We were never meant to see each other again. It was a one-night, no-names fling in Bermuda . . . until the next day when I watch her walk down the aisle at our parents’ wedding and discover she’s now my stepsister.
We say it won’t happen again, but we give in to the temptation of “just one more time” . . . twice. We tell ourselves there’s no harm in it. Given my stepdad’s and her mom’s rocky marital histories, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see each other again.
Except, a few days later, I walk into the Boston Rebels’ offices to assure management that I’ll focus on nothing but hockey after I missed last season thanks to an injury. Instead, I find myself face-to-face with my stepsister, Morgan, who now works for the team.
At first, we pretend we’ve never met and try to steer clear of each other. But it’s impossible. Her friends are tangled up with my teammates. Her dad is my agent. She’s everywhere: at the rink, out with our friends, and in my head.
I have every reason not to pursue her. I tell myself I’ll stay away. And yet, I can’t get enough of her.
So we make a deal: a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement—no feelings, no commitment.
The more I truly get to know her, though, the more I can’t imagine my life without her. But forever is the one thing I promised myself I’d never give anyone again.
(ARC Review)
Penalty Play was the book I have been waiting for all series long, and somehow, it still exceeded every expectation I had.
Morgan Kaplan is me. I am her. A woman who has spent far too much of her life being reduced to her body instead of celebrated for her intelligence, talent, and heart. She’s a girls’ girl through and through. She’s proud of her friends, supportive to a fault, always showing up even when it costs her more than it should. She wants real love, not crumbs, but keeps finding herself with men who never stay.
Enter Aidan Renaud. Grumpy, guarded, emotionally closed-off, and deeply broken by trauma he’s never allowed himself to unpack. From the moment he meets Morgan, he’s completely down bad for her, even while insisting he doesn’t do feelings. And yet, his actions betray him every time. He builds her up constantly, reassures her that she’s perfect exactly as she is, and makes it impossible for her to keep believing the lies she’s been told about herself. The way he sees her, as luscious, strong, brilliant, worthy, felt powerful and affirming. Watching her finally be seen, truly seen, was emotional in the best way. Curvy, smart, quick-witted women do not get enough hype, and Aidan is the ultimate hype-man. Honestly? We should all be so lucky.
“Morgan, you’ve got curves, and as I think we’ve already established, that’s part of what’s so appealing about your body. You’re strong, but also soft and sensual…you’re fucking luscious. Literally, you’re every guy’s wet dream.”
Their story kicks off with an absurdly fun premise: a one-night, no-names fling in Bermuda during a tropical storm, followed immediately by the realization that they’re now stepsiblings thanks to their parents’ wedding. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, Morgan ends up working PR for the Boston Rebels, the same team Aidan is returning to after a year sidelined by injury. The tension? Immaculate. The banter? Sharp and playful. The chemistry? Constant and undeniable.
“Baby, the only thigh gap I care about is that there’s enough room for my face when your thighs are spread.”
What starts as a “strictly casual” friends-with-benefits situation blurs almost immediately. Aidan insists it’s nothing serious, but his tenderness, protectiveness, jealousy, and need to be around Morgan say otherwise. And Morgan, soft but not weak, begins to realize she’s allowed to want more. I loved that she didn’t lose herself in this relationship. Instead, she found herself. She grew into her confidence, demanded what she deserved, and finally stood up for herself, especially with her mother, whose treatment of her was painful but realistically portrayed.
“I’m not worried about trying to be enough without being too much, never fully able to be who I really am. With Aidan, I can let go of my insecurities, because I feel secure with him.”
Aidan’s emotional journey was equally compelling. Coming back after injury, struggling with where he fits—with the team, with his family, with Morgan—mirrored the disconnect he feels internally. He’s terrified of wanting a life he once promised himself he’d never reach for again. And watching him slowly, reluctantly let himself dream? Watching him show up for Morgan again and again? Book husband behavior, immediately.
“Being with her is addictive. I like myself better when I’m with her—she smooths out my rough edges, and I polish up the parts of her that she’s tried to make dull in order to fit some mold that others have set for her.”
The found family element with the Rebels, the friendships, the cameos from previous couples, made this the perfect wrap-up to the Boston Rebels series. It felt like a true passing of the torch, with one generation stepping into “Daddy Daycare” while the next takes center ice.
Penalty Play has everything I love about a Julia Connors book: emotional depth, humor, sexy tension, men who are forever changed by the women they love, and women who finally feel safe, secure, and chosen. Morgan and Aidan’s story made me laugh, ache, swoon, and cheer. It’s a satisfying, heartfelt, beautifully affirming conclusion, and one I won’t stop thinking about anytime soon.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2026 (OUT NOW)
Thank you to Julia Connors and Valentine PR & Literary Management for the ARC read!