Simply a really fun hockey romance. Is it going to win the price for best plot or most developed characters ever? No. Did it keep me very entertained for a weekend? Definitely. The book is quick paced, falls straight into the romance and has just enough drama to keep you occupied without it feeling like a soap opera. Do you want a quick and fun read without too much thinking? This book is for you.

Long review (spoilers ahead!):
We meet the FMC in the first scene. Her name is Elle, she owns a hair salon together with her best friend and colleague. She has been dating a famous hockey player, Christian, who ruthlessly dumps her because he wants to be free to sleep with all the ‘puck bunny’s’. Elle quickly spirals in self loathing, but her friend helps her decide on a plan to hurt Christian by pretending to date his arch nemesis, Preston. A whirlwind romance ensues, in which she learns to trust Preston and quickly gets over Christian and his manwhoring-ways.
Preston is a grumpy all-work-no-play hockey player. He quickly falls into instalust with Elle, followed very quickly by instalove, and decides to change his ways for her. We learn he’s a loyal family man, who may have some jealousy- and anger issues, but also takes great care of those he loves. We find out he, or more specifically: his sister, has a past with Christian, which becomes the set up for the second book.

Basic features:
- Grumpy MMC, sunshine FMC
- Fake dating turned real dating
- FMC and MMC instantly want to jump each other’s bones
- Plot reveal about the underlying conflict that everyone sees coming from a mile away

What I liked:
- I liked the way Elle treated Preston. She doesn’t take any of his crap, but doesn’t let him suffer unnecessarily either. All of it just felt realistic, like the way a woman that was actually interested in a man would behave.
- The story is fast paced and contained just the right amount of drama to keep me entertained without making me feel I was reading an episode of a soap opera.
- Both important male characters go through (some) character growth, and neither are really toxic, even if they have some hang ups and bad traits. I like that they are not too easily forgiven either, it balances the relationship.
- I’ve read a lot of criticism on the set up of the relationship of Christian and Maya, but I actually liked that we had some more to focus on.

What I didn’t like:
- I almost stopped reading because of the first chapter. If I’m supposed to get invested in the lovestory between Elle and Preston, I don’t want to start out with reading about Elle’s postcoital moment of bliss after having her brains banged out by Christian. It was such a jarring start to me, that I almost put the book away. I’m glad I didn’t though.
- I would have liked to read more about the actual relationship of Preston and Elle, once they decided they were truly in it. The epilogue was sweet, but felt a bit rushed.
- Shame that once the smut really got going, the doors were closed.

Once again, it’s not the greatest book I have ever read. There were definitely some plot wholes and motivations that felt a bit off to me, but all in all, I had a fun time. The book does what it sets out to do pretty well in a way that feels honest to me, and I can appreciate that. I would recommend it to anybody that wants to read a fun, easy going romance that’s light on the smut.

I was not a huge fan of this one. The dialogue tends to be immature & cringy which made it hard to get through. The characters didn’t feel super developed either and felt like we were just moving from event to event.

This book was surprisingly really sweet in a way.

I will say that at about half way into the story, I wasn’t really feeling the main couple. The attraction was there for sure, but since they were more uncertainty between the two MCs rather than romantic moments, I didn’t find myself rooting for them. It wasn’t until half way through the book where things really started to pick up for me.

Individually, I found the characters enjoyable. Elle was an interesting female lead - out for revenge from her ‘ex’ and using his enemy as someone who could get her what she wanted. From the beginning, it was her that set the stakes for the fake relationship with Preston, which is what probably through me off when SHE ended up being the who was pining and scared of the uncertainty. Preston wasn’t a bad person per se, but he had valid reason to be hesitant with her. He was hiding a HUGE secret - a secret that wasn’t his own to give out - but nonetheless, he took everything seriously from the beginning. I think when he started to show signs of a romantic attachment to Elle was when they should have talked things out, but of course that’s not how these stories work haha.

Once they were on the same page, things seemed to be smooth sailing. The witty banter between the two of them was funny. I specifically appreciated how Preston refused to sleep with Elle fully until he was sure that she was over her ex. Rather than taking advantage of the situation, he made sure to protect them both in someway and I really liked that! He did mess up majorly towards the end of the story, but I’m glad he had his moment of groveling, and ultimately, getting his girl back.

If you're interested in a quick but romantic read, I’d definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoyed Elle and Preston's story they were great characters. Preston, aka the Wooly Mammoth, is grumpy on the outside but a total softie in his personal life. Elle while hurt from her ex Christian, she is the complete opposite of Preston and they fit perfectly together. Elle wanted it to look like she was with the one guy that Christian would hate her to be with. But when they start getting to know each other it turns into so much more, for both of them. The trouble is they are both gun shy from being hurt in the past, and are scared to be honest. This was a cute read and I was shocked at the turnaround from one of the characters. I cannot wait to see what happens next with this series.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review.

