From the very first page, Revenge Puck had me absolutely hooked. Elle and Preston’s story is everything I love in a cute, cheesy hockey romance—a perfect blend of heart, humor, and heat. Their chemistry is undeniable, and watching their relationship grow was such a delight. I especially appreciated their development as a couple; they felt real, flawed, and utterly endearing.

The side characters truly shone in this story as well. Maya brought so much warmth and depth, while Christian was the kind of character you love to hate, keeping the plot dynamic and entertaining. Some of the characters’ personal growth arcs added an extra layer of depth that I thoroughly enjoyed.

While I loved nearly every aspect of the book, I did feel that the relationship between Elle and Preston progressed a bit too quickly. The pacing felt a little rushed at times, which is why I’m giving this a 4.5-star rating instead of a full 5. That said, it’s still an easy, feel-good read that delivers on all the hockey romance vibes I adore.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review Revenge Puck ahead of its publication. If you’re a fan of sweet, swoony romances with a dash of sports drama, this book is for you!

Ty netgalley and L. A. Hart for the ARC!

This book was so cute and I love a good revenge get-together

I loved that elle didn't let a man bring her down and found a way to get back at him by sleeping with the enemy. Preston was such a sweetheart and so caring and protective I love them

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 4/5 𝓢𝓣𝓐𝓡𝓢 ⭐️

I really enjoyed Revenge Puck by L.A. Hart! The story was such a fun mix of the fake dating and grumpy/sunshine tropes, which are some of my favorites. Elle Townsend’s plan to make her ex jealous by pretending to date his hockey rival, Preston Lawrence, hooked me right from the start. The chemistry between Elle and Preston was so well-written—it started off playful and fiery but grew into something much deeper as the story progressed.

The dual perspectives were a highlight for me because I loved getting into both Elle and Preston’s heads. Elle’s journey from heartbreak to finding herself again was inspiring, and Preston’s gruff yet caring personality totally won me over. Their banter had me laughing at times and swooning at others.

The pacing kept me turning pages quickly, though I do wish some moments were explored in a little more depth. Also, there were a few minor editing issues (like misspelled words) that pulled me out of the story briefly, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me.

Overall, Revenge Puck is such a fun and emotional read that I’d definitely recommend to anyone who loves sports romances or fake dating stories. L.A. Hart is an author I’ll be keeping my eye on!

Thank you so much to L.A.Hart, Editor’s Choice Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall an easy and enjoyable read. The premise felt a bit of a stretch and somewhat silly, but if you can overlook that and stick through the first 20% of the book, it gets better and builds up a nice rhythm. The main characters were likeable and fun and you definitely were rooting for them, they had good chemistry. The dialogue felt a bit stilted, but that also improved further into the book. It wasn’t the strongest writing but if you like a hockey romance with a bit of revenge thrown in, you’ll enjoy it!

I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley, and it did not disappoint.

Elle runs her own salon with her best friend. She's a sweet and stubborn woman dealing with her insecurities. Insecurities that get worse after her "boyfriend" leaves her to focus on hockey and puck bunnies. She then hatches a plan to get back at him with his enemy Preston Lawrence. Although, their fake relationship begins to toe the line between reality and pretend.

This book was so cute and funny. I loved the happily ever after with every character getting a shot at their own redemption arcs. The pacing bounced back and forth from feeling a little slow at times to being rushed, but it all flows together nicely. It was such a fun read, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

This book was such a fun read! I absolutely loved Elle and Preston's characters. The story flowed well, and the pacing was perfect. The ending really wrapped up the story well and has me waiting to read the next book so I can keep following all the characters. Preston is a total cinnamon roll, and I couldn't help but picture Jason Kelce every time they mentioned his hair and beard. It was nice to see the insecurities that men feel in this book as well. I highly recommend this anyone that likes romance books, hockey players, and just a touch of spice.

Sadly this book was not for me. I didn’t enjoy the writing style. I found some of the phrasing really odd and it pulled me out of the story. I also didn’t connect with any of the characters, I wasn’t rooting for Elle and Preston, and I didn’t find the side characters that compelling. Preston was emotionally volatile which was a major red flag for me and Elle was too quick to forgive or excuse his behaviour.
But my main issue was the plot. I feel like the author was trying to do too many things. There were so many arguments where significant issues were raised and then too easily resolved. The romance felt like it was rushed which was a shame as it had potential to be a good slow burn.
It did set up the next book in the series well though.
Thanks to Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a solid premise with an engaging plot, centered around a fake relationship, which is always fun and full of potential for romantic tension. It's an easy, light read, but unfortunately, it fell short in execution. The characters, particularly the FMC Elle, lacked depth, and I couldn't connect with her, even if I really wanted to. Elle seemed to be fixated on just one thing throughout the story, and Preston's character arc felt rushed. He experienced such a rapid change early on, despite only knowing Elle for a brief moment, which left little room for meaningful character development.

There were moments that could have been really charming if they had been written with more care. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't seem as polished as it could have been. The book felt a bit like it was written on a whim without much attention to detail, which affected the overall flow. There was an overuse of description, and the narrative relied too much on telling rather than showing, which made it harder to immerse myself in the story.

While I can understand why some readers might enjoy it, it just didn’t resonate with me. With more character development and a little more polish in the writing, this could have been a really fun read.

