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Sophie Fournier #5
Power Play
After two seasons without winning another Maple Cup, the pressure is on for Sophie Fournier to win the NAHL’s biggest prize. It’s her sixth season in the North American Hockey League, and she knows what she needs to do, and how to do it.
Only, she isn’t the only one feeling the pressure to win. Coach Butler’s job is in jeopardy if he can’t repeat the success from Sophie’s third season. As his vision for the team drifts away from Concord’s identity, Sophie is left with a difficult choice.
Does she unite the team behind Coach Butler’s vision and risk losing her team’s identity? Or, does she unite the Condors against their coach and risk her captaincy and her future with the team?
Only, she isn’t the only one feeling the pressure to win. Coach Butler’s job is in jeopardy if he can’t repeat the success from Sophie’s third season. As his vision for the team drifts away from Concord’s identity, Sophie is left with a difficult choice.
Does she unite the team behind Coach Butler’s vision and risk losing her team’s identity? Or, does she unite the Condors against their coach and risk her captaincy and her future with the team?
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First published July 5, 2021
95 people want to read
About the author
K.R. Collins
13 books53 followersK.R. Collins went to college in Pennsylvania where she learned to write and fell in love with hockey. When she isn’t working or writing, she watches hockey games and claims it’s for research.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 14, 2021
4.5⭐️ – I have to start by saying that this series is one of my favourites. I use the words confused and frustrated a lot when talking about it but I promise it’s not in a negative way. I think, to some extent, my emotions reflect those of the main character, Sophie. I look forward to each new book and am very excited each time to dive back into the lives of Sophie and her teammates.
For some reason, I missed this book when it was released last July and only found out about it when the author tweeted about the next one (Grounded) being available for preorder. I’ve loved this series from the start, even though I don’t care about hockey (not a big sport in my country), and I was a tad upset about having missed a book, but it turned out to be for the best. Because damn, that ending? I couldn’t have waited six months to read the next book.
Power Play begins in 2016. Two years have passed since Sophie’s team won the Maple Cup but she’s convinced they can win again this season. In addition to the regular championship, there’s a new international competition which, unlike the Winter Games, follows NAHL regulations, i.e. men and women play together. As a result, once again, Sophie has to play against some of her teammates and alongside some of her usual foes.
The sensation that kept going through my head for a big part of the story is that Sophie’s confused and so am I. I love this series as much as it confuses and, yes, as I wrote above, frustrates me. I think part of the reason I love it so much is that it keeps me on my toes. I never know what to expect. I didn’t expect to care about a sport I don’t know anything about. There are way too many characters for me to remember who is who (a list of everyone with their nickname, nationality and team would help). There’s no romance, not really. There are abusive coaches and fathers, a lot of misogyny on the page, all sorts of things that should turn me off. These books captivate me and I’m at a loss to explain why. And maybe I love them because of all these things, because Collins somehow found the right balance. I feel invested in everything Sophie: her wins, her losses, her friendships and challenges and growth. Like, who knew she had a sense of humour?
As Sophie said a couple of books back, she’s the one who cracks doors open so others can bust in. She makes things happen, on and off the ice. There are more and more women in the league, with different attitudes, different ambitions, different desires. Sophie herself grows from book to book, shows more of her personality. I don’t always like her, I don’t always understand the choices she makes, but I root for her without fail. I may not be a huge hockey fan but I’m a Sophie fan.
I’ll be honest, this, book 5 in the series, was painful to read. What Sophie goes through made me want to punch something and more than a couple of fictional someones. At the same time, my respect for her grew. The ability she shows in games to foresee the next play is present outside of the rink as well, as long as it has to do with hockey. I’m not sure she could have predicted the road her relationship with Elsa would take, nor what would happen with Dima. I admire her abnegation, her willingness to always put ice hockey and her team first. If that’s not love, I don’t know what it is.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
For some reason, I missed this book when it was released last July and only found out about it when the author tweeted about the next one (Grounded) being available for preorder. I’ve loved this series from the start, even though I don’t care about hockey (not a big sport in my country), and I was a tad upset about having missed a book, but it turned out to be for the best. Because damn, that ending? I couldn’t have waited six months to read the next book.
