Member Reviews

I have always been a fan of a good hockey romance and this was a fun spin on that genre along with the historical romance aspect. The story is about a hockey goalie, Tucker Taylor, who is visiting his sister in Bath, England. He gets in a car accident and ends up being taken back in time to England in 1812. There he meets, Lizzy Wooddash, a wacky regency era spinster, who takes him under her wing to acclimate to life in her time. Lizzy who does not want to follow tradition and find a man to marry, realizes that Tucker can be to her benefit. They decide to wed while they work to get Tucker Taylor back to his time and then Lizzy can realize her dreams of being a widow and with the freedom to do what she wants, like write novels. Of course, they both catch feelings and dilemmas ensue when the time comes to decide if Tuck should go back to his time or not. I loved that Jane Austen was a prominent character throughout the whole book. I also loved the comedic banter between the women as well as the main characters. Of course there was a fair amount of spice too. It was an easy and entertaining read that I went back and forth between my kindle and the audio. The audio was really enjoyable too!

Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for an eARC of Puck and Prejudice in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm going to guess that Lia Riley is a big fan of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, because, in Puck and Prejudice, her theory of time-travel is nearly entirely shared with those books, minus the trauma factor. Tucker and Lizzy never really hit for me as a couple, and I found that his whole hockey career idea was largely incidental to the plot - it made for a fun title pun. My overall impression was underwhelming.

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Thank you Harpercollins and NetGalley for this Arc!
I unfortunately had to DNF this book. I felt like the set up was weak and too insta-love for my taste. I felt like Tucker did not have enough depth to me. I felt like the duel pov was more confusing than helpful. I did have higher expectations for this book because it had a lot of elements I love but I think overall this story is not for me.

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I was hoping for more of a historical romance going into the book. However being a huge hockey romance fan, I was hoping for more of a refreshing take on the genre. I did enjoy this book, and really felt it was a fresh take on a currently popular sub genre.

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Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Lia Riley for the advanced copy of Puck and Prejudice.

I went into this book a little skeptical with the time-travelling plot, but I was pleasantly surprised that by halfway through the book, I was pretty invested in the characters and plot. As a reader I, of course, love Pride and Prejudice and this was a sweet nod to it.

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As a hockey romance lover, I was SO excited for this book. As pride and prejudice lover though, I was worried… I feel like retellings are so hit or miss and I wasn’t honestly sure how this story would go. But let me tell you, I was wrong. It was such a fun story and silly concept and I loved every second. Thank yall so much for the opportunity to ARC read it!

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This was a super cute take on two of the most popular themes lately, historical fiction and hockey. Tucker is visiting his sister in England and gets into an accident where he gets transported to 1812 and meets Lizzie.

My biggest problem with this book was the one and only, Tucker Taylor. He is portrayed as the dumbest jock on earth. I don't know if that was the intention, but he was actually insufferable throughout the whole book.

One last thing that I thought was a little odd was reading about Jane Austen. It's not like the writing was bad, it was just felt a little nonfiction at times but still very much fiction. I think if a random name was used instead of Jane Austen's, I wouldn't have felt as odd about it. But since it was a well known author and we got to know her better in 1812, it was weird.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty okay book. It was a light read and everything got tied up with a little bow at the end and didn't leave me wondering. This is great if you are looking for a quick, light read that won't leave you guessing.

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I received an eARC from NetGalley and was excited to give this book and this author a shot.

This was such a fun and quick read. A unique take on time travel. Tuck is a hockey star that travels back into the year 1812 and meets Lizzy. This story follows their journey as they try and get him back to his time. Their banter was fun and it was entertaining for them to compare similarities and differences across different their different times. Their relationship was so sweet and I came to really love them. Overall, a fun read and I am looking forward to checking out more of Lia Riley in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

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Puck and Prejudice is a time travel romance set in the Jane Austen regency era - featuring Jane Austen herself. I was initially really annoyed with the book because there was almost no setup to the story, the characters had about 5 pages of backstory before being thrust together but it improved with time. I liked the story and looked forward to seeing what happened next. I do feel like there could have been more backstory still and more understanding how they are who they are especially with Tuck but i would recommend reading it. It was a fun read.

