OMG, Pucking Sweet was EVERYTHING I wanted from a Jacksonville Rays book AND MORE. One of my most anticipated new releases this year, I was SO thrilled when I was able to get my hands on an ARC. Pucking Sweet is laugh-out-loud funny, incredibly spicy, and oh-so-heartwarming it made me giddy. And the END! I SOBBED, it’s PERFECT 😭. Y'all don't even know, and I cannot wait for you to find out!

I related to Poppy SO hard - definitely the most "me" character in the Rays universe. She's driven and a little dramatic, but when she decides she's going to let loose, she goes ALL IN 😏. I absolutely loved that she is SO committed to what she wants, whether its her job OR the two men she falls for. Though she can verbally spar with the best of them (Novy) and is VERY comfortable not taking no for an answer (her "lean in" moment with Mark Talbot had me yelling YOU GO GIRL👏🏻👏🏻), I appreciated that she could be vulnerable too. By FAR my favorite FMC I've read in a LONG time.

Y'all, I've been incredibly loyal to Team Jake since the first time I read Pucking Around, but I might have to switch my allegiance and buy a new jersey - I'm kind of in love with Colton🥹. He's so sweet, kind, and attentive, the perfect person for both Poppy AND Novy. Colton is really the glue that holds this throuple together. Novy, on the other hand, is a straight up wild card. He's incredibly entertaining to read, and his antics had me cracking up more than once. While he has a tough exterior, his insecurities broke my heart - Novy had the most work to do on himself, but he ends up being all-in by the end.

The coolest part of this book was the fact that most of the book runs parallel to events every Rays fan is familiar with from the other books. Seeing each one from a totally different perspective was SO MUCH FUN. Every time a scene I knew popped up, I'd get a little giddy, because while I knew SOME of what was about to happen, it was a blast seeing it from an entirely different lens.

Bravo @emilyrathauthor. Pucking Sweet is hockey romance perfection 🤌🏼🤌🏼. I literally couldn't ask for anything more... except for more Rays books (I'm VERY excited about Pucking Strong y'all).

"Apart, we were three lonely people, living our lives in quiet isolation. Together, we’re a family. A communion of souls flourishing best together."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THEMES
🏒 Sports Romance (Pro Hockey x PR Agent)
🌈 Poly-am & queer representation
🤰 Accidental pregnancy
🤫 Secret relationship
🏥 Medical issues (specifically heart)
🏡 Family issues (including abandonment, childhood trauma)
🌶️ Impeccable spice between all the characters (separate and together)
📚 Continued story from previous books in the series (IMO you must have read these)

"This right here is all I will ever need. I love you, and I love him, and I want the three of us to be together."

FINALLY we get the story of Novy, Morrow and Poppy after having easter eggs dropped in our laps throughout Pucking Around and Pucking Wild. And DAMN. MA'AM. DR EMILY RATH. YOU DELIVERED.

Honestly, this review isn't going to be a synopsis of the book, if you want that go read the blurb, this is going to be my unhinged feelings about yet another INCREDIBLE installment to the Jacksonville Rays world.

"Colton John Morrow III doesn’t panic. He’s the steady rock on which my life is now built."
Colton. Sweet boy Coley. He's been pining after Poppy for so damn long and here we are finally. Also dude is a total surprise, just when you think he'd be the whole sweet words and sweet missionary kinda guy he's throwing in a sprinkling of degradation and a hand necklace.

“I won’t stop complimenting you and telling you that you matter. I won’t stop coming home to you at night. Lukas, I will always come home to you because I love you.”
Lukas. Get the poor guy into therapy because he's got some hectic abandonment issues and he just needs to be loved. Hard. He's a total tough nut who is actually scared shitless but thankfully Cole knows how to handle him.

"To be loved by Poppy is to be wrapped up body and soul in her goodness, her light."
Poppy. My girl, take a bow. Running the PR for an international sports team while in heels while dealing with the emotions of two men while also being trodden all over by her horrendous family - I'm exhausted thinking about it. Then add in an accidental pregnancy. ooft.

I love that this story took place through the same storyline as Pucking Around and Pucking Wild. It fills in holes that were deliberately left and just works so seamlessly - I kind of wish there was a way to tandem read them all (can someone sort that out for me please? Emily? Ta).

I love the relationship development between them all, but especially between Colton and Lukas. I honestly haven't read a lot of MM so I don't have strong reference points, but I absolutely love the way Emily writes MM scenes in all her books. Makes me all the more excited for Pucking Strong. And she’s been dropping hints about a damn shower scene, well, yep. Thank you. Well done.

Overall, for me, the wait for this book was worth it. The Jax Rays world is one of my favourites and when I saw that I was approved for the e-ARC through Netgalley I squealed so loud I probably set off the neighbourhood dogs. My only problem now is trying to get my hands on the US pub all the way from Aus so that my books match. Oh, and the long wait for the next book.

