected him and believed him to be kind? Not to forget that he wasn't drunk enough to have sex.
He's devastated by her fate but never in a moment ponders to seek her out in case she is still alive?
if she believed her familiy not be fit to raise her daughter, will they even know she had one? If tehy don't know they probably also don't know that she's terminally ill. And Gunner just believes her to be dead already? He doesn't care enough to investigate? To give his kid closure? To give himself closure?
And is the love for hockey really genetically transmitted????
Plus I really don't like it when kids are an important element of the story but they are always the cute and nice ones: His kid is far too trusting from the get-go, they have a ideal relationship, all the stuff Gunner is horrified of (enrollment at a school, caring for a kid, cooking etc.) is easily dealt with because: nanny!
Olivia has ONE meltdown about the loss of her mom. That's it???? I had more severe meltdown at her age when I spent some time at a very boring sleepover so could immerse myself in feeling homesick and longing so much for my mom that it HURT. And my mom was alive and kickin just 20 km away...
Plus: the skewed balance: Will get's some chapters from his POV. Not nearly enough. But these rare glimpses show the reader from the start that he is as madly in love with Gunner as Gunner is with him. And they never got the other one's feelings even though they are cuddly as hell?
Gunner also pretends to be a wild fuckboy when in fact he's been celibate due to his severe crush - and why oh why does he feel the need to keep the facade to such a degree that his image is still that of an immature and reckless boy toy when he hates this public image?
And what's with dropping names and characters from former titles? They don't really appear on the page and if I hadn't read some excerpts I just wouldn't have understood any of the hints about this team or that famous player, e.g. Saint: Gunner plays against this guy but somehow it seems as if they never ever face off each other on the ice. How come? Not every author can incorporate former protags well, some allow them to overpower a story, some do it elegantly and create a sense of community (e.g- R. Reid, S. Bowen, E.Finley/S. James, A. Kane/M. James to mention just a few very good ones). But here it's just confusing because such hints should make you care more and not leave you confused what you missed.
The author has talent, she really does.
She managed to made me care about the MCs but with a bit of distance I get really cross about the illogical plotting/reasoning/characterisation. Gunner suffers, makes his crush suffer when a bit of TALKING and introspection and growing up would have not suffer unnecessarily.
And this coming from a reader who loves e.g. Lois Bujolds line of thinking/plotting "how can I make my heroes suffer the most" (phrased much more elegantly of course)?
January 22, 2022
2,5 ⭐️ I normally love hockey books, but this one was plain boring. There was no hot build up, they both know from the beginning (more or less) that they love each other. Still we have to go through pages and pages and pages of them not being together. The story only contains two real sex scenes and they are not particularly hot. The characters are both nice men and Olivia is a cutie. But the plot could have been so much more interesting. I am left with the feeling that this is a wannabe story, a copy of other hockey stories - but a very boring, non genuine one.
December 28, 2023
This is a 2.5 stars read for me!
The couple was cute but Gunner is a ridiculous name and the man was not much better. I love idiots to lovers but here the drama felt uselessly forced and unnecessary. It HAD to happen to move the plot forward but it really didn't make any sense.
Which is a shame because, again, i LOVE idiots to lovers!!
Also I read a review that criticised introducing Stephanie, a black woman, just to kill her off to set up the gay romance between two white men and I so agree it felt tackyyy
But yeah, average book, with disappointing development I guess?
Oh! But I liked Clancy! I hope he gets his book!!!
The couple was cute but Gunner is a ridiculous name and the man was not much better. I love idiots to lovers but here the drama felt uselessly forced and unnecessary. It HAD to happen to move the plot forward but it really didn't make any sense.
Which is a shame because, again, i LOVE idiots to lovers!!
Also I read a review that criticised introducing Stephanie, a black woman, just to kill her off to set up the gay romance between two white men and I so agree it felt tackyyy
But yeah, average book, with disappointing development I guess?
Oh! But I liked Clancy! I hope he gets his book!!!
March 10, 2021
Wow, that was kinda sweet and hard to read, so many emotions, the pace was slow and frustrating in a way, but at the end I think this pace works well for this story. I just wish we had clarification about the trauma Gunner suffered with his old team, I think he was battered and assaulted (not sexually, he at least said so) but it bothers me that we don't know the circumstances and how this was never reported within the league and how is it possible that none of the staff thought this was wrong and at least make an anonymous report about it?
