Member Reviews
This book is yet another installment into the world of our beloved Jacksonville Rays. Emily does not disappoint in her spice, banter, and the groups we already love.
Heartfelt, funny, and spicy! This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the main characters.
I enjoyed this story so much. Watching these characters come into their own was really fun. I struggled a little with it being on the same timeline as Pucking Around. I personally felt a little pulled out of the story in the overlapping scenes, but Rath's consistency and ability to write them in the way she did was very good. It's a fun, fast paced, super steamy romance and I really liked it.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was over the moon thrilled to receive the ARC for this third installment of the Jax Rays! Pucking Sweet has readers revisiting the Rays’ first year playing as a team, from the POV of PR manager, Poppy. I often find in books that revisit the same timeline, that there is too much overlap and repetition for me to enjoy; that being said, Emily Rath is a queen and I should not have doubted her. Though there are call backs to scenes we saw from Rachel Price’s POV in book 1, and from Tess in book 2, none of it feels repetitive! Everything that happens from Popp’s POV is only to further reveal the plot of her story, and does not make us revisit plot point from other books. So well done!!
Now the review for readers who are picking this up with no context of the previous books in the series:
Poppy St. James may come from a rich and powerful family, but her career as a PR manager for the Jacksonville Rays NHL team is hard-earned. Despite all her accomplishments, Poppy always feels like she is coming up short with her family. A controlling mother who labels Poppy a disappointment after calling off her engagement to Anderson, a wealthy douchebag her mother views as an “ideal match”; a successful but absent father who stand by as his wife manipulates their children into “staying on the right path”; an older brother who has grown up privileged- and it shows; and last but not least- a younger sister, who is now engaged to Anderson of all people. Poppy, will you be my Majd of Honor? 🥺 YOU MUST BE KIDDING!!
As she navigates her own personal family drama, Poppy also has a storm brewing on her professional front- she is falling in love…with two of her players. Colton Morrow and Lukas Novikov could not be more different, but Poppy is falling in love with them both- and one of them is the father of her unborn child. Can they move past the stigma of how their relationship will be perceived and find peace together as a family?
First book I've read by Emily Rath. It was a fun read and I'd probably read more by her. The relationship dynamic Colton, Lukas, and Poppy had together was interesting to watch. Some moments were a little cringey and dramatic, but then they were all three going at it and I forgot about the bad.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!
This book is a fantastic addition to the Jacksonville Rays series! I devoured this book in practically one sitting and literally could not put it down once I got started! I had so much fun finally diving into all the little storylines we've been getting sneak peeks of in the series' first two books and seeing this teased relationship finally come together. I also loved seeing all the hilarious Price Family moments we didn’t get to see in the first book - like Mars yelling at the guys for chirping Jake and Caleb - SWOON!!
My only gripe with this book was that the last few chapters felt unfinished and slightly rushed. We didn’t get a final conclusion or callback to things that went down; it felt like the book was just over. I wanted a bit more closure to everything they went through and to see them on the other side of it.
This book was so much fun and so spicy, and I loved the little bomb dropped at the end about the next book in the series! I already can’t wait for that to be released!
And why did this book make me low-key want a book about the owner of the Jacksonville Rays, Mark Talbot? The little snippet we got of his life in his conversation with Poppy made me so curious!
All in All, I loved this book. I will most definitely be adding it to my favorites rotation, and I cannot wait for the audiobook to come out because, OMG, some of those scenes!!
Picking up a book by Emily Rath is basically just agreeing to have a fun time. There's not too much plot or character development, but there is PLENTY of spice. Like... SPICY spice.
While it's not a book I would necessarily recommend to friends, patrons, or family members (yikes!), I did have a great time flying through it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Probably more of a 4.5 overall. Enjoyed it and read it super fast, but felt like there was a little something missing. It had a lot of the pieces of the earlier books and I liked the characters together, but there's just something I can't put my finger on. I think part of it is that it's supposedly a surprise pregnancy romance, except it comes so late in the book that it feels like a spoiler. It also doesn't affect the plot as much as it would in other surprise pregnancy romances.
One thing I did really enjoy was seeing known scenes from another POV. It takes place from the beginning of book one, so we get to see events anew. That's always fun, and helps ground the timeline. And Rath does a good job of setting up the next book both familiarizing ourselves with one of the newer characters and dropping a bomb on us at the end!
Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath is a spicy love story that is like no other book I have read. It's hockey romance meets erotica, complete with queer characters and polyamorous relationships, tied together with some of the most explicit spicy scenes I've ever encountered. Perfect for fans of hockey romances and the Misadventures erotic romance series by multiple authors.