Power Play begins in 2016. Two years have passed since Sophie’s team won the Maple Cup but she’s convinced they can win again this season. In addition to the regular championship, there’s a new international competition which, unlike the Winter Games, follows NAHL regulations, i.e. men and women play together. As a result, once again, Sophie has to play against some of her teammates and alongside some of her usual foes.
The sensation that kept going through my head for a big part of the story is that Sophie’s confused and so am I. I love this series as much as it confuses and, yes, as I wrote above, frustrates me. I think part of the reason I love it so much is that it keeps me on my toes. I never know what to expect. I didn’t expect to care about a sport I don’t know anything about. There are way too many characters for me to remember who is who (a list of everyone with their nickname, nationality and team would help). There’s no romance, not really. There are abusive coaches and fathers, a lot of misogyny on the page, all sorts of things that should turn me off. These books captivate me and I’m at a loss to explain why. And maybe I love them because of all these things, because Collins somehow found the right balance. I feel invested in everything Sophie: her wins, her losses, her friendships and challenges and growth. Like, who knew she had a sense of humour?
As Sophie said a couple of books back, she’s the one who cracks doors open so others can bust in. She makes things happen, on and off the ice. There are more and more women in the league, with different attitudes, different ambitions, different desires. Sophie herself grows from book to book, shows more of her personality. I don’t always like her, I don’t always understand the choices she makes, but I root for her without fail. I may not be a huge hockey fan but I’m a Sophie fan.
I’ll be honest, this, book 5 in the series, was painful to read. What Sophie goes through made me want to punch something and more than a couple of fictional someones. At the same time, my respect for her grew. The ability she shows in games to foresee the next play is present outside of the rink as well, as long as it has to do with hockey. I’m not sure she could have predicted the road her relationship with Elsa would take, nor what would happen with Dima. I admire her abnegation, her willingness to always put ice hockey and her team first. If that’s not love, I don’t know what it is.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 7, 2023
Absolute testament to the author’s prowess that a reader like myself can get so attached to a fictional character. It’s Book 5 in the series and the 6th book overall in the universe. Although hockey is still the lifeblood, the Fornier storyline has evolved into a powerful character study.
Sophie is 23 years old, wealthy, and a famous athlete. She’s also been emotionally sheltered her whole young life so there is a child like quality about her. She finds it impossible to express her wants and needs, doesn’t accept self care yet, and cannot stand up to authority figures. It’s brutal to watch her face abuse from her coach and other players, to misunderstand and to miscalculate her role. There were times when I read chapters and I wanted to either cry or punch a wall. Child, child, stop. But that is the whole point of Power Play, I think. Sophie has to cross that line into full adulthood and it is not easy.
So as the turbulent hockey season plods on and unscrupulous people use their life experience to manipulate Sophie into corners, it’s a slow, deep descent into a troublesome time for her. I am desperate to read the next volume. Full five stars for this one since it hits hard but is honest.
Sophie is 23 years old, wealthy, and a famous athlete. She’s also been emotionally sheltered her whole young life so there is a child like quality about her. She finds it impossible to express her wants and needs, doesn’t accept self care yet, and cannot stand up to authority figures. It’s brutal to watch her face abuse from her coach and other players, to misunderstand and to miscalculate her role. There were times when I read chapters and I wanted to either cry or punch a wall. Child, child, stop. But that is the whole point of Power Play, I think. Sophie has to cross that line into full adulthood and it is not easy.
So as the turbulent hockey season plods on and unscrupulous people use their life experience to manipulate Sophie into corners, it’s a slow, deep descent into a troublesome time for her. I am desperate to read the next volume. Full five stars for this one since it hits hard but is honest.
