Lexi LaFleur Brown's debut novel "Shoot Your Shot" scores big as a charming hockey romance that perfectly balances steamy encounters with genuine emotional depth. As both an NHL insider and BookTok influencer, Brown brings authentic hockey culture to life while delivering a romance that will warm even the coldest of hearts.
The story centers on Jaylen "JJ" Jones, a hockey player whose career seems destined to end before it truly begins. After a passionate one-night stand and an unexpected roster opening with the Seattle Rainiers, Jaylen's superstitious nature kicks into high gear. Convinced his mystery woman is his lucky charm, he tracks her down and makes a proposition.
Lucy Ross, an aspiring tattoo artist struggling to break into her field, isn't used to being anyone's good luck charm. Their arrangement starts simply enough—she sends pre-game texts, he lets her practice tattooing on him—but their chemistry quickly proves impossible to ignore. Brown excels at creating this sizzling tension between her leads, crafting scenes that are both sensual and emotionally resonant.
What elevates this romance beyond just another sports-themed fling is how Brown tackles themes of superstition, self-belief, and finding your path. Both characters face professional uncertainty, and their journey toward mutual support feels earned rather than contrived. The supporting characters—particularly within the hockey team—add color and depth to the world Brown creates.
While some plot points follow familiar romance conventions, Brown's insider knowledge of hockey culture and her sharp dialogue keep the story fresh and engaging throughout. "Shoot Your Shot" is a delightful debut that signals Brown as a promising new voice in romance. Hockey fans will appreciate the authentic details, while romance readers will fall for this story about finding luck in the most unexpected places.

I really liked the synopsis of Shoot Your Shot and in general I’m a big fan of hockey romances. This one had a lot of humor and witty conversation between characters. It was definitely a fun read. The author is herself a hockey wife and so I found a lot of her background of the hockey industry, super interesting and informative. Congratulations on her debut!

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I know hockey romances are having their moment right now, and I’ve read A LOT of them. By comparison, this was just okay. It definitely read like it was a debut novel, a lot of the dialogue was clunky and all the spicy scenes were just dropped in and then it was over before you even had a second to process it. It was a quick and easy read but there are a lot of better hockey romances out there to be read.

Shoot Your Shot finds Lucy and Jaylen, two complete opposites, both down on their luck. After a one night stand brings some luck back into Jaylen’s life, he does whatever he can to keep his new good luck charm Lucy interested. Starting out as a mutually beneficial exchange, the two eventually grow to realize it is more.

Shoot Your Shot is full of humor and hockey, while not shying away from discussions of mental health. I appreciated that Lucy was bi and had queer friends who had active roles in the story. The biggest selling point for me is the accurate hockey portrayal. Lexi LaFleur Brown’s background as a hockey player and hockey wife gave her the perfect basis to write a hockey romance.

Overall, Shoot Your Shot was a fun read, but it fell a little flat for me. I admit I don’t read romance extensively, so some of my reaction may be due to being less familiar with the genre, but I just didn’t care about the romance as much as I thought I would. I would still recommend this to readers looking for a fun hockey romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

i enjoyed this book since it had everything a romance usually does. tension, black cat female artist and golden hockey player, spice and plot.

however, here are some things that i didn’t enjoy as much. i didn’t find any chemistry between main characters. the story starts with them having a one night stand, so i kind of assumed it would be build later on but i didn’t feel it even at the end. they didn’t have any in depth feelings. (it’s pretty much can be a personal thing🤷‍♀️ other people could definitely see it differently)

there is a bisexual representation which was nice to see, even though, it was mentioned once throughout the book… which is sad because i believe there could be a great moments for the main character

SHOOT YOUR SHOT – Lexi LaFleur Brown
Canary Street Press
ISBN: 978-1-335-01656-0
March 11, 2025
Romantic Comedy

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Aspiring tattoo artist Lucy Ross is out for a night on the town with her besties when she runs into a wall…of hard male body. He’s big and polite and attracts her attention. The man, Jaylen “JJ” Jones is feeling down and wants a night to forget everything that is wrong with his life. They end up having a one-night stand, and Lucy never expects to see JJ again because he’s leaving town tomorrow. She is trying to land a tattoo apprentice position at her job, so she will do just about anything for her boss. She is assigned the task of painting a mural on the wall at the local pro hockey arena. Lucy has barely arrived when she spots JJ on the ice. He’s a hockey player? Didn’t he say that he was leaving town the day after they had sex? Then JJ spots her and accidentally hits a puck right into her forehead.

JJ was down on his luck, a once promising hockey star who was in Seattle for what he thought was a failed tryout. He was in the Seattle airport waiting to board his flight and head back to Chicago when he got the call that the Seattle Rainers wanted to sign him after all. He is surprised to see Lucy and tries to make up for the fact that he smacked her in the head with a puck. After getting over their surprise of running into each other again, she turns out to be a good friend, and she offers him good luck for his first game, which turns out to be very successful. Lucy is JJ’s lucky rabbit? Friendship and more are soon born.

Lucy and JJ are both going through a tough time as SHOOT YOUR SHOT opens. Her boss keeps giving her crappy assignments while promising to look at Lucy’s portfolio and decide if she will take her on as a tattoo apprentice. JJ was once a top hockey draft pick but after failing, he’s hit rock bottom. A chance in Seattle ended but then was resurrected after an injury left the Rainers short. JJ is more than willing to try and prove himself. With Lucy’s unwitting help, he is finding success. Meanwhile, the two begin to hang out. After all, JJ can’t say goodbye to his lucky rabbit. They’ve already had one night of sex, why not another? They started out their new arrangement to be friends, but it is soon changing…

SHOOT YOUR SHOT is a fun and intriguing tale about a couple who are polar opposites. Lucy is bisexual while JJ has pretty much kept his life free of romantic entanglements despite the fact that some of the female puck bunnies are more than willing to bed him. Lucy and JJ click and become a couple of sorts. Just don’t call them boyfriend and girlfriend—yet. Readers will soon learn what makes the two the way they are. For Lucy, it’s all about her dead-beat father, while JJ lost a beloved friend, and he feels guilty. Can they open up to each other and go beyond friendship? Readers will be hoping the answer is yes.

An entertaining tale right from the beginning, you won’t want to miss picking up SHOOT YOUR SHOT.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I have loved following Lexi on social media for the past few years so I was excited to be able to read her debut novel early! One of the reasons Lexi wrote this book was because of the misinformation and lack of knowledge in other hockey romance books. With that in mind, I think the book does a great job of realistically portraying the hockey world. That said, I think it is pretty obvious that this was a debut. The writing was a bit too heavy on telling me what's happening and the emotions going on vs. letting me as the reader really feel the emotional moments. I didn't feel like I was easily able to connect with or relate to the characters, so I wasn't that invested in what was happening. Overall, this was a fun, easy read and I look forward to seeing Lexi improve as she continues to write!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the ARC!

A contemporary sports romance that exemplifies that people come into our lives at the right time…Lucy, an aspiring tattoo artist, is a black cat FMC and Jaylen, a professional hockey player on the verge of being cut from his team, is a golden retriever MMC. After a one night stand, they find that they could mutually benefit each other’s careers, help each other work through past trauma and enjoy exploring their growing romantic feelings. The two are relatable: having a few arguments, plenty of spice, and reluctance to open up completely. Overall an enjoyable debut, but I felt that the characters lacked a bit of depth and some backstories could have been developed a bit more.

I found this to be a really cute love story. It was a quick read that keeps you interested, and the opposites attract chemistry is definitely felt. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy read, especially during a book hangover.

I really enjoyed this! Lots of very funny moments and some great banter. Loved how hockey accurate it was, which is what I'd expect from the author and was no disappointed. I also loved all of the representation in it, and it felt very grounded and authentic rather than fantasy wish casting where hockey isn't a very white, very conservative sport, because the author has that cachet behind her of it being real. The characters were definitely very reflective of her and her husband, but there were also traits that distinguished them, so they morphed into their own characters.

My biggest complaint would be in the middle of the book, it felt like the jump to Lucy going with Jaylen to the psychiatrist was huge from where we'd left off before that. I think an additional scene before that moment to bridge into the psychiatrist office, establishing her going with him as an appropriate level for their relationship at the time, would have been nice. It just felt like a huge step for them and a bit out of the blue.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I'm excited to receive the physical copy that I preordered.

A solid hockey romance with two characters both working through their own feelings and issues. JJ definitely has a bit of a jaded side and needed therapy and Lucy just has a lot going on. I like that they both could find the love they deserved and be true to themselves. Overall, pretty much 'middle' ground for me with hockey romances.

I love Hockey Romance, it is my favorite type of romance to read, this book tho was not the one for me. I will say what saved this book was Jaylen was the perfect MMC!

New Life Goal: Become an NHL Player’s Lucky Charm

I love one (1) man, and his name is Jaylen Jones.

This book??? Perfection. Lexi LeFleur Brown really said, “Here, have a hockey romance that’s actually funny and not just, like, three decent banter moments stretched over 350 pages.” And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Some highlights of my emotional journey:

• Jaylen being so convinced his mystery one-night stand is the key to his NHL career?? Sir, be serious. But also, I support your delusions.

• Lucy being a struggling tattoo artist with big “I don’t believe in luck, but sure, I’ll humor you” energy. Love that for her.

• The fact that their entire relationship starts because Jaylen is desperate for a pre-game good luck text. Imagine the power.

• The banter??? Top tier. The chemistry??? Sizzling. I was literally cackling and grinning like an idiot.

• Situationships?? Misunderstandings?? Forced proximity disguised as casual deals?? I’m foaming at the mouth.

This book was so much fun, and I am obsessed with Lexi LeFleur Brown’s humor. The writing is fast-paced, the characters are lovable, and the romance is just chef’s kiss. If you like hockey romances that actually make you laugh, this is the book.

5 stars and a pre-game good luck text from me.

I've been seeing this all over social media and the hype is worth it! Lexi LaFleur Brown's debut novel is the sign of good things to come...I hope to read more from her! She's informed (meaning that it was realistic and not just random hockey knowledge that was made up for the convenience of the plot) and the bi character representation was everything. I'm going to add this title to a list of options for choice reading in my classroom. There is some "spicyness" but compared to a lot of the YA lit/booktok romances out there, it was palatable and sex positive.

Very fun read! I loved exploring Lucy's path in the art and tattoo world, as well as Jaylen's career development and tackling his inner demons. This was a very poignant hockey romance, dealing with real emotional issues, and was a very enjoyable read.

Unfortunately this really missed the mark. The characters felt like caricatures, I didn’t believe their relationship, and the third act break up was unsatisfactory.
I did appreciate the discussion of mental health, but I don't think this author is for me.

I wanted to love this more because I love this creator on TikTok! I think I just found the MMC very unlikable at the beginning and it was hard for me to over come that.

I will say that if you love fake dating via one night stand and working together, you will love this! It has a great balance of hockey and romance. I would definitely give this author another try when she comes out with another book!

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.