was so excited to dive into this hockey rom-com, especially since I’ve been following the author on TikTok for a while and have been a fan of her hubby since when he played for the MN Wild. Her debut novel definitely did not disappoint—it was everything I was hoping for!

The chemistry between the main characters was palpable, and I found it so easy to connect with both of them. Their relationship felt genuine, with moments of humor, vulnerability, and of course, some well-placed spice. The plot had a good amount of depth and emotion, and I appreciated how the author managed to balance both the sweet and the steamy aspects of the story.

While I absolutely enjoyed the book, I do think there were a couple of areas where I wished for a bit more detail or perhaps a more fleshed-out plot. Some moments felt a little rushed, and I would’ve loved a few more layers in those key scenes. But honestly, this didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment. It was an easy, fun read that kept me entertained from start to finish, with just the right amount of charm and excitement to keep me flipping pages.

If you're a fan of rom-coms with a sports twist, this is a great pick! The author’s voice is fresh and engaging, and I’m definitely looking forward to whatever she writes next.

This was a cute spin on a hockey romance. I loved that Lucy was a no nonsense FMC who makes so many mistakes in her dating life that it ends up being comical. She also has the best friends, Cooper and Maya brought so much character to the story line.

I felt as though the author did a wonderful job with the hockey knowledge. I felt like we got more of the actual hockey games than I’m used to with other hockey romances.

The story was cute. Their relationship was cute. I didn’t get the angst of a romance book and it was surprisingly pleasant and just what I needed at the time .

Tropes:
Black Cat FMC/ Golden Retriever MMC
Hockey Player / Artist
He Falls First
She’s my good luck charm

Overall, this book didn’t blow me away, but it was cute enough to enjoy until the end. If you’re a fan of a sweet romance with a little spice, a hockey romance lover, and a story to promotes LGBTQ+ you should give this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ebook arc in exchange for my honest review.

Exceptional Read
I loved Lucy, who is a bit odd, and Jaylen, the most laid-back hockey player.
Jaylen meets Lucy at a packed club when she runs into him, soaks her shirt, and drops the beers in her hands.
Jaylen doesn't know what hit him, and he plays hockey!
Lucy tries to ignore Jaylen, but he will not have it, and these two end up causing a bit of havoc before ending the night together.
Lucy has a job from hell but wants to become a tattoo artist, so he is doing all the grunt work to try to get an apprenticeship.
Lu y finds herself doing yet another grunt job, painting a mural for the towns Seattle's hockey team. Little does she know what is going to happen.
First, she's feeling sick, ends up getting hit in the face by a hockey puck. and seeing Jaylen.
Jaylen funds that Lucy has a good luck effect and asks her to be his lucky charm. Lucy, who thinks he's cra,y follows through, and these two are hilarious but also share some deep subje ts that have affected both lives. Together, they seem to help heal each other and become friends.
Jaylen has the year of hockey he never thought would ever happen, and Lucy finally gets the chance to do the apprenticeship she has dreamed of until she realizes what she really wants.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for this eARC!

This was a lovely story, I absolutely adored JJ and his sunshine personality. And the direct contrast that Lucy was. It was different from other romances. He doesn't offer to save her by paying for everything. Lucy is completely down to earth, almost infuriatingly so. It might be the only reason I knocked it down to 4 stars. I found her perpetual pessimism almost annoying. While I get not getting your hopes up, it felt like there were times she just had a manic self destructive moment just to have one.

But it was still a very enjoyable book, that I recommend to every hockey fan!

Tropes:
-Black Cat x Golden Retriever
-Mental Health Rep
-One Night Stand

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. ❤️

If I am one thing, it’s a hockey romance girl. Add in my love for tattoos and daddy issues… this book hit a lot of personal points for me! 😂
Jalen and Lucy are two very flawed and traumatized people who through therapy and actual communication find love and growth together. And we LOVE that for them.

This book was a lot of fun, and I can definitely recommend any hockey romance lover to pick this book up once it releases!

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

This book was one of my most anticipated this year and when I received the ARC I literally screeched. I love hockey romance books and I’m so happy this didn’t disappoint. This did not read like a debut novel at all and if I didn’t follow her on social media I would have immediately looked up her backlog.

This book follows Lucy and Jayden. Both of them are kind of down on their “luck” and after meeting each other Jayden’s luck turns around so he tries to convince Lucy that she needs to be his good luck charm. Lucy obviously says no but eventually gives in and then it gets good.

