Meet the Wynns—a hockey dynasty built on family, money, and drama. From USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson, the first novel in a new series is a total win-win. “Kelly Jamieson is an auto-buy for me.”—Carly Phillips After an injury forced Théo Wynn to give up professional hockey, he turned to his second love: numbers. Now, as the general manager of his grandfather’s NHL team, the Los … manager of his grandfather’s NHL team, the Los Angeles Condors, Théo is dying to prove to the rest of his family—especially the brother who betrayed him—that he’s just as successful as the rest of them. If only Théo had a gorgeous woman on his arm to complete the picture. . . .
Lacey Olson needs to get out of Las Vegas right now, thanks to her no-good, crooked brother. When a handsome stranger who’s out partying with friends comes to her rescue in the cocktail lounge where she works, they strike up a conversation that leads to a crazy plan: her leaving with Théo for L.A. tomorrow. A few drinks later, the idea gets even crazier: a quickie marriage that works for both of them.
But back in California, Lacey immediately turns Théo’s precise, well-ordered life into one big beach party. And before long, she’s tempting him with her smart mouth, sexy body, and sunny charm. The last thing Théo needs is a real relationship to distract him. Because he only plays to win. . . .
USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson’s epic Wynn Hockey series can be read together or separately:
PLAY TO WIN
IN IT TO WIN IT
WIN BIG
FOR THE WIN
Don’t miss any of Kelly’s captivating reads:
The Aces Hockey series: MAJOR MISCONDUCT • OFF LIMITS • ICING • TOP SHELF • BACK CHECK • SLAP SHOT • PLAYING HURT • BIG STICK • GAME ON
The Bayard Hockey series: SHUT OUT • CROSS CHECK
The Last Shot series: BODY SHOT • HOT SHOT • LONG SHOT
The standalone novel: DANCING IN THE RAIN
This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
Praise for Play to Win
“Play to Win gave me all the feels! Theo and Lacey are a couple you’ll root for!”—USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy
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Fantastic Start with Play to Win, with this ‘Wynn’ing read!!
WOW Kelly Jamieson sure does know how to hook her reades with her most recent hot guys of hockey series. Theo & Lacey story is tremendous as Jamieson begins with Play to Win, Book 1 of the Wynn family series, and what a ‘Wynn’ing series it is! Theo was one of those bad boys of hockey, smoking hot but not only could he play but he also was amazing with the analytical side of the game. When his playing career came to an end, he moved to the logical choice of the GM of the Wynn team. Fate intervenes when Lacey is Theo’s waitress one night at the club, and their instantaneous chemistry ignites. That pull has Lacey leaving with Theo as they begin their hot & sexy journey inevitably to a HEA. Suspense, romance and hot hockey bad boys what else could a reader want for this incredible start to another outstanding hockey series by Jamieson. Perfection that this reader definitely recommends.
While I did receive a review copy from the publisher Random House Loveswept via NetGalley, I am volantarily leaving my own opinion with this voluntary review.
Kelly Jamieson is one of my go-to authors for hockey romance. I thoroughly enjoyed her Aces series and was sad to see it end, but was thrilled to see she was going to be releasing a new Wynn Hockey series. Well, suffice it to say, I absolutely LOVED this book!
Theo and Lacey are a great couple. There’s something about a fake marriage/relationship story that, when done well, can be just great to read. Sometimes there’s forced proximity, sometimes they have undertones of enemies-to-lovers, which can be fun, but in this case, I just liked how Lacey and Theo were with each other. What can I say? They were just cute.
Both had some pretty serious hangups due to their pasts, but they just worked really well with each other. Of course its obvious to the reader that they’re falling for each other, and soon it’s also clear to Lacey, but Theo’s a bit of a harder nut to crack. Queue the requisite “relationship obstacle” at ~80% but never fear, Theo redeemed himself in style.
Oh, and did I mention that he’s a NERDY former professional hockey player? Be still my #nerdygirl heart!!!
I’ll admit that Theo’s huge family got a bit confusing with all the names being thrown around, especially at first, but they started to sort themselves out in my head, eventually. I’m guessing subsequent books in the series will be able to be read as standalones, but having some background might be helpful.
