⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 3.5 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

“Elle, I want you to be the exception to all my rules. I want it to be real too.”

“I love you, Elle. And no matter what answer you give me today, I’m not giving up on you or us. Ever. You’re end game for me. I’ll be here waiting for you, however long it takes.”

i saw that this was a hockey romance with fake dating to get revenge on an ex boyfriend and was immediately sold. this was an overall cute hockey romance, and i liked the characters, especially maya and finley. i'm so excited for maya's book next, i need to know more about her! it looks like christian will be in his little redemption era with everything that happened. while it's good that this is a quick and fast-paced read, the pacing felt a bit too fast at the beginning, but then it improved throughout the rest of the book. something i didn't like was that there was a lot of miscommunication and lack of communication between so many of the characters. also, the main characters, elle and preston, felt underdeveloped for me. i saw some other people saying that they fell flat and had no chemistry between them, and i agree. overall though, cute and simple hockey romance!

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and L.A. Hart for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

I typically find it easy to read hockey romances based on the easy formula, especially ones with a fake dating trope. However, the consistent internal monologuing from the FMC about feeling worthless was tiresome, especially as she only felt “better” when the men in her life showed appreciation. Maybe this improves as the story goes on, but I was only able to read about half of the book before it irritated me so much I had to stop.

A hockey romance with fake dating to get revenge on ex boyfriend, who also is a rival hockey player. Enjoyed Elle and Preston's journey, sunshine vs grumpy. Loved how protective Preston is to his younger sister. So happy Mara is getting her own story. This is a new author for me, looking forward to reading more. Plus this is my first hockey romance, and thoroughly enjoyed.

Revenge Puck is a fast-paced quick read. It is very dramatic and filled with breakup after breakup. I think the overall plot would have been better if it occurred over the span of a few months and not two weeks. Preston and Elle went from a fake relationship to soulmates in under two weeks.

I am always looking for an original hockey romance plot so I was excited when I found Revenge Puck.
But while I was excited for the storyline I was let down with the lack of chemistry between the characters. We can't just say they have chemistry!! At points I found the novel downright cringy.
Some of the insecurities between the two I just couldn't move past.
2.5/3 for me.

I decided to request Revenge Puck because I was interested in the premise - a girl gets revenge on her ex by fake dating his rival. Juicy! Unfortunately I made the decision to DNF this book at 37%, but I feel as though I’ve read enough to give constructive feedback.

I felt as though the characters were underdeveloped, fell flat, and overall had no chemistry together. They mentioned that they felt a “spark” when they kissed but as a reader, I didn’t feel any of those sparks. I also felt as though the writing was very simplistic and relied heavily on dialogue. Additonally, I didn’t trust Elle’s judgement from the start. After her “boyfriend” of five months breaks up with her, she finds out that they weren’t exclusive and he’s been sleeping around the whole time. We learn that they never had the exclusivity conversation and she just “assumed” they were - I don’t know many woman IRL who would assume exclusivity, especially with a hot shot athlete! Also, this is just an aside, but it’s mentioned that Preston doesn’t have social media and yet he refers to Instagram as “Insta” - this feels so out of character for a grown man who doesn’t have social media.

Overall I felt like although it had an intriguing premise, both Elle and Preston were underdeveloped characters and didn’t have any chemistry. This, in addition to the simplistic and dialogue-heavy writing, made it difficult for me to finish this book.

Loved this book!!!
The characters are so well written, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. Finley is the cutest little four year old ever. I liked getting to know maya and Christian alongside Preston and Elle as it really sets up the following books. There was a lot of lore dropped that I was totally not expecting. I can’t wait for maya and Christian’s book!!!

Overall the story was cute. I love a tale about spite driven actions and this book did not disappoint. It was a good escape read. The FMC and MMC had excellent chemistry and balanced each other out well. The tone of the writing felt very conversational which made it easy to read. What took me out of the story a bit was the whirlwind timeline. I liked the plot but since the events take place over a week(ish) period it kind of felt like things just happened without any buildup.

Disclosure:
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do when your professional hockey player boyfriend dumps you right before playoffs? You fake a relationship with his archnesmesis… which leads to a not so fake relationship… obviously. It helps that the hockey player you’re fake dating seems to hate your ex-boyfriend.

