Play the Game

A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (Blue Devils Hockey, Book 1)

By: SJ Sylvis

Narrated by: Lee Samuels, Samantha Brentmoor

A sexy, marriage-of-convenience, enemies-to-lovers, hockey romance by Amazon Top and USA Today bestselling author, S.J. Sylvis.

There's nothing wrong with playing the game--except when you know you're about to lose.

As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming many things. A twenty-five-year-old photographer struggling to make ends meet with a mountain of legal fees wasn't one of them. Making questionable decisions wasn't either. After hanging up my camera, I start a job I loathe that has me questioning my morals on a daily basis.

Until I run into Chicago's newest bad-boy goalie whose reputation is a trainwreck--Emory Olson.

I n a desperate effort to rid my debt, I corner Emory and try to exploit him. When my plan backfires, I not only have a new enemy with steely blue eyes and a talent for the game but a man now on a mission with his own insane plan in mind.

Marry me.

The terms are simple: I marry Emory and act like his doting wife in front of the press to clean up his image, and he'll pay off my debt when the job is done. But now, instead of my bills keeping me up at night, I find myself fantasizing about my fake husband and his devilish stare. He tells me to play the game, but when lines start to blur and his touches linger, I'm not sure what's real or fake anymore. The sizzling attraction and fiery chemistry between us can't be contained. Emory Olson says he never loses, and by the end of our marriage game, I'm pretty sure I'm no exception.

©2024 SJ Sylvis (P)2025 SJ Sylvis

Protective hockey star + midnight ballerina 🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)

Play the Game is everything I want in a pro hockey romance: dark edges, tender found family, and just the right amount of unhinged chaos that makes you scream into your pillow.

"But with Emory, it’s different. When he looks at me, I can’t think straight. When he touches me, I lose my footing. When he kisses me, I’m his. I’ve never wanted to be on someone’s mind like I want to be on Emory’s. I’m obsessed with the thought of him needing to touch me. Like he can’t breathe without it."


Emory Olson, Chicago Blue Devils bad boy, is living under a cloud of blame for something he didn’t do. Enter Scottie—a midnight ballerina dancing to survive, weighed down by legal bills for her brother, grieving her dad, and carrying the scars of a broken home. Their “meet ugly” spirals into a marriage of convenience, but what follows is equal parts protective obsession, filthy dirty talk, and found family healing.

This isn’t just spice. It’s about finally being chosen. Finally being safe. Finally being loved.

Tropes you’ll devour 🏒✨
Marriage of convenience 💍
Stripper heroine / midnight ballerina 💃
Protective, possessive MMC 🛡️
Dirty talk + “my wife” energy 💋
Found family (WAGs, sister, team) 👯‍♀️

“I like seeing you in my jersey,” I whisper. “Almost as much as I like seeing that ring on your finger.”


Unhinged Micro-Tropes 🤯
🚿 She sees him pleasuring himself in the shower
👗 Sex in a public place (dress shopping for the gala 👀)
🎨 He paints her with his 💦
📹 Phone sex while he watches her through the security cam

Soft but Swoony Micro-Tropes 💕
☕️ He knows her coffee order
👗 Gala dress shopping (after a “Pretty Woman” fail)
👯‍♀️ Girl gang makeover with the WAGs
🛡️ Shutting down anyone who threatens her
💸 Secret financial protector


You may enjoy this if you liked…
📖 Puck Me Secretly – Odette Stone (gritty hockey + unconventional heroine)
📖 Power Play – Eden Finley (pro hockey + dirty talk possessive MMC)
📖 Consider Me – Becka Mack (protective MMC + found family team love)

Vibe Playlist 🎶
🎤 Don’t Blame Me – Taylor Swift (devotion turned obsession)
🎤 Wicked Game – Chris Isaak (aching, dangerous temptation)
🎤 Take Me to Church – Hozier (sin + salvation = them)
🎤 Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande (Scottie’s midnight ballerina anthem)
🎤 All of Me – John Legend (because he chooses every broken piece of her)

SJ Sylvis gave me a Blue Devils book that’s equal parts filthy and healing—and I ate up every single second of it.

How Convenient!!

I love a great fake dating/marriage trope and this one did not disappoint.

SJ Sylvis is a new to me author and was excited to read this. This had it all - fake marriage, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, & angst/banter.

I loved how Emory was all gruff and grumpy at first but really gave into his feelings for Scottie. I loved Scottie’s grit and determination to get through all the crap her life has given her.

The way these two push back & forth with their feelings for each other. The spice is some great spice too!

The amount of hockey was good but I will always take more hockey!!

Excited for the rest of the series!

The narrators did a great job bringing this story to life!!

So good!!

This was such an amazing start to the series. I absolutely adored Emory and Scottie’s story. I was hooked from the start. The audiobook was amazing and a must listen too.

Loved this story!

This was my first SJ Sylvis read! I was not disappointed, Scottie and Emory were so cute!

Emory & Scottie 💙 Chicago Blue Devils book 1

Got this one after hearing Skate the Line/ book2, which I absolutely loved! ! Loved this one too! The character of Scottie -- her background, circumstances. & family history -- were unique and very interesting. Loved the teasing, banter, biscotti humor, and the fur baby, Shutter. The dual narration by Samantha Brentmoor and Lee Samuels was excellent. I love Samantha. Her voice acting is always top notch, and she is great at doing male voices. I was pleasantly surprised by Lee. I've listened to 1 or 2 of his older narrations, but I dodn't remember liking him as much as I did here. And his female voice was great, too. Loved them both, and can't wait for the rest of the series.

Playing the long game

This couple is amazing together! 🏒 What starts as an arranged marriage turns into something so real and full of heart. I loved how he slowly broke down her walls and became her rock. Their chemistry was everything!

And the narration? Absolutely perfect for this story. The voices fit the characters so well and brought all the emotion and humor to life. Couldn’t stop listening!

5 stars

A fantastic start to this wonderful series!!! Lee Samuels and Samantha Brentmoor are perfect in this dual narration!! I love an enemies to lovers, fake marriage and SJ absolutely killed this one!!!!

I'll never get tired of a marriage of convenience!

Once again, I'm a sucker for a marriage of convenience. Add in the grumpy goalie and I was hooked right from the start. I LOVED Emory & Scottie. And good gravy, I love a "my wife" moment and this definitely did not disappoint. These two have undeniable chemistry no matter how hard Emory tried to fight it. He was a grump but that man was definitely a softy when it came to Scottie.

“I like seeing you in my jersey,” I whisper. “Almost as much as I like seeing that ring on your finger.” Whewwww!!

🎧Audio:🎧
This was a dual narration by Lee Samuels and Samantha Brentmoor. This pairing was great and they definitely pulled me in and kept me zoned into the story. They brought the tension, the emotions, the banter and everything else to life in the best way.

What to expect:
💍Enemies to lovers
💍Marriage of Convenience
💍"My Wife"
💍One Bed
💍Pro Hockey Player MMC