*Advance copy provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*
This start to the series is so much fun. Theo and Lacey start their romance in a fake marriage, but it’s a bit different than what we’re used to seeing. This pair is two sides of a coin – he’s ordered and precise, and he plans everything while Lacey is more a take things as they come kind of girl and goes with the flow. They become fast friends and the chemistry between them is just so good. Then we meet all the other players in this game, mostly made up of Theo’s family. The Wynn’s are a great big hot mess with a flair for drama. Needless to say, there is angst, but true to form, the author also gives us plenty of fun and some oh, so sexy times. Theo and Lacey’s romance is a great start to this series that promises to be a wild ride, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this crazy family.
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
4.5 stars
This is the first book in a new hockey series and what a beginning it is. This is Theo and Lacey’s story and it is fun, caring, lustful, family drama and full of love.
Theo Wynn is part of the Wynn family and hockey dynasty, he played hockey until an injury took him off the ice for good. Now his grandfather wants him to be general manager of the Los Angeles Condors. While grandpa thinks he can push Theo into being a yes man, Theo will make his own decisions about the team. Before he leaves Vegas, his team takes him out for a goodbye celebrations and he meets Lacey. She is their waitress and he is drawn to her.
Lacey Olson isn’t having a good life. After her mother died, her twin brother was suppose to help her with the bills and help pay the debts owed. But he is more worried about gambling the money away and winning big than getting paid the honest way by getting a real job.
When things suddenly go wrong and Lacey needs to get out of Vegas, Theo has the perfect plan. She should go to L.A. with Theo until it is safe for her to go back to Vegas. After several drinks, a quick Vegas wedding and they are on their way. Lacey has a way out of town and Theo has a beautiful woman on his arm.
Can Theo and Lacey keep the relationship casual without fall for each other? Will Lacey’s problems from Vegas come looking for her in L.A.? Will Theo show his grandfather that he can be a good manager for the Condors?
I love a good sports romance and this one was great, kept me reading and left me wanting more. I can’t wait for the next one. If you are looking for a new hockey series, then this one is it, hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
I just found Kelly Jamieson’s books and, boy, am I glad. Especially anyone about hockey. This is no different except that I know that there are more to come! The only hard part of any new series is learning about all of the new characters and how they interconnect. This is no different, it’s about a large and complicated family. There’s always more to learn about the Wynn family dynamics while looking through the layers. I wasn’t sure how I would like or relate to Theo, as he’s in the management side. But after learning about his past and that he played professional hockey until injured, made me realize that there was more to him than I realized. I really liked Lacey and admired her. She was honest and up front, didn’t play games. This was an easy read. I didn’t want it to end. Can’t wait for JP’s story.
If you haven’t read a Kelly Jamieson book yet, you need to & you will be hooked!! This is the first book in the Wynn family hockey series featuring Theo Wynn & Lacey. Theo played professional hockey until he was injured & got a job as an assistant GM for hockey team in Vegas. He left Vegas to take GM job for his grandfather’s NHL team, the Condors. He meets Lacey his last night in Vegas & they end of married and that’s how the story begins. Theo needs to prove himself to his family (all past or present hockey players & grandfather, Bob Wynn is hockey legend) & the Condors that he can do this job, while in midst of a family feud going on. While Lacey needs to escape Vegas to get away from her gambling addicted brother & the thugs after him. It’s a funny, emotional sports book with all the feels & wonderful characters (all with their own flaws & insecurities). You won’t want to put the book down!! I highly recommend this book & author!!
Good start to a super dysfunctional Hockey family series. The Wynn family is three generations of hockey players/ owners. Grandpa was a Stanley Cup winning hockey player in his day and now owns a hockey team in SoCal. He is estranged from his two sons who are suing him, and who also own their own SoCal hockey team. Grandpa is on his second marriage and his kids are the same age as his grandkids. Throw in the fact that the sons and their kids think the second wife was a gold digger, and Family dinners aren’t exactly fun. This book centers around Theo, his hockey career was cut short by an injury, he is estranged from his brother who stole his girlfriend, and he is now the assistant GM for the Vegas hockey team. His grandfather recruits him to be the GM of his team. At his going away party, he meets Lacey, who is their cocktail waitress. Lacey is having a bad day. Her gambler brother wiped out her bank account, and now gangsters show up at her work implying that her brother is pimping her out to pay off his debts. When the gangsters get her fired and start to follow her, Theo comes to the rescue. Theo and Lacey get drunk, and decide that they should get married to protect her and help Theo look less pathetic when he has to see his brother again. Theo is a plotter and a planner, while Lacey is an extroverted free spirit. This is a fun opposites attract/fake relationship romance.