I had high hopes for this book since I usually enjoy hockey romances, especially with a fake dating trope thrown into the mix, but sadly, this one didn’t work for me. While it started off on a decent note, with some cute chemistry between Elle and Preston, it quickly lost its spark as the story progressed.

The biggest issue for me was the constant rivalry between Preston and Christian. It was overplayed to the point where it felt like it overshadowed everything else, including the romance. Instead of adding tension or excitement, it became repetitive and frustrating, making the plot feel stagnant and uninspired. Every time I thought the story was moving forward, it circled back to the same rivalry, which felt more like filler than anything meaningful.

As for Elle and Preston, while their moments together were sweet at times, they didn’t leave much of an impression. Both characters felt underdeveloped, lacking the personality and complexity needed to make them truly compelling. I wanted to root for them, but they just didn’t feel dynamic enough to carry the story. Their connection, while cute in certain scenes, lacked depth and didn’t have the emotional weight I was hoping for.

Overall, the book felt like it had potential but didn’t deliver. The romance wasn’t strong enough to keep me engaged, and the repetitive drama overshadowed what could have been an enjoyable story. If you love hockey romances and don’t mind a lot of rivalry drama, it might work for you, but it ultimately fell flat for me. I'm giving it 1 ⭐.

This was a cute story and a great relaxing read. Sobe of the dialog could use a bit of work, but overall enjoyed.

approx 5 pages in and there was already a thing that happened lol This was amusing and an easy smutty read.

Like many girls these days, I’m a sucker for a good hockey romance. In fact, I went through a phase where I devoured them at an unhealthy rate. So how could I turn down an arc of one in exchange for a review?

At first I was worried I wasn’t going to enjoy it because the beginning felt rushed, when her ex was dumping her. But I was wrong, I really enjoyed this book. Was it a little predictable? Sure. But the banter was good, and the chemistry was there. Preston was a hot “wooly mammoth” and would do anything for his family but also beat the crap out of somebody on the ice for just looking at him wrong. Elle and her best friend were entertaining, the spice was good, and the book held my attention. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series when it comes out! Looking forward to her ex showing us some redeeming qualities 🤞🏻

Started out really flat and fast paced, got better and was a good hockey pallet cleanser after reading Onyx Storm. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading however I do think it was lacking in depth as this was a really fast timeline for the main characters.

I feel like the physical intimacy is all this book had going in terms of chemistry between the characters. Some scenes we got a lot of information and others were shut down abruptly (missing the “fade” and skipping straight to blackout) when that happened, it felt like we were missing out on their whole connection. Would have loved more of them actually getting to know each other.

Saw someone else ask why it didn’t take place throughout a season instead of a week or two playing against the same team 6 times and I couldn’t agree more.

I felt that the subplot of Maya and Christian was more captivating than the main character’s. Christian showed the most emotional depth out of all the characters which I found to be interesting and will definitely be looking forward to their book (mentioned at the end)

Thank you NetGalley & L.A. Hart for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get past the how much I dislike the main female character. I understood why Elle was angry but I also felt like there was no context to her previous relationship and then need to get revenge. I did like the MMC and his desire to push off how people saw him, but my problems with the start of the book made it hard to enjoy it later on.

I absolutely love a hockey series, and this book is no different! I was hooked from the start as we followed Elle and Preston’s fast and furious romance come to life. I loved the different point of views and enjoyed the depth of these characters. Hey when you know you know and I was rooting for them all along. I can not wait for book 2 to come out and I will be preordering the minute it does! Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy! I can’t wait to purchase this and add it to my collection. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars!

Exerpt from my review posted to CannonBall Read 17: "There’s a lot I liked about Revenge Puck. While this is a romance, Elle feels very real and grounded outside of the relationships with the men in her life. She is confident in herself and her sexuality. She struggles with not being the expected model-thin beautiful WAG, but it doesn’t define her identity. Her conversations with Audrey show the strength of their friendship and I appreciated how Elle took Audrey’s advice to reframe her thinking about various situations. Preston is the character who experiences the more notable growth. The author slowly reveals Preston’s complicated family dynamics and why he is so enraged by Christian. Preston is challenged to let go of his anger and to find a life outside of hockey. All the emotional growth is balanced out by what is essentially a fun and lightly sexy read. I look forward to reading Christian’s redemption story in the upcoming sequel."

Revenge Puck is a story following Elle who's trying to get revenge at her ex-boyfriend with Preston, his archnemesis; A big, rough hockey player from the other team. It starts off really fast and I really enjoyed the story. I was a liiiiittle bit annoyed by Elle's lack of confidence and the miscommunication throughout the book. Although, I REALLY enjoyed Preston & Christian's backstory. Overall, great book; I would've loved the book to be a bit longer to have more story & details. I can't wait for the next one!

Revenge Puck is a light hearted, low stakes Hockey Romance. The overall plot was interesting but unfortunately the characters lacked depth and the pacing inconsistent.

Thank you to L.A Hart for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book on NetGalley.

DNF at 18%

I was 9% in and she was asking to see AND feel his “stick”

At 18%, after meeting once for 5 minutes, he was talking about how much he “liked spending time with her” etc etc.

Over it

Revenge Puck goes down so easily! If you love hockey romance and grumpy/sunshine this is the book for you. I LOVED Elle and her best friend Audrey who talked her off many an insecure ledge. I also loved that Christian had a redemption arc as I felt it would have been too tropey without it.
I will be pre-ordering Maya's book as soon as we can!