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Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC. Puck and Prejudice is basically what I expected — a light Regency time travel romance with a side of hockey. It was sillier and spicier than I anticipated, and it certainly isn’t suitable for my classroom, but it was a quick read, which I appreciate. I wouldn’t be surprised if this story started as a Red, White & Royal Blue AU fanfic because there are just too many parallels to be coincidence: characters named Nora, Pip, and Henry; a man from Austin, TX visits England; ott Jane Austen references and reverence (naturally); an overbearing British family, including an obnoxious older brother, who demands a person follow social norms rather than be themselves; plus countless little things that screamed RWRB to me.

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I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book since it's a hockey x regency romance and I just had to know. I had a lot of fun with this book because it was great unserious read. If you go in with those expectations then you'll enjoy it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review!

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I found the book to be boring unfortunately. It didn’t click with me either. It didn’t feel like a real historical fantasy romance either.

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This was so interesting! Normally I am not someone who likes to read books where there is time travel, but Lia did such a good job with this one. I was so close to reading the ending before I was finished cause I was so curious on how it was going to end, but I held back. And I was satisfied with how it ended. It was satisfactory given the circumstances.

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If you are looking for a fun mix of regency England and time travel, this might be the book for you! This spicy romance is a really unique combination of Jane Austin Era plot drivers and the magical realism of a 21st century man being thrown into this time. If you are reading this book for pure enjoyment or for the fresh take on popular types of romance, you will likely have a great time reading.

Summary:
Tuck Taylor is a hockey player who has had a tough year. He's on vacation to visit his sister in England when he gets into a car accident that sends him into an icy pond. When he emerges, he discovers he has been sent back to 1812. Lizzy Wooddash, an unusually career driven woman for this time period, discovers Tuck and takes him in. As they discuss the situation, she realizes he may be able to make her dreams come true; she can marry him and then become a widow when he goes back to his time! It's the perfect plan, but could their immediate connection get in the way of both of their plans?

Thoughts:
The plot is so unique, and I enjoyed seeing how everything would play out, but I realized quickly that I was not the target audience for this story. The magical realism of the time travel, the romantic relationship, and the representation of the time period in the story were hard for me to buy into. I have trouble believing characters that immediately accept magic in a non-magical world, which is what I felt occurred here. There were also rules of time travel that were stated but not followed. I didn't feel like the quick timeline of the romance allowed for the deep connection I read romance books for, and neither character felt very relatable to me, which made it difficult to stay invested in the stakes. The title of the book appeals to contemporary romance lovers who also appreciate the classics, and I don't think readers who love the classics would feel satisfied with the way the regency era was represented in the language and setting that was described. As I read, though, I was interested to see how the conflict would be resolved and felt disappointed in the result. Many readers may feel satisfied with this very unique resolution, but I love the typical romance resolution and missed that.

Though I was not the ideal reader, there are definitely readers that would enjoy this unique story! Mixing regency era romance with hockey romance is such a fun mix that I never would have imagined. This sweet story not only appeals to lovers of quick, spicy romances, but also offers a different plot that will make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

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Tucker Taylor is goalie for a professional hockey team and after being treated for lymphoma, he is still recuperating. He takes a trip to England. One night while driving he swerves to avoid some people and ends up in a frozen pond. He tries to get out of the car, but to no avail. He figures he is dying. Instead, her wakes up with woman trying to help him out of the pond. She looks very different from women he knows. Tucker finds out he is in Regency England. The woman who rescues him is Lizzy Wooddash. She takes him back to the home of a friend she's visiting who will have clothes suited for 1812.
Lizzy and her friends, who includes Jane Austen, try to tutor Tucker in the customs and manners of the time to avoid serious problems. The women devise a plan to help Tucker and Lizzy. They set the two out on a trip to Scotland where they can be married. The journey along the way is filled with romance and humor. After the marriage, they will try to get Tucker back to his own time. That way Lizzy will become a widow just like her friend Georgie. In Regency England, a widow can have freedom to do what she likes without the encumbrances of a husband or family. Lizzy would love to write a novel. Will Tuck and Lizzy be able to say goodbye forever after all their adventures?
A friend of mine got a reading journal with peppers for rating how hot a book was, along with other items to track her reads. If I had something like that, I would rate PUCK AND PREJUDICE as a ghost pepper. This novel will really warm your winter nights.
I loved the setting that included Jane Austen. I think readers often underestimate the influence she had in her time and now over 200 years later. I learned a lot about the beliefs of the Druids as it pertained to the different solstices and customs. One could almost believe in time travel. I was so intrigued by this ancient culture that I bought a book about the early history of England. I have found you can learn a lot from historical fiction while being entertained .
I highly recommend this fish out of water tale with an extra spicy love story.