In this new series from Kelly Jamison. The story opens with Theo Wynn who is the assistant general manager with the Las Vegas Hockey team listening to an offer from his grandfather to run his team in California. Days later he has decided to take the job and with some of the guys from the team, they are at a bar celebrating his promotion where he meets Lacey. She starts off as the table’s server and within an hour or two she has lost her job because her brother owes some guys money, loss of it. He is attracted to her and brings her to their table and they begin to hang out and hours later after a dip in the pool and more drinking. They are at the wedding chapel getting married. His plan is for her to go with him to California and this was his way of making it work. This would be the beginning of his not normal taking time to run the numbers and see all of the possibilities. After another mad dash from the bad guys and of course an unexpected stop that was not part of his plan they make it to California. This begins their getting to know each other as well as her getting to know his family which is beyond dysfunctional. What ends up happening for him is that everyone likes her including his family. So when he screws everything up and he realizes it was not for the show he must now think outside of the box and find her to hopefully get her back. This is a very good book with many good characters and a lot going on but it all works for this book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at http://www.1rad-readerreviews.com
The book is good, nice characters, well written….the problem….the only plot is the Wynn family problems, so you need to continue reading the books to know what is actually happening. I loved Theo, I do not understand why they did not included the sexy glasses in the cover. He is great and sooo intelligent. I like that Lacey complements him and pushes his bottoms without being annoying. At the end of the book nothing is solved. The characters have nice chemistry, the sex scenes were not wonderful, and one of them was really out of the blue….. It’s a nice 4 stars to have a nice time
Read: 5/19/2020
Play to Win was the first book in the Wynn Hockey series by Kelly Jamieson.
I loved meeting the Wynn family. Wow, what a crazy, messed up family. There were tons of them, all hockey related, and they fire each other, allegedly steal from each other, allegedly cheat on each other, and sue each other. But they were still one big happy family – well… one big family at least!
Theo Wynn was our first. He was a former NHL player who got derailed due to an injury, but he always loved the analytics of it anyway, so he rebuilt his career and now he had the opportunity he was working towards, to be a GM. And now he had it. For his grandfather’s team. Who was being sued by Theo’s father (yup, the son was suing the father). On his last night in Vegas as an Assistant GM, he met Lacey. And next thing he knew, he was starting a new job…with a new wife.
Lacey was born and raised in Vegas. Her mother died when she was young and it was just Lacey and her twin brother, who unfortunately brought trouble to her door, until a sexy stranger offered her a temporary out.
And then the story began. No spoilers since most of that was in the book description. Jamieson then took us through the details of the new relationship, the new job, the new town, and the crazy family! It was well written and well developed with depth and complexity.
I also loved the analytical hockey perspective. I love hockey so the games and team building within a book are awesome, but the author’s back office perspective on hockey was intriguing and kept me turning the pages quickly.
All in all, it was a quick and fun read with great characters and the perfect introduction to the series. JT, Theo’s brother, is up next in In It To Win it and I can’t wait!
I love everything Kelly Jamieson writes, especially her stories about hockey players. I throughly enjoyed reading Theo and Lacey’s story. They are wonderful together and help each other through a tough spot in their lives. I also enjoyed reading about the Wynn family. Many of them make appearances and they add to this entertaining story. PLAY TO WIN is another enchanting hockey story.
Play to Win introduces a new hockey romance series from Kelly Jamieson with the Wynn family as the driving force of two California hockey franchises and numerous other hockey related ventures.
Theo Wynn is offered a GM job managing his grandfather’s team which he reluctantly accepts — there’s a lot going on in this family outside of hockey that causes some contention between family members, so Theo is really on the hotseat with this new position. He’s also recovering from a bruised heart after his brother does him dirty by stealing his girlfriend.
During a celebration for his new position, Theo meets Lacey at the bar. She’s gorgeous and friendly and happens to be in big trouble with some mobsters through no fault of her own and loses her job. At Theo’s insistence she joins his party and they spend the night together — drinking, having fun and getting married.
The next day they are off to California and lots of family drama. While they both realize their marriage is one of convenience since having Lacey on his arm at family functions will lessen the hurt his brother caused, they do enjoy each other’s company and that starts a very sweet and romantic falling-in-love story as they both realize the feelings they have for each other.
