Actual 4.5 - While I’m not the biggest Jane Austen fan, I AM in my hockey romance era; I’ve also been looking to step back into the historical romance genre. So when I heard of a historical romance centered around a hockey player MMC I. was. Sold. (Don’t go into this thinking it’s a hockey romance though, it’s just a very punny title - with a hint of hockey tossed in.)

The concept of someone traveling back in time to regency era England and falling in love is not new, however Lia Riley had a fresh take on it. Even better, in my opinion, was that all the series of events felt entirely realistic/plausible. I also enjoyed the plot twist at the end where both characters were able to travel back and forth between present day and Austen England.

Tucker and Lizzy’s friendship, to marriage of convenience, to lovers was delightful. Almost equally enjoyable was the friendship between Lizzy, her cousin Georgie, and wait for it… Jane Austen (another plot twist)!

If you’re looking for a light hearted (borderline rom-com) historical romance with a splash of hockey romance, then this book is for you! I’ve never read anything by Lia Riley before, but I will definitely be checking out this author in the future.

Please Note: I received an advance copy for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley 🤓

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

So I requested this book on a whim because it sounded unserious and ridiculous. Being a big fan of Pride and Prejudice, I was expecting a retelling but (that's 100% on me in fact because I did not read the synopsis), but despite this mistake on my end, I thought the book was okay. My expectations were low so maybe people coming into the book and taking it seriously might feel differently.

The reason I requested this arc in the first place because I was genuinely confused as the how the hell this author was going to give me a victorian hockey romance to begin with, and upon further discovery it is completely possible to love both bridgerton meets NHL vibes. it's Avery fun , unserious hockey romance... and a lot of the times you can't get that anymore!! I truthfully was so unprepared for a hockey player to travel back in time to the regency era with absolutely do context to prepare him. He was on leave from playing hockey because of an illness and subsequently accidentally time traveled from England to 1812 England, whoops! truthfully it was unserious and that's completely okay because I wasn't expecting it to be anything but , and it was a win for me!

When I first started this book I didn’t think I was going to like it. Although it is fiction , it was just so unbelievable that we were time traveling. However, once i distended my beliefs in the unrealistic aspect, I truly enjoyed this story. There were times I was laughing out loud and times I was fanning myself because it got so steamy.

This was really cute--you just have to pretend you don't know how a goalie dresses to play hockey or what kind of stick he uses when you look at the cover...smh

So...a contemporary romance that's also a Regency romance with time travel, a marriage of convenience, and Jane Austen and hockey hovering along the edges (see note above)--I mean, of course I was going to read it. Could there be any question?

Overall I liked it quite a bit--it definitely requires not thinking about things too much (like can Tuck really be that dense? He's never once heard his sister the British literature mention/future lecturer mention P&P?) but if you can just sit back and read and enjoy this for what it is--a trope-y fluff fest--it's a fun time.

I haven't read anything else from the author yet, but I'll definitely give her a try in the future.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Puck and Prejudice starts off slow but picks up as Lizzy and Tucker’s romance unfolds. Their relationship is sweet, and while the story requires a hefty suspension of disbelief, it’s still entertaining.

That said, the time travel elements felt underdeveloped, leaving me with more questions than answers and some frustrating plot holes. The romance, while enjoyable, didn’t have as much depth as I’d hoped.

Puck and Prejudice was a cute, yet somewhat forgettable, historical romance time travel novel that captured my attention because I needed to know what happened with Tucker.

Tucker is transported back to the 1800's after swerving his car to avoid hitting something. He awakens in England in the general area of Lizzy, a lady who wants her own future and not a husband to dictate her worth. She vows to help him find his way back to the future and he vows to marry her so that when he leaves she can be a widow and live out her own dreams as a writer. He can't reveal much about the future to stop things from becoming off balance. She can't fall in love with him. But when things become too much to handle, will he end up going back to his life in the future or stay. happy, with Lizzy?

Lia Riley's latest novel is a medium-paced novel that has nods to Jane Austen's character that I quickly caught onto. This is a dual point of view, friends to lovers story that had me continuously reading to discover how their "love story" ended. I admired Lizzy and how she wanted to be independent but I also question if she could have stayed a widow after he had "left." It felt too much jumping into things and I was more interested in the ending- not how we got there.

This book for me was so much fun and all vibes. If you are looking for entertainment to escape the world that we are currently living in, then this book is for you. I mean hockey and time travel. So much fun!

Tucker Taylor, a pro hockey player, accidentally travels back in time to Regency England, where he meets Miss Lizzy Wooddash. As fans of the genre will be unsurprised to learn, she turns out to be a friend of Jane Austen. He is anxious to return to his own time, she wants only to secure her own independence, but as they spend time together, their mutual attraction grows.