Things I loved:
- How awkward they both were at some parts. I know he’s a hot shot hockey player but seeing him be so weird around someone he was into really was perfect. It really made things feel more real.
- How willing Jayden was to do everything he could to convince Lucy to be his good luck charm. The man went out of his way to complete some side quest just to be around her.
- Lucy’s character growth throughout the book. She portrays herself as a mess in the beginning but once she and Jayden hit it off she really comes into her own.

Things I liked:
- Lucy’s best friends. I liked that they both were so involved in the plot and I hope that if we receive more from Lexi their characters continue to grow.
- Jayden getting mental health help.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a hockey book full of quirks, charm and superstition.

I DNF"d this book so I don't necessarily have helpful feedback. I linked it in general, but I never got hooked in by the plot and had other books I wanted to prioritize more.

Shoot You Shot is a fun, fasted paced hockey romance that follows Lucy, a former artist trying to secure a career as a tattoo artist, and Jaylen, a struggling NHL player who is doing what he can to get a contract before his dreams of continuing to play in the NHL are over. After a few chance meetings, Jaylen convinces Lucy to be his god luck charm in exchange for help gaining confidence in tattooing. But what happens when a simple agreement develops into feelings getting involved?

This was such a cute and funny read! Knowing Lexi is ex hockey player herself and married to an ex hockey player, I knew she wouldn't let down on the sports side of this sports romance. And she did not. She was able to marry the sports seems so easily into the story line that it only made sense that they were there. Throughout the story, there were moments where both characters talked about and face their issues head on, which made getting to know so much easier. From the start it may be hard to picture how these two characters may have a romantic relationship, but Lexi was able to create one so real between them I was shipping them so hard in the end. With such real and lovable characters, and a fun and funny easy to follow plot line that focuses on real life issues, this was a hit!

This is Lexi LaFleur Brown’s first romance novel and I believe she is going to have a long and successful career. This is the story of a hockey player who believes his dream is about to go up in smoke and an artist who fear has made give up on her dreams. They find each other in what they believe to be one night of pleasure, but fate has other plans. Then the FMC takes a puck to the face.

Lexi’s story was entertaining and I believe that she will continue to write great stories, but I only gave this three stars because even though I enjoyed the book, it didn’t make me laugh nor did it make me feel all the feels. I could see where she was going with the story and what she wanted us to know about the characters and how their back stories shaped them into the people they were, but they still felt flat and two dimensional to me. I am not an author, so I know I really have nothing to base this opinion on other than my own personal experience reading the story, but I have read other author’s works with characters who have similar back stories and as I read I felt like I really knew those characters. This story didn’t make me feel like I knew the characters and, honestly, I didn’t feel like the characters truly knew each other.

I know this reads like a bad review, but I really don’t mean it that way and I will read other works by this author because I truly mean it when I say that I think she will get there. For a first novel, I am impressed and I am certain that as she grows as an author I will grow to enjoy her books even more.

2.5 stars

I thought this was funny and touched on some heavy topics, but the writing and overall plot just didn’t hit it for me.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. There were some real laugh out loud moments that kept a smile on my face. I loved the representation in the book and the characters that were real flawed people.

Hockey, Grumpy x sunshine but reversed, and banter everything there is to love. Lucy is stubborn, off putting (on purpose), and prickly newly committed to her career. While Jaylen on the other hand is a golden retriever type coming on a spiral downwards and a career that’s in the toilet.
Lexi LaFleur Brown knows hockey and it shows, but she also knows the more complicated matters of race and sexuality in hockey. This book while a great lighthearted romance manages to weave LGBTQ and mental health inclusion, and conversations of racism beautifully. Great care was taken with these topics and it shows!
The book has great bones and Lexi LaFleur Brown has great potential for the future. The writing itself was the only let down though. The plot and characters are beautifully thought up, but much of the story is told to you rather than built upon in the writing. Everything said I’m looking forward to seeing what the author creates next!

It was a slow start, but once they gotten past the hump and had a crazy night, and not what the kind you think. They came to an understanding . That JJ is a normal good guy, who embraces strange, weird, and different. While Lucy who seems to be pan, finally allowing love in. From the small gesture of her being his lucky charm, to him falling heads over heels. Both didn't see it coming, but both love fiercely.