I really enjoyed this hockey romance. This book really wowed me and had me turning the pages. It’s got an old school Dynasty-soap-opera feel to it with the complicated and contentious family tree …i still can’t remember who’s related to who, but it doesn’t matter because there’s a great atmosphere to the book that just pulled me right in.
I had been on the fence about starting a new series from this author and I’m so very glad I did! I just loved Theo and Lacey’s story. They are adorable together! Looking forward to more in this series.
Enjoyed it! Thanks
I loved this one from the beginning! Lacey and Theo start off in a very unconventional way but since it’s based on good reasons it was so easy as the reader to just go along for the ride. I am pumped to read the rest of this series and get to know all the inner workings of the CRAZY Wynn family.
Great start to the new Wynn Hockey Series. I’m a fan of Kelly Jamieson’s other hockey series and this one is starting off just as good. Play To Win introduced the entire Wynn family and you can just see all the sub-plots for the future stories. I loved Theo and Lacey’s story, opposites really do attract he has a bit of OCD and doesn’t really like to flex, she is more adaptable to whatever life throws her way. I loved that even though the Wynn family is wealthy they accepted Lacey for the hard-working, loving, giving person she is. I love this author’s writing style and the way she builds such believable characters. Can’t wait for the next Wynn book.
Great fun read! Lacey and Theo are opposites, he’s planner and she’s a more of go with the flow kind of girl but what happens in Vegas can really change your outlook! When Theo changes his job he’s going to ruffle some feathers in his family, one already at odds so partying his last night in Vegas has him leaving Vegas, but all that happened there isn’t staying there! Lacey has has a hard life but she seems to keep a positive swing to life, well that is until her brother’s bookies come after her. Theo and his party swoop in to give her a good time which ended with her leaving Vegas a married woman! Fun read with engaging characters, sexy alphas and plenty of steamy parts makes this a great read!
I love the start of this new series by Kelly!
Meet Theo` Wynn, had to cut his NHL career short because of an eye injury, and is currently taking a position with his Grandfathers team the LA Condors, leaving the Vegas team behind. He’s an analytical kind of guy, numbers don’t lie, and he’s going to build this team by following not only the numbers but his gut too. When he’s out celebrating with friends in Vegas on his last night there, he’s taken with the waitress, Lacey Olsen that’s working at the club, and when he see’s she is in some danger, he makes her a proposition that she can’t refuse.
Follow their story as these two navigate their move to LA. 5 hockey pucks for this one! Grab it asap!
4 star
I was pulled right into this story. The story has pain, laughs, naughty fun, and heartbreak.
This is Lacey and Theo’s story. Theo is out to prove to everyone including his family that he is just a successful even after being injured and not being able to play hockey anymore. Now he is the general manager of his grandfather’s NHL team. He has everything he need except a woman to share his success. Theo meets Lacey when he rescues her. A few drinks, some conversation, and a quickie wedding and he is taking her home with him. It was supposed to be all for show but what happens when they start falling? Theo is in big trouble because he only plays to win and if he wants her, he is going to win her over. Is she ready for that? He’s into a well-ordered life and she is making him live. Can she loosen him up?
I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.
I recommend this book.
I was really enjoying this for the first couple of chapters; Lacey was enjoyable despite her circumstances and Theo had potential. And then I felt like it was trying too hard. There were several instances of the characters “staying woke” and using vernacular that I thought teenagers would use. I felt like I was listening to mature adults trying to sound “cool”. The plot was okay, your typical fake marriage trope, but the conflict was pretty weak. Lacey gave up way too easily.
Talk about family dynamics! The feud between Theo’s father, uncle & grandfather keeps getting bigger. Now his grandfather wants to hire him to manage the hockey team he owns that is in direct competition with the team Theo’s father owns & brother manages. Theo wants to prove himself to the family & enact a little revenge against the brother that betrayed him. His grandfather gives him the chance. Now he just needs the lovely lady on his arm. At his going away party, he meets the One.
Lacey can’t take much more. Every time she starts to get ahead, her brother drags her down. Now he’s not only taken what little money she has, he’s put her in danger. Now she’s on the way out of town to protect herself – married to Theo. What has she done?
I really enjoyed Theo & Lacey. The chemistry between them was easy to pick up & they have a great relationship. The dynamic between them changes between the fun & witty banter of friends to the tense & sexy vibe of lovers. The family dynamics between Theo, his grandfather & the rest of the family reminds me of the battles in any family. There still is an underlying love & affection that ends up battling the hurt, pride & loss. Great story!