Local sports reporter Joy Barlowe is no stranger to locker room flashers. So catching the star goalie Dalton Days in the buff before the game opener is no shock and neither is his shutout win. Dalton is a big believer in superstition and pregame ritual, but he knows asking Joy's help is risky, especially since she's so of limits as his best friend and teammate's sister. She reluctantly agrees to the awkward pregame peep show, but it soon leads to long conversations and friendship, and then much more.
I was laughing at each absurdly awkward encounter and their fun banter, and I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. I was wondering how Joy's past would come into play. Overall it was a great hockey romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book!! I love a good forbidden love, brother’s sister and best friend trope.

Lauren always writes the best banter, the best sassy, strong FMCs and she can bring the spice.

The whole reason that Dalton and Joy hook up is because of his pre game ritual getting added onto because she saw his man junk one time before his game. So, naturally, she has to keep doing for the team! From there, they start sharing lots of personal details and how they have been hurt in the past. The walls around their hearts start crumbling and they know they have progressed from a superstition to so much more. But there is a lot at stake including big brother Shepard’s rule of NO ONE messes with his sister.

There is a third act break up that is resolved quickly and perfectly for a hockey romance. Enjoy the reading - Peace ☮️ and Love ❤️ my friends!!

I thought this book was super sweet! Dalton and Joy were fun characters and I liked the way the narrators brought the two to life.

There were definitely times I was laughing out loud at some of the superstitions Dalton had and how fiery Joy was. I loved her independence but seeing her open up may have been one of my favorite parts of the story.

A witty temptation that breaks all the rules and ends up owning your heart. Dalton and Joy are a sassy satire wrapped within a pocketful of sunshine. Landish brings the heat to a humorous, heartbreaker.

The Pucking Proposal is a small-town hockey romance full of humor, chemistry, and steam! This story was so much fun and completely out there; the bright and silly romance would be perfect for fans of Meghan Quinn and raunchy rom-coms. The connection and love between Joy and Dalton was so sweet. While the instalust was prominent to the plot, I loved that their romance and relationship was a slow burn. Not to mention all the banter and tension drew the story out perfectly and left me engaged from beginning to end. This was my first Lauren Landish story but it will absolutely not be my last!

Read If You Like:
🏒Grumpy x Sunshine🏒
🏒Brother's Best Friend🏒
🏒He Falls First🏒
🏒Forced Proximity🏒
🏒Suggestive Superstitions🏒
🏒Secret Relationships🏒
🏒Small Town Festivities🏒
🏒Forbidden Romance🏒

Joy is the sister of Dalton's best friend so should be off limits, but after she get caught up in his pre game routine things change. Will she give him a chance though? Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Grab this one and fall in love with Dalton and Joy. There is a ton of humor! The romance is sexy, sweet, and has just the right dose of angst. I was completely invested in this one. This author never disappoints!

Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view, contemporary romance. This is has big brother’s best friend and hockey tropes. I'm not a fan of third act break ups, but there was a happy ending. Overall, this was a fun, steamy, quick read.

I'll start by saying that I think this book just wasn't for me. The characters weren't very well-developed; I wanted to know more about what made them tick, the conceit of Dalton's proposal felt really strange, and I had a hard time with their banter, which felt very juvenile until we got into the spicy scenes. The pacing and main conflict also didn't work for me. That said, I think if you like your humor a little more on the stand up side and you love some bonkers plot developments, this could be fun for your hockey romance repertoire!

The Pucking Proposal is book two in Maple Creek Series by Lauren Landish.
I love reading I Do with You. And was so excited to jump into the second book which did not disappoint.
Joy and Dalton were the perfect main characters. Their chemistry was off the charts and the banter was just amazing.
A great read with humour, steam and great characters.
A fun sports romance!

Oh my gosh was this a fun read!!! The hockey is accurate, the players are accurate to actual hockey players and the story there is nothing short of energetic, exciting and fun!

And FINALLY the miscommunication trope is done in reverse. FINALLY I’m reading one where it’s different from the usual trope! I usually hate the miscommunication trope but this was done amazingly! I will 100% read more!