August 25, 2021
Every new book in the series I'm excited about. But . . . this one I was slow to pick up and read. Slower not slow. Why? Because . . . there are aspects of the main character's personality that I liked in the beginning of the series, but later grew annoying new books appeared. Especially after I read a book by this author with a different main character and saw what this author could accomplish with a different lead. Also . . . what I remember of the book description doesn't exactly match what I read, but eh, whatever. Eh, reread the description . . . I guess there's some connection.
Right, so: Read book. Liked the book a lot more than I expected. Liked how the character finally, FINALLY!, grew more. Hate how things ended as they made me want to read the next book like now not tomorrow or some time in the future.
What else to write?
One problem that I had to overcome to continue reading this series and this book: I'm done, DONE, with verbally abusive coaches (like the recently fired Spirit coach (Washington women's soccer at pro level; fucker was known to be abusive as a high school coach; the owner's kid was on that team! for fuck sake; and two highly qualified women were on the coaching staff, but fuck them, right? hire this fucking man who never coached at the pro level to coach a women's team; a man known for being abusive)). Fuck 'em. Some players grow from it? Possibly, despite some saying so, I don't believe they couldn't have been good, possibly have been better with a different coach.
FUCK ACCEPTING ABUSIVE COACHES/FATHERS/MOTHERS/SIBLINGS. (main character's coach is verbally abusive; father is verbally abusive; other players are physically abusive)
Obviously I got side-tracked.
A lot of good writing, plot, story telling, etc. occurred in this book. I want to read the next book now.
Rating: 4.55
August 25, 2021
Right, so: Read book. Liked the book a lot more than I expected. Liked how the character finally, FINALLY!, grew more. Hate how things ended as they made me want to read the next book like now not tomorrow or some time in the future.
What else to write?
One problem that I had to overcome to continue reading this series and this book: I'm done, DONE, with verbally abusive coaches (like the recently fired Spirit coach (Washington women's soccer at pro level; fucker was known to be abusive as a high school coach; the owner's kid was on that team! for fuck sake; and two highly qualified women were on the coaching staff, but fuck them, right? hire this fucking man who never coached at the pro level to coach a women's team; a man known for being abusive)). Fuck 'em. Some players grow from it? Possibly, despite some saying so, I don't believe they couldn't have been good, possibly have been better with a different coach.
FUCK ACCEPTING ABUSIVE COACHES/FATHERS/MOTHERS/SIBLINGS. (main character's coach is verbally abusive; father is verbally abusive; other players are physically abusive)
Obviously I got side-tracked.
A lot of good writing, plot, story telling, etc. occurred in this book. I want to read the next book now.
Rating: 4.55
August 25, 2021
January 4, 2022
I have lived, played and breathed hockey all my life so reading this series has been a joy and a heartache at the same time. The heartache comes not from the writing but from the realism of Sophie’s story. Collins has the bead on what it takes for a female athlete to be successful playing in a mixed hockey league.
Reading this reminds me of sitting and listening to the play by play of Saturday Night hockey on the radio. The announcers were able to bring the game to life in my mind’s eye. Collins has this same ability in spades.
My only frustration with the series is the ambiguous relationship with Elsa. At this point in the series I understand Sophie is struggling with her identity but this is book five of the series. There should have been some progression from her sexual ambivalence.
Here’s hoping book six gives us more development on the personal level for Sophie, as well as an Olympic victory, World title and any other major accolade. A girl can dream, can’t she?
Reading this reminds me of sitting and listening to the play by play of Saturday Night hockey on the radio. The announcers were able to bring the game to life in my mind’s eye. Collins has this same ability in spades.
My only frustration with the series is the ambiguous relationship with Elsa. At this point in the series I understand Sophie is struggling with her identity but this is book five of the series. There should have been some progression from her sexual ambivalence.
Here’s hoping book six gives us more development on the personal level for Sophie, as well as an Olympic victory, World title and any other major accolade. A girl can dream, can’t she?
