Hidden Power Play by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood

🖤 Quotes

“The only thing worse than hating him? Wanting him.”

“We’re starting to wonder if we ever understood what we were actually fighting about.”

“I used to think April twelfth ruined everything.” “It didn’t.”

That final quote honestly summarizes the entire emotional core of the story. What they thought destroyed them ultimately forced them to confront what they truly meant to each other.

And the proposal scene? I was DONE. Completely emotionally destroyed in the best way possible. Watching them transform the memory of the locker-room fight — the moment that shattered everything — into something symbolic of healing and commitment was incredibly satisfying.

The ending felt deeply earned because this wasn’t a quick forgiveness romance. Nico and Packy had years of damage to work through, and the book allowed them to actually communicate, grow, apologize, and choose each other over and over again.

The hockey backdrop also added so much energy to the story. The rivalry, media pressure, fan obsession, PR appearances, locker-room tension, and public scrutiny all amplified the emotional stakes beautifully.

✨ Tropes

MM Hockey Romance
Rivals to Lovers
Former Best Friends
Teammates to Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Bi Awakening
Emotional Angst
Slow Burn
Second Chance Romance
Media/PR Forced Partnership
Mutual Pining
Possessive Jealousy
Hurt/Comfort
Found Family
High Heat Romance
Emotional Healing
Grumpy x Grumpy Energy
Obsessive Chemistry
He Falls First But They Both Suffer

Overall Thoughts

Hidden Power Play was messy, emotional, intimate, and ridiculously addictive. It’s the kind of romance where the tension starts on page one and never truly lets you breathe. Nico and Packy felt layered and flawed in ways that made the relationship feel real, and their emotional payoff was incredibly satisfying after everything they put each other — and themselves — through.

If you love emotionally constipated hockey players who spend years fighting instead of kissing, this book is absolutely for you.

Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood delivered a romance full of tension, longing, emotional devastation, healing, and a genuinely beautiful HEA that felt completely earned by the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blog Review — Spoilers Included 🏒🔥🖤

There is something painfully addictive about a romance where two people spend years convincing themselves they hate each other… only to realize the obsession never disappeared in the first place. Hidden Power Play absolutely delivered that energy from beginning to end.

This book follows Nico Rossi and Kirby “Packy” Paquette, former college teammates, roommates, and best friends whose relationship imploded after a misunderstanding involving Nico’s ex-girlfriend. What started as heartbreak and miscommunication spiraled into a brutal seven-year rivalry that followed them all the way into professional hockey.

And honestly? The tension between these two was INSANE.

The opening prologue immediately throws you into chaos with Nico literally attacking Packy in the locker room after believing Packy betrayed him. The emotional damage starts immediately and never really lets up. What I loved most is that the rivalry never felt shallow or petty. Both men carried years of hurt, resentment, guilt, confusion, and unresolved feelings that neither of them fully understood.

What made this story hit so hard emotionally was the realization that underneath all that hatred was grief. They lost each other long before they ever admitted they were in love.

The forced PR tour was one of my favorite parts of the entire book because it traps Nico and Packy together in a way that slowly strips away all the anger they’ve been hiding behind. Watching them go from hostile sniping to vulnerable conversations felt incredibly natural. Every interaction carried years of history behind it.

And then there’s the emotional realization that everyone around them basically figured out their feelings before they did.

The chemistry in this book was absolutely explosive. Not just sexually — though the heat level was VERY high — but emotionally too. The lingering looks, jealousy, possessiveness, resentment, and emotional dependency all blended together perfectly. Every argument felt like foreplay and every softer moment felt earned.

One thing I especially loved was the way the book handled Nico’s emotional journey and bi-awakening. It never felt rushed or overly dramatized. Instead, it felt messy, confusing, emotional, and deeply personal in a way that made his growth believable. The story really takes its time unpacking how much of Nico’s anger toward Packy was tied to feelings he never wanted to examine.

And Packy? He absolutely wrecked me emotionally at times. Underneath the confidence and sarcasm was someone who spent years carrying guilt and heartbreak while still loving Nico anyway.

There were so many moments where these two felt completely incapable of functioning apart from each other, even while pretending they wanted nothing to do with one another.