Of course there's a 3rd act, but predictible, the WAGs talks behind her back because she's different, and she got her own baggage and both of their hearts were collateral damage. They love each other and also know how to hurt each other.

The pacing of the first 3rd of the book was a bit slow, but it picks up nicely after that and there are spicy scenes, and they are HOT!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC

I really enjoyed the unexpected romance between JJ, the hockey player, and Lucy, the aspiring tattoo artist. Lucy becomes JJ's lucky charm and what starts as them being friends quickly translates to more. JJ helps Lucy work through som issues with her dad who was not always there for her. Their chemistry and natural connection builds into the sweetest relationship. I thought this was sweet but there were some inconsistencies that I picked up on but still thought it was cute. I did enjoy the diversity in this one which isn't normal in hockey books for some reason.

i really enjoyed this! i thought it was great for a debut!!

i’m a big hockey romance reader so i loved getting to read from the pov of someone whose been in the hockey world for years. lexi knows what she’s talking about and it was evident in the book!

i liked lucy & jaylen together! their relationship felt real & normal which (to me) can sometimes be hard to achieve in romance books. i can only assume lexi heavily based lucy & jaylen off of her & jt which is why they were such a good couple and i was rooting for them so hard

i hope lexi continues to write more books!

🌟3.75 Stars🌟
For a debut novel this was pretty solid. I really enjoyed the dynamic between our main characters and felt their relationship was believable. Lexi did a great job giving her main characters some emotional hang ups/trauma but she didn’t let it cycle into insufferable miscommunication. So much of the hockey romance space, especially MF, lacks any shred of diversity so it was a breath of fresh air to read a bi FMC and a black MMC. What keeps this book from being a four star for me is the writing. It wasn’t bad by any means but there were portions like as part of a joke where the author would over explain herself. Don’t worry you can trust your readers! This is a debut though, so I expect that we’ll learn and grow with the next one.

Also this is a random thing that kept standing out to me, Lucy keeps mentioning how she went on the Seattle Great Wheel when she was 7 but there’s no way that could have happened. I’m 24 and the Great Wheel wasn’t done being built until I was in middle school, from what I gathered Lucy is supposed to be in her mid/late 20s. It’s such a small detail but so much of this book felt tied to the city. In the future I think Lexi just needs to run the book by a beta reader who’s a Seattle native.

CW: on page panic attacks, historical death of a friend due to overdose, parent with a substance abuse disorder

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was a really cute book. There are some parts that I wish were longer or more detailed (sexy parts). I follow Lexi on TikTok so I know the hockey information is accurate which I enjoyed reading as a hockey fan. Im looking forward to more books by Lexi LaFleur Brown.

As a hockey fan first, I loved the accuracy. So many books have things wrong or barely mention playing hockey. From the schedules to the equipment to the contracts, it was so nice to see real aspects of the sport being included. For Lexi’s first book, I think this was an enjoyable read. However, I didn’t quite get as attached to the characters as I thought I would have. That being said, I can’t wait to see what happens in her next book(s)!

lucy is a prickly, tattooed black cat and jaylen is a anxious, sunshiny golden retriever. after a borderline meet disaster, jaylen chases down lucy because he believes she’s his good luck charm going into his new hockey season.

this is lexi’s debut, so I’m leaving some space in my rating for that. this book has its cute moments. jaylen stole the show for me. he was kind and attentive and gave lucy the space she needed to get over her (annoying) commitment phobia. I felt like lucy was kind of insensitive at times and didn’t treat him the best and it made me low key sad for jj???

the mental health rep was really well done. I loved jaylen’s journey and the therapy and panic attacks were written with care.

🎧 thank you to harlequin audio for the audiobook! I was able to read this on one day. both voice actors brought their skills and were quite emotive and engaging.

what to expect
⟢ hockey romance
⟢ black cat x golden retriever
⟢ he falls first
⟢ bi rep

This one is for the REAL hockey fans! Not only is Lexi LaFleur Brown a real life hockey wife, she has experience handling the puck herself, and that makes for an incredibly authentic read. Through a series of mishaps, Jaylen (a down on his luck NHL player and Lucy (a struggling tattoo artist) find themselves in each other’s crosshairs, and it doesn’t take long for the sparks to fly. Both spicy and sweet, Shoot Your Shot reminds the reader that when you allow yourself to love, you can let light into the darkest place. This was a super fun debut and I look forward to more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for my gifted ARC.