Dirty Player: A Hockey Romance Novel (Back To You) - Perfect for Sports Lovers & Contemporary Romance Readers

I loved this story. It wasn't anything overly original - sports romances and friends to lovers have been done many times before - but the author was able to keep the story entertaining, witty and provide well-detailed characters that made me feel as though it was a fresh concept. Julia and Greg went to high school together and have remained good friends in the thirteen years that have passed since. She's a sideline reporter for the NFL who has to constantly fight for her job due to being a talented female in a man's world. As a result, she has a firm rule not to date pro-athletes so she doesn't lose credibility in her role and can remain focussed on her career. Greg is a pro hockey player. He reminds Julia of a contract they wrote in jest in in their year book - that Julia would give him a kiss at their ten year reunion. You can probably guess what happens here. They kiss (although as a bit of a mock-up), but later in the evening have a much more serious make out session. This acts as the catalyst to their relationship with neither being able to get the other off their mind.I thought the author did a great job of getting the reader to get to know Greg and Julia. They both had their own backstories that made them wary of relationships and I loved how they both valued their friendship and always wanted to put it first. The writing was witty and playful which made it a bit of a light read while delving into the characters' nuances enough that there was ample depth.There were a couple of tiny factors that other readers might not like. For example, there was a bit of back and forth between Greg and Julia up until almost half way through the book - will they, won't they and so on. Greg had a lot of frustration when he wanted to get more serious with Julia and then again when he wanted their relationship to go public. Some readers might perceive Julia as a bit cold for making the decisions she did, but I found it refreshing that there was a female lead who was cautious about her career as well as wary of throwing away a friendship (and maybe her heart). Some of the story was pretty predictable, but I loved the story and the writing enough for this to not bother me and to keep it at five stars.There was a good amount of reference to the main characters' respective sports which I enjoyed. I love that the author had Greg jealous at times, but not in an arrogant manner, and that there was other man drama (no cheating so don't panic) to keep him on his toes. There was a bit of added angst here and there but it didn't have me rolling my eyes which is a massive win in my books. I think because the author didn't dwell on their problems for the most part - thank you! There were a few steamy scenes that weren't over the top. I think there's a book in the series (a standalone) previous to this one. I didn't feels as though I had to read it and apart from the mention of a few characters that gave me the impression there was a history, it didn't affect my reading experience.I haven't read any books by this author before, but I definitely will read more of hers in the future. I loved both Greg and Julia and if any of her other books are like this, I can't wait to read them.