Elle Sprinkle skates into college romance with a confident slow burn in Like a Power Play, a sapphic hockey rom com that pairs a driven team captain with a reluctant student coach. The result is equal parts on ice grit, off ice tenderness, and hard earned personal growth.
The setup
Peyton Clarke is Greenrock University’s starting center and the daughter of a retired NHL star. She wants to prove she belongs on her own merits, which tips her play from fearless to reckless. Enter Darcy Cole, once a rising star whose career ended early due to rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks to her head coach mother, Darcy returns to the rink as a student assistant coach and immediately clashes with Peyton’s risk taking style. Their chemistry sparks in every drill, film session, and highway bus ride, and a rivalry turns into something steadier and far more vulnerable.
Why it scores
- A genuine slow burn: No insta love and no third act breakup. The romance develops through respect, accountability, and trust, which makes the payoff feel earned.
- Chronic illness representation: Darcy’s RA is written with care. It shapes her choices without defining her entire character, and the book shows how accommodation and empathy can coexist with ambition.
- Sports that matter: Hockey is not set dressing. Practices, line changes, coaching notes, and game pressure advance both plot and character arcs.
- Voice and banter: Peyton’s fire and Darcy’s guarded wit make for crisp dialogue and believable friction that softens into partnership.
- Boundaries and growth: From parental expectations to team dynamics, the story keeps returning to autonomy and healthy communication.
A few rough edges
- Age feel: At times the leads read a touch younger or older than their college window, depending on the scene.
- Crowded bench: The supporting cast is lively, though a few teammates blur together.
- Enemies to lovers ramp: Early conflict can feel a bit pressed before the chemistry fully blooms.
- Minor formatting quibbles: Some readers reported small typos and occasional oddities in text message displays on certain e readers.
Vibe check
Sapphic college sports romance, rivals to lovers, student coach and captain, chronic illness rep, found family locker room energy, low drama and high heart. If you like your hockey with character depth rather than locker room clichés, this one delivers.
Final thoughts
Like a Power Play is warm, focused, and quietly romantic. Sprinkle lets the relationship grow through shared work and mutual care, and she treats both women’s dreams with respect. It is exactly the kind of comfort read that still breaks a sweat.
Buy Like a Power Play here: https://amzn.to/4mU1Pw3