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A quick read that reminded me of Outlander meets Becoming Jane. I enjoyed the commentary on women’s rights and what Lizzy’s character was trying to accomplish. I was stressed the entire time about them being together at the end and I’m glad they figured it out.

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It is a truth acknowledged within my own circle that if you put a Jane Austen reference in a book title or summary that I am likely to pick said book up. I’m also a fan of hockey, so between Puck and Prejudice featuring a time-traveling hockey player and Lia Riley creating a heroine who is pals with Jane Austen, there was little doubt that this would land itself in my reading pile.

Lizzy Wooddash dreams of freedom, of writing, and of not being bound by her family’s desires for her. Which is why when a confused man in strange garb shows up, lost, confused, and in need of help, the perfect solution to all of Lizzy’s problems lies with him. After battling cancer, Tucker Taylor has been benched from the Austin Regals until his doctor clears him to play. While visiting his sister in England, Tucker gets in a car accident and finds himself in 1812. What’s a man who couldn’t tell Austin from Brontë to do? Accept the help of a trio of women who not only believe him, but are determined to assist him to find a way back. In return, Tucker is all-too-happy to marry Lizzy so that she can be “widowed” to gain freedom when he finds his way home. It’s the perfect plan, except neither Lizzy nor Tucker expect to fall for each other.

Puck and Prejudice starts off slow but finds its footing as Lizzy and Tucker begin to fall in love. The story is cute and while you may have to suspend more disbelief than usual for this book, it’s entertaining enough. I liked the characters and the romance was sweet, with Lizzy and Tucker fitting each other well. That being said, the time travel bits were not as well thought-out as they could have been. I finished the book with more questions than I would have liked and there were some plot holes that left me a bit annoyed. And while I liked it when things started moving for the romance, it did feel a bit shallow.

If you’re a Janeite, there are plenty of references to Austen’s work that don’t really play a role but are cute nonetheless. If you’re not familiar with Austen’s work, missing out on those elements won’t detract from the story as it’s all very shallow and fleeting (including Jane’s presence). Overall, this was an OK story. It was entertaining enough to pass the time with and there was nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t grab my attention the way I would have liked.

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Tucker Taylor is a professional hockey player who's off the ice after cancer treatment forces him to rest. He visits his sister in England to distract himself from missing games and is magically transported to 1812. There, he meets enchanting, blue-eyed Lizzy Wooddash, a spinster who dreams of becoming a widow to escape society's expectations. So of course, the only course of action is for them to elope to Gretna Green as they figure out how to return Tuck to his time, making Lizzy the widow she's always dreamed of being.

I'm sadly giving this one just 3.5 stars because as creative as the meshing of sports and historical romance is, Lizzy is a bit of a bore. She's supposed to be a strong, independent woman, yet she never really stands up for herself. She talks big when surrounded by her loving friends, but falls apart when facing her family or strangers that could judge her. As much as it makes sense for the character, it also makes her unremarkable.
It's a sweet romance with fun moments when Tuck tries to explain modern things, but it's also slightly forgettable. Ignore the fact that you know Tuck comes from the future and every interaction and situation plays the same way it would as in a regular historical romance.
Aside from minor comments, Tuck rolls into Regency life with zero issues and adjusts to the very complex Ton like it's nothing. I get that they thought Americans were barbarians and they could get away with things, but I feel like getting to see more of him trying to adapt to the new time and interacting with people would have made the story feel more complete. My favorite parts of time travel stories are the clashes and trying to figure things out and Riley deprives us of that twice over.
Overall, it had its moments that made the reading enjoyable but I'm more disappointed in what it could have been than excited about what it is.

Very thankful to NetGalley and Avon for the read!

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I enjoyed reading Puck and Prejudice. When I got to the time travel part, I was surprised and intrigued. These characters were entertaining to watch unfold and interact with each other. I loved imagining modern-day and Jane Austen intertwined. Thank you for this book! Borahae!

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