Revenge Puck is a fun, easy-to-read hockey romance that blends humor, spice, and character growth, though it does fall into some predictable territory. Right from the start, I knew where the story was headed, and while that’s typical for romance novels, it felt a bit too familiar in this case.

That being said, Elle and Preston’s chemistry is undeniable. Their banter is witty, their attraction is immediate, and the fake-dating trope gives the story a lighthearted edge. Their journey was fun to follow, and I enjoyed the banter and emotional tension that carried the narrative forward. It’s definitely an enjoyable read, especially for fans of grumpy x sunshine dynamics and sports romances.

However, as the story progressed, I found myself longing for more depth in their relationship. The romance between them felt more like insta-lust than a genuine connection, and I couldn’t quite buy into them falling in love so quickly. The constant miscommunication also frustrated me, and while some readers might enjoy this trope, it’s not one I gravitate toward.

Despite these critiques, I’m excited to see what happens in the next book, as I found the couple in book two much more intriguing. Revenge Puck is a light, fast-paced read, but it didn’t quite hit the emotional highs I was hoping for. It’s a fun read, but not one that left a lasting impact for me. Big thanks to NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC!

This was a fun and sweet book. I loved Preston and Elle's characters so much. My favorite was when Preston would get possessive... we love a possessive man!

As someone who has read plenty of hockey romance novels, I found this one to follow a familiar formula without much to make it stand out from the rest. That said, it was still an enjoyable read with its own charm. While it didn’t break new ground in the genre, the story was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. Overall, it was an entertaining book, and I’m intrigued enough to pick up the next instalment in the series when it’s released.

This was a very cute hockey romance! A perfect light, fluffy read. Thank you L.A. Hart, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a hockey romance but this one missed the mark for me. The writing style felt somewhat immature and the main characters Elle and Preston lacked that chemistry you look for in a good romance book.

Not for me sadly but best of luck to the author!

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good hockey romance—strong, broody athletes, witty banter, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. And this book delivered on all fronts! It was a quick, enjoyable read that kept me turning pages, and I found myself really invested in the characters.

That being said, I did get a bit of déjà vu while reading—some elements felt a little too familiar if you’ve dabbled in the hockey romance genre before. Also, can we talk about the whole "I wrote her letters for years" thing? Christian Riley dropped that bombshell, and then... crickets. No follow-up, no deeper explanation I really wanted to know . I kept waiting for a big emotional payoff, but it never really happened. Maybe it’s a series thing? If so, I hope the next book brings some closure to that storyline and I will definitely be reading just to find out if they end up together or not, and what happened to those dang letters!!!!

Overall, a solid, entertaining read! If you love hockey romances, this one is worth checking out

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and L A Hart for approving my request on Netgalley to receive a eARC of Revenge Puck. Faking dating for revenge against a playboy who messed with your heart? Oh yes, please! This was just the book I was looking fill the gap after two of my favourite hockey romance series finished.

Revenge Puck is a fake dating romance that shows never treat a lady badly, she might just get her own back on you by asking your nemesis to star in a fake relationship stir up jealousy and distraction ahead of critical series of playoff games. L A Hart’s writing style is easy to read, face-pace with engaging plot told from a dual POV of the main characters, Elle and Preston. A nice bonus as getting both sides of the romance always bring a rich dynamic to their flawed, complicated characters and backstories.

The romance is kind of insta-love of romance taking place over a short duration of a couple of weeks during playoff games, her writing pulls it off with her energetic and humorous storytelling. While there is a lot of fun, the plot does deal with some deep issues about mental health and family relationships that are with care and sensitivity to enrich the emotional tones of the story.

The chemistry between Elle and Preston comes on quickly, but they do have a great energy together leading to some fun, flirty banter, snarky quips and cute playfulness antic had me giggle away in the second half the book. The tension at the start was a little on the edge with early miscommunication and never knowing when Preston’s quick to judge temper might blow. As their pretend develops to real feelings, you appreciate how nicely they counter balance each other’s weaknesses and ground one another.

A fun and cute hockey romance read featuring a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, fake dating and all the fun ups and downs falling in love on and off the ice. If you love hockey romances, check out Revenge Puck for an easy, fun and sexy read.

Thanks to Net Galley and the author for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Elle and Preston are a very cute couple. I loved their story. It’s a cute hockey romance. This story is about second chances. About how a person can make mistakes, own them and make their life better. It’s about how giving people the opportunity to explain themselves and make their own decisions is important. Elle and Preston balance each other out. He helped her find what she had been looking for and realize her worth, and she helped him see not everything is black or white, and sometimes even the biggest prick has good in them. I also like that the secondary characters had enough personality to make you interested in knowing more about their story. I’m honestly looking forward to reading Maya and Christian’s book!

Inhaled this book within 24 hours, just what I needed after reading a much slower paced book. A great hockey star romance book with a bit of a twist at the end. Highly recommend for any romance lovers!

Revenge is best served cold...

Or on ice to be more precise. Elle is unceremoniously dumped by her so called boyfriend, Christian, who is the biggest deuce and just plain mean player. He's a cheating hockey player whose one enemy he cares about is Preston. Preston and Christian are rivals, like batty rivals, where they loose their S. Elle and Preston decide to team up and mess with Christian's head big time. They are dating. Her to get back at Christian cuz the only one he cared if she went out with after him was Preston. Preston, to keep his cool, keep his job in DC as the best hockey player. Love these two together. I really liked Preston and the contrast between Preston and Christian was pitch perfect.
Recommend.

