Playing With Fire

Ice Kings #0.5

by Stacey Lynn

Jude Taylor swept me off my feet the moment I met him.
Literally.
He chased me. Tried to win me. For the first time in my life, he made me feel like taking a risk might not be so scary.
As soon as I gave in, everything was ripped away.
I knew I never should have trusted him.
Not with my dreams.
And most definitely ¬– not with my heart.


Playing With Fire is a prequel novella to Playing To Win. It does not have to be read first to enjoy Playing To Win. It’s an EXTRA for readers who wanted the history to Jude and Kate’s relationship in Playing To Win. It can be read at any time.

Genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Hockey, Contemporary, Hockey Romance, Novella

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2020

About the author

Stacey Lynn likes her coffee with a dash of sugar, her heroes with a side of bossy, and her wine a deep shade of red.

The author of over thirty romance novels, many of which have been best-selling titles on Amazon, AppleBooks, and Barnes & Noble.

Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, she now makes her home in North Carolina and loves all things Southern. Together with her ultimate tall, dark, and handsome hero, she has four children. Her life is a chaotic mess that fights with her Type-A, list-making, neurotically organized preferences and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Reviews

[Nadine Bookaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Stacey Lynn!!! This was a great addition to the ICE KINGS SERIES, and it's a perfect way to hold us over until Hard Checked releases next month.

In Playing with Fire we get the back story of how Jude and Kate met and what lead up to their second chance romance in Playing to Win.

Read more of my review and find out where you can get your free copy here: https://bit.ly/NBReviewPWF




You can find me here:  https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic

[Tanja OMGReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's there to say other than - what a great introduction to one of my favorite couple by Stacy Lynn.
We get a gimps at what when down and why they spent so many years apart before running into each other again to fight for the HEA.

Loved it!!

[Indy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really cute and I can’t wait to read about them!

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and nice! New author for me. Looking forward for the series

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (8/24/2020)! 🎁

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Getting the before scenes of Jude and Kate's story was so fun. This series is fantastic and this quick story was another great addition to it. Imagining their beginning wasn't so different from what I read, but Jude's good-guy side was full-force in this novella! I really, really adore him!

[Vfc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the prequel to ‘Playing to Win’...it depicts their three week courtship and their one special night together.

Jude pursues and Katie eventually acquiesces. That one night was all they got, interrupted when he is called to play in the professional league.

They never spoke again. In Playing to Win, we see them get their second chance.

[Marissa Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more of Katie and Jude! Can't wait to see what happens next! 💙

[Solara! · Rating 4 out of 5]

for a novella it was pretty good and im lowkey excited for the second book!

[Sophie!🤍 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️
Kinda boring ngl…. I think the ending did make me excited to read the next book, but tbh I don’t know how necessary this was.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Loved the setup to Jude and Kate’s story. It was exactly what was missing from their book and provided the readers what they needed to get more understanding of the two of them and their relationship. I only give it 3.5 stars because communication could’ve easily fixed everything (I hate that!) but the characters weren’t mature enough to actually communicate.

[Marisela M. Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredible introduction to Jude and Katie. I can't wait to continue with their story. 💙

[Canadian Girl Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

            

                             

Jude and Kate are in their last year of college and are both determined to make it in their respective areas of study. Kate is trying to study for her finals when Lizzie convinces her to reluctantly go to the party at the hockey house. Kate thinks that all athletes are arrogant jocks, that is until Jude catches her attention, literally. After catching Kate in mid-air as she is about to fall, Jude falls for her and is determined to make her see he is not another dumb jock. Playing with Fire is the prequel to the Ice Kings series which is told in the first-person point of view from the heroine’s perspective.

Playing with Fire gives us a look into how Jude and Kate met in college and their love story that leads up to the events in Playing to Win. If you have yet to read this story I recommend starting with Playing with Fire. If you have read this series in the past it is a nice quick glimpse into Jude and Kate’s past. I love how Jude is not your typical jock and truly has a big heart. This is a great series by Stacey Lynn and a great series for hockey romance fans everywhere!

*ARC generously provided in exchange for my honest review*

                             

                      

                           

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Katie and Lizzie’s senior year, with only one semester left at Chicago College. Katie is working toward the Physical Therapy Graduate Program finish line. After this year, Lizzie will have jetted off to study economics in England for graduate school. She’s not only a party animal; she’s wicked smart, and that’s why she can talk Katie into going to a party at the hockey house. “I have to work tomorrow. I need to be home early.” “One?” “Midnight.” She pouts but knows when I’ve negotiated all I’m willing to. She holds out her hand. “Deal.”

