2.25 stars

I like the author from TikTok and I had high hopes for this given the actual hockey knowledge but this fell incredibly flat for me unfortunately. Sure the hockey stuff was probably more accurate than other hockey romances but you need more than that. The FMC Lucy was definitely written to be a bit unlikable but I found her fun. The MMC Jaylen was a complete cinnamon roll simp. But I felt…nothing. Because the writing had no feeling. It was just a story told like “this happened then this happened he said this I said this” very unemotional. And because there was no prose, everything felt so rushed and sudden. And the spicy scenes were…odd and too fast and almost never made sense for the characters. Like there was no lead up to it at all and Jaylen suddenly was saying incredibly filthy things but it felt forced because it was like a switch flipped for 3 lines then boom it’s over. Basically I felt like yes there was a story and some effort but there was no writing if that makes sense?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

I really love hockey romcoms. This one was no different - I loved it. I love the chemistry btwn the MMC and FMC and I loved the diversity of the characters - it made it so interesting and fun.

Now, romcoms all follow a typical, predictable path and I liked that this one had a few different twists.

This lost one star for me because I feel like Jaylen’s friends played a bigger role in the book than Lucy’s friends… I wanted more out of her friends!

I enjoyed this. I enjoyed that the characters had some serious issues and they worked through them together. I enjoyed that there wasn't some big miscommunication trope. I really enjoyed the ending.

2⭐️ DNF @48%

I had such high hopes for this book. As a hockey WAG who rose to fame on TT critiquing hockey romance Lexi set some pretty high expectations that I’m sad to say this book did not live up to.

I found Lucy to be entirely unlikeable. She was rude, defensive and entitled. She had a goal of being a tattoo artist (after abandoning painting for an absolutely ridiculous reason) and yet put very little effort into accomplishing that goal other than complaining about how terrible her boss was.

I didn’t love JJ either. He seemed fine at first but realistically he was incredibly self centered. I get that hockey is his life. But he must have been really desperate to push so hard for Lucy to be in his life. I didn’t get far enough to see them actually fall in love, but I can’t help but feel like he wont actually love her, he loves winning.

I just wasn’t rooting for either of them so I ultimately threw in the towel at 48%.

Listen, I wanted to love this book. A hockey himbo with a superstition problem? A tattoo artist with big dreams and bad luck? A transactional relationship that turns into something more? That’s catnip for me. But somewhere between the puck drop and the final buzzer, this one just didn’t click.

I never quite vibed with Lucy. I wanted to, but she felt more like a “cool girl” checklist than a fully developed character. Jaylen, was flat and a little uninteresting, to be honest—adorable, yes, but without much to challenge him, he lacked some needed depth. Also, the banter tried hard, but sometimes it felt more like a Twitter thread than natural conversation.

And the spice? Look, I’m not saying I need Shakespearean-level dirty talk, but I do need more than “he touched me, I gasped.” The chemistry was there in theory, but on the page, it read more like a play-by-play than something swoony.

At the end of the day, this wasn’t a bad book—it just wasn’t my book. If you’re a hardcore hockey romance fan and don’t mind a straightforward writing style, this might still work for you. But if you’re here for layered characters and banter that actually banters, you might find yourself sitting in the penalty box with me.

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a wonderful debut! I loved the story, the characters, and the hockey (and as a hockey fan, I appreciated Lexi's attention to detail and ability to really accurately reflect the sport).

I really enjoyed having a hockey romance told from someone who was a hockey wife. It added some elements but still honored the tradition of the sub genre. It was really fun and the superstition set up for their relationship was also fantastic.

I've become an unironic fan on hockey romances. And after reading so many, Shoot Your Shot is a fun, sexy, and refreshing take on the genre that I just enjoyed to bits.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Aspiring tattoo artist/painter Lucy Ross and hockey player Jaylen Jones seem meet at the right time, at least that's what Jaylen thinks. Out for his last night in Seattle, Jaylen runs into Lucy at a bar and spills alcohol all over her. Lucy immediately hates him, but that doesn't stop Jaylen from talking to her later that night. Sharing a mutual physical attraction, they agree to a one night stand, with the assumption Jaylen will be flying home to Chicago tomorrow and they'll never speak again. But that isn't what happens.