The premise of Revenge Puck sounded so promising to me. Elle was in a relationship with a hockey player and he broke up with her essentially because he was “going to win the playoffs and all the girls would want him”. To get back at him, she decides to fake date his enemy/rival Preston. I hate to say it, but it fell short for me.

I immediately didn’t love the writing, but it got better (or I got used to it) as I kept reading. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t *bad*, it just wasn’t super good to me either. It was a quick, easy read though!

Also, something that kind of bothered me was that neither Elle or Preston ever had a realization of their own during any sort of conflict, someone else always explained how they should feel or what they should do. It was a lot of telling and not showing.

With that being said, the next book does sound really good, so I may read it whenever it comes out.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I love sports romances and the fake dating trope, so I knew I’d enjoy this book. It was super fast-paced, and I could not put it down. I really liked Elle and Preston as a couple. However, I do wish their romance had been more of a slow burn. It started as fake dating, and suddenly they were in love with each other. It left me wanting more in terms of the progression of their relationship. It felt very insta-love-y to me, which is a trope that personally isn’t for me. Overall, I did enjoy their relationship and watching them grow emotionally and overcome their issues. The internal struggles they faced felt very real, and it was interesting to see how that affected their personal lives as well as their relationship.

I liked the side characters, Christian and Maya, but at times, it felt like they overshadowed Elle and Preston’s story/relationship. Some subplots took me by surprise, but I’m excited to see more of these characters in the future. I think the setup for the next book was done well, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

There were quite a few editing mistakes, so I hope those are fixed before the book is released. Overall, I liked this book, and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy sports romances, fake dating, and the grumpy sunshine trope.

was such a cute read. I really enjoyed super cute!
Wished maybe the timeline was longer maybe they were together a season or something like that just to really allow the characters to develop together!

Why am I so obsessed with hockey romance novels? I DON'T IT YET I CAN'T STOP!!! I absolutely loved this book about Grumpy Preston and Bubbly Elle, who meet in an unconventional way. Every moment was fun and I can't wait to read the next in the series!

3.5 Stars

A good quick read hockey romance.

Was it in any way realistic? absolutely not but it was a damn good time.

I loved Elle representing a curvier FMC with real hang-ups about her body and feeling not good enough which so many women face daily. I liked that we didn't see her fall to her knees over her ex and she had a backbone. The MMC could definitely do with some anger management and a bit of therapy but as far as grumpy men go he nailed that part.

The story itself was fast-paced and fun, i'd have preferred the time period to be much longer, insta love is one thing but the whole book taking place over 2-3 weeks is kind of wild.

Maya and Christian were the secondary couple that I never expected to be invested in but i'll definitely be picking up their book upon release.

I did get an ARC and there was an insane amount of typos or missing words and i'm hoping this has been edited before publication.

Overall a good, fun, read that i'd recommend to sports romance fans.

Thanks to L.A. Hart and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Cute hockey romance! The FMC is bold and I love the way the characters meet! There is found family and this book leads into a series with each couple having their own book. I can’t wait to read the others!

I love a good hockey romance, I'm a sucker for fake dating, and I always enjoy a grumpy MMC so I read this super fast! It absolutely would have gotten an extra star if we'd burned slower - the fake dating turned to real dating way too quick for my personal taste, but nevertheless, if you want to spend the afternoon kicking your feet at an easily digestible and fun hockey romance, it does what it says on the tin 🏒 3.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC :)

I enjoyed Revenge Puck! It has a good pace, loveable characters and a realistic storyline. The MMC Preston isn’t the most popular, fan-favourite player ever which was a nice change from a lot of hockey romances. The character and relationship development for Preston and Christian is well written and emotional which really adds to the story. The FMC, Elle, is strong and assertive, owns her own business, and is relatable to a lot of women. The relationship dynamic between Preston and Elle, although frustrating at times, has a more even power dynamic than many other hockey romances and great development throughout the book.

I was really excited to read a revenge hockey book but this one fell flat for me. The writing felt immature and unbelievable for the scenarios presented. The conflicts felt forced and I didn’t really see any chemistry between the characters.

Realistic Rating: 3.5 Stars

”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.” - Preston

Tropes:
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake dating
🏒 Grumpy versus
🏒 Dual POV
🏒 He falls first
🏒 Jealous MMC

Characters:

Elle Townsend is our sweet, hair stylist protagonist. She gets dumped by her Hockey star “boyfriend” Christian Riley right before championship playoffs. She is angry and is out for revenge. So she starts fake dating Preston Lawrence—Christian’s enemy. Through this novel we see Elle overcome her insecurities and also grow.

Preston Lawrence is the main male character and he’s also a hockey star but on a different team than Christian Riley. He doesn’t really date as he’s career focused, but agrees to fake date Elle because he can mess with Christian Riley’s head. However, he doesn’t expect to actually fall for Elle. Preston is the perfect representation of grumpy character with a lot of anger, but is high key a simp for Elle—making him a sunshine person in the end.

Pros:
Dual POV
Fast paced and keeps you hooked to the story
The plot twist/subplot that <spoiler>Maya’s baby daddy is Christian. This adds more drama and another layer to why Preston and Christian are enemies.</spoiler>

Cons:
The relationship itself between Elle and Preston. The timeline was too short like how do you go from “fake dating” to “soulmates” that fast
The epilogue was disappointing
Towards the end of the book, it felt like the plot was mainly centred around the side characters Maya and Christian
There were no cute, good quotes that I could highlight

Note to the publisher: There were a lot of editing mistakes. Some sentences made no sense. Words were missed or mixed up like the sentence “it was nice to you me” was there instead of “it was nice to meet you” or “is the team is still interested?”

Thank you NetGalley and L.A. Hart for the arc in exchange for an honest review.