Play Along (Windy City, 4)

Kennedy
I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.

But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.

Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake.

Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.

They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home.

Isaiah
As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.

I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.

We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.

Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.

So come on, wife… play along.

Liz Tomforde is a New York Times bestselling author of sports romance novels that depict realistic and healthy relationships. Her books offer a mix of witty banter, undeniable chemistry, a healthy dash of spice, and swoon-worthy men who look good in uniform.

Born and raised in Northern California, Liz is the youngest of five children. She loves all things romance, traveling, dogs, and hockey. When’s she’s not writing, Liz can be found relaxing at home or listening to a good book while on a walk with her Golden Retriever, Luke.

Play Along by Liz Tomforde is a contemporary sports romance set in her popular hockey universe, and it follows the slow, complicated shift from enemies to lovers between star goalie Cooper “Coop” Callahan and Phoebe Miller, a woman who knows exactly who he is—and wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The story begins with Cooper at the top of his game professionally: he’s talented, famous, cocky, and used to getting his way, both on the ice and in his personal life. He’s also known as a bit of a player, the kind of guy who enjoys attention and doesn’t take relationships seriously. Phoebe, on the other hand, is grounded, sharp, and carrying a lot of emotional weight from her past. She has very good reasons for hating Cooper before she even meets him properly, and that early hostility sets the tone for their dynamic. From the start, Play Along is about two people who are pushed into close proximity and forced to confront assumptions, grudges, and a attraction that neither of them wants to admit is there.

Their worlds collide when circumstances force them into a living situation that neither would have chosen. Through mutual connections in the hockey world—especially characters from earlier books in the series—Phoebe ends up sharing space with Cooper or seeing him far more often than she’d like. For her, this is a nightmare: Cooper represents a type of man she doesn’t trust, tied to painful memories and broken promises. She is determined to keep things cold and distant, to treat him as nothing more than an unwelcome inconvenience. Cooper, initially, reacts with typical swagger, hiding any hurt or insecurity behind humor, flirtation, and cocky remarks. He’s used to people liking him, and Phoebe’s clear dislike is both annoying and strangely fascinating. He starts off wanting to prove her wrong just for the challenge, but over time, that playful determination slowly shifts into something more genuine as he gets glimpses of who she is beneath the protective walls.

One of the strengths of the book lies in how their banter gradually changes. At first, their conversations are sharp-edged, full of stubbornness and sniping. Phoebe often calls Cooper out on his reputation and behavior, refusing to be impressed by his fame or charm. Cooper, in turn, needles her, pushing at her boundaries with teasing comments and flirtatious jokes, often more as a defense mechanism than true arrogance. As they spend more time together, those exchanges soften just slightly; the insults become inside jokes, the coldness warms into begrudging respect. Phoebe begins to see that Cooper’s public persona and the stories she has heard don’t fully match the person in front of her. He is still infuriatingly confident, but he is also kind, unexpectedly thoughtful, and loyal to the people he cares about. Cooper starts noticing the cracks in Phoebe’s armor—the way she cares deeply for her loved ones, the moments when her guard slips and her vulnerability shows—and he is drawn to that depth.

Phoebe’s arc is shaped by the way she confronts the past. She has lived with certain hurts and betrayals for a long time, and those experiences have made her wary of athletes, fame, and the type of lifestyle Cooper embodies. She has built her identity around not letting herself be fooled or hurt again. In Play Along, she slowly learns to separate her old pain from the present reality. The more she gets to know Cooper, the harder it becomes to cling to the original story she had about him. This doesn’t happen quickly; there are setbacks, misunderstandings, and moments where she pushes him away out of reflex. But each time Cooper shows up with steady support, humor, and honesty, Phoebe’s certainty about keeping him at a distance weakens. She begins to question whether she is protecting herself or limiting herself, and that inner conflict becomes one of the emotional engines of the story.

Cooper, meanwhile, goes through his own subtle transformation. On the surface, he is still the charming goalie with the big ego and easy grin, but the book reveals that his playboy image hides insecurities and fears, especially around commitment and being truly known. He has spent years thriving in a world that rewards performance and persona, but Phoebe is one of the few people who doesn’t buy into the gloss. That challenges him in a way he didn’t expect. He finds himself wanting her respect, not just her physical attraction, and that desire pushes him to be more open, more honest, and more consistent. Instead of running from deeper feelings, he starts leaning into them, even when Phoebe pulls back. His growth is quiet but powerful—he shifts from someone who coasts on charm to someone who shows up, apologizes when he’s wrong, listens, and fights for the relationship he wants.

The hockey backdrop adds energy and texture to the story. Practices, games, travel, and the pressure of performing at an elite level all appear in the narrative, giving insight into Cooper’s world and the demands he faces. The locker room banter, camaraderie among teammates, and familiar faces from Tomforde’s other books create a sense of continuity and community. These supporting characters often serve as sounding boards, giving advice, teasing Cooper about his obvious feelings for Phoebe, and making it clear that his interest in her is more serious than he’s letting on. For Phoebe, stepping into this environment is both intimidating and oddly comforting. She sees the human side of these athletes and begins to realize that not everyone fits the harmful pattern she has experienced before. The team and their partners form a kind of found family, showing Phoebe that healthy relationships and support systems do exist.

As the relationship between Cooper and Phoebe deepens, the tension comes from old fears resurfacing and external pressures testing their fragile trust. There are moments when Phoebe’s past experiences seem to repeat themselves, or when the spotlight on Cooper’s career makes her feel exposed and unsafe. Miscommunication and emotional triggers lead to arguments and temporary distance. Cooper sometimes missteps, either by falling back on his old habits or by not fully understanding the depth of Phoebe’s pain. Likewise, Phoebe occasionally misinterprets his actions through the lens of her history, assuming the worst when she is scared. These conflicts feel grounded and realistic—they are not simply dramatic for the sake of drama, but rooted in the emotional scars they both carry. The story follows their attempts to navigate these challenges honestly, learning to apologize, to explain, and to trust.

What makes Play Along satisfying is the way their eventual connection feels earned. By the time Cooper and Phoebe truly let down their guards and admit their feelings, the reader has seen them fight, flirt, misunderstand, protect, and slowly heal. There is chemistry and physical attraction, but there is also friendship, shared laughter, and mutual respect. They both have to choose vulnerability in order to move forward: Cooper has to step away from the safety of superficial relationships and put his heart on the line, and Phoebe has to risk being hurt again by believing that this time might be different. When they finally do, their partnership feels like a natural progression, not a sudden twist. Their story fits neatly into Liz Tomforde’s wider hockey romance world, offering all the hallmarks fans expect—banter, spice, sports, and emotional depth—while focusing on two people learning that playing along with old narratives only keeps them stuck, and that real happiness comes when they are brave enough to write a new one together.