The next morning, after leaving Lucy in his hotel room sleeping, Jaylen gets a call from his agent at the airport with a one year offer to play for the Seattle Rainiers. Ecstatic to have another shot at a permanent spot, Jaylen takes the deal and leaves the airport. Lucy finds herself with an offer from her boss as well: paint a mural for the Seattle Rainiers team and in exchange she look at her portfolio and possibly consider her for an apprenticeship. When Lucy shows up to paint the mural, she finds Jaylen in practice. Believing Lucy is his good luck charm, Jaylen goes out of his way to bring her coffee/talk to her daily, and soon the pair become friends. Developing feelings is inevitable and the pair find themselves up against their own personal road blocks to happiness.

This is a cute book and a quick read. I giggled multiple times from the banter, specifically from Cooper. I enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ and mental health representation, as well as the lack of resistance towards that from other characters in the book. It was refreshing to see all of the characters be supportive. Lucy and Jaylen both portrayed healthy character development, with Jaylen taking his mental health seriously/seeking help and Lucy creating boundaries with her boss and father. However, I found the third act break up really unnecessary. Also, the whole "I'm on birth control and clean, lets not use a condom" thing is very cliche in sports romances and a major eye roll. Overall, a solid debut novel.

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown is a fun & interesting spicy hockey romance between two opposites a golden retriever hero hockey player & a black cat heroine artist.

Shoot Your Shot Is great for those looking to read…
🏒 Spicy Hockey Romance
🏒 Hockey Player x Artist
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 Opposites Attract
🏒 Golden Retriever Hero x Black Cat Heroine
🏒 Bisexual Representation
🏒 Mental Illness Representation

I’ve followed the author on TikTok & their sense of humor is showcased in this book. I appreciated the humor & the sarcastic heroine. This was a little bit of a slower start for me but I was glad I stuck with it & ended up enjoying it. I really appreciated the mental illness representation & especially experiencing from undiagnosed to seeing a doctor & getting treatment. I don’t want to give away too much, but I liked how that was done & feel it’s important to showcase.

I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook as well & enjoyed this. This is the first time I’ve listened to Jamal Roque & they did a phenomenal job. I listened at 2x & it was the perfect speed for my ADHD brain

Massive thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio & Harlequin Trade Press-Canary Stress Press for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

As a debut novel, I want to give some grace. However, a lot of the story was telling rather than building up an actual narrative. I did appreciate the black cat x golden retriever dynamic, but Lucy kind of lost that energy almost immediately upon them starting to date. Further, the third act break up just never does it for me and here after so much of the storytelling, the break up felt so counterintuitive to the characters’ relationship building. Also, knowing the author’s name is Lexi like Lucy and her former NHL husband is JT like JJ, made the story feel a little too self-insert fanfictiony at times.

I definitely appreciated the author’s attempts at including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented perspectives to her characters, especially as the hockey world is historically known to not include them. That definitely made it stand apart from other sports romance novels, however it fell a little flat for me. At the end of the day, it was a unique take on the typical sports romance and I appreciated how little hockey traditions were incorporated like “money on the board,” playoff jackets, and silly superstitious beliefs.

Lucy, an edgy aspiring tattoo artist, unknowingly finds herself in the company of Jaylen, who until recently was one of the NHL’s fastest rising stars. Neither one of them interested in anything serious, they agree to leave it at one night. That is, until, Jaylen suddenly finds himself on a one-year contract with the team who just commissioned Lucy to paint murals at the rink. Jaylen finds himself playing well after a few run-ins and asks her to be his good luck charm. But when the humoring of a superstition turns into feelings that might jeopardize each one of their respective career paths, they have to figure out what they really want.

As an avid hockey fan, I ate this up. Being the wife of a retired NHL player, Lexi LaFleur Brown was able to bring in an accuracy of the game (and superstitions) that I really appreciated. Her characters were interesting and far from your typical sports romance mains, and the supporting characters brought a lot of diversity to the cast. Overall I really enjoyed this debut and feel so fortunate to have gotten a chance to read it early. I can’t wait to see what Lexi writes next!

"Shoot Your Shot" was an overall enjoyable read. While I appreciated many aspects of the book, particularly the hockey element, the story had some ups and downs.

One of the standout features for me was the sports focus. The hockey scenes were engaging and added a refreshing layer to the plot, keeping things dynamic and entertaining. The overall storyline was solid, and I could see a lot of potential in the author’s future work.

However, I found the main character a bit frustrating at times. Her reluctance to confront her trauma and mental health issues created unnecessary conflict, making her problems everyone else’s to deal with. This detracted from my ability to fully connect with her journey.

