Dirty Player: A Hockey Romance (Back To You Book 2)

I loved this story. It wasn't anything overly original - sports romances and friends to lovers have been done many times before - but the author was able to keep the story entertaining, witty and provide well-detailed characters that made me feel as though it was a fresh concept. Julia and Greg went to high school together and have remained good friends in the thirteen years that have passed since. She's a sideline reporter for the NFL who has to constantly fight for her job due to being a talented female in a man's world. As a result, she has a firm rule not to date pro-athletes so she doesn't lose credibility in her role and can remain focussed on her career. Greg is a pro hockey player. He reminds Julia of a contract they wrote in jest in in their year book - that Julia would give him a kiss at their ten year reunion. You can probably guess what happens here. They kiss (although as a bit of a mock-up), but later in the evening have a much more serious make out session. This acts as the catalyst to their relationship with neither being able to get the other off their mind.I thought the author did a great job of getting the reader to get to know Greg and Julia. They both had their own backstories that made them wary of relationships and I loved how they both valued their friendship and always wanted to put it first. The writing was witty and playful which made it a bit of a light read while delving into the characters' nuances enough that there was ample depth.There were a couple of tiny factors that other readers might not like. For example, there was a bit of back and forth between Greg and Julia up until almost half way through the book - will they, won't they and so on. Greg had a lot of frustration when he wanted to get more serious with Julia and then again when he wanted their relationship to go public. Some readers might perceive Julia as a bit cold for making the decisions she did, but I found it refreshing that there was a female lead who was cautious about her career as well as wary of throwing away a friendship (and maybe her heart). Some of the story was pretty predictable, but I loved the story and the writing enough for this to not bother me and to keep it at five stars.There was a good amount of reference to the main characters' respective sports which I enjoyed. I love that the author had Greg jealous at times, but not in an arrogant manner, and that there was other man drama (no cheating so don't panic) to keep him on his toes. There was a bit of added angst here and there but it didn't have me rolling my eyes which is a massive win in my books. I think because the author didn't dwell on their problems for the most part - thank you! There were a few steamy scenes that weren't over the top. I think there's a book in the series (a standalone) previous to this one. I didn't feels as though I had to read it and apart from the mention of a few characters that gave me the impression there was a history, it didn't affect my reading experience.I haven't read any books by this author before, but I definitely will read more of hers in the future. I loved both Greg and Julia and if any of her other books are like this, I can't wait to read them.

I once declared Mira Lyn Kelly the queen of sexual tension. I’m now going to add goddess of friends to lovers romance to her titles. After all, this isn’t her first rodeo in this trope. Fear not though reader because, even though I can go back and look at a few of her blurbs and see a similar theme (friends for years, then suddenly 8-10 years later, boom...lovers), she finds a way to make each story different from the last.Most importantly she writes Heroes who, even if they have a player reputation, are deep down just really good guys who go all in when they find their one and only. Greg is a perfect example of this. He’s been pining over Julia since high school. Not in a not living his life kind of way but it’s like his heart has always known they were destined to be more than “just” friends. So when he gets his chance to make it happen at their 10 year HS reunion based on a vow they made in a yearbook post, he goes for it!!Don’t worry, she writes strong, smart and sexy heroines too! Julia would be hard pressed to deny that she’s attracted to Greg, but she also knows that being a woman in the world of sports means she has to be careful about perception. She has one rule for herself and that is to not date athletes, and while I totally respect that, I also wished she’d let herself give in to that temptation with Greg a little quicker and easier than she did. Especially when a string of situations got out of control and the misunderstandings sent their new relationship into a downward spiral. Granted, the misunderstandings were completely understandable (that makes sense, I swear it!) and realistic, which made the conflict of the story strong without being too much to turn around.Greg and Julia’s story was just the right amount of sexy and sweet and I would absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys a fun, heartwarming friends to lovers romance.

This book was an immediate re-read for me. It's ticked all my boxes... sports theme, second chance, great dialogue, friends to lovers, guy desperately in love with his girl and friend group that you'd love to join.Greg is a good guy who is an even better friend to Julia. Despite busy lives in the public eye, they privately text and call throughout the years just as friends. As they approach a high school reunion, their high school IOU (a kiss) is made public and the public attention grows....but so does the attraction that runs way beyond the friendship.This story is deeper than the "don't hate me because I'm beautiful" romance novels. It's got characters who are true to their friends while putting their feelings on hold. Once Greg realizes that Julia is the prize, he pursues her relentlessly and with the most heart stopping honesty a girl could hope for.The characters are well developed, realistic, and the writing is both inventive and entertaining. I was expecting something light, but was really quite pleasantly surprised. As I got to about 75%, I both devoured and tried to savor the story. Once I finished, I immediately started the re-read, with a focus on the many scenes with the author demonstrating her ability to write so well.After my multiple (0k, about 8) re-reads, I immediately downloaded Hard Crush, which is fabulous!If you're looking for a new book, download this immediately. Then follow Ms. Kelly and catch up on the other books in this terrific series that you missed. I'm doing that right now.

The good news is that the author has created two likeable lead characters and is great at writing steamy scenes. There are no annoying editing errors.The bad news is that this is very light on plot. The incident that almost breaks them up feels contrived. The hero has known this woman for thirteen years as one of his best friends and suddenly after confessing his love he runs out after a misunderstanding she immediately explains. Frankly, at this point, I wouldn't have minded if she'd joined Team Mike.So, an okay read, but not a book I would revisit.

