Series: Playing the Game #1
Author: Nicole Crystal
Published December 1st 2025 by Coco's Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Some games are played to win. Some are played for keeps.
He plays by instinct. She lives by the numbers. Together, they're about to rewrite the playbook.
Sienna Brooks doesn't do impulsive. As the daughter of sports agent powerhouse Ethan Brooks, she's built her career on careful analysis and strategic planning. After her ex publicly humiliated her, she added one more rule to her life: no athletes, ever.
Hockey captain Grayson Cole has spent his life carrying other people's burdens. With his NHL dreams hanging in the balance, the last thing he needs is a by-the-book analyst criticizing his game. Especially one whose sharp mind and sharper tongue make it impossible to focus.
When forced to work together to save his career, their explosive chemistry creates opportunities neither saw coming. But as secrets and old wounds threaten what they're building, they'll need to decide if love is worth risking everything they've worked for.
In this game, the heart doesn't follow the rules.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.
College senior Sienna Brooks has her whole life mapped out. The daughter of a prolific sports agent, she is obsessed with sports, but after being burnt by er ex, Sienna vows she will never get involved with an athlete again. However, her work on analysing the game play of the Silver Pines Hockey Team brings her to the attention of the team's coach, who asks that she works one-on-one with captain Grayson Cole. Grayson knows that as a 22 year old, entering the draft this year will be hard, and he's not been playing at his best. Even so, he doesn't want someone who's never been on the ice to tell him how to play, but even he can't deny that what Sienna is telling him to do gets results. As they begrudgingly work together, the line between reluctant colleagues and lovers becomes smaller and smaller.
Wow, I literally couldn't put this book down. Reading it in one sitting, I loved the way that the FMC and MMC were both tortured souls, who were nowhere near perfect, but had goals and dreams. Sienna might be destined for law school, but she's less interested in that, and more in being an analyst. Working with Grayson, she has the chance to work on her dream. Both she and Grayson worked so well together, and they were definitely a matched pair. The extended cast of characters really added to the story, and helped set the scene for the rest of the series. I can't wait for Luke and Emma's story, that's bound to be exciting.
Dates Read:
January 25, 2026
Rating
4 Stars
