Power Play by Maria Luis

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Title: Power Play
Author: Maria Luis
Series: Blades Hockey #1
Published by: Tantor Audio
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Elizabeth Hart, Joe Hempel
Length: 5 hours and 13 minutes
Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Contemporary
Source: Audible Escape Package
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 Read My Name Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ IndieBound ✩ iTunes
My rating:

Blurb:

He (was) the hottest player on the ice.

She's a (struggling) sports journalist looking for her big break.

Charlie Denton has been handed the most impossible assignment from her stick-in-the-mud boss: get an exclusive interview with the NHL's golden boy, Duke Harrison.

The catch? She's got eight days or she’ll be demoted. Fired. Kicked to the curb - No way is she letting her future rest on the broad shoulders of a goalie who is at least three seasons past his prime.

She has eight days to convince Duke that the loyal fans of The Cambridge Tribune (annual circulation: 1,000) are dying to know about his life, on and off the ice. Eight days to stand toe to toe with a man who is pure sex on a stick. Eight days to remember that every mind-blowing kiss is nothing but a power play.

What could go wrong?

My Review:

3.5 stars — Well….  I enjoyed myself, but not as much as I was expecting to.

First, the presence of dual narrators confused me as the book went on with only Charlie’s POV.  So just FYI, we only get Duke’s POV in the epilogue.  Despite that, I really enjoyed Ms. Hart’s narration in this one.  I particularly liked her Duke voice!

If you’re a fan of hockey and actually know the rules, and inaccuracies bother you, welp…liberties are taken in this book.  I can accept some because, you know, *fiction*…and sometimes fiction is over the top and unrealistic.  But when a goalie takes a penalty, they don’t go to the penalty box.  OK, done, got that off my chest.  😛

I enjoyed both Charlie and Duke well enough.  Their flirting was super fun, and Duke was kind of adorable with his pursuit.  But at the same time, neither of them really stood out that much.  And at a certain point (past half way, but not sure after that) I knew *EXACTLY* what the conflict/resolution was going to be.  I don’t mind tropes, but this was so obvious that it felt a bit…phoned in?  I don’t know.  I was disappointed anyways, it just felt very cliche to me.

The chemistry between the two of them was pretty solid though, and again…there were a lot of fun moments.  But in the end, it just wasn’t a standout for me.

Wow, that was a short review.  Huh.