This was a cute, quick hockey romance. Preston does not like anything distract himself from hockey - no parties, hanging out with teammates and absolutely no dating. Because of this, I found it slightly unrealistic that he’s practically obsessed with Elle from their first kiss instead of resisting for a little longer. That being said, I loved his possessiveness (10/10). Elle, on the other hand, is much more guarded about the brewing romance between her and Preston.

I loved that we got to see the impact their growing relationship had on each other and how it changed them for the better. Preston slowly opened up to others and wasn’t just thinking with his fists during games, and Elle learned how to trust others again and discover what true love is really like. I will say - I do wish we got to see Preston and Elle’s relationship develop slower (I think the relationship was a little rushed, especially towards the end). That being said, I did enjoy this novel and I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series (second-chance romance?). If you want a quick fake dating romance with some good spice, I would recommend this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Revenge Puck is a sweet and spicy hockey rom com. I adored the main characters - Elle and Preston - they were the perfect blend of the grumpy sunshine trope. While I'm not usually a fan of sports romances, Revenge Puck actually made the sporty hockey scenes exciting and I found myself enjoying the moments where Preston was on the ice.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book I'm the series with Maya and Christian as the main characters. There was so much of their story in this book, sometimes it pulled away from Elle and Preston's story, but that also just made me excited to have a full book dedicated to them.

If you love a good cheesy sports romance with a lot of heart and snarky banter, Revenge Puck is a great read.

If you like Elle Kennedy's hockey romances, you will definitely enjoy Revenge Puck. It was a well done fake dating aimed at revenge story. Preston and Elle had perfect chemistry with each other. They were just wonderfully written characters. The best part about each of them was the growth they showed throughout the book. Preston was able to relax a bit from his single-minded focus of hockey and Elle was able to have some trust in a man. Obviously, it wouldn't be a romance without some obstacles particularly other man drama. But it worked well. Everything meshed so well and the pacing was just amazingly done. The relationship was believable despite the short time period the book covers.

I'm looking forward to more from L. A. Hart and I'm especially excited for the sequel. If it's half as good as this one, it'll be amazing.

Thank you to Editor's Choice Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A good start to Shot at Love series with Revenge Puck as stylist Elle takes revenge on her former boyfriend Christian – OK she says they were in a relationship, he’s more like friends with benefits, potayto potahto! Hell hath no fury like a woman treated like any other puck bunny and Elle knows exactly how to hurt Christian where it hurts by getting up close and personal with his arch nemesis and rival team player, Preston but it isn’t long before the line between faking it and making it begins to blur.

The overall story and the plot itself was enjoyable but I just didn’t sense any real connection or chemistry between Preston and Elle. Maybe if their relationship had more build up to it instead of happening over a couple of weeks, I’d feel differently but right now, while I liked the book, I didn’t love it. I did love Preston who had his own reasons for hating Christian which were revealed as the story goes on so when he was offered a chance to stick it to him without getting into trouble, he leapt at it. Elle, well I’m on the fence about her, mainly because of the speed she went from Christian to Preston while proclaiming she wasn’t a puck bunny, girl your actions would suggest otherwise, and I got a sense she enjoyed keeping Christian on a string or she would have blocked him. I am looking forward to seeing if Christian can redeem himself in the next book.

Rating: 3.25/5

Although this book had its ups and downs, it was a very entertaining hockey romance. I struggled to get into the book for the first half and felt it was difficult for me to feel the chemistry between both characters. I started getting into the book once I got to the halfway point and really enjoyed the rest.

The thing I enjoyed the most was their chemistry in the second part of the book. I also liked the growth of the background characters, I felt like the side plots didn’t overshadow the main couple's development but there was still enough that I cared for them. I also loved the way the author wrote the fake dating trope, I really enjoyed how their fake relationship wasn’t the cause of their miscommunication and the “fake” part of their relationship didn’t drag on for too long.

The thing I struggled with the most during the first half was that their relationship felt forced. I felt like Preston kept messing up over and over again but there was never any communication and resolution after the conflicts. Elle would just think about how angry she was at him but then wouldn’t bring it up the next time she saw him. There was one time he apologized but I felt like she could definitely make him grovel more. The writing also felt a bit cheesy, even for a hockey romance.

Overall, I thought this book was okay, but I still felt it was entertaining enough to stay interested in both the plot and the characters. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone but, if you enjoy hockey romance, it still might be for you!

Elle is out for revenge when her hockey player boyfriend dumps her on the eve of the Championship playoffs - and what better way to do so than a romance with his arch-rival Preston.

Preston needs a way to get his temper under control - with the Championship and a contract extension on the line, he can’t risk any outbursts that’ll get him boxed.

When a photo of them kissing goes viral Preston suggests a ‘relationship’ would benefit them both - she can get back at her ex and infuriating him helps keep Preston’s head in the game and his temper in check. This seems like the perfect game plan, until the ‘fake’ feelings start to feel real - are they genuine or is it just part of the revenge plot against her ex?

Elle was a likeable FMC, her self worth took a hit when she was dumped so casually and cruelly and you can tell how this impacts the decisions she makes throughout the book.

Preston was a MMC with some issues - mainly his anger issues that caused multiple hurtful outbursts throughout the novel. He had a nasty temper and didn’t really think things through before lashing out - this was his main characterisation. Whilst he had a few nice moments, this made him kind of a red flag for me, so unfortunately he wasn’t my favourite!

Their relationship was fast paced! Went from heartbroken to in love with the next guy real quick. Would’ve preferred a slower pace, where they got to know each other - I.e. over the span of the hockey season rather than just a few weeks. This would’ve added more weight to their relationship and gave it more depth - I would’ve rooted for them harder if they had more solid foundations!

My main issue with this book was the writing and dialogue. Overall it was very basic. For example her ex is very ‘bro coded’ in the way he talks (babe it’s the playoffs) which made the initial dialogue seem very unpolished and simple. This carried through with the other characters too, everyone spoke in a way that was very simplistic and slightly juvenile (e.g. my stick is bigger than his) and this just made it hard to follow. I wasn’t really invested in the characters or the story because the writing style just wasn’t for me.

I would be interested in reading future books in this series as it seems like Christian will be getting a redemption arc. I really loved the character of Maya - so would love to see how her story plays out!

ARC copy provided by BooksGoSocial & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Continuing in the era of fun hockey romance books, this was a great read. The perfect combination of jealousy and fake romance that isn’t anything fake in the end. The characters were super fun and the author included a solid amount of streamy scenes. Can’t wait for the second!

I very much enjoyed this book. I read this in one go, and I didn't feel like it was a shorter book. I felt like it was a full 400-page novel. It was finished in one sitting, and it is just a great book to sit down with one afternoon and binge. I loved the character growth everyone went through even if it took a while to get to that point, and I thought the signs were very funny and a unique touch.

While the story was cute, the writing lacked any real depth. It all seemed very surface level and simple in the writing. I don't see myself reading the next book in the series.

Super fun premise, unfortunately, not well written. It’s under-developed both in character development and story, as well as the actual language. It felt like a wattpad story. The pacing was also incredibly fast, with everything in the blurb being achieved by 22% in. At that point I remember thinking, “what now?!” Well, insta-love- that’s what’s now. The whole romance takes place in such a short time period too- it’s unbelievable that such a deep connection could be achieved when they have known each other less than 30 days. Preston couldn’t have been from a team like 2 hours away? Then we could have had a full season to develop at the very least. There were just way too many plot points that didn’t feel thought through. And with a little more work, this would have been laugh out loud funny with great chemistry and steam. Sadly, it fell flat for me. 1.75/2 ⭐️ 😬

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, in exchange for my unbiased review.

˗ˋˏ ♡Thank you L.A. Hart and NetGalley♡ ˎˊ˗

3.75 stars!

Honestly a great way to start feb, with a cute and quick hockey romance. I loved both the characters and especially Maya and Finley, they were adorable! The plot is quite simple, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. I would say that at the start I did think it was going a bit fast, but I found the pace to be good throughout the rest. I did think that our man characters definitely should have had more communication between them. Overall really liked it, what can I say I am a hopeless romantic!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. While this book was a good time and a really easy read, some of the plot points were a little wild to me, and I didn’t love the characters. I did feel like it got better towards the end, though, when it seemed like the characters had more depth. It was very much an insta-love story, which isn’t my favorite, but some might like it. But always love a hockey romance, and this is fine as long as you can suspend your disbelief for some of the ways things happen/how quickly they happen.