Revenge Puck is a fake dating hockey romance . The story follows Elle and Christian and Preston. Preston and Christian play for rival teams.
The book is an enjoyable read.
Thank to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

I would like to thank NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and L.A. Hart for the ARC copy of this book.

Elle gets dumped by her professional hockey player boyfriend, Christian. She thought it was serious, he thought it was casual. To get back at him, she starts to fake date his hockey rival, Preston. Preston has his own reasons for wanting to get revenge on Christian. Very quickly into their scheme, lines start to blur between pretending for the sake of revenge and real feelings.

This was a very fun, fast paced, steamy hockey romance. The characters were well written. The dialogue between the two main characters was witty and their chemistry was natural.

☀️Grumpy x Sunshine
💞Fake Dating
⚔️Multiple POVs

Thank you, NetGalley, and BooksGoSocial publishing for the digital ARC. I was scrolling through Netgalley and found this book as a hockey romance with fake dating. This was such a cute book and liked the characters. The pacing is kind of rushed and there was miscommunication that made this book a 3.5 stars for me.

If you love dialogue-heavy books, I would recommend this book :)

I would like to thank @netgalley & @booksgosocial for my first arc !

Revenge Puck by LA HART
4stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy 🌶️🌶️

The book is about a hairstylist wanting revenge for being dumped by a pro hockey player Christian Reilly . What better way to get her revenge then to fake date his nemesis Preston Lawrence. A grumpy guy that likes to fight on the ice. Preston can not afford to mess up again.
Christian is a asswhole at first with a big ego. But it think he does that so people will think he’s tough and also I think going pro went to his head a little bit. I slightly changed a bit but really don’t know.
Preston is a great guy that’s been dealt a shitty hand. That what makes him so angry but he has a lot of growth in this book and I’m happy for him. His secrets get him into trouble and he has major trust issues and just jumps to conclusions.
Elle is a very insecure woman but I think it’s from the men she was with. She sees her self so lowly and needs reassurance from others. I wish I could have seen more growth in her a burst out of that insure of her self girl. I’m glad she had a good friend that wouldn’t let her ever dad mouth herself everyone needs an Audrey.
The plot was good. I could tell where it was headed but it threw a curve ball in the middle of it. It was a fast paced easy read. I like that they didn’t get in the romance so fast. They did well with not making it cheesy and super insta lovely. I think it could have gave a tad bit more in the epilogue about the other characters but I get it. I would definitely recommend to people who love drama and sports.
Quotes
“If they hurt you I’ll hurt them.”
“ that’s why I’m saying knock it off off before I start knocking I start knocking y’all’s teeth”
“Stop this shot and leave Elle alone. Say whatever you want about me, I don’t care. Just leave my beautiful girl out of it from now on thanks.”

#revengepuck #netgalley #arc #arcreviewer #bookish #romance #adult #explorepage

This book is perfect for readers who love a heartwarming sports romance filled with passion, tension, and thrilling competition. If you're searching for a story that combines the excitement of fake dating, the heat of rivalry, and the intrigue of revenge, then look no further! This captivating tale will keep you hooked from beginning to end as you follow the journey of an underdog hero determined to win both the heart of the girl he loves and the championship title. With unexpected twists, sizzling chemistry, and a cast of unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a feel-good romance with a healthy dose of sportsmanship and a satisfying dose of triumph.

Quick hockey romance with fake dating for revenge on their ex-boyfriend/ex-BFF. Usually hockey romances are a guaranteed win for me, but this was just ok. The story felt a little disjointed. There were way too many break up moments. More spice than plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this advanced copy. It is available now!

Fake dating and rivals to lovers make for a hockey filled story with a fun twist. This was light and an easy read and although not the typical type of book I read it was a fun ride!

This is such a fun fake-dating-for-revenge hockey romance. The petty person in me loved watching Elle get back at her cheating ex with his hockey rival and the only person he explicitly told her not to date.

It's all fun and games until we learn the backstory between the hockey players. That's where we see the emotional growth of all of the characters.

This story also set up book 2 nicely. I will definitely be reading it!

A great hockey romance, I found it easy to read and I loved the romance and seeing how it developed and how the characters grew with it.

I was excited for this book based on the description and title. Fake dating, make an ex jealous, and hockey romance?!? Sounds like a fun and quick rom-com.

That said, while the story idea was good, the book fell flat for me. The rapid love story over the course of roughly two weeks seemed too unrealistic. Yes, we see that in 'made for TV movies,' but I expect something a little more believable in my books, especially when they're not even together 24/7 over that course of time. I will admit that one of my BIGGEST issues was the details in location. I live in NC, and the hockey team is in Raleigh, not Greensboro. Greensboro doesn't have a big downtown area with an arena. It seemed like a weird location change. I understood the need to change the hockey teams' names due likely to legal ramifications, but the location and description of Greensboro felt unnecessary. Finally, the writing was very dialogue heavy, which messed with the flow a little bit.

