Just Playing for Keeps
(Hockey Ever After, #2)
by Lauren Blakely
Released – 3 June 2026
Available today!
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Blurb
Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arena’s jumbotron?
Everyone did. But I lived it. Including the moment when Lake Axelrod, the team’s broody, tattooed right winger, swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.
Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey star insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sister’s high-profile wedding.
It’s the perfect plan. His family stops pressuring him to settle down, and I’ll get the ultimate revenge, since my ex is the best man. Bonus – I might even salvage my professional reputation.
We need rules though.
- To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe we’re a real couple.
- That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
- When it ends, we walk away.
But the intensity in Lake’s eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if he’s pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.
Soon, he isn’t just playing the protective boyfriend—he’s the only one who truly sees me.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to break the most important rule of all: don’t fall for your fake date.
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Review
5 stars!
I love books with fake relationship and this author writes some of the best. Remy and Lake give us a funny, sweet, sexy fake romance that isn’t fake at all. You’ll enjoy the start to their charade and love the final ending. From heartbreak to sheer bliss, Remy and Lake have a blast getting to know each other and falling in love.
Remy experiences a truly awful breakup…in front of a whole arena of hockey fans. The Jumbotron shows it all and Remy is both brokenhearted and embarrassed. With her sister’s wedding approaching and her ex being the best man she wants her plus-1 to stand out. Lake is just the guy to take on the task as her fake date so she’s not alone and has a new, hotter, better guy on her arm. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize it may not be fake at all.
My head feels fuzzy. My body feels light. My fingers tingle. It’s ridiculous the way she makes me feel. Alive.
Everywhere.
But most of all in this organ in my chest that’s been on ice for so long.
I loved this story. Remy is so fun and a great girl who did not deserve to be treated the way she was and Lake is just the guy to show her what she deserves. And he is so good at it! He puts her first in everything they do even when he’s had a rough time with romance and isn’t convinced he’s good at it. Both feel something toward each other but they can’t accept it’s not all fake. I could see right through it though. The way they care for each other and respect each other is gorgeous. They’re the farthest from being selfish and just work so well together. They bring on the laughs and feels and give us a bunch of swoony and sexy moments. I enjoyed seeing them get to know each other the more time they spend and I loved that they really took note on what the other likes and needs.
I love that they had to be part of so many wedding festivities and it opened them up to trying new things. And the list was such a fun addition to the story. I loved how everything played out even though you are sort of dreading the fallout that usually happens when a fake relationship is revealed. It’s not crazy over the top but it’s still interesting and entertaining.
The way the secondary characters played roles in their lives was wonderful, especially the ones we’ve met before. I always love getting more of the characters I’ve fallen in love with as well as meeting new ones. I adore the Hockey Ever After clan and can’t wait for more.
*ARC generously provided by the author*
Hockey Ever After
Just Breaking The Rules (#1) – (Mabel & Corbin)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
Just Playing for Keeps (#2) – (Remy & Lake)
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
About the Author
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
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