Dirty Hit (Portland Fury #1)

Author: Livy Hart

Thank you to Livy Hart, her team and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy

Publish Date: February 2, 2026

Synopsis:

Gender-bent TED LASSO meets THE DEAL in a new grumpy/sunshine hockey romance from bestselling author Livy Hart.

When a career-ending injury forces hockey superstar Sadie Rivers to hang up her skates, she never expects to be the NHL’s first female coach. The Portland Fury are the league’s worst team—and Sadie has one season to turn the franchise around. Critics of her “soft touch” coaching style make no secret of their skepticism, but Sadie has never bucked a challenge, on or off the ice.

Defenseman Leo McLaren is hockey royalty. Or he was, until a dirty hit last season left him with a shoulder injury and migraines that have destroyed his game. When he’s traded to the Fury, it feels like the end of his hockey dreams. That is, until the new head coach names him captain—and asks for his help getting to know the team, who resist her personal approach.

Secret coach-captain meet-ups lead to a tentative friendship that quickly turns into sizzling chemistry hot enough to melt a hockey rink. But with the season and both their careers on the line, Sadie and Leo will have to decide if love is a risk worth taking when the game they’re playing demands all they have to give.

I originally picked this up because of the Ted Lasso comparisons, and yeah—I definitely see Ted and Beard in Sadie and Vivi. I’d never read The Deal before, so I was down to give it a shot and open my horizons a little. At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the coach/player power dynamic, but it never felt mishandled. I mean, you clearly have feelings for each other—just go to HR and save yourselves the headache. Easy peasy, right?

What really stuck with me is how Hart encapsulates what it’s like to be femme in a male-dominated field. As someone who’s tried to make a living in one myself, the way Nola’s love and admiration for Sadie are highlighted is such a reminder that representation matters. Like most front-facing women deal with, the misogyny from Sadie’s male coworkers—and even her team at the beginning—only makes her job harder. It’s not until something could have happened to them that they suddenly realize, “Oh my god, our coach is a real human being and maybe we should support her instead of objectifying her.” Don’t piss me off.

And yes, there’s smut—like most hockey books—and I feel pretty neutral about it. It honestly felt like there was a lot of pressure for this story to do what amounts to three seasons of television in one book. Part of what made Ted Lasso work so well was that it took its time letting storylines breathe. I know that’s harder to pull off in a dual POV, but it was still noticeable.

Overall, I just feel pretty neutral about this read. And that's okay.

Overall Rating: 60% ★★★

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