The girls go bundled up because the wind is biting fiercely that night. She tells Lizzie if it's out of control with naked people and out-of-control drinking, she’s going home. However, when they arrive, no one is in the yard. Until they are almost to the top of the front porch. When Katie sees a shirtless man coming at her, she tries to move; that’s when she hits black ice and starts to swing her arms. Seeing herself landing on her tailbone in her mind's eye, she’s surprised when two warm arms slide beneath her and catch her just in the nick of time, and then she thinks she must have hit her head.

Because the most beautiful voice I’ve heard lands right on my ear. “It’s okay, beautiful. I’ve got you.” Welcome to Katie and Jude Taylor’s meet-cute. This is a night filled with surprises because Kate has never thought about herself as nothing special because of being a plus size and being a girl with that hippy mom, never staying settled for long, never having money, and, most importantly, never making friends. So, when Jude keeps his full attention on her and only her, it pleases her to no end. But when he continues to make contact, she starts to believe there is something there.

They do get in a fight on the night she finally decides to go to a game. He gives her a peck, and the girl next to her says, Do you know him? She says, Yes, we are friends. She says, Oh, okay, I can see that. This makes her question whether she is being rational in thinking that they could even have a chance. She goes with Lizzie to a party at the hockey house. She was so excited to see Jude; he scored the winning goal. His two brothers were there, and she just couldn’t wait to see him. But, after she is handed a drink, she turns to only observe two girls hanging off each arm on both sides of Jude.

She knocks back her drink, and she tells Lizzie she is out of there. Lizzie’s face falls as she scans the area and must see what she did; she says, Ok. It's what happened at the end that broke my heart, knowing her background and how he just did his one and done with her and she mentally had to check out.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this was only a novella, the entire thing felt rushed. This was supposed to set up the first book in the series by explaining how the characters first got together and ended up apart. The relationship wasn't explained well and I still don't feel like I know either of them. The only thing I got from this novella was that the situation was completely Katie's fault and easily could've been avoided. She came across as indecisive and difficult. I though he might not have given any indication that he wanted to explore their relationship after he got called up, but he specifically told her he would be calling her as soon as he got to the team. She's the one who decided to block him and delete his number after the only thing he did was get the opportunity of a lifetime. I understand that she craves stability, but the least she could've done was explain that to him. She was so afraid that he was just using her, but that's exactly what she did. She slept with him and then ghosted him just because his dream came true. Had I not started the first book before finding the novella, I probably would not continue with this series. Jude could do sooooo much better than Katie.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious tease…

On the one hand, I wish I had read this before Playing to Win. On the other hand, I had knowledge of what came after to savour even more what happened here. I know, confusing, but I really am torn about the timing even as I’m so glad the author offered this tidbit at any time!

Jude and Katie (it’s Kate) had sparks from the very minute they laid eyes on each other. If I thought she was going to make Jude work to win her over after not seeing him for years, I know now that this was not new for this couple lol. They both had big dreams already and Kate had no safety net. She had to keep herself focused and heart healthy as a failed romance would derail everything…

Katie may have snarked but she wasn’t immune to Jude’s hockey bod or his sweet charm. Resistance was futile and watching it all lead to the inevitable conclusion was a sweet tightrope…

A great build up to the full story to follow, this novella set stage perfectly for the conflict to follow….

*I happily reviewed this story

[Will Decker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of prologues have endings while introducing characters into a new series. Few end abruptly and it's frustrating when they do, like this one. The main character is juvenile to the point of ridiculous, but then she is still a student. The hero is a tad more mature. Just a tad. I continued reading for two reasons; the first because it's short, and the second because I thought they would finally end up together. It was short, but the ending up together was skimmed over to the point this story probably belongs in the "YA" genre. There is absolutely zero spice, almost as if the story was written for young adults, like maybe students or "Christian Romance", neither of which interests me. The blurb should be re-written to reflect the real story here instead of trying to compete with sensually hot romances.

[Anica · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I had read this before "Playing To Win", I never would have bothered to actually read Katie's and Jude's book. I was absolutely bothered by Katie here. I mean she was already getting on my nerves in "Playing To Win" but it was bearable to a certain point. But here? JFC. Could she be any more annoying and more juvenile? I think not. I still don't get what Jude actually sees in her because good lord.

