Power Play

D.C. Stars, Book 2

De: Chelsea Curto

Narrado por: Samantha Brentmoor, Stephen Dexter

Piper Mitchell needs one thing to go her way.

Divorced, feeling stuck in her professional life, and terrified of reentering the world of dating, she's decided she's going to work on something she can control: learning how to be good in the bedroom.

Enter Liam Sullivan.

The star NHL goalie might not be a people person, but he's the perfect teacher. He knows what he's doing behind closed doors, and with a little convincing, he agrees to be Piper's guide.

Things between them are casual and easy. Something they can both benefit from. And when a road trip to Vegas has Piper and Liam waking up from a night they can't remember with matching wedding rings, they decide to figure out how much more fun they can have as husband and wife.

It's just for the hockey season. It doesn't mean anything.

But as the clock ticks down on their fake-marriage-with-benefits, can Piper and Liam make it work in the real world? Or will their relationship be a power play straight to disaster?

By USA Today bestselling author, Chelsea Curto.

Power Play is a spicy friends-to-lovers sports romance with the teach me trope, a sprinkle of fake dating and accidental marriage, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Narrated in duet style.

Cover Illustration: Chloe Quinn.

©2026 Chelsea Curto (P)2026 Podium Audio

Loved it

I loved Liam and Piper so much! He’s so down bad for her from the start, and I love the way she softens his grumpy edges. I went through so many feels here, which is really down to the heart and soul the author put into the book. I also actually expected this to be more drama than ended up happening - such a pleasant surprise! I did have a few qualms with the narration, specifically around the pronunciation of certain words. The biggest: it’s Cox Inn, not Cox Swain 🙈 But I picked that up because I used to cox. Open door, 🌶️🌶️.5.

Reread on Audio - Love it even more!

This was a reread for me now that it's released on audio and I just love them even more than the first time I read them! The narrators are in duet and were honestly perfectly cast for Piper and Liam's personalities.

I see people posting about series that are their Roman Empire...well Chelsea Curto is my Roman Emperess. I will read EVERYTHING she writes and you should too! I'm telling you all, if you have not read any of her books yet and you like sports romance....you need to and then slide into my DMs so we can fangirl together. Power Play is the second book in her D.C. Stars hockey romance series. Face Off is and will be one of my favorite books I read this year...so I'd defintiely start there. Power Play will also be one of my top reads of the year. What I love most about her books is that they are all so amazingly special in their own ways, you will never feel like you are reading reading the same book with different characters. She is also a CHAMPION for women in sports and sports related fields and just women supporting women in general. The girl gang in this book is goals for sure. As for Liam and Piper....ugh my heart, they are so perfect for each other. Liam is the grumpy goalie who doesn't like anyone except Piper and has been harboring a secret crush for years. Piper is finding her confidence again after a bad marriage and divorce and I could relate to her so so much in this book. Getting to experience their relationship on the page was definitely something special and I can't recommend this book or any of her books enough! GO READ THEM!!!!

TROPES
🏒Hockey Romance
🎤Goalie x Reporter
🌤Grumpy x Sunshine
🌶Spicy Lessons
💋Fake Dating
💍Accidental Marriage of Convenience
🫶🏻Found Family (so so good!)
🐈Cat Daddy

Excellent Performance!

Absolutely love this series! I cannot wait for the next book! The duet style is SO good!!

Sunshine & Sully 💍Lotus & Clover

Oh yeah, that's the stuff. After reading some older hockey romances that were written nearly a decade ago, I can totally see the evolution of the trope. This was what I was craving. No shade to the OG hockey romances from back in the day (as we wouldn't have the DC Stars series if it weren't for those), but they don't really hold up to the social standards we hold nowadays. So to see the progress we as a collective had made through the lens of literature, I love that this was just the type of story I was craving.

Starting with these amazing characters! This MMC, cat dad extraordinaire, double major in Spanish and Math, one of the best goalies in the league, secretly a talented chef -- Liam Sullivan, the man that you are! Top-tier grumpy book boyfriend (er-- book husband??) with all the green flags. They way this man builds Piper up and supports her, encourages her, and defends her, brings me to my knees! *swoons* And Piper! The growth both she and (albeit more subtly) Liam goes through during this slow burn romance was a gem to watch unfold. It's been so long since I felt so connected to an FMC, but Piper had my heart from the jump. I could SO relate to her bouts of insecurities and that craving for physical touch that meant safety and not followed by being belittled or chastised. To think that Liam gave her that just makes me want go out and hope I find myself a Liam Sullivan of my own. lols Ooo, and don't even get me started on the spice 🥵 These two are too sexy together! And the mouth on Liam, SIR!

Duet style narration from Samantha Brentmoor and Stephen Dexter were absolutely amazing. The vulnerability, the dynamic performances, the multifaceted delivery. I felt these character come to life.

This one is going down as one of my favorite reads of the year. 10/10, 6 stars, no notes. Can't wait to listen to the next one!

OMG THIS AUDIO!

If you know me, you know that I am a Chelsea Curto fan through and through. AND that the DC Stars series is one of my all time favorite series. With these books being released on audio, I have been taking the opportunity to relive them and my goodness they are such perfection. I LOVED Power Play when I read it the first time. Listening to it?! NEXT LEVEL. Samantha Brentmoor and Stephen Dexter were amazing. Samantha Brentmoor is one of my favorite narrators and the way she brought Piper to life was *chefs kiss*. This was the first time listening to a book narrated by Stephen Dexter and I can assure you, it will not be the last. Stephen was perfect as Liam and my goodness did he sound exactly how I pictured Liam to be! Power Play is the second book in the DC Stars series (if you haven’t read the first one, please start there, these are soooo much better enjoyed in order). Power Play follows Piper who is the first female to be the lead reporter for the NHL and Liam who is the grumpy goalie for the DC Stars. Liam does not like people…at all. But Piper has weaseled her way to be one of the few people Liam enjoys. When a night out with the team ends with Piper and Liam getting awfully close to each other, Piper takes the opportunity to ask Liam to help her with…bedroom activities. Liam (who has had a crush since the day he met Piper) decides to agree to help Piper. As the two start practicing more and Piper starts to gain her confidence back, the lines begin to blur in their arrangement. I don’t have enough wonderful things to say about this book and this audiobook. Run to go listen!

Narrators:
- Samantha Brentmoor
- Stephen Dexter