I enjoyed the two main characters and felt they had promise, but at the same time, I became slightly more interested in the side characters, specifically Maya. I still found it to be a very enjoyable, quick read and will likely pick up the next book in the series.

This book is perfect for those that like sports romance, fake dating trope, and grumpy MMC.

This book was a nice easy cheesy read. I do wish the story was a little more fleshed out and less predictable. The miscommunication between the two main characters was infuriating to read and made it feel like the book flip flopped between wanting each other and not wanting each other without really resolving much and creating that kind of insta-love that I’m not a fan of. But overall the storyline was cute and I am interested in reading Christian and Maya’s story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Detailed review to come.

--

I really, really wanted to like this one. I love hockey romances and I love fake dating in contemporary romances.

Unfortunately, this book was not well executed.

1️⃣ The plot was bland and predictable. I've read the exact same <spoiler>third act breakup scene of: "hockey player loses game and/or gets injured and then takes it out on his girlfriend and dumps her for being a distraction and then immediately regrets it" at least six times</spoiler>. It's so unoriginal it's actually frustrating.

Even the "surprise" was predictable. What else could be something he could <I>never</I> reveal as to why he hates his rival other than a <spoiler>surprise baby?</spoiler>

2️⃣ Elle. Listen, I hate when a book gets low ratings because they hate the FMC for things that the MMC would get away with. As readers, I think we are all a little too hard on FMCs. But goddamn was Elle annoying AF.

She's entirely self-centered and selfish. She shares a business with her BFF and yet...they never talk about her BFF. In fact, they never talk about anything other than Elle and Preston and Christian.

She has zero self-respect. Christian basically says, hey thanks for being my booty call that I couldn't even take on real dates and btw you can fuck all my friends because I don't care about you, but she still misses him at the end of the book when she's supposedly in love with Preston? She still allows herself to be his emotional support ex and flies to DC with him <I> at the end of the book</I>??

She's incapable of saying what she wants (e.g., not asking Christian for a commitment or exclusivity) then pouts/gets heartbroken when...she doesn't get what she wants. She also does this with Preston when he doesn't magically read her mind and say the exact words she needs to feel secure.

3️⃣ The spice...or lack thereof. It's mentioned several times that Elle would blow Christian at her salon...in one of her salon chairs...in front of the window, just with them turned away so no one could see anything. All while she's kicked her bestie to the backroom.

Listen, I am all for sexual liberation. Get it girl.

HOWEVER, it's entirely misleading to the reader to have that mentioned several times (especially in the beginning of the book!!) and then have her and Preston's sex life be bland AF and also have fade to black scenes??

The hottest thing about this book was her mentioning that she would blow Christian in her salon.

4️⃣ I didn't feel any real chemistry between Elle and Preston. Especially because she was super judgy with him and kind of sanctimonious in a way that almost felt like she didn't even like him as a person.

Also, she was so obsessed/hurt by him "using" her to get back at Christian...despite it all being her idea and her "using" him.

5️⃣ Tell me the author doesn't watch hockey without telling me the author doesn't watch hockey. There is no way that two teams can only play each other twice in five years.


Finally, while this was an ARC and therefore I know that spelling and grammar mistakes will exist because it's not a polished, final copy, there were simply too many of them. Almost every chapter had at least one major error, if not several. Too many instances of mixing up words like when and win, missing words from sentences, or having sentences with too many words made it feel like the book hadn't been edited at all. I've tried not to let that affect my rating, so honestly if I had read this as a final version, it probably would have been one star.

I really liked this book! It was a little bit predictive! It was lovey-dovey! It was a bit boring at a certain point but ended up being really cute! Never thought id like tha nickname "Cupcake"!

Revenge Puck is a revenge hockey romance that follows Elle whose not-really-boyfriend (or was it her booty call for 5 months?) breaks up with her because he's about to win the championship. His only condition? Do NOT sleep with Preston Lawrence. Naturally she tries to convince Preston to make her ex-bf believe they did. Fake dating trope score!

I really like the premise of the book. I love a good old petty revenge and the chemistry between Elle and Preston was amazing. I love the tension and struggles of a fake dating romance and I devour it instantly. It was no different with this book. This was a quick and easy read with the necessary drama and the set-up for a possible redemption arc. Elle is very forgiving in my opinion, and I do not think I would have given the ex the same benefit of doubt as she did. This makes the ending fall a bit short in my eyes. But otherwise this was a very enjoyable story!

I liked the comedic part of this story. I didn't like the way that her ex broke up with her, but Preston was a good romance hero. It's a fun story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I read quite a bit of hockey romance and I thoroughly enjoyed Revenge Puck! It is a bit predictable with the plot but I loved seeing the character growth throughout the book. It was done very well and I am looking forward to the next book!