Penalty Play by Julia Connors
Boston Rebels Book 5
Release: April 10, 2026
🏒 Workplace Romance
🌴 Vacation Fling
🏒 Stepsiblings
🌴 Opposites Attract
🏒Secret Relationship
🌴 Agent’s Daughter
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.
But the more I truly get to know her, 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.
Start listening today: https://amzn.to/48GOC5d
Penalty Play by Julia Connors
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
📚ARC REVIEW📚 January 2026
January winter shenanigans not for the win! *side-eye* I’m behind on my reviews but today I have power so here we gooooooo (lol) …
I have to give mad props to Julia for this blurb! I mean if you are not LOL by the time you are halfway through reading it, I can’t help you! Shenanigans for the #win! I’ve read it so many times for its humor effect that I might have it memorized! And you know what, the story had the same vibe! #winning I have yet to meet a Julia Connors story that I didn’t like! I’ve not read every one of the stories she has ever penned, but the ones I have, have been winners for me, not just reading but also listening! I cannot wait to get my listening groove on with this story!
Normally I talk about this next aspect towards the end of my reviews, if I talk about it all, but it was done so realistically, that I’m doing it now. I’m not a fan of last minute/third-act conflicts. Mostly because they come across as forced and unnecessary in most stories that I read. This is not one of those cases! Yes, there is conflict towards the end(ish) but it’s realistic conflict. Could the story be as impactful without it? Sure, but having it didn’t really register to me as a negative. It felt more like an “of course” moment to me. Obviously, this all sounds super cryptic now that I read over it (lol), but I can’t spoil it for you, so you get what you get!
Julia really went out with a bang with this story. She hit every one of my high notes and I am so in love with it all that it makes me giddy! I love the growth that both Aiden and Morgan underwent because of their relationship. They were to each other the thing they both needed so they could be the best possible people to each other! It was a thing of beauty. The support and lifting up they gave to each other was very emotional for me and I just loved it! Their chemistry sparked off the pages from their vacation fling to the end! The banter and wit in the story were addictive and humorous.
I’ve loved this team from the very beginning, and I hate to say goodbye to them, but it was a superstar goodbye so I’m okay with it! This is one of those series that I know I will come back to over and over again in the future!
🎧ALC REVIEW🎧 April 2026
🎧There are just not enough audiobooks narrated by 🎤Megan Wicks! Her talent holds no bounds. I’ve only listened to a handful of the audiobooks she has narrated since I discovered her this past summer and in every single one she has had to perform a different “type” of character and she has nailed every single one. I could not have asked for a better Morgan! I really felt all of her layers thru Megan’s performance, from her quick wit and sass to her self-doubts. Megan brought her to life spectacularly for me and I found myself even more emotional listening to this story than I was while I read it. 🎤Aiden Snow is a narrator that I have come to gravitate towards in the last year or so and knowing that he would be bringing Aidan to life just made me so excited! And yes, he too brought his a-game to the table. Aidan is the kind of character that really fits Aiden’s voice and style and together with Megan in a duet performance they just exploded.
I’ve experienced this series both with my eyes and my ears and last month I took the opportunity to sit with the series as a whole back to back and I have to tell you guys, that not only do I think that overall my audio experience beats my reading experienced but also this is one of the few series that I can say can be binged back-to-back without a missed beat. Let’s be honest, or at least I’m going to be honest LOL, when it comes to “binging”, after the 3rd book I tend to wonder and come back. That’s not true “binging”. Well, I didn’t stray. I started with Center Ice and did not stop until the end of Penalty Play, back to back to back. I can count on one hand the number of series I can do that with and I love a lot of series. <<< Pay attention LOL! I bring this up because it’s something I think Julia Connors needs to be celebrated over. It takes a lot of work to find the perfect fit for a character and not just “any” talented narrator will do for every character. Julia not only found exceptional narrators in their own right, but they all fit the characters they performed ridiculously well. I cannot express how much I have loved this series from the very beginning and the cast of narrators that Julia has brought together played a big role in that. Those of you in your audiobook era, pay attention. *wink*
MEET THE AUTHOR:
I grew up in warm and sunny California, but my first decision as an adult was to trade my flip-flops for snow boots and move to Boston. I’ve been enjoying everything that New England has to offer for over two decades, and now that I’m acclimated to the snowy winters and have finally found all the places to get good sushi and tacos, I have zero regrets.
I live in the Boston-area with my husband and two daughters. I spend way too much time in front of my computer, weaving words into stories or wasting entirely too much time on social media.
But when I stop writing, I’m most likely to be found outdoors, preferably with a pair of skis or snowshoes strapped to my feet in winter or on a paddleboard in the summer.
Find out more ⇒ https://linktr.ee/juliaconnorsauthor
OMGReads Blog 