Playing with Trouble

I think Lainey's books are so underappreciated and more people need to find this hockey series.

Ella has always lived in her brother's shadow and built her life around hockey, even though she wasn’t a fan and eventually came to hate it and its connection to her childhood. When she gets the chance to move to Pittsburgh and live with her brother, she hopes things might finally be different and that he’ll see who she is now and how far she’s come. While her brother barely notices her, the same can’t be said for his roommate Howie.

Howie sees her right away. He helps her study for her nursing boards and looks out for her safety when she’s heading into work at the hospital. Of course they fall for each other right under her brother’s nose.

Lainey does a great job showing how Ella feels left out and underappreciated by her family, and how everything she’s accomplished seems invisible to them. At the same time, she makes Howie her hero because he pays attention and actually cares. She takes a playboy player and makes him genuine, and we get to watch Howie completely change once he starts hooking up with Ella.

Add in the gentleness he shows when Ella shares her intimacy needs, the friendships she builds at the hospital, and the body positivity he gives her, and it’s easy to see why I say Lainey’s books are underappreciated. She has everything you want in a hockey sports romance, and I hope more people start to find this series.

While this was an ARC from Lainey (thanks Lainey), I have been a fan for years and love all her books.

Every new book by author Lainey Davis is a special treat. Spending time with the Pittsburgh Fury, the Stags, the Playing series, a side trip for agent extraordinaire Brian Klein; all are truly satisfying reads and listens.

Playing with Trouble is Stag-adjacent. Jason “Rookie” Rujkowski and Bernard “Howie” Houser are Fury team members, best friends and roommates. Ella Rujkowski is Jason’s nearly-invisible little sister. When she’s not being ignored – her norm – she’s “Baby Rookie” and most often people want to use her to get to her brother. Close relationships don’t happen often then – think never – because Jason has three rules: Don’t wear my gear, don’t eat my food, don’t touch my sister. He’s a careless, clueless, thoughtless guy; life has always been about him and his hockey. Bernard, Jason and Ella grew up together, Ella stuffed in the back of the car with the hockey boys being carted to games, practices, clinics, doing her homework on the fly and eating to-go meals in the car.

Ella just finished college and has come to Pittsburgh as a probationary hire at Mercy Hospital's emergency department. Too hung over to bother, Jason gets Howie to pick up Ella at the airport. He hasn’t seen her in years, but how much different can she look; he’ll just look for a female version of Rookie with glasses. While he’s watching for Ella with half an eye, a beautiful woman catches his attention. When she approaches him he realizes grown-up Ella isn’t Jason with long hair and glasses at all. Instant attraction to her, but there’s the whole bro code thing so he must fight it. In addition to being nearly invisible to her family, Ella has never been smart enough, pretty enough, small enough . . . never important enough for anyone to actually help her. Proof: Jason’s idea of helping her out while she studies for her boards is to let her sleep on his couch and he is irritated when she doesn’t act grateful enough to suit him. Refuses to let her use his laptop, doesn’t know or care how she gets back and forth to the ER for her late shifts in a danger zone. Bernard is appalled but to Ella this is just another day in her life. Bernard gallantly gives up his room, but that night, after a hockey loss and one too many liquid refreshments, he forgets and climbs into his bed with her in it. Now even more appalled he tells her, “I owe you” and waits to see how she will collect.

It’s now that Playing with Trouble gets really, really interesting, because what Ella wants is some tutoring . . . wait for it . . . to learn the arts of love. Inexperienced and unlikely for that to change with Jason’s leave my . . . rules. She already knows Bernard and this would be no-emotions-involved-lessons to prepare her for when she meets the right guy. Bernard knows this is bad idea, but he’s been mesmerized by Ella since he first saw her at the airport. He’s a good teacher, she’s a fast learner and those lessons get heated pretty quick. And how’s that emotion thing going? Being fully seen and heard for the first time in each of their lives feels pretty comforting. Everybody knows, though, that secrets are eventually found out and the longer you keep it in the worse the reaction when it finally comes out, especially with someone as self-centered and hot-headed as Jason involved. The fun is just beginning!

Playing with Trouble is romantic, sexy and funny. Ella and Bernard are adorable and surrounded by fascinating characters you want to know better. I fell right into this thoughtful, sensitive story about people who don’t get the family support they need, who are often made to feel they are just not enough but who now may be experiencing the miracle of finding their person.

Last but definitely not least is the exceptional narration by Alastair Haynesbridge and Charlotte North. Even though performed in dual rather than duet narration, they are perfectly in sync, possibly because they are married and their performances just mesh, possibly because they are just that good. Haynesbridge has a unique, unusual voice that stays with you; a little vibrato that can sound whiny and dramatic and recognizable with just a sigh. Early on the emphasis is on his irritation but he then smoothly transitions to tender and sweet, sexy and strong, projecting so much yearning. North is the perfect complement. She, too, sounds permanently irritated but then softens with wonder and longing in her voice and perfect pauses. Haynesbridge and North are so good together you hardly notice the switch from character to character and narrator to narrator. Pace, tone, all the feels – all there.

I received advance reading and listening copies of Playing with Trouble. It was captivating, making me laugh and cry with a solid plot and nuanced characters and a touching author’s note at the end. I recommend it without hesitation as well as everything else Davis has written. And I cannot wait for the next story in this fantastic series. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Ella has spent her whole life fighting to be seen. Her brother, Jason, is a hockey player for the Pittsburgh Fury, and anything she wanted to do was given a back seat. Her parents put everything into Jason’s career, and never had a second thought for Ella. So she’s used to doing things on her own, whether she likes it, or not.

Bernard “Howie” Hauser has been tasked with picking up his friend and roommate’s little sister. It’s been a while since he’s seen Ella, and like a lot of people, expect to see the version of her as he last saw her (she was a teenager). So it’s kind of cute but mostly sad that he doesn’t recognize her. The funny part? The moment he sees her, he wants her…until he realizes who she is.

But, honestly, he still wants her.

Jason has three (admittedly immature) rules — don’t touch his stuff, don’t touch his food, and don’t touch his sister. Maybe that worked when she was a teenager, but it sure isn’t working now. And after spending time with Bernard, she decides that she wants him to be the one to “deflower” her. And Bernard is on board.

I love that the chemistry between Bernard and Ella is so electric. As Ella hasn’t had a lot of dating experience (being forced to follow her brother around for years might have something to do with that), she wants Bernard to teach her. Their connection is so strong already, and they don’t know yet just how strong that pull is going to be. (Hint: It’s STRONG.)

Ella finds friends both at work and with the PAWs (Partners and Wives) of the hockey players. She even takes up a hobby. But the clock is ticking down to her nursing exam, and she’s having trouble understanding the questions. As it turns out, she needs to hear the words, not see them. And that really changes the way she studies for the exam.

I loved this story, and frankly, I’ve never met a book by this author that I didn’t like. There are moments that made me laugh out loud, and moments that made me ugly cry, but don’t worry, there are only happy endings here. If you like your romances steamy, and enjoy hockey, then this book is for you.