That said, it’s clear that this is a debut novel, and I think the author's writing will only improve from here. All in all, despite some character-related frustrations, the plot and hockey aspects were enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing how the author’s storytelling evolves in the future.

Im a big stickler for the way a book is written, and this one did not hit the mark. I need banter and dialogue, but when it happens for a small conversation that is broken up with tons of narrative? No thank you. Now, the bright spot was that the book was very accurate and Lexi obvously has lots of knowledge on the game. This made the book more interesting and engaging at some points!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc!

I wanted to love this book, but I'm going with a 3.5 rounded down. I love Lexi and I've been following her for a while as I've been working in sports over the last decade and her takes on hockey are always so great. I reallllyyy wanted to like this book, but it just fell a bit flat at times. I often find myself disliking hockey romances because of the author's inability to capture the essence of the sport (rules, languages, attitudes, etc), and Lexi captures all of that so well here which I was expecting. I loved the banter and the representation!

Overall it was just a quick read. It was okay. Not bad, but nothing that I'll likely remember in a month or two. I'll read more from Lexi just because I know she's an expert on the subject and I respect her writing. I think I just wanted more from this. I can't wait to see more from her. As this was her debut novel, I can only see her going up from here.

I thought this was a very cute book. I think in comparison to other popular hockey romances, it was extremely well written. I thought the characters were developed nicely throughout the book and the plot didn't jump around at all. Was it cheesy? Yes. Was it predictable? Also yes. But I am not reading a hockey romance to experience something ground breaking and new. I am reading it to giggle and kick my feet. I really enjoyed that Lexi's knowledge of hockey was shown throughout the book. A lot of times a hockey romance feels like a normal romance and oh also by the way, he plays hockey, but Lexi weaves in plot points surrounding the sports and players that make it all the more realistic. The only unrealistic plot point was Jaylen Jones, black NHL player, not only knowing who Phoebe Bridgers is but also knowing she is a member of boygenius. That, I could not believe and maybe that is my own stereotyping that needs work. Overall, a fun and fresh read!

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown is a heartwarming and slightly steamy hockey romance that delves into the themes of embracing vulnerability, taking risks in love, and allowing oneself to find happiness. From the very first page, I was captivated by the story and found myself unable to set the book down.

Thank you to Harlequin books and NetGalley for this e-arc!

Grumpy, black cat wanna-be tattoo apprentice Lucy and naive NHL player Jaylen make a good luck bargain with each other. She serves as his good luck charm and he helps her with her tattoo portfolio.

I’m sorry, but immediately no - letting this author debut after talking poorly again and again on the exact romance book niche she’s attempting to write in is awful. I don’t have anything good to say about this book besides LaFleur attempted to have a diverse cast (which unfortunately felt very stereotypical). I cringe to think about how closely the characters resemble the author’s real life - down to their names.

This is the kind of book that results from allowing a woman with some influence to land a deal without any skill in writing. The whole book was telling not showing, the pacing was off, the inner and regular dialogue was cringey, and the FMC was just unlikable.

I cannot in good will recommend this book. And I do wish she hadn’t dragged Rachel Reid (the queen of hockey romance) into any of her campaign.

This is a fun hockey romance. One of my favorite part was the side character friends of the FMC. They felt like real and well developed people and I loved that they and the FMC were a part of a robust queer community. Just makes everything more fun.

I loved the initial reason the main characters were brought together, the push pull of a one night stand to quasi-workplace/forced proximity. But the reasoning of the MMC wanting their relationship to continue for superstitious reasons when he admits in all his years of hockey he was never that superstitious didn't really make sense to me. I just felt like that plotting could've been tightened up a bit.

Otherwise, it's a fun and spicy time. I didn't really find the black cat FMC unlikeable I honestly loved her.

The narrator for the FMC did a great job. I felt pretty neutral about the one for the MMC but it's always fun to have dual narrators. Thank you to Harlequin audio for the ALC and the Hive for the eARC!

If you loved the novella “That One Night,” but the Jacksonville Rays Series was too spicy for you as a whole, this book may be for you.

I had high hopes for this black cat x golden retriever hockey romance, but it fell flat for me. There is a one night stand where the both believe it is their last night in the city (spoiler it’s not). Then, Jaylen ends up convinced Lucy is his lucky charm and falls head first. Lucy has a fear of commitment and takes a while to come around to the idea.

And . . . That’s all I remember because I got bored and did not connect to the characters.


Thank you the Hive, Harlequin Audio, and Net Galley for a free ALC and ARC in exchange of an honest review.