Playing Hurt

Jamieson’s skimpy sixth Aces Hockey contemporary (after Slap Shot) focuses on veteran player Chase Hartman, who’s rehabbing both his party-boy image and a wrist injury that is badly affecting his play. During his downtime, he strikes up a Twitter flirtation with pop star Jordyn Banks, betting a date on the outcome of a rival’s game. Despite the challenges of lining up their schedules between Chicago and Los Angeles, Chase and Jordyn manage to develop a relationship out of the spotlight. When they both face career-ending surgeries, their differing coping strategies test their relationship to its breaking point. Secondary characters are little more than cameos, with previous Aces characters serving as shorthand for hockey content and celebrity name-dropping doing the same for Hollywood glamour. New readers may be disappointed by the lack of setting development beyond Chase and Jordyn, but the tight focus on the couple allows for emotional revelations that somewhat make up for the lack of depth elsewhere. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect. (July)