May 15, 2022
Man, nothing ever goes Sophie's way. If you love hockey and women in hockey this is a must read series. The more I read about Sophie Fournier's treatment in a mixed gender league the angrier I get.
Curious to see what direction her life and career will take in the next book.
Curious to see what direction her life and career will take in the next book.
July 25, 2021
This series has been intense from the start, and that intensity has only built as Sophie’s career progresses. Like its predecessors, this book is a sometimes invigorating, sometimes enervating blend of hockey and the price a woman must pay to love and play it. For Sophie, it’s never the game itself that’s the problem, and so pure and devoted is her love for that game, beautifully represented in the author’s unsparing prose, that even non-hockey fans will be caught up in the play-by-play. It’s not the hockey, it’s people who get in the way— the misogyny of the press, of the league, of other players, and, in this novel more than ever, Sophie’s coach, whose selfish, myopic vision leads him to acts that threaten all that Sophie has built. It’s not easy to watch her fight against so many obstacles, but it’s impossible not to root for her as she leads her team and follows her instincts and her conscience. As always, I can’t wait for the next installment in her story and hopefully, for the resolution to some of these challenges.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
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July 18, 2021That ending was so hard to read. So bleak. Sophie was so young and so trusting
July 18, 2021
This book hurt..
I felt the pain and frustration... The game losses are one thing but relationship losses are so much more brutal... Sophie has never been good at using her words to express her feelings but she got even worse.... She was can explain hockey to anyone but feelings confuse her... The whole book felt a penalty kill more than a power play... like she was always out numbered...
I felt the pain and frustration... The game losses are one thing but relationship losses are so much more brutal... Sophie has never been good at using her words to express her feelings but she got even worse.... She was can explain hockey to anyone but feelings confuse her... The whole book felt a penalty kill more than a power play... like she was always out numbered...
July 2, 2021
This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
Power Play is another excellent addition to the Sophie Fournier series and I loved it. There is so much going on in Sophie's life, on and off of the ice, that I am amazed at how well she handles everything that is thrown at her. She is an incredibly talented hockey player but the pressure put on her by the media, her coach, the other players on her team and her dad is immense. Every time life throws a new obstacle in her way Sophie just carries on looking after everyone else and doing her best to hold her team together. Even when things fall apart her ability to keep moving forward is amazing. She has to make some difficult decisions about her career and her problems with her coach get much worse then ever before. In spite of it all Sophie continues to giver her all to her team and refuses to give up. I love the relationship she has with some of her teammates, several of the other women playing in the NAHL and the support she gets from her brother and her friend Dima. This is a well written, action filled, inspiring story with a ton of hockey as well as an intriguing storyline and I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series.
Power Play is another excellent addition to the Sophie Fournier series and I loved it. There is so much going on in Sophie's life, on and off of the ice, that I am amazed at how well she handles everything that is thrown at her. She is an incredibly talented hockey player but the pressure put on her by the media, her coach, the other players on her team and her dad is immense. Every time life throws a new obstacle in her way Sophie just carries on looking after everyone else and doing her best to hold her team together. Even when things fall apart her ability to keep moving forward is amazing. She has to make some difficult decisions about her career and her problems with her coach get much worse then ever before. In spite of it all Sophie continues to giver her all to her team and refuses to give up. I love the relationship she has with some of her teammates, several of the other women playing in the NAHL and the support she gets from her brother and her friend Dima. This is a well written, action filled, inspiring story with a ton of hockey as well as an intriguing storyline and I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series.
July 9, 2021
this was a slightly frustrating book with how some of the relationships developed/deteriorated. I already disliked the coach but this made me hate him. can't wait for the next one, need it now the cliffy at the end was evil
June 18, 2023
4.25 stars
May 19, 2024
So intense. Maybe too intense? I had to skim the last 20% or so, it was so intense.
February 23, 2025
this series is bad for my mental health
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews