REVIEW: Endgame by Willa Gray

Endgame by Willa Gray Eleanor Ford is starting over in a new city, working long hours as an ER nurse and trying to leave her past behind. After a rough day, she ends up having an unforgettable night with a handsome stranger—without realizing he’s professional hockey player Matthew Anderson. When they cross paths again, Ellie makes her boundaries very clear: she doesn’t date athletes and she’s not looking for a relationship. So they agree to keep things simple with a friends-with-benefits arrangement. The problem? Matt is already realizing that simple isn’t going to be enough.

The combination of hockey player + ER nurse + friends with benefits + he falls first was enough to get me hooked. This romance had a much more emotional side than I expected. There’s plenty of spice and attraction, but underneath that is a story about grief, loss, starting over, and learning how to let someone into your life when you’ve spent a long time protecting yourself.

I really liked the contrast between Ellie and Matt. She’s dealing with her past by trying to control what comes next, while Matt is at a point where he’s beginning to question what his future should look like. Watching those two perspectives collide made their relationship more interesting than just a casual arrangement that turns serious. The hockey and ER settings also gave both characters lives outside the romance, and I especially liked seeing how those careers shaped who they were.

The chemistry between Ellie and Matt was hot from the beginning, but what I enjoyed most was watching their casual arrangement slowly become something neither of them could keep pretending was casual. Matt is clearly in deeper first, while Ellie keeps trying to maintain the boundaries she set for herself.

ENDGAME was a spicy, emotional hockey romance with a hero who absolutely understood the assignment. I loved Matt’s devotion to Ellie and the way he kept showing up without trying to rush her into being ready for something she wasn’t sure she wanted. Ellie brought more emotional depth to the story, especially as her grief and the reasons behind her walls came into focus. Add in plenty of chemistry, and this was a romance that delivered both the spice and the emotional side I was looking for.

TROPES & VIBES
🏒 Hockey romance
🩺 ER nurse
💕 He falls first
🔥 Friends with benefits
💋 Spicy romance
👩‍❤️‍👨 Age gap
🫶 Green-flag MMC
🐢 Emotional slow-build
🫶 Grief & healing

Book Info:

Publication: September 29, 2026 | Pocket Books | North Star

She’s about to proposition a famous hockey player…

After the day she’s had, Eleanor Ford is ready to lose herself in a drink or two—and maybe the hot stranger watching her from across the bar. New to town and working long hours as an ER nurse, she’s looking to keep things simple. No attachments. No complications. And absolutely no athletes.

…and she has no idea.

At thirty-six, pro hockey veteran Matthew Anderson should be focused on proving he has one more season in him. Instead, he’s consumed by the woman who rocked his world for one night, then sent him packing without even a name.

When their paths cross again, Matt refuses to let Ellie slip away twice and agrees to her proposal of a friends-with-benefits arrangement. But while she’s determined to keep hockey players, and love, firmly off-limits, Matt is ready to show her that there’s more to him than the jersey he wears.

Can Matt prove he’s endgame material? Or will his first love—hockey—ruin everything?