September 17, 2023
*Actual Rating: 2.5/5 Stars*
So, generally I enjoy the queer hockey romance stories that Grey does. They aren't the most sophisticated, and the formatting is a little off for the novels, but they have a ton of angst (even with the questionable execution), and they are a great filler read before moving on to something else. However, when I picked up this one (which, although her stories are loosley connected in the same world, they are not a strict series), this sone comes in as book number 3 in the inner connected world.
Power Play follows a team that has been mentioned before (Denver Direwolves), specifically Gunner and Will. Will is the captain of the team, and Gunner is a lineman who has been pinning after Will for the past four years. However, the story starts with Gunner waking up and finding his six year old daughter (that he did not know existed until that time) from a drunken one night stand that he does not remember (to a graduate student who happened to be Black, making his daughter biracial). The daughter (and the random lawyer) are there because the mom has died from a rare form of cancer, and her wish was for her daughter Olivia to be raised by her father, and not her parents - who she said were not the environment she wanted her daughter to be raised around.
The story then alternates between Gunner accepting his role as a dad and falling in love with Olivia, how "Uncle Will" also comes around to help him out, and with both POVs we see that both have been pinning after the other for a while now, and that (apparently) the older brother of Will (Clancy) has known about it, but has never said anything the other has old them not to say anything (Will) or he notcied and never got involved till now (Gunner) - and there is some light angst thrown in as this is a hockey romance.
So look - I am not for one to tell folks that they can and cannot write about certain characters because they do not share the same heritage or ethnicity. But, I need authors to undestand about optics and how certain things look. Whether it's MF or MM hockey romances, the running joke is that these stories are not diverse, and that hockey is predominantly a white sport. So to come into a story, where a Black Woman is killed off page as a catalyst for the daughter to arrive in the story, we're then told she is biracial (with a comment being made by the mom about the hairstyles that Olivia likes and dislikes) and she has a stuffed animal that is called Ferguson.
This was published in July 2020, so I have to assume that Grey wrote and edited this book prior to it being published during the BLM movement protests in 2020, so maybe I can ignore the conincednes. And yes, while it is hard to understand why a white author would use the death of a black woman character who not only was a one night stand that the MC DID NOT REMEMBER AT ALL (like even in the flashbacks that we have to six years ago between Gunner and Will when they first meet to the Stanley Cup win, there is NOTHING TO WHERE WE CAN EVEN BEGIN TO CONNECT THE DOTS ON HOW THEY MET) - though I admit, it would be hard to get Olivia to Gunner and her stay there otherwise without getting the story too convoluted. But it was also interesting that the character thought Gunner would be a better system then her parents (who I have to assume are also black) and how, even after Gunner secures her custody outside of court, her maternal grandparents never reach out and just seemed so bizzare to me. Like while I enjoyed the interactions between Olivia, Gunner and Will, her plot of coming to live with Gunner took a backseat as it seemed she was just a plot device to prolong the pinning between the two (EVEN AFTER SHE SAW THEM TOGETHER IN THE BEGINNING AND ASKED IF THEY WERE TOGETHER). Like I couldn't even be mad about that because I was still stuck at the clumsiness that this author was attempting to do by tackling racism and prejudice.
I'll read other books, but like let's do better folks!
So, generally I enjoy the queer hockey romance stories that Grey does. They aren't the most sophisticated, and the formatting is a little off for the novels, but they have a ton of angst (even with the questionable execution), and they are a great filler read before moving on to something else. However, when I picked up this one (which, although her stories are loosley connected in the same world, they are not a strict series), this sone comes in as book number 3 in the inner connected world.
Power Play follows a team that has been mentioned before (Denver Direwolves), specifically Gunner and Will. Will is the captain of the team, and Gunner is a lineman who has been pinning after Will for the past four years. However, the story starts with Gunner waking up and finding his six year old daughter (that he did not know existed until that time) from a drunken one night stand that he does not remember (to a graduate student who happened to be Black, making his daughter biracial). The daughter (and the random lawyer) are there because the mom has died from a rare form of cancer, and her wish was for her daughter Olivia to be raised by her father, and not her parents - who she said were not the environment she wanted her daughter to be raised around.
The story then alternates between Gunner accepting his role as a dad and falling in love with Olivia, how "Uncle Will" also comes around to help him out, and with both POVs we see that both have been pinning after the other for a while now, and that (apparently) the older brother of Will (Clancy) has known about it, but has never said anything the other has old them not to say anything (Will) or he notcied and never got involved till now (Gunner) - and there is some light angst thrown in as this is a hockey romance.