We first got to meet Joy in book 1 in the Maple Creek series, she absolutely needed her own story.
Joy's whole family love Ice Hockey, her brother Shepherd is the captain of the local team, its no wonder has such a passion for her job as a sports reporter. She's privy to behind-the-scenes locker room activity and stumbles into goalie Dalton Days in all his glory!
When Dalton goes onto play better than ever but only after their run in, he puts 2 and 2 together and concludes Joy is his good luck charm, he therefore proposes another peek before his next match and Joy accepts. It works, and their tradition and secret is born, Dalton knows that his best friends sister is off limits but its just a bit of fun and no-one needs to find out but falling in love is going to be much hard to hide.
I finished Hope's story "I Do with You" in the early hours of this morning and immediately started The Pucking Proposal, all my plans for today went on hold, I curled up for hours just devouring it.
The banter between Joy and Dalton is brilliant, they shine as individual characters but together they are fantastic. Dalton has a typical "one night stand" reputation which Joy is well aware of but she didn't expect to find his softer side. Who falls first, I think its a close call tbh but one of them is most definitely holding back, I won't give any spoilers as that's then fun of the read.
Lauren is the queen of spice, this is hot, in anticipation and every scene after, the shared bath experience will stay with me and the reason Dalton is top tier for me.
I'm now praying for book 3, Shepherd needs his HEA please!
Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Landish and Montlake for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

A hockey romance that will melt the ice. The set up is simple sports reporter Joy Barlowe walks in on Dalton Day in the locker room in all his glory. As a reporter she is used to such sights. But when his game improves after the encounter and then is off the next game he gets superstitious. To improve his game he suggests she get a look before every game. Her brother being his best friend and on the same team she understands the mentality behind the request. What starts off perfunctory gets flirtier, with every meetup. And if he’s on the road FaceTime works just as well.

For such a silly premise the book is hoot and half. Of course they are becoming friends as they talk and get to know each other. Could there be a little more depth, sure. But this delivers a spicy good time with good natured sparring, leading to feelings. I read this easily as a stand alone. But Joy’s sister’s romance is covered in “I Do with You” (Nov 2024).

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.

The perfect balance of spice and story (at least for me) . A fun read where both leads are equally strong both in their careers and personality.

This is definitely a whole lot “spicier” than I was anticipating, however I suppose the premise of the story can’t work any other way. Dalton Days and Joy Barlowe. What is there to say about this couple? Let’s just say, it’s the most bizarre situation I could imagine, but thanks to hockey player’s superstitions this unlikely pair finds their forever 💕



Dual POV
Opposites attract
Hockey romance
Goalie hero
Sportscaster heroine
Small town
Forbidden romance
Best friend’s (and teammate’s) sister

As much as Dalton enjoys playing goalie for the Maple Creek Moose, he still dreams of playing in the NHL. When Joy sees him in all his glory it leads to a game that allowed him to showcase his skills on the ice and now he believes that this is something that needs to be duplicated so that his play will continue.

Joy is a sports reporter who reports on the games. She has kept her distance from Dalton as not only is he her brother’s friend and teammate but due to her past she doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of getting involved with an athlete. The only problem is that the more time they spend together the more it is keeping her distance.

Great chemistry and humor that will have invested in Dalton and Joy as he is determined to break through Joy’s walls and show her that she can trust him with her heart. Carly Robins is a great choice for Joy as her brings out both her sassy personality and insecurities while Teddy Hamilton brings out both the charm and caring sides of Dalton.

Another fantastic release from Lauren Landish! I always enjoy picking up her books, and this duo about twins Joy and Hope has been some of my favorites recently. Hope was a runaway bride, which was a new release which was out back in November, and now we get her twin sister Joy’s hilarious romp.

Joy is a sports journalist, who gets the best news from the boys and access to the locker rooms. When hockey star goalie Dalton Days thinks he’s alone after a game one night, she gets an eyeful of him in all his glory - after an ice bath… and the next day he plays a fantastic game - and thus the proposal for her to take a glimpse of the goods before each game so he can play well … you know hockey players are superstitious, afterall.

When a glimpse turns to FaceTime calls on the road turns to just a little more, this is such an incredible Landish RomCom - she is one of my favorite RomCom authors and I always look forward to picking up her titles, new and old. I highly recommend this book and the previous (can both be read standalone)! You’re in for such a laugh out loud good time. Plus - hockey goalie and sports reporter! Who doesn’t love an excellent hockey romance?!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the Early copy. This is my honest opinion.

Get a load of his...

Dalton is 30, an aging hockey goalie with one last shot at winning big. He's also superstitious. When his buddy's sister and sports reporter, Joy Barlowe get a look at his, appendage, a new tradition is started. When he starts winning, she comes and takes a look see at his...appendage. His impressive appendage even with shrinkage happening. They are fun, flirty and steamy times in the locker room and beyond.
Recommend.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy of The Pucking Proposal.

Joy is a woman sports reporter and she has to fight to be taken seriously in her role. Her brother plays hockey and she reports for the team. One day she walks in on the goalie Dalton in a very compromising position and he thinks it gave him luck for his game. They start making it a pre game ritual but they cannot seem to stay away from each other.

I love a hockey romance but this was not it at all. There was no real storyline and the writing was so cringey. I was not a fan.

This book was funny, heartwarming, and romantic. It had me rooting for Joy and Dalton from the start of their unconventional beginning. They had amazing chemistry that was impossible for them to ignore. I absolutely adored them together. This was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed!