2 stars.

The plot of this book is generic which I knew going into it, although it was not executed well. The style of writing is very choppy, with characters' personalities changing with the flip of a page. Furthermore, the plot jumped around, with the chapters not flowing into one another. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

I really wanted to love this book and I gave it a good go but it just wasn't for me. Everything seemed to happen very quickly and I rest didn't love the pacing.

I'm sad to say that I skimmed the last quarter of this book as it got boring and I wasn't really taken with it from the beginning anyway

Thank you netgalley for sending me this arc!

This was such a fast, easy read. I devoured it in one sitting! If you want cheesy and fast paced this is the book for you!! I enjoy a hockey romance and I’m a big fan of the fake dating and grumpy sunshine tropes, so this ticked all the boxes. This was the perfect pallet cleanser in between some nitty gritty thrillers. I understand why some people felt the book was a bit rushed in terms of the timeline, but for me personally I didn’t see the issue with this, as I quite like a fairytale-esque romance that develops quickly. There was just the right amount of spice in this book, it felt natural and not forced and didn’t completely take over the plot. I was definitely frustrated by how the MMC handled a few situations, but it kept me engaged and wanting to find out how it worked out for him. Overall, I enjoyed the growth of Preston and Elle, and I’m super excited for Christian and Maya’s story!! This was my first book by this author and I’m already looking forward to reading more of their work!

Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I love a hockey romance something about this one didn't work for me, the writing wasn't my favourite and I couldn't connect with the characters. This could be a me thing so if it sounds interesting to you still give it a try but it just didn't work for me.

I really could not get into this book. The tone of the writing felt off and a little childish, and I had a hard time getting through it. It’s possible this book just was not for me.

ticks every box omg I WAS LITERALLY OBSESSED!!! I sped through this in one night and ended up finishing it at 2am on a work night - I was drained the next day but it was so worth it ugh I loved it so much

Thanks for NetGalley and L A Hart to receive this ARC. I love a good hockey romance mixed with fake dating. MMC Preston plays hockey for a team against Elle Townsend's ex boyfriend in a big game. Elle finds out about the rival on and off the ice. Elle present Preston with the idea of fake dating to make her ex jealous. Overall it was so cute.

Although, I'm a sucker for a hockey romance this book just felt very flat to me. I usually fall in love with the MMC but with this book he honestly made me want to punch a wall. I'm a sucker for some good banter but this couple was not giving me anything at all. Personally, I think this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to L.A. Hart and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating-⭐⭐⭐
Spice- 🌶️🌶️
Tropes- Fake Dating, He Falls First, Miscommunication, Grumpy Sunshine


Revenge Puck follows Elle Townsend as she navigates dealing with her most recent breakup from hockey star Christian Riley. With revenge on her mind to heal her breaking heart, she plans to make him pay by going after his biggest enemy on the ice, Preston Lawrence. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" after all so the two concoct the perfect fake dating scenario. Elle and Preston use their shared hatred of Christian to make him jealous but also regulate Preston's aggression on the ice. Along the way lines get burry about what is fake and what is real.


I enjoyed this fake dating story, and it was the perfect pallet cleanser after reading a high stakes fantasy novel. I've read several hockey romances with similar tropes to this one and found myself begging the author to not follow the same plot line I thought I saw coming. L.A. Hart did not disappoint. The book follows the characters over a matter of several days which seems a bit rushed in order to watch them develop and even redeem themselves in some cases. I wish we could have spent time with them over an extended part of the season rather than just a few days of playoff games. Despite some of my reservations, I look forward to Christian and Maya's story.

There’s nothing I love more than a good grumpy x sunshine hockey romance💘

Since the start of the book it was such an easy and fast paced read (I actually finished it the same day I started reading it), I loved the growth of Preston and Elle and how they discovered themselves throughout the book. Also it got me really excited about the next coming book about Christian’s and Maya’s story (can’t wait!!)

Thank you NetGalley and L.A Hart for the ARC!🫶🏻

4.5/5⭐️ I don’t give the book a 5 stars review just because at times it felt like the pacing was a little rushed but I absolutely enjoyed it anyways!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

When hockey star Christian Riley breaks things off with Elle Townsend before the championship playoffs, she is heartbroken and confused. He acts like they were just friends with benefits, while she was under the impression they had a 5 month relationship. Christian gives Elle his blessing to sleep with anyone on his team or even in the sport BUT Preston Lawrence, his nemesis on the opposing team in the playoffs. Elle shoots her shot before game 1 with Preston, against Christian's wishes, and soon the pair are flaunting their "relationship" to taunt Christian. Over the next two weeks and 6 playoff games, Preston and Elle develop real feelings for each other while simultaneously battling their own "demons".

Overall, the book was decent, but did not reach it's full potential. The plot moves very fast and I would've liked it to be over a longer period of time to be more realistic. Christian and Elle went from strangers to saying they loved each other in a span of 2 weeks, then engaged 7 ish months after that. It just seemed very rushed. There were a lot of grammatical and spelling errors throughout the book, like an editor didn't even touch it. I do plan to read the next book that follows Christian and Maya. Christian displayed a range of emotions and seemed to be very open to fatherhood, so that will be a fun point of view to read from.

I liked the characters however the story moved very quickly and seemed unrealistic when it came to their personalities and relationship growth. However, I still enjoyed the story plot lines.

Revenge puck by L. A. Hart

Revenge Puck was a quick read and is a good alternative if you need something light.

The language flows easily, the characters are relatable and the flow and pace of the story is great.

You get a bit of steam, but not too much and nothing dark or wild.

Overall, a book worth reading especially if you need a palate cleanser.

Tropes: hockey romance, independent woman, fake dating, rivalry, loyalty, family bonds

When I requested this I wasn’t aware that L.A Hart is a pen name of author Lane Hart. And i was OBSESSED with Lane Hart’s ‘Savage Little Games ‘. So I was so excited for this and I was not disappointed. I did like ‘Savage Little Games’ more than this because I prefer a mafia trope over a hockey player trope but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it! I did want to slap Ellie when she let Christian treat her like that in the first pages but I knew her revenge with Preston was coming. So I held my feminist rage. Ellie sets up to have pictures taken with Preston to her under Christian‘s skin as Preston is Christian’s rival on the hockey circuit. The amount of pleasure I got when Christian slammed into Preston in chapter six was almost too much. I really like the dual POV because when the hockey scenes were happening Preston was describing it as he played, it wasn’t just Ellie watching the game. Preston has a temper and it is chef’s kiss.

This book was decidedly not for me. The writing style wasn't my favorite.

I get that this is a romance, but I didn't fall in love with the characters and it felt lacking in substance.

This book was an enjoyable quick read, especially as a follow-up after Onyx Storm, but I couldn’t help feeling like the characters didn’t get enough time to truly develop. The timeline is really tight, which left little room for their relationship to evolve beyond the physical. The intimacy between the characters is definitely present, but I wanted more than just the steamy scenes. It felt like the deeper emotional connection was often skipped over in favor of the immediate heat, which made their bond feel a bit one-dimensional.

Set in North Carolina and DC around the professional hockey championship series, Elle is dumped and told she could be with anyone except his rival on the other team, Preston.

This was my first book by this author, and I can't wait to read the next in the series! Preston has to work through some big anger issues. There is an added element related to family that adds complexity to the story. There were a few game moments, plus we get to see Preston handling being a free agent. The plot revolves around the hockey series (just two teams playing until one wins 4), making it a fun, quick read.

What I enjoyed:
🏒 Fake Dating / revenge
🏒 Grumpy hockey player
🏒 Sunshine hair stylist (and co-owner of the salon with her BFF)
🏒 Rival Teams
🏒 Dual POV
🏒 Best friends to rivals (her ex and MMC)
🏒 Secondary storyline setting up next in series

4 / 5 stars

Open door / spicy

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This book is cheesy rom-com all the way!

My biggest issue with this book was the MMC because I really disliked the way he handled things almost all the time and it was kind of frustrating to watch him continually make the same mistakes😬

I think this story had a lot of potential but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

I felt that this book had a several bits where there were huge chunks of back and forth dialogue without much description in between and it was a bit difficult to read.
I overall thought it was okay, just mildly predictable and the main characters did things in the way you would expect a teenager to rather than the adults they are.

Preston needs therapy! His trust issues run deep and making decisions on behalf of other people do not make 2 wrongs a right. But it was cute and Elle sounds awesome and I hope Christian gets a happy ending with xxx (spoilers!) Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I’m not gonna lie, I did not Like this book as soon as I started reading it but gave it until about 15% until in DNF’d. The characters are bland and the writing is boring. Nothing special