So look - I am not for one to tell folks that they can and cannot write about certain characters because they do not share the same heritage or ethnicity. But, I need authors to undestand about optics and how certain things look. Whether it's MF or MM hockey romances, the running joke is that these stories are not diverse, and that hockey is predominantly a white sport. So to come into a story, where a Black Woman is killed off page as a catalyst for the daughter to arrive in the story, we're then told she is biracial (with a comment being made by the mom about the hairstyles that Olivia likes and dislikes) and she has a stuffed animal that is called Ferguson.
This was published in July 2020, so I have to assume that Grey wrote and edited this book prior to it being published during the BLM movement protests in 2020, so maybe I can ignore the conincednes. And yes, while it is hard to understand why a white author would use the death of a black woman character who not only was a one night stand that the MC DID NOT REMEMBER AT ALL (like even in the flashbacks that we have to six years ago between Gunner and Will when they first meet to the Stanley Cup win, there is NOTHING TO WHERE WE CAN EVEN BEGIN TO CONNECT THE DOTS ON HOW THEY MET) - though I admit, it would be hard to get Olivia to Gunner and her stay there otherwise without getting the story too convoluted. But it was also interesting that the character thought Gunner would be a better system then her parents (who I have to assume are also black) and how, even after Gunner secures her custody outside of court, her maternal grandparents never reach out and just seemed so bizzare to me. Like while I enjoyed the interactions between Olivia, Gunner and Will, her plot of coming to live with Gunner took a backseat as it seemed she was just a plot device to prolong the pinning between the two (EVEN AFTER SHE SAW THEM TOGETHER IN THE BEGINNING AND ASKED IF THEY WERE TOGETHER). Like I couldn't even be mad about that because I was still stuck at the clumsiness that this author was attempting to do by tackling racism and prejudice.
I'll read other books, but like let's do better folks!
November 27, 2023
Gunner es un jugador de hockey bisexual cuya vida da un giro de 180º de un día para otro cuando descubre que tiene una hija de 6 años y que tiene que quedarse con ella y ocuparse de su crianza ya que su madre, que fue una relación casual de la que no se acuerda, ha fallecido. Will es el capitán de su equipo y uno de sus mejores amigos y le apoya desde el momento en que se entera de la noticia. Siempre han tenido una relación muy cercana y Will siempre le ha ayudado y le ha hecho sentir bien y acogido, desde que se conocieron cuando Gunner fue intercambiado al equipo de Will tras una mala experiencia en su equipo anterior. En realidad, tienen sentimientos amoroso el uno por el otro, pero nunca han hecho nada por ello ya que piensan que no es recíproco. Además, Gunner tiene muchas inseguridades por sus experiencias pasadas con un exnovio de hace años y no cree que pueda tener una buena relación de pareja ni que merezca ser amado. Por eso, prefiere tener a Will como amigo antes que perderle o hacerle daño. Por suerte, ambos espabilan y son valientes para confesar lo que sienten y dar un paso adelante con el objetivo de conseguir su final feliz.
Es un romance de amigos a amantes entre jugadores de hockey del mismo equipo. La única pega que le pongo es que casi hasta el final del libro no están juntos realmente. Me hubiese gustado ver más de ellos dos juntos como pareja y de su dinámica. Me ha faltado también un poco de desarrollo de lo que le pasó a Gunner con su expareja porque no lo he acabado de entender y parece importante para comprender cómo actúa Gunner con Will.
#M-M-romance #Hockey-romance #Sports-romance #Friends-to-lovers
Es un romance de amigos a amantes entre jugadores de hockey del mismo equipo. La única pega que le pongo es que casi hasta el final del libro no están juntos realmente. Me hubiese gustado ver más de ellos dos juntos como pareja y de su dinámica. Me ha faltado también un poco de desarrollo de lo que le pasó a Gunner con su expareja porque no lo he acabado de entender y parece importante para comprender cómo actúa Gunner con Will.
#M-M-romance #Hockey-romance #Sports-romance #Friends-to-lovers
November 18, 2024
3. I think this was a sweet story. Olivia comes to like with Gunner and he’s totally not ready to be a parent but he takes it seriously. Will and Gunner love eachother and everyone knows it, but Gunner has self esteem issues and cannot accept love after a vague event we learn about in flashbacks. 6 years of pining is crazy though and the fact that Will’s brother has to drag these two over the finish line is insane work. Will and Olivia are sweet together and they will all be a happy family.
The flashbacks were the weakest part in my opinion… like did he actually like Mateo? We are told he was a complete toolbag but never really shown? Why does his old team hate him so much? And there’s vague references to abuse by the old team but I wasn’t really sure why? Because he was gay? Was he a menace to the team? Because he partied too much? Unclear.
The flashbacks were the weakest part in my opinion… like did he actually like Mateo? We are told he was a complete toolbag but never really shown? Why does his old team hate him so much? And there’s vague references to abuse by the old team but I wasn’t really sure why? Because he was gay? Was he a menace to the team? Because he partied too much? Unclear.
November 27, 2020
Gunner and Will have been best friends since Gunner came to Denver in a trade. Not only are they best friends and teammates but they’ve been keeping a secret from each other... they are madly in love with the other. For fear of unrequited love and a ruined friendship they keep it locked up. Gunner’s world turns upside down when he finds out he has a daughter. This news makes him rethink everything and renews his thoughts that he has to keep his love for Will a secret. Through hockey season, new fatherhood and a push from his friends Gunner tries to navigate his new life while not losing the only person he has truly loved.
My heart broke for Will and Gunner as they tried so hard to keep their feelings to what they could handle. I loved Clancy and I hope he gets a book too!
My heart broke for Will and Gunner as they tried so hard to keep their feelings to what they could handle. I loved Clancy and I hope he gets a book too!
December 7, 2020
All I wanted to do throughout reading this book was give Gunner a big cuddle. Another beautiful, emotional story from an incredible author. The characterisation is fantastic, and I simply adore Michaela’s writing style. I have never read a book about (spoiler!!!) a man suddenly becoming a single father like this, and as I’m not a huge fan of kids in real life, I was apprehensive that I wouldn’t enjoy the storyline, but let me tell you in no uncertain terms, I absolutely loved the plot! I also loved the child, Olivia.
Possibly my favourite thing about this book, however, is the way that Gunner’s past mistakes and experiences shape him and affect his relationships. Please, buy this book! It’s an incredible read, well worth it!
Possibly my favourite thing about this book, however, is the way that Gunner’s past mistakes and experiences shape him and affect his relationships. Please, buy this book! It’s an incredible read, well worth it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2022
Jesus the TEARS. For Stephanie, for Olivia, for Gunner and Will. Grey really dug down into my feels with this one. I kind of wanted someone to break Jefferson’s leg for abusing Gunner. That man deserved better, and he definitely got it with Will. And that locker room scene at the end! SO MANY FEELS. My only complaint is not finding out who hoisted the cup. And also them not really telling Olivia plainly on the page the situation. (Side note: did NONE of the other players have kids? How was Olivia the only kid around? I loved how she and her anteater Ferguson basically became the team’s mascot, though. Excellent detail for the story.)
March 5, 2023
This ended up being my favorite Michaela Grey book I've read so far, and I've really enjoyed the other ones. I love romances that include sports (especially hockey), kids, friends to lovers, and hurt-comfort so this book was pretty much designed for me to love it. There were some things the characters *cough* Gunner *cough* did that irritated me but due to the circumstances it felt realistic. I also would have loved some more detail into Gunner's background with his previous team, but I didn't need it for this book to be a 5-star for me. It was entertaining, adorable, fluffy and gave me all the feels.
July 8, 2020
Another great hockey romance
This book follows is set in the same universe a Roughing, Odd Man Rush and Blindside Hit. It’s a great addition and so far all of them have been different enough to feel fresh, while still mentioning enough familiar characters to feel like the stories are linked.
The writing is great as usual, and the characters are engaging and loveable. If I was being nitpicky, id day there’s less communication between characters, which was something I really liked in the other books, but this one will still be great for any mm hockey romance fans.
This book follows is set in the same universe a Roughing, Odd Man Rush and Blindside Hit. It’s a great addition and so far all of them have been different enough to feel fresh, while still mentioning enough familiar characters to feel like the stories are linked.
The writing is great as usual, and the characters are engaging and loveable. If I was being nitpicky, id day there’s less communication between characters, which was something I really liked in the other books, but this one will still be great for any mm hockey romance fans.
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