I have been waiting for this book, and it does not disappoint. The assertiveness of Poppy, the chaos of Lukas, and the steadiness of Colton is the perfect dynamic. I love revisiting characters and moments we've already come to love from previous books. And oh boy the spice is HOT. I loved every minute of the book and am over the moon there will be another. I can't wait!

Ten thousand freakin stars ⭐️

This book has made me laugh more than any other book I’ve ever read. The one-liners are freaking everything! Poppy, Lukas, and Colton are freaking hilarious. Sarcastic, dramatic, hilarious hooligans. I freaking loved this book. This combined star perfect slow burn between Lukas and Colton with the back and forth banter between Lukas and poppy and also the “I’ve been secretly pining for you for two years” of poppy and Colton.

Absolutely Perfect. No notes.

I loved this story! Emily Rath knows her characters so well, and it shows. I loved the dynamics between Poppy, Lukas, and Colton, and the way the story unfolded. Real characters, with banter, spice, and vulnerability. I can't wait for the next story!

I loved this book it had the banter,love, and laughter. It’s everything you expect from an Emily book. I l laughed out loud, cried and little mad and read it in two days a must read for every romance lover

This book is fun, like the rest of the Jacksonville Rays series is always fun, though this installment felt a little like it was trying to shoehorn into what was mentioned about this group in the previous installments, so I don't necessarily know that it works as a true standalone.

Dr. Emily Rath…your writing is addicitve. I loved the other two books but this one.. It is now rivaling Pucking Around for the numeber 1 spot.
Not only does Emily Rath write a great story that will make you feel a range of emotions. She made me laugh, cry…I felt annoyance and a little bit of rage. Dr. Emily Rath also writes stories with great chraracter growth with development that just stays with me long after I finish the book. It’s memorable and for me that is rare. I am a person who tends to remember I loved a story but will forget a lot about it because I have a hard time recalling things. But this series and anything I have read from this author leaves a lasting impact on me. Her books are one that I want to savor and make last but also want to devour in one sitting because I can’t stop readin them because I can’t put them down.
This book run in conjunction with the other two. It is the same timeline so there are a few key scenes that we do obvious see from these characters perspectives and how it played out in their POVs. But I still ate it out and laughed when those happened. I was like “OH HERE IT COMES!”
If there was one critique that I could put on here I really with that I could see more after that fact from Poppy’s family, one in particular, after the final event we see with them in the book. I am hoping that there is another novella book in the future and maybe something like that is added. But that still does not change my rating or love for this at all!!
That epilogue was brutal I NEED to know what happened…Until the next book when we find out…until then I guess this series will be on continuous reread!

If Emily writes it, they will come. She puts together a story full of love and hope and joy that keeps you turning the page. Raw emotions just spill from each character. It's always a great time when visiting the Ray's between pages.

oh my god!!!!!!!! this is 1010% my favorite pucking book yet, i cant even begin to comprehend how much i loved these three beautiful characters 😭

i was absolutely enthralled by this one from start to finish, i truly couldve read a thousand more pages of them i never wanted it to end!! i thought the pacing was so well done and the plot to smut ratio was *chefs kiss*. i loved that we really got to know them and whats going on a little bit before we started getting spicy. i loved revisiting some of the things that happened in books 1 and 2, i thought that they were so well done in a manner that didnt feel repetitive. it brought a great new POV for those scenes 🤭

i have to say i am SO SO happy that while writing PS the dynamic shifted to mmf instead of the originally intended mfm becuase colton and novy together brought such a BEAUTIFUL dynamic to the story and made it ten times stronger, i do wish we got just a little bit more one on one time with the two of them but overall just absolutely obsessed with how much it felt like it added to their story.

i absolutely love the way that emily writes her FMCs, they are bad ass foul mouthed take no shit women that i aspire to be like one day. i could not have loved poppy more i swear, she is the IT girl of this series the way she handles herself and everyone else at the same time is truly something else.

this will easily be one of my top reads this year, i cannot believe how in love with this book i am and i am already dying to get started on planning a reread 😭

Although the story line was a little repetitive, Emily wins me over with heartbreaking moments. i.e. Colton's heart dysrhythmias, Violet's betrayal, the pregnancy. Emily is artistic when it comes to erotic scenes. The Elevator Scene by far my favorite. Keep these books coming.

This book is both a slow burn and not enough. While I enjoyed the backstory of Poppy, Lukas, and Colton, the time it took them to even get together did not seem to match the first two books. Yes the flirting was cute and the events were important, but I still wish they had gotten their crap together sooner. Once they did, I was not able to get enough of them. Their story then seemed rushed and unfinished. One second, they finally decide to be together and then the next baby is here(along with the other thing I am not spoiling) and epilogue is happening.

That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, probably more than the first two. I cannot wait for the next in the series and I hope to see more of this group as well.

This one didn't work for me - usually hockey romances and I go together like PB&J but unfortunately, this was more like mayonnaise and pickles. The main characters had few redeeming qualities. I didn't believe the romance. The plot was really over exaggerated and seemed silly in the context of the story. I wanted to like it, I really did but it fell flat.

I cannot say enough! Emily Rath knocks it out of the park again! We've been waiting for this, and it does not disappoint! Poppy, Novy, and Colton's story is so beautiful. I loved their banter, their willingness to explore new things, and how to navigate throwing a baby in the mix. I cried and I couldn't put it down! I loved the use of Novy's astrology too! So cute! As a scorpio myself, I just kept giggling!

I LOVED IT SO MUCH! KEEP IT UP OUR QUEEN EMILY!

As I have read about Poppy St. James, novy and morrow in other books. This story was told so well through a timeline we’re aware of and then some! To live and learn from others perspectives when a story has already been told is a very daunting task. Emily created this storyline with finesse and a lot of granola! After reading this why choose romance. This reminds me you never really know someone or what someone is going through. You think Poppy is just tightly wound, Lukas is just a goofball and Colton is just some happy go lucky guy that follow Novy around. Their love and friendship is something that everyone strives for. This also reminds you that family is what you make of it & sometimes chosen is the better option.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I seriously screamed when I saw I was approved for this book. I’ve already pre-ordered this book (twice because of the switch from indie to mainstream publisher) but am beyond pleased to have early access and be able to tel you to RUN, DON’T WALK to your nearest indie bookstore or wherever you can grab this book/series. Emily Rath does an incredible job of building up to the complexities of her characters’ relationships and while there are PLENTY of steamy scenes, I have seen a lot of feedback that she does a great job of bringing forth some of the actually elements of polyamorous relationships vs usual “why choose” books which can sometimes feel like jumping from steamy scene to steamy scene. I feel as if this author lets the focus be on the characters’ relationships and vulnerabilities primarily and builds the story from there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Pucking Sweet is part of a series (Jacksonville Rays) but can be read as a standalone very easily. I mention this because I don’t have a frame of reference for previous books - but if they’re as hot as this one then extreme spicy lovers will likely love them as much!

Focused on a brand new hockey team to the NHL, with PR Director Poppy and two players, Lucas and Colton, all acting as the main characters, this is not your grandma’s romance. The primary plot revolves around Poppy trying to get the team’s perception in their area off on the right foot while working through rebel Lucas’s non compliance to her stringent rules. Lucas never had a great family life, in opposition to Colton who is dealing with the death of his father. Together the three form a found family… and during that journey the spice comes way out. This is a book that is all about a polyamorous relationship between our three leads as they support each other’s mental and physical health as well as through family drama. There’s definitely heart here but the sex scenes are also very open door and very hot.

A unique read for me, I’m very curious if the other books follow this thread (based on the lead up to the fourth book, I know that at the very least this series must focus on looking at non heterosexual relationships, and acknowledging them as standard, as this book did). If you are okay with quite a lot of playful spice and that relationships can extend to multiple partners at the same time, you have a warm romance with a strong plot line that would carry even without the sex scenes.

Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath is a sizzling romance that blends workplace tension with the electrifying world of professional hockey. This book follows Poppy St. James, a PR powerhouse who’s determined to secure her dream job by keeping the team’s unruly players in line, especially the troublesome defenseman, Lukas Novikov. The mix of steamy romance, emotional depth, and the high stakes of professional sports makes for an entertaining read.

Poppy, Lucas, + Colton

-hockey romance
-mmf dynamic
-love triangle to all lovers
-surprise pregnancy
-found family

gahhhh i love the rays so much!! they’re such a great team & the more we learn about them all the more found family aspects we dive into & it makes me so happy!! the emotions all these characters had in this one were so deep & i loved them so much for it!! & goodness gracious were they all hot asssss fuuuuuckkkk!! 🥵🥵🥵

Pucking Sweet, written by Emily Rath, is the third title in the Jacksonville Rays series.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters:
*Poppy (FMC)
*Colton (MMC)
*Lukas (MMC)

This is one of the best books I have read this year!!! I love a sexy, hockey romance story, but this book is so much more!

The communication between the three main characters is by far, the best I have read in a book. I love how the author allowed the characters to express their hopes for their relationship, their desires for the spicy times, their dreams for the future, as well as their fears from past traumas.

Each of the main characters had their own issues, but together, this throuple was able to work it out as adults without bringing in more drama like other authors tend to do. There was a tiny bit of drama in the third act but again, they talked it out as adults and quickly resolved the insecurity.

The family drama and hatred was handled well, no puck bunny drama was included in the book, and the epilogue was fantastic!!

This is an excellent addition to the Jacksonville Rays series, looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!