Two Can Play is an enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance novella focused on Viola Bowen and Jesse Andrews. Viola has the chance of a lifetime to design a video game based on her all-time favourite book series, but the only problem is that her co-lead, Jesse, is her archnemesis. Jesse has made it very clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her, but Viola has no idea why. When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. But as the snow increases, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse, and heat builds in more ways than one.
This story was originally released exclusively as an audiobook in 2024, but it was made into a paperback in February 2026, and I’m so glad it was! I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, and so I wanted to give more of Hazelwood’s writing a go. This novella is perfect for a quick read due to its short chapters and steady pace. The plot was similar to The Wake-Up Call, which I really enjoyed as I was constantly rooting for the two characters to get together.
There are lots of steamy scenes perfect for the setting they were in, and that led to a great ending that I thought was fitting. I really loved the gaming storyline, as I love gaming myself and even enjoyed it more than The Love Hypothesis. This book also included a bonus chapter at the end from Jesse’s POV when he first met Viola, which was fun to read.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to see more of Viola and Jesse’s story in a longer book. This has made me want to read more by Hazelwood, so I’ll be adding more of her books to my list!
4/5 stars
Soph's Library 
Leave a comment