This is a timeslip novel, but despite the unlikely plot device, what is most striking is how conventional is this Regency Romance. Familiar motifs include the marriage of convenience, the road trip which allows the characters to get better acquainted, the crowded inns which lead to a shared bed, unsympathetic parents, a supportive sisterhood, an intelligent and independent-minded heroine, and a physically impressive hero. Since Tucker is from a later age, a progressive attitude towards women might be expected, but from a professional athlete? Not so much. He, however, is very protective of his younger sister, another favourite strategy to win sympathy for the hero (remember Darcy?).

The relationship to Austen’s novels and the resolution to the protagonists’ conflicting aims add a level of interest that hold the reader’s attention. Recommended.

Thank you to publishers for letting read this book.
Over I felt like the book was fast paced. While an interesting concept I struggled to fully understand the time travel aspect and I am not convinced that it made complete sense.

Puck and Prejudice was really a delightful read for me because while it was set in a fantastical plot involving time travel, it didn’t feel absolutely ridiculous or absurd. The juxtaposition of both the centuries felt just the right amount of confusing that it was believable.

Lizzie is such a well-developed FMC. She’s delicate, shy, and proper while simultaneously resolute, determined and open to exploration (in all senses lmao). I also like that Tucker is this big, brooding tough guy that immediately softens when it comes to her.

The side characters were all great additions to the storyline and the pacing was quick in a way that showed the urgency of the matter. The only thing that was silly was the fact that they kept mentioning not wanting to disturb the balance of past and future but continued to talk about aspects of the future casually. Putting that aside, it’s still a fun read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I love time travel books, and have read quite a few of them, but this one managed to still have a few fun twists!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a refreshing and captivating experience, and I found the writing to be both engaging and accessible. The story flowed smoothly, making it easy to stay connected to the plot and characters without feeling lost or overwhelmed. The author struck a perfect balance, keeping things interesting while still making the content feel approachable. Overall, it was a wonderful read, and I would definitely recommend it to others who are looking for an enjoyable and easy-to-digest book.

When work picked up, I fell back on reading my ARCs and posting my reviews.  I am slowly catching back up and this book made me smile so much (so it has the first new ARC Review I posted).

A dash of time travel, a pinch of hockey romance, a marriage of convenience, and a spoonful of Regency romance fills this book with so many of my favorite tropes.  I loved so much about this book!

The writing is great! The banter is better! I devoured this book and wasn't upset about a single thing -- including devouring the book!

This was a cute little rom com overall and I loved seeing a boy on the other side of history trying to navigate being from the future but having landed in the past. It was fun meeting Jane Austen and watching Tuck and Lizzy fall in love as they spent more time together. I wish I could have gotten more into the story but overall it was nice.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this title!

I loved this plot, and had so much fun reading it. I loved the characters, the time travel made sense enough for me, and I just had a good time. The boiled potatoes made me laugh. I appreciated that this didn't take itself too seriously.

My only issue is the cover. As a hockey fan, he is in the wrong padding. I get astetically that it looks better, but it is some false advertising.

This was so much fun to read. The plot was so ridiculous how could you not want to pick this up! A modern time falling through a time hole ending up in regency time falling for a woman who doesn’t want to be tied to a man? Please! This’ was escarlatas what i expected and I loved every minute of it!

Such a fun book! I really liked that it wasn’t a simple retelling, but it added some time travel. It was a great, light read that I devoured in a day.

Such a unique and refreshing plotline with a hockey player transported into regency England! Kudos to the author for merging two different tropes. The story was a bit underwhelming though and as the chapters went by, I didn't really feel that invested. Nevertheless, still a fun and light enemies-to-lovers romance that takes on a new twist.

Puck and Prejudice is a steamy time travel/sports romance novel that combines contemporary hockey romance with time travel.

When professional hockey player Tucker Taylor accidentally travels back to Regency England, he soon meets the bookish Lizzie Wooddash. They enter a marriage of convenience and quickly fall for each other – but how can they work out when they’re from two separate times?

Jane Austen is a supporting character in the book, which was enjoyable to read, even though it didn’t feel very authentically like Austen.

Also, the book is very spicy, so if you expect it to be more like wholesome Austenesque fiction – it’s not. But if spice is your thing – and you’re looking for a fluffy, quick read, check it out.

Overall, it’s an okay read with a fun premise. But don't expect the Regency characters to feel authentic to the time period.

Overall Rating: 2.5
Romance Rating: 3

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy from the publisher via Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion.