A sexy hockey romance with great characters and action on the ice. Joy is a sports reporter good at her job, her brother is a hockey player and she’s known to the whole team. Dalton is a player in all ways, he is known for one night stands and for never having a relationship. Somehow by accident joy becomes Dalton’s good luck charm and as they spend more and more time together they get to know each other and fall in lust. Hockey is a tough world and the lies and secrets end up spilling out. Joy is a great individual with guts and stamina and it was easy to cheer her on. This is a great series..

Rating: 3.25

My Review- Do let the cover fool you the hockey stick is right but not the ring. When I was looking at the cover and reading what it was about I was happy and ready to read. I was let down hoping for fake dating or marriage and the story is about a hockey player and his teammate sister who works for the town news on the sports. He asks her for help with something that is find but what he asked her to do is crazy and I did not like it. If you are looking for a smut book this is for you I do like smut books from time to time, but the way it was told is not the best so much cursing sexually during and not with the spicy parts of the story. There were times in the book I loved when the two main just talked or had sweet times at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

I love hockey romances - I have no idea why, as I know nothing about hockey and am not even from a hockey nation. Yet here I am, a hockey romance lover.

That means when I saw this book, I immediately requested it. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. I'd say the best part of this book is the last 20%, which is also the part when there's not really sex happening. I don't mind a bit of that in my books, but this book felt like every sentence was something sexual, and it became boring.

The whole premise is around how our FMC, Joy, sees the male MMC, Dalton, in all his glory and he then wins his game. After losing his next game, he decides that obviously flashing her is the secret to his success and they must forever do it to keep the team winning. And she goes along with it, because she comes from a hockey family, her brother is the Captain of Dalton's team and is a sports journalist focusing on local sports, aka his team. It's all a bit ridiculous,. but I'm not reading this for realism.

And yet...I got really bored of all the sexual content very fast. I literally skipped through stuff, because I just didn't care to read more of it. It got repetitive very fast, and as I said...the best part of this book is towards the end when actual plot starts happening.

Now, does that mean it's a bad book? Nope, it's well written and the characters are fleshed out well enough. I just didn't enjoy all the smut - but if you like smut, then this will work for you!

Steamy hockey hyjinks that could melt the ice. Best friend's sister, both career driven, one player and one burnt by the past - and two hockey families that can't help but be involved. Fun characters and a great cast, one brother left to find romance ...

Landish beautifully balances humor and heart, especially as Joy and Dalton navigate the complicated dynamics of their feelings and family ties. This book is a delightful mix of playful romance and deeper emotional moments that kept me grinning. If you’re looking for a fun, sexy read, this one is a winner!

This is the second book in the Maple Creek series but can be read as a standalone. I have read many of Lauren Landish's books and have enjoyed them. This book was a quick paced read. It had humor and heart. I loved both Joy and Dalton. The supporting characters were entertaining and I would love to read spin offs with them in them,

Joy is a sports reporter for the local minor league hockey team. She is ballsy and doesn't take crap from anyone. Her brother plays for the Maple Creek Moose and has declared her "off limits". Dalton Days is the goalie for the team and is preparing to take the team to the championship. They collide in the locker room preseason and so starts the pre-game ritual that caused Joy and Dalton to begin to know each other and have feelings. Joy has a no dating athletes rule after being cheated on. Can Dalton break through her walls and get her to give him a chance?

I loved the relationships of the supporting characters with the main characters in this story. Shephard (Joy's brother) was Dalton's best friend. Seeing how he has to navigate that relationship while trying to get Joy to date him was interesting. Joy was tough as nails but honestly was just truly frightened to have a serious relationship. Joy's parents were also very entertaining and I loved how they seemed to know what their kids thought were secrets.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I started to listen to the Pucking Proposal and this is my first book by Lauren Landish. I love the story so far! I will be back to leave my full review when I finish this book. So far, this is a cute read. I’m all here for this book and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher of this book! Be sure to mark your calendar because the pub date for The Pucking Proposal is on February 18,2025. Full review will follow!

If you love hockey rom-coms, this one is for you! I wasn't too excited to read this as the trope is overdone at this point but Lauren Landish breathed some fresh air into hockey for me. Fun read and loved the romance aspect!

This was one of those times where I wish I had read the blurb better before requesting - I saw ice hockey and instantly signed up.

In reality - Joy sees Daltons pierced, monster penis and drools away over it before he went on to have a good game. The next game was not so great. So the obvious answer? Get Joy to look at his inhuman, droolworthy penis before every game.

It's a ridiculous premise for a book and I genuinely couldn't get into it. I am all for spice but this felt almost like porn without plot and I forced myself to finish this.

2, almost 3 stars.

The plot description of the book was a bit funny - but on the other hand, who am I to criticize the superstition of hockey players?

The first part of the book was funny, a bit unbelievable, but still entertaining. The book got better halfway through - until the third act break up... It made me angry because I felt that the drama was pointless and the main characters behaved childishly and unrealistically.

Lauren Landish writes entertaining books of which I have read several, however this was not my favorite.

Oh my gosh, this book has me laughing from page one!! I will say, I do love a good hockey love story and this was no exception 😁, plus their meet cute was over indecent exposure! Strong characters, funny storyline, and beyond steamy, this was a great read. Thank you Netgalley and Lauren Landish for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great romcom!! This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last. It was such a cute story! The writing style is great and I loved the characters chemistry.

Just finished this book as an ARC & holy hotness!! 1 on 1 voyeurism, enemies to lovers, hockey trope, brothers best friend, secret relationship..
Lots and lots and lots of master bating! Pierced 🍆..

Loved both the FMC & the MMC. The story flowed super easy for me & I absolutely loved it.
I feel like Mollie’s character could have absolutely been made so much worse & I’m glad she wasn’t, the story wasn’t about her. I love that the author used mollie at this point to highlight Joy’s past & current trust issues though without putting all the emphasis on Mollie!

Would love to read some of the side characters stories now too. Shep, Max, Rayleigh etc.

All in all, I’ve given 5 stars because the characters were loveable, the story flowed effortlessly, the FMC is a badass! There were some real LOL moments and the quick witty comments had me cackling!

Lauren’s writing is superb 5******

When I first saw the book cover, it gave me fake engagement/marriage vibe. But this is not the case.

The proposal from the title refers to an indecent pre-game ritual.

This is a cute but also spicy hockey rom-com with a badass FMC. I liked the interactions between Joy and Dalton and the way they became friends first.

What you can expect:
- hockey goalie and sports reporter
- bestfriend’s sister
- secret relationship
- he falls first
- trust issues
- lust to love

Dalton became really sweet and treated Joy good.
“The best part is the secret side you hide from everyone else, but let me see because you trust me enough to let me in.”

This is the first book I read from this author, but I want to read Hope’s story (Joy’s twin sister).

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the advance reader copy of the book. This is my honest review.

Such a cute story! The entire premise seemed interesting and I was not disappointed. The spice was done well and I truly loved the chemistry between the leads. Lauren has outdone herself once again!

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. I was not familiar with the characters that were referenced throughout the story, so I now have more to add to my TBR list, but even not knowing the full backstory of Joy's twin, I was easily able to follow the storyline and understand Joy's motivation/ background. I love that Joy is a successful female in a male dominated industry, and how her family and friends support her both professional and personally. The storyline was hilarious and I found myself laughing more than once. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and can't wait to grab both Hope and Shep's books.

Very entertaining and the proposal was not what I originally thought it would be! This is sexy and steamy! Even with so many hockey romances out now, don’t miss this story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars

It's a quick, fun read with some laugh-out-loud moments! I liked this book; the pacing was great, the characters were entertaining, and their chemistry was hot. Sometimes, the main characters, Joy and Dalton, came off as a bit immature, which took me a little bit away from the story; otherwise, it was a good book!

COOL NOW I HAVE TO READ LAURENS ENTIRE BACKLOG.

This made me giddy as can be, like kicking my feet and giggling while reading! I love love love Joy in this and Dalton is a gem of a book boyfriend.

"Never in a million years would anyone come up with something as wild as a good luck penis peekaboo meet-cute."

THEMES
Ice hockey player x sports reporter
Best friends little sister
Bad ass FMC with a sharp tongue
Immaculate spice levels
Minor angst that is quickly rectified
Secret relationship

This book had me in a chokehold from the beginning, solely due to the hilarious, blunt and full-of-sass FMC Joy. It was actually refreshing to read about a FMC that isn't afraid to swear or tell it like it is - she's not demure girly, she's more like dynamite. A true force to be reckoned with. Dalton began as a loveable asshole, and then really just transitioned into lovable. the whole concept of their love story is truly ridiculous but in the best way. Can't wait to see what other books in this series will bring.

Thank you to Lauren Landish, NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for an e-ARC of this book in exchanged for an honest review