Besides, this shortened, and Katie actually acting like a reasonable person... why not put this in the actual book because... it would help to understand the plot? I mean yeah it was messy, the writing style, the constant repetitions, ... as I said Katie was annoying af so I was thankful I was spared this much in the actual book but still... include important stuff in the books and not come up with a free prequel because that makes not much sense here. lmao

Either way... ugh!

[PFL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing with Fire by Stacey Lynn is the prequel to Playing to Win and tells the story of how Jude and Kate meet.


When Kate is dragged to a college hockey team players party, she doesn’t want to attend, she meets Jude. He is enamored with her, but she isn’t interested and wants to focus on her senior year before graduating.


Kate is focused and realizes that she and Jude come from different worlds, even as he continually pursues her. She realizes she has misjudged him and agrees to start a relationship, but just as it’s getting started, Jude is called to play in the pro hockey league.


Where will the story go from here? You will have to read Playing to Win to find out and if you already have read PTW, this is a great novella to see how the story began.

[Courtney Washburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Playing with Fire” is a novella that takes place prior to “Playing to Win.” It follows a singular POV of Katie / Kate & how she meets Jude.

I, personally, did not care for Katie. & that is because we have the same way of viewing friendships. Having a military father growing up I know what it is like to constantly make friends then move a year or so later just to start over. After a while you see everyone being temporary. I get it but how she was with Jude was a bit much.

The whole time she dodged him, acted as if she did not want to go to his game, or be around him. Sees him around two girls & all of a sudden she gets mad. No, ma’am.

She did apologize but I still don’t care for her as a character. Hopefully I’ll like her more in “Playing to Win.”

[Sharon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading and loving every word of Playing To Win - to be able to read a prequel to Jude & Kate's story, well let's just say I couldn't get my grabby hands on that any quicker than I actually did!!
Jude once again was exceptional, and that's not to take anything away from Kate, I loved that he was smitten from the start and set about the chase. The way he left her was understandable but still heart breaking for her - and me as the reader!!
Cannot wait to get my hands on whatever Stacey writes next. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book

[Ebba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could have found this short prologue before the first book, now I only want to know more about their story. What was Judes thoughts and emotions at the same time as Katies? What happened after the first book once they got married? So many questions, but one thing I am sure of is that Stacey Lynn sure as hell writes awsome books that once you pick up one you can't put them down until you've finished it and the rest of the books in the same series.

Wish I could read her books for the first time again.

[Karen Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much. I am so ready to read the next book and see how things turn out for the two main characters in this book. No spoilers here. A well written book, with true to life scenarios with a good story behind it.... This is the first book for me to read by this author and am looking forward to reading more. I sincerely hope they meet the same level of reading enjoyment as this book gave to me.

[Melenareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute novella that takes readers back to Jude and Katie's short but sweet college relationship. I really enjoyed getting to revisit them and get more detail on how they met and fell for each other.

While it's not necessary to read this to enjoy Playing to Win, I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.

[Paige Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cliffhanger

for the most part I enjoy reading books by this author. She does a good job creating a fun flirty relationship between Jude and Katie.
That said this book is a prologue to book 1. Be prepared to read the next book to find out what happens to Jude and Katie

[Diane McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to the Ice King Series!

Short preview of Katie Carter and Jude Taylor when they first met in college and had a three-week romance before he left for the Carolina Ice Kings when his brother was injured.

Now you understand why Katie had such a hard time when they met up again when Jude was injured this time.

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this novel, but felt like its not finished. Not happy with the way it ended if you can call it that? some how it does not make sense to me. (needs new ending) and also more, like did they end on bad or good terms? Did he leave straight away? or is this all in the next book, but i feel it should be in this one.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars for this college romance!

This is the beginning to Jude and Katie’s story. I read Playing to Win first and I wished I would have read this first … its a great prelude to their story. Even though you get a glimpse of the beginning of their story in the next book, this one gives way more details. And it’s those details that makes me love them more.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You're killing me, Katie. But be warned, someday you're going to want to kiss me, and I promise you now, I'm going to let you."

A cute little novella about Jude and Katie's backstory. Setting up the foundation for "Playing to Win".

It was everything I had hoped for, and yet, all it did was make me want more stories about them. :(

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!!

This book grabs you and won’t let you go. Love how the author keeps your interest and even though it ends in a cliffhanger it is Awesome. You have a shy beautiful girl who meets a hot hockey player and finally gives in to her attraction when he gets the call to go pro. Great book!! Will definitely have to see what happens next.