Emily Rath is the QUEEN of writing complex relationships, and Pucking Sweet is no exception. I absolutely devoured this story, and was so happy to be back in the Jax Rays world! Fitting this story into the pre-existing timeline/canon must have been challenging, and there are certain points in the book where the reader can kind of feel that struggle... yet on the other hand, there are certain scenes you revisit from these new POVs and find yourself absolutely screaming in delight at the alternate viewpoint!
Pucking Sweet is my favourite in the series so far. I really liked that this novel was set pre book one and two, as it allowed us to see great character growth, from not only the main characters in this novel but the previous two. I think Poppy, Lukas and Colton are a fantastic throuple, blending together so well. They all lift each other up, bringing out the best version in one another. Colton and Lukas’ story was a sweet touch, and I love that they found each other before they found love together.
This book is fun, steamy, fast paced and so easy to read.
The little snippet at the end was enough to make me desperately want the next book in this series.
WOW. I did not think Emily Rath could fit all of this into one book.
I went into the book being skeptical because from the previous titles in the series, I thought Lukas and Colton were being big dicks to Poppy on top of her being pregnant. Getting the backstory during other events was eye opening and interesting how Emily Rath could keep events in the timelines the same in each book. My head would have been swimming writing this.
I love the little family they built and felt that their dynamics meshed really well. The boys fell first but Poppy fell harder and it was cute seeing her do something she wanted for herself. Her backstory filled me with such anger and I'm glad it got resolved in its own way. Mad Rowan didn't get slapped though. She remained steadfast in her personality and it was cute to see her have her meltdown and forget her professionalism when it came to the guys and her wellbeing. Them nagging her worked out well.
Lukas was the last to come around but it was so satisfying when he gave in and opened up about himself and about his feelings for them. He's team ride or die for those two and truly showed it through action. Colton is 100% the glue holding them all together. In the first book, I was fighting with myself about if it was Mars or Sanders holding that group together but in this one, I can firmly say it's Colton. This man single handedly designed a Lukas' own home for their future and was working on Lukas from the moment he moved in temporarily. Then when he ran away, Colton moved in and wore him down until he literally crawled back to their trio.
I really enjoyed this installment and dare I say they keep getting better! The epilogue had me gasping and cracking up. I cannot wait to read the next one and see what the defraudment is about.
So so so good.
Fun, funny, sweet, spicy, heartfelt and so much love
Novy really stole my heart but they were all so perfect together.
And oh my goodness... it was soooo spicy. Emily does not mess around.. well I mean she does, and her characters have the best time doing it 😉
Her characters just make you happy. They're so likable (well aside from the ones we hate) and they're relatable. I think so many of us can find ourselves in these characters and it's a very good feeling to be seen.
I will never get enough of this world. And pucking sweet was was particularly exciting to read seeing how and when it tied into to the existing timeline.
Poppy getting her happy ending, knowing everything she experienced was SO rewarding. As was novy.. he deserved to be loved and I'm so happy poppy and cole were the ones to show him! He made me laugh so much.. the banter between him and poppy was my absolute favorite. I laughed out loud multiple times. And I absolutely loved it. And Cole, that angel of a man... Such a precious and good human.
Love is love is love. And these three deserve the world.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Honestly this book needs no introduction. Another 5 star and 5 chili peppers for spice for Emily Rath. If you love you love the Jacksonville Rays series the you’ll obviously love this book. Poppy, Novy, and Morrow are amazing main characters. This is a MMF book. I love the fact that we get a retelling of some of the events from the first two books but through their eyes. It does have a pregnancy plot and usually I’m not the biggest fan but this one is written nicely and doesn’t make you cringe if that’s not normally your thing. Literally loved this book and can’t wait for the series to continue!
I will never get enough over the Jacksonville Rays! I am obsessed with this team and the fact that I am from Florida so it is so fun hearing about familiar locations.
Lukas, Colton and Poppy are such a great trio. They each balance each other so well.
Lukas goes through such a great journey throughout this book. He starts off as some playboy who has no true responsibilities and only seems to care about himself. Obviously we learn why he acts the way he does as the book goes on. From his first interaction with Poppy, you can tell that he met his match. She is someone who not only looks out for him, but will take no crap from him and put her foot down. He knows not to mess with her, and when he does do something to upset her he is a groveling mess. The journey of self-acceptance and love that he goes through is sweet, powerful and emotional. He finds family and love in Poppy and Colton.
Colton is our resident golden retriever cinnamon roll. He accomplished and had to go through to much to get to where he is, and he never let any of the obstacles in his way stop him. His crush and then love for Poppy was so sweet and gave "girl next door" vibes. He never gave up on her and just wanted her to be happy whether it be with him or not.
Poppy is a 5'2 queen. it is nice to read about someone who is a total girl boss being the same height as me. From the previous books I thought of Poppy as being a total hardball who was all work and no play. I was dead wrong. Poppy is a total spitfire and I love her. She understand the importance of hard work and is definitely a workaholic, but for good reason. Her behavior in the beginning can be attributed to her awful family. All she wants is their validation at first until Colton and Lukas help her realize that the only person she needs to make happy is herself. Her journey of self acceptance is also great and I loved how she finally told her awful mother off.
Together, Colton, Lukas and Poppy are an amazing trio. Not only are they perfect for one another which each one bringing something to the table, but they are also super hot. The scenes were so spicy but also tender at times. Can't wait to see more appearances of this trio in future books.
I do wish we got some sort of closure with Poppy's family. We saw the wedding fallout, but never found out if her father redeemed himself or if her mother ever got what was coming to her. I wish we could see some sort of reconciliation with Violet, or learn if Poppy got the trust fund money.
Overall, loved this book. I love poly MMF books and this one was no exception. Emily Rath is the queen of queer romance and I stand by that.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I was so surprised (and quite chuffed) when I saw this was read now on my netgalley …. So I did! Read now, that is.
Pucking Sweet is the much awaited story of Poppy (PR manager to the Jacksonville Rays, and players Lucas and Colton (aka Novi and Morrow). The book spans the time period of the previous books so we get glimpses of what was happening for Rachel and her three men, and Tess and Ryan. IMO this book must be read in order to get the full picture for these characters.
I enjoyed Poppy’s strength and seeing how she managed challenges she faced. IMO she’s more palatable than Rachel who I’ve found really hard to gel with (whilst still enjoying the previous books). The dynamic between the three characters was great, and the added dynamic between Lukas and Colton was absolutely icing on the cake. I have to say I wanted more of this, and the working through of the realisation of there they wanted to go with their collective relationship.
I also loved this one for the concept of parenting and as always with Emily Rath’s books the concepts of family (in terms of constellation and found).
Loved it. X
Okay, I'm low-key obsessed with this book! I don't know what I was expecting, but what I got was 1000% times better than what I hoped for! I was a little nervy jumping into this book after my feelings on the first two, but I honestly think I loved this book more than anything else Emily has written so far!
This book was fun, cute, and sexy!! Poppy is 1000% this badass strong female character that takes no shit, I'm quite literally obsessed with her. And Colton and Novy were the PERFECT match for her and for each other. Their dynamic was so so so much cuter than anything Emily has written before! I loved the way this book played out and couldn't put this book down!
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!
Pucking Sweet is #3 in the Jacksonville Rays series. This is the story of Poppy, Colton and Lucas, Definitely a very spicy MMF story.
P Sweet by E. Rath is book 3 in the Jaksonville Rays Series.
This is a mmf sports romance, packed with yummy scenes, scorching hot, a full length sports romance - rom/com.
Blurb: The lines between work and play get deliciously blurred in this hockey romance:
My name is Poppy St. James and I’ve just landed my dream job as the Director of Public Relations for the NHL’s hottest new team, the Jacksonville Rays. But if I want to stay beyond my one-year contract, I'll have to prove myself. Easy. PR is in my blood. What’s not so easy are the hockey players. They’re a real handful—especially party boy defenseman Lukas Novikov.
I don't care how well Lucas plays hockey. Off the ice, he's a PR nightmare. Brash and bossy, he's always finding ways to drag his teammates into trouble—especially fellow defenseman Colton Morrow—and I have to find brilliant ways to drag them out of it. The players can all call me PR Barbie all they want, but I'm getting the job done.
With one little phone call from home that leads to one mistake, my carefully balanced life is knocked off-kilter. And now I'm staring down at a little blue plus sign and I have no strategy, no idea what’s next. All I know is that nothing will ever be the same.
Poppy St James is the head of PR for the new Jacksonville Rays hockey team and she develops feelings for two of its players, Lucas and Colton. This third book in the Jacksonville Rays series is just as spicy as you'd expect, and Rath continues to do a marvelous job of weaving interesting plot and character development in between all the smut. Like the first book it's a "why choose" situation (MMF) and the timeline of this book coincides with the first two books. I was impressed by how Rath was able to go back and weave this storyline into what had already been written in Pucking Around and Pucking Wild. I didn't love all of the plot decisions but fans of the series will love this newest installment.
Final verdict: if you're looking for a very spicy why choose hockey romance, start with Pucking Around and read this series in order.