Two of my favorite tropes are second chance romance and friends-to-lovers, so Mira is totally rocking my socks off with this series. Round it out with an enemies-to-lovers coming up next and I basically want to worship her. I mean, I pretty much already do anyway, so not much more I have to do to complete my shrine to her.On to Greg...dirty, dirty Greg. *ahem* Sorry. Rabbit hole.Right, so Dirty Player. Ten years ago, Greg and Julia made a joking pact that if they were both single at their class reunion, they would kiss. No biggie, because they've been best friends for thirteen years, and it's just a stupid kiss. What harm could possibly come to their easy, flirtatious, super fun friendship?Well.....turns out that those flirtations have some heat behind them, because one kiss and the sparks ignite into a burning inferno. I'm talking, one minute they're kissing and the next her leg is hooked around his hip and she's grabbing for his belt. *fans self* Both being celebrities of sorts, they know better than to get *too* crazy under the bleachers at their old high school. But once you start a fire like that, you won't be able to control it for long.I loved this fun and super sexy friends-to-lovers romance! The friendship between Greg and Julia was fun, their banter witty, their respect and support for one another and their respective careers refreshing. They teased one another, but also provided a sounding board for the other when necessary. Their jump from friendship to bedship was an easy one, in the respect that they made sense.They face obstacles along the way, the main one being Julia's career and the demands and restrictions placed upon her by her employer. Will their public personas ruin what they're building? Or will they be able to have their proverbial cake, and eat it too? **You do NOT need to read Hard Crush to read and enjoy Dirty Player, but you should anyway, because hellloooooo hot nerd alert!!**

When friends engage in a little IOU collection, things get downright sexy and swoony!Greg is a hotshot hockey player who's been friends with Julia, a sideline reporter, for 13 years, ever since high school. They've been good friends, but nothing more, until Greg decides he's going to collect on a little IOU Julia made back in high school - agreeing to kiss him at their high school reunion. When the time comes for him to collect, it's all fun and games in front of the rest of the class when he lands a sweet kiss on her cheek. But when he collects in private, that kiss rocks both their worlds, and suddenly their decade long friendship is looking like it just may have the potential to morph into more.Dirty Player is everything a great friends-to-lovers romance should be. It's super sexy, emotional and sweet. Greg in particular, is a fabulous character - sweet, cheeky and downright dirty in the way the very best heroes are. His chemistry with Julia is spot on and I was in love with the two of them all the way through and rooting for them to get their HEA.If you friends-to-lovers romances, or simply just sexy, sweet reads are your thing, I highly recommend you put Dirty Player on your TBR list today!I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy.

"You played quarterback to get me back?""I'd do anything for you. Even play quarterback."I read this book after reading Dirty Secret - which you should absolutely not miss out on - and surprise, Greg Baxter was not my favorite character.Man, I was off. Way off.Greg has an ego the size of a plane. He can be frustrating, but his heart's in the right place.Julia's been his friend since school and so much could have happened, but didn't. Until one night under the bleachers that turns out to be more than they bargained for, and what they both deserved. So much.Not sorry to say I smiled and giggled and swooned over some parts of this book. Even less sorry to say the mix-ups and the ending almost made me cry.Mira Lyn Kelly's writing is so amazing and I am genuinely happy to be able to read her books. For this one, the insights you get into both of their minds are so important - she's helping you be there with the characters, in that moment. And you are, you just can't help it, not that you would want to anyway.I like Greg now. A lot. For real.

I do kind of love the whole forbidden thing when it comes to romance. And I also adore friends to lovers, so this one had two things I love!I read a lot of books with the sports reporter/athlete thing, and I don't mind it, but it's definitely a trope I am starting to get bored of it. I didn't mind it in this one, especially because the heroine tried to stick really fast to her rules.I didn't totally love some of the miscommunication in this one that broke the couple up. Greg overreacted A LOT about a certain thing in this book and he didn't see reason at all. It bothered me so much and I wanted to shake him. Don't worry, they get their HEA in the end.The one thing that did really bother me was that the epilogue was written in a third character's perspective. Clearly setting up the next book in this series, but it made absolutely no sense to do so. Otherwise, I ended up really liking this one.

Heartwarming romance with the old dilemma of how you progress from a long standing friendship to hot romance. without losing your best friend. Well written & humorous its well worth a read. Loved it. 😁

This is my first book by Mira Lyn Kelly, and I loved it so much I had a hard time putting it down. I love to read sports romance novels, especially if they are about hockey. To me, sometimes the sports action is almost as important as the romance side of the novel. This book doesn't have any real on ice action written, but honestly I did not miss that part at all as the build up and subsequent romance between Greg and Julia was so entertaining and all consuming that I was happy to keep reading just about them.Their chemistry is wonderful, but it was their banter that stood out to me the most. They just seemed to have sparks flying every time they were in the same room, but when they were in front of each other and the way they spoke to each other was just so incredibly well written, I ended up being disappointed when a new chapter started and it was the next day, scene etc.Mira is a fabulous author who writes stories that are not only realistic, but characters that I wish I actually knew.Will definitely read more from this author.

Really enjoyed this story! It was lovely to read and funny, fun and steamy and I'll sag realistic romance with characters who were mature even though still needing to grow. I loved how the story had a strong male character but not at the expense of the female lead. They were both great but loved Greg. Well done!

I enjoyed the developing story of Julia and Greg even with their obstacles regarding Julia's trust issues and Greg's bad reputation. They finally found a way to each other for good.

Lots of hot scenes, funny dialogues, and a twist of the plot here and there to keep things interesting. Makes time fly away while travelling.