What do you think?
Rate this book
Heartbreaker Kings #1
Wrong Pucking Jersey
Have you ever been punched in the face by a hockey player? Imagine… 6’1” all chiseled goodness, accidentally punching you out into unconsciousness because this girl right here couldn’t let the pucking douche of my ex hit the fine goalie in the face. That’s exactly what happens when you decide to jump into an explosive brawl between two rival teams, thinking they’ll stop if the coach’s daughter gets involved. Yeah… that didn’t work. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering how I, Mikayla Cross Johnson, ended up in this predicament. Let’s rewind. After graduating with my best friend and becoming certified registered nurses, we decided to go outside the box regarding healthcare. Where did that land us? Getting a sports internship in the hopes of being the team nurse of one of the many NHL hockey teams across North America. Everything goes all fine and dandy until we have to choose different teams. It shouldn’t be a problem until I realize the star players of each team are my exes.
Cue the theatrics. Picking the more tolerable ex-boyfriend is one thing, but digging up old wounds is another. These two used to be my best friends— my Heartbreaker Crew —who tore themselves apart. Now, I land on the rival team while my sweet father, the newly hired coach, is assigned to the other. This is the definition of messy, but it can only go downhill from here. Despite being sandwiched between two professional teams, fighting to be the winners of the NHL championships, and attempting to not fall in love with four players, I’m coming to realize one striking thing. I might be wearing the wrong pucking jersey.
WRONG PUCKING JERSEY is a spicy 200,000 words ‘why choose’ hockey romance. This book stands alone as the first in a brand new hockey romance series.
Cue the theatrics. Picking the more tolerable ex-boyfriend is one thing, but digging up old wounds is another. These two used to be my best friends— my Heartbreaker Crew —who tore themselves apart. Now, I land on the rival team while my sweet father, the newly hired coach, is assigned to the other. This is the definition of messy, but it can only go downhill from here. Despite being sandwiched between two professional teams, fighting to be the winners of the NHL championships, and attempting to not fall in love with four players, I’m coming to realize one striking thing. I might be wearing the wrong pucking jersey.
WRONG PUCKING JERSEY is a spicy 200,000 words ‘why choose’ hockey romance. This book stands alone as the first in a brand new hockey romance series.
806 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2023
1045 people are currently reading
1837 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
July 10, 2023
Maybe I just need to avoid books with "puck" or "pucking" in the title from now on because they never seem to go amazingly well for me. This had such an interesting premise and I do think that overall the story was good. But personally I just couldn't get into the writing style that well with the excessively long nicknames and just over abundance of different names for one character. There were scenes that seemed a little too detailed for me too and they made me want to skim just to get to the point. While also having scenes that I just found confusing, especially any scene mentioning the past Mikayla had with the men that made it seem like I was already supposed to know what happened.
I will also say that it annoyed me that this was one of those books where what's talked about in the blurb doesn't happen until later in the book. That's a personal pet peeve of mine but it really hit my frustration with this book since that scene with the heroine being accidentally punched didn't even happen until after 90%.
For a book that was 800 pages I really didn't feel like there was much romance shown other than between our heroine and her main guy, Maddox. There were three other guys and I felt like they were mostly forgotten about so it made me question if this was even a Why Choose novel or not. Especially Wolfgang, he was barely mentioned until about 60% into the book and even then it took another 20% or so before anything even happened with him and Mikayla.
Near the end of the book is when a ton of information started to come to light and from there the storyline started to move faster and made the pace of the book feel very disjointed. I also didn't understand Jayce's character at all. It felt like there was no clear direction he was supposed to take and half the time I felt like we were waiting for him to be redeemed while the other half he was just the villain.
But like I said, I do think this had an interesting story under the things that I personally didn't enjoy so I think a lot of readers could fall in love with this book easily.
I will also say that it annoyed me that this was one of those books where what's talked about in the blurb doesn't happen until later in the book. That's a personal pet peeve of mine but it really hit my frustration with this book since that scene with the heroine being accidentally punched didn't even happen until after 90%.
For a book that was 800 pages I really didn't feel like there was much romance shown other than between our heroine and her main guy, Maddox. There were three other guys and I felt like they were mostly forgotten about so it made me question if this was even a Why Choose novel or not. Especially Wolfgang, he was barely mentioned until about 60% into the book and even then it took another 20% or so before anything even happened with him and Mikayla.
Near the end of the book is when a ton of information started to come to light and from there the storyline started to move faster and made the pace of the book feel very disjointed. I also didn't understand Jayce's character at all. It felt like there was no clear direction he was supposed to take and half the time I felt like we were waiting for him to be redeemed while the other half he was just the villain.
But like I said, I do think this had an interesting story under the things that I personally didn't enjoy so I think a lot of readers could fall in love with this book easily.
July 13, 2023
DNF - I barely made it 1% in before I figured out this was going to be a confusingly hyper book. First off there is a list of all the team players, coaches, medical staff and more before you even get into the story. Long names and nicknames like I should remember who they are with no context of really who they are. Second, I start reading and it is like a tennis match of watching the conversation go back and forth with the heroine’s BFF. It’s all over the place with no react context of what is happening. Third I jump a chapter or two to just see if it calms down any and find it only gets worse. There are multiple names for each character and it has ton of characters. Dialog is all over the place. At this point I just didn’t want to find out why she was knocked unconcious. And from reading other reviews, it comes so late in the book, it just wasn’t worth the effort of a headache to figure out. Maybe figure out a balance to dialog to showing what happens. Less names and maybe less active characters. Wasted enough time on this. Moving on.
July 1, 2023
800+ pages of steamy RH hockey romance. It had team, secrets, pain, loss, moving on, the past, love stronger than ever, exes, drama, plot twists, consequences, revelations, HEA. Each of the guys were unique and the Heartbreaker Kings had their perfect Queen. The plot and character development was fantastic. The side characters were amazing and I'm so intrigued by the stories of Alexandra and Wyatt, Jamie and Iris. These type of RHs are hard to find and I'm definitely rereading in the future. Who knows. Maybe I'll get a paperback.
July 11, 2023
Oh my god. I couldn’t get past 10% of this book. The writing was so immature, everybody spoke like they were 12 years old, and the male “love interests” were so painful—obsessed with the MC (who frankly was just annoying), unable to articulate a logical thought, and referred to the MC as “my girl” in every thought.
And don’t get me started on the nicknames for the MC and her best friend—a new nickname every time and it was so hard to differentiate between the two characters, since their names/nicknames were so similar.
And don’t get me started on the nicknames for the MC and her best friend—a new nickname every time and it was so hard to differentiate between the two characters, since their names/nicknames were so similar.
August 23, 2023
Not for me, glad I read the ending first. The villain/ex boyfriend/lover whatever supposedly dies when his parachute doesn’t open just after he realizes what an ass he’s been his whole life and wants to try again.
Then we’re left with this in the Epilogue to confuse us:
“Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s at peace and loves the man he is now, and who knows? He could be starting a new era of his own that will bring him the happiness he was always searching for.”
“You know…” Maddox whispers. “He never stopped loving you.”
So did Oscar kill him by messing with his chute as implied or was it a very coincidental accident? Was it a fake? Who knows and I don’t want to read 800 pages just to end up with those questions, considering the few I read already had enough grammatical errors to irritate.
Then we’re left with this in the Epilogue to confuse us:
“Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s at peace and loves the man he is now, and who knows? He could be starting a new era of his own that will bring him the happiness he was always searching for.”
“You know…” Maddox whispers. “He never stopped loving you.”
So did Oscar kill him by messing with his chute as implied or was it a very coincidental accident? Was it a fake? Who knows and I don’t want to read 800 pages just to end up with those questions, considering the few I read already had enough grammatical errors to irritate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2023
Beware
This book is written in the form how to NOT write a good book. I'm not sure who edited it but fire them ASAP! Now as for the story the storyline was good. However there's no flow. I was so confused so many times! The biggest pet peeve is they use the NHL but this scenario is weird and incorrect. Listen read this at your own risk
This book is written in the form how to NOT write a good book. I'm not sure who edited it but fire them ASAP! Now as for the story the storyline was good. However there's no flow. I was so confused so many times! The biggest pet peeve is they use the NHL but this scenario is weird and incorrect. Listen read this at your own risk
July 19, 2023
Ok so this was a weird one. Very political and depressing. I appreciated the message and stanch on LGBTQIA+ bulling, rights and struggles, but I read to escape real life so for me it was too much. I just want to read about people who fall in love and HEA with some humor. I loved Maddox but overall it was too heavy for me. I won't be reading the other books.
September 2, 2023
honestly, it’s a 1⭐️, but I feel guilty so 2
This book needed an editor so bad. The characters and the storyline had good bones; the execution was rough. I almost DNF’ed it so many times, and at halfway through was just highlighting things and correcting them myself, because I couldn’t stand it anymore.
The dialogue is awkward, incorrect usage of phrases, way too much mention of TikTok, and BookTok, and why is it set in 2025?
And a lot of awkwardly place, soap boxes, not complaining about the soap boxes themselves, or point she’s trying to get across because they are very valid points, and in this community are very common, it’s the awkward placement and repetitive points that get kinda redundant. And the way the written just doesn’t flow, it comes across as more of a soapbox than dialogue.
Needless to say, I wanted to DNF it, but I know this is someone’s first try.
The book has bones. The writer has promise. She needs a good editor, one who will not be afraid to hurt her feelings, and make cuts.
This book needed an editor so bad. The characters and the storyline had good bones; the execution was rough. I almost DNF’ed it so many times, and at halfway through was just highlighting things and correcting them myself, because I couldn’t stand it anymore.
The dialogue is awkward, incorrect usage of phrases, way too much mention of TikTok, and BookTok, and why is it set in 2025?
And a lot of awkwardly place, soap boxes, not complaining about the soap boxes themselves, or point she’s trying to get across because they are very valid points, and in this community are very common, it’s the awkward placement and repetitive points that get kinda redundant. And the way the written just doesn’t flow, it comes across as more of a soapbox than dialogue.
Needless to say, I wanted to DNF it, but I know this is someone’s first try.
The book has bones. The writer has promise. She needs a good editor, one who will not be afraid to hurt her feelings, and make cuts.
January 6, 2024
2 stars
This book REALLY needed an editor. It really needed some trimming and less info dumping of EVERY single character. And the nicknames... don't get me started on the nicknames.
Trigger Warnings: loss of parent(s), mention of cancer, homomisia, violence, and car accident
This book REALLY needed an editor. It really needed some trimming and less info dumping of EVERY single character. And the nicknames... don't get me started on the nicknames.
Trigger Warnings: loss of parent(s), mention of cancer, homomisia, violence, and car accident
July 14, 2023
Knock off of Pucking Around
July 29, 2023
Oof. DNF. Couldn’t even make it through the first chapter.
June 3, 2024
Don't read this book. Just... don't do it.
I don't care how strung-up you are, how desperately you're craving a hockey why-choose romance. Let this one go. I promise, you won't regret your ignorance.
Okay, so I knew about 4 paragraphs in that I was going to end up hate-reading this garbage.
I don't even know what to say. I'm honestly sort of embarrassed that I have this on my reading repertoire, in public, for other people to see. I have no valid excuse for why I chose to spend my time with this. Except maybe: it's so bad I couldn't stop.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who'd stop and stare at an actual dumpster on fire?
Because this book is gloriously aflame.
Why is it set in 2025? Nobody fucking knows.
Everybody has 3 names. They'll be used in every chapter no less than 3 times. I began to hear John Cena's WWE entrance songs every time a name was dropped and really, it should have destroyed the book, but I don't think anything could make this worse at this point so...
Everybody wants to fuck everybody else. Literally. 35 dudes in this book and they're all talking about how their teammates make their cocks twitch. And I mean, Kudos for the LGBTQIA+ rep, right? Ehhh. They're all also simultaneously obsessed with this tiny redheaded woman with what can only be described as the Gods Gift of Vaginas.
The "Pucking" in the title isn't just a clever turn of phrase. It's used literally as a replacement for 'fuck' throughout the entire novel. Because heaven forbid daddy's little girl be exposed to the WORD when she's literally being dicked down by like 8 men at the same time.
Also everybody speaks no less than 6 languages, and there's an inordinate amount of Russians wandering around for some reason. In fact, the only one who DOESN'T speak Russian is a homophobic asshole who's...actually gay (bi??) as fuck and wants everybody's dicks AND Mikayla's vag at the same time. He continues to hurl homophobic slurs at virtually everybody while desperately hoping someone sticks a dick in his mouth and shuts him up.
I--I really wish I was making this up. I am not.
Oh, and I guess there's some hockey stuff happening too,(and maybe something happened in their pasts before the book started) but to be honest I couldn't really explain any of that to you because nothing makes any goddamned sense.
The writing was obnoxious and terribly edited.
There's NO plot.
The hockey team/rival set up also makes no sense.
We're missing huge amounts of backstory until like 80% of the way through the book and it feels like you've picked up a book in the middle of a series and have no idea what's going on...
There's just...ENTIRELY too much going on in this book and most of it's too stupid to bother rehashing. Sorry I have failed at reviewing this. But my brain's melted out of my ears, you see.
I will leave you with a short-list* of nicknames given to the main character:
Mikayla Cross Johnson (Actual name)
MKayKay
MickeyCurveyThighsForDays
Mickey
My Blazing Mickey
Mishka
My fierce Mikayla
Heartbreaker Queen
Sweet Kay
Baby Girl
Kay
My Sweet MKayKay
Sweet Kayla
Jagiya (Korean)
Sweetheart
*This is not a complete list. I gave up about halfway through. Mikayla Cross Johnson is not the only character who has an absurdly long list of names. Everybody does.
I don't care how strung-up you are, how desperately you're craving a hockey why-choose romance. Let this one go. I promise, you won't regret your ignorance.
Okay, so I knew about 4 paragraphs in that I was going to end up hate-reading this garbage.
I don't even know what to say. I'm honestly sort of embarrassed that I have this on my reading repertoire, in public, for other people to see. I have no valid excuse for why I chose to spend my time with this. Except maybe: it's so bad I couldn't stop.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who'd stop and stare at an actual dumpster on fire?
Because this book is gloriously aflame.
Why is it set in 2025? Nobody fucking knows.
Everybody has 3 names. They'll be used in every chapter no less than 3 times. I began to hear John Cena's WWE entrance songs every time a name was dropped and really, it should have destroyed the book, but I don't think anything could make this worse at this point so...
Everybody wants to fuck everybody else. Literally. 35 dudes in this book and they're all talking about how their teammates make their cocks twitch. And I mean, Kudos for the LGBTQIA+ rep, right? Ehhh. They're all also simultaneously obsessed with this tiny redheaded woman with what can only be described as the Gods Gift of Vaginas.
The "Pucking" in the title isn't just a clever turn of phrase. It's used literally as a replacement for 'fuck' throughout the entire novel. Because heaven forbid daddy's little girl be exposed to the WORD when she's literally being dicked down by like 8 men at the same time.
Also everybody speaks no less than 6 languages, and there's an inordinate amount of Russians wandering around for some reason. In fact, the only one who DOESN'T speak Russian is a homophobic asshole who's...actually gay (bi??) as fuck and wants everybody's dicks AND Mikayla's vag at the same time. He continues to hurl homophobic slurs at virtually everybody while desperately hoping someone sticks a dick in his mouth and shuts him up.
I--I really wish I was making this up. I am not.
Oh, and I guess there's some hockey stuff happening too,(and maybe something happened in their pasts before the book started) but to be honest I couldn't really explain any of that to you because nothing makes any goddamned sense.
The writing was obnoxious and terribly edited.
There's NO plot.
The hockey team/rival set up also makes no sense.
We're missing huge amounts of backstory until like 80% of the way through the book and it feels like you've picked up a book in the middle of a series and have no idea what's going on...
There's just...ENTIRELY too much going on in this book and most of it's too stupid to bother rehashing. Sorry I have failed at reviewing this. But my brain's melted out of my ears, you see.
I will leave you with a short-list* of nicknames given to the main character:
Mikayla Cross Johnson (Actual name)
MKayKay
MickeyCurveyThighsForDays
Mickey
My Blazing Mickey
Mishka
My fierce Mikayla
Heartbreaker Queen
Sweet Kay
Baby Girl
Kay
My Sweet MKayKay
Sweet Kayla
Jagiya (Korean)
Sweetheart
*This is not a complete list. I gave up about halfway through. Mikayla Cross Johnson is not the only character who has an absurdly long list of names. Everybody does.
August 5, 2023
Wrong Pucking Jersey
By Roxanne Steele
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Let’s start with this is a long ass book at 800 plus pages. It had such a great premise to it. But boy did I struggle to finish it. Several times I thought I would DNF it. And towards the end I skimmed more than I actually read.
I wouldn’t say it was terrible as there were some great elements, but it def missed the mark. And for those who know me, to rate a why choose this low, says something.
“Last time I checked, Daddy is standing right here.” 🥵🥵
#wrongpuckingjersey #roxannestelle #whychooseromance #whychoose #darkromance #bookish #bookaddict #readersofinstagram #bookaholic #readingtime #bookshelf #instabooks #bookblogger #bookreview #booktok #reading #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #goodreads #aussiebookstagrammers #aussies #australianreaders #smut #darkromance #reading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #instabook #booksofinstagram #review #arcreader
By Roxanne Steele
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Let’s start with this is a long ass book at 800 plus pages. It had such a great premise to it. But boy did I struggle to finish it. Several times I thought I would DNF it. And towards the end I skimmed more than I actually read.
I wouldn’t say it was terrible as there were some great elements, but it def missed the mark. And for those who know me, to rate a why choose this low, says something.
“Last time I checked, Daddy is standing right here.” 🥵🥵
#wrongpuckingjersey #roxannestelle #whychooseromance #whychoose #darkromance #bookish #bookaddict #readersofinstagram #bookaholic #readingtime #bookshelf #instabooks #bookblogger #bookreview #booktok #reading #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #goodreads #aussiebookstagrammers #aussies #australianreaders #smut #darkromance #reading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #instabook #booksofinstagram #review #arcreader
October 10, 2023
I did not expect that ending….
I kept hoping for a redemption but that last part of the book made my heart hurt so much for everyone involved. I can’t wait to read Oscar’s book. He deserved so much better
I kept hoping for a redemption but that last part of the book made my heart hurt so much for everyone involved. I can’t wait to read Oscar’s book. He deserved so much better
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
gasp
I was not prepared for this level of intimacy and maturity in my romance! I am not complaining but it wasn’t the lighthearted book I expected. Especially that ending. Wow!
I was not prepared for this level of intimacy and maturity in my romance! I am not complaining but it wasn’t the lighthearted book I expected. Especially that ending. Wow!
August 19, 2023
DNF. Story makes no sense
August 16, 2023
DNF - got to 56% I really tried, I just couldn't get along with the writing style, I agree with a previous review saying all the characters are immature considering how much they talk about personal growth.
August 6, 2023
DNF @ 9%
August 1, 2023
Neil Breen of authors.... but missing the funny cringe. Just full cringe
The amount of times I was forced to read a full name should be a crime. It was honestly the hardest book I have ever read and didn't want to finish. But my dad didnt raise no quitter. It just felt like it was so clunky and unnatural. The characters are just bland. Hard to like. I'm all for suspension of belief ... but I just could not get into it. It kept missing. Just a big no for me. It is like the Neil Breen quality of books. But worse.
The amount of times I was forced to read a full name should be a crime. It was honestly the hardest book I have ever read and didn't want to finish. But my dad didnt raise no quitter. It just felt like it was so clunky and unnatural. The characters are just bland. Hard to like. I'm all for suspension of belief ... but I just could not get into it. It kept missing. Just a big no for me. It is like the Neil Breen quality of books. But worse.
July 30, 2023
DNF at 6%. I found this book on TikTok and the scene it described was her ex helping her when she was having a panic attack and I thought this sounds like a great book. A bit of second chance romance, maybe enemies to lovers. Yeah it’s not that.
First off the ex (Jayce) is still obsessed with her and I hate those kind of book because their chapters are just lines and lines of complements - it gets boring.
Example, he’s seen her once and now he’s staring at her from across a bar like a weirdo.
Again I’m only at 6%.
Her other ex makes his entrance into the book by (setting the scene) playing their song in the bar they are in and standing in the middle of the dance floor. I couldn’t there and then, the cringe-o-meter took over. It just felt like a bad hallmark movie.
Not for me, but maybe I’m just picky.
First off the ex (Jayce) is still obsessed with her and I hate those kind of book because their chapters are just lines and lines of complements - it gets boring.
Example, he’s seen her once and now he’s staring at her from across a bar like a weirdo.
Again I’m only at 6%.
Her other ex makes his entrance into the book by (setting the scene) playing their song in the bar they are in and standing in the middle of the dance floor. I couldn’t there and then, the cringe-o-meter took over. It just felt like a bad hallmark movie.
Not for me, but maybe I’m just picky.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2023
DNF - 43% -
Before you even begin reading there a ton of names just thrown out at you some of which have nicknames that are different depending on who’s saying the name it’s confusing from the get go!
Some scenes were just so long winded in some areas that I’d skim reed a full page to skip along. I unfortunately just couldn’t seem to enjoy the authors writing style, there was far too much childish “bitching and OMG” for me.
I will be honest and say the reason I started reading this was due to a scene shown on booktok of the heroine being accidentally punched by one of the two main male
Roles and I did not get to that point so it’s certainly after the mid way this seems to happen.
Being a why choose book also there’s very little of any of that before the mid way point so I’m not sure I can really class it as a why choose romance.
Before you even begin reading there a ton of names just thrown out at you some of which have nicknames that are different depending on who’s saying the name it’s confusing from the get go!
Some scenes were just so long winded in some areas that I’d skim reed a full page to skip along. I unfortunately just couldn’t seem to enjoy the authors writing style, there was far too much childish “bitching and OMG” for me.
I will be honest and say the reason I started reading this was due to a scene shown on booktok of the heroine being accidentally punched by one of the two main male
Roles and I did not get to that point so it’s certainly after the mid way this seems to happen.
Being a why choose book also there’s very little of any of that before the mid way point so I’m not sure I can really class it as a why choose romance.
July 30, 2023
This book was just…not it. My biggest problem was the lack of editing. The author doesn’t even get their own characters names right (O’Riley/O’Neil, Damien/Damon, one time she refers to Damien as Dimitri…while talking to Dimitri). The plausibility of them all speaking Russian/Korean is also not there ( google translate much?). I feel like ChatGPT would have done a better job.
July 8, 2023
This book is a lot... The energy of this book is that the author was drinking energy drinks and coffee the entire time while writing it--everything is so high-energy, to the point of being exhausting. I feel like Mack and Mikayla spend every scene just screaming and being obnoxious because they think they're hilarious. They're not. Also, what's with all the nicknames??? It was annoying to follow all of them, and I mean seriously, if someone called me Mkaykay (especially during a steamy scene), I'd absolutely lose it. That is such an awful name.
I also feel like the FMC was just a regurgitation of pop culture references and TikToks; she references Nick Cannon's giant family, which was a funny meme from a few months ago; she also has this super weird scene with a random character hyping up skincare brands--it very much felt like she was just repeating a TikTok the author had seen into dialogue. She also references Emily Rath's book without naming it, which I felt very weird about, especially considering the similarities between stories. She goes a step further to basically break the 4th wall and reference (over and over and over again) BookTok, and more specifically, Hockey Reverse Harem BookTok. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be clever and make the FMC more relatable to the general audience of this book--by saying, "See, the main character is just like you,"--but it felt a little too "on the nose" for it to be anything other than awkward and slightly pandering.
I would also say the basic world-building was confusing. I feel like the premise of the two new professional teams felt very farfetched--maybe making them feeder teams with a chance to move up into better teams would've made more sense, especially since these guys all seem like they had tried other career paths before choosing hockey. Also, no professional athlete would be allowed to smoke... just saying. I would also add that I was incredibly confused about the 200-ish pages because I was unsure who was part of the harem and who was not. We really get no indication about the others aside from Maddox at first, so when they finally added the other guys in, I felt like it was abrupt and didn't make sense.
I give this book 2 stars instead of one for the steamy scenes, which are nice, but I wouldn't say make the book worth it.
I also feel like the FMC was just a regurgitation of pop culture references and TikToks; she references Nick Cannon's giant family, which was a funny meme from a few months ago; she also has this super weird scene with a random character hyping up skincare brands--it very much felt like she was just repeating a TikTok the author had seen into dialogue. She also references Emily Rath's book without naming it, which I felt very weird about, especially considering the similarities between stories. She goes a step further to basically break the 4th wall and reference (over and over and over again) BookTok, and more specifically, Hockey Reverse Harem BookTok. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be clever and make the FMC more relatable to the general audience of this book--by saying, "See, the main character is just like you,"--but it felt a little too "on the nose" for it to be anything other than awkward and slightly pandering.
I would also say the basic world-building was confusing. I feel like the premise of the two new professional teams felt very farfetched--maybe making them feeder teams with a chance to move up into better teams would've made more sense, especially since these guys all seem like they had tried other career paths before choosing hockey. Also, no professional athlete would be allowed to smoke... just saying. I would also add that I was incredibly confused about the 200-ish pages because I was unsure who was part of the harem and who was not. We really get no indication about the others aside from Maddox at first, so when they finally added the other guys in, I felt like it was abrupt and didn't make sense.
I give this book 2 stars instead of one for the steamy scenes, which are nice, but I wouldn't say make the book worth it.
July 25, 2023
Annoying editing errors
Many name errors, like the middle name of Maddox went back and forth a few times, Dimitri's dad had two different names, Damien was called Dimitri, etc. It was a little annoying to read those back and forth. Storyline itself was good, fell a little slow in the middle where it felt like the same thing was being said in a different way? Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially the relationships.
Many name errors, like the middle name of Maddox went back and forth a few times, Dimitri's dad had two different names, Damien was called Dimitri, etc. It was a little annoying to read those back and forth. Storyline itself was good, fell a little slow in the middle where it felt like the same thing was being said in a different way? Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially the relationships.
July 18, 2023
I skipped ahead numerous times because the writing was chaotic. I may has missed things that were explained in the book but I was too frustrated to go back and check.
1. The numerous nicknames for each character were confusing.
2. Mikayla and Alexandra are very hard to follow.
3. The author writes as though Jayce is going to redeem himself and be a part of their RH but then she kills him off.
4. Jayce has a hatred for people who speak Russian…but he’s half Russian with a mother and twin that live in Russia.
5. Mikayla accuses Jayce for being responsible for her mother’s death but it was previously mentioned she died from cancer
6. Randomly there are 3 other men in the RH but the story only focused on Mikayla and Maddox and the other guys are all cameos for the most part.
7. The author alludes (numerous times) to Maddox and Jayce having an intimate relationship but the backstory isn’t ever explained. Did I miss a prologue?
1. The numerous nicknames for each character were confusing.
2. Mikayla and Alexandra are very hard to follow.
3. The author writes as though Jayce is going to redeem himself and be a part of their RH but then she kills him off.
4. Jayce has a hatred for people who speak Russian…but he’s half Russian with a mother and twin that live in Russia.
5. Mikayla accuses Jayce for being responsible for her mother’s death but it was previously mentioned she died from cancer
6. Randomly there are 3 other men in the RH but the story only focused on Mikayla and Maddox and the other guys are all cameos for the most part.
7. The author alludes (numerous times) to Maddox and Jayce having an intimate relationship but the backstory isn’t ever explained. Did I miss a prologue?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2023
This one was a bit hard to finish. The characters are supposed to be grown adults with careers, however they come off very childish and immature. The characters, including the nhl coaches and high up staff are all more on the maturity level of high school seniors instead of the established adults they are supposed to be in the way the speak and how the interact with each other as well as the public.The writing was a bit hard to follow and with the amount of characters involved and each character having a lot of nicknames, making it a bit of a difficult task. There wasn't much character development throughout the book and just stayed pretty stagnant. I had higher hopes for this book and unfortunately it just fell kind of flat.
July 5, 2023
An RH Hockey Romance that will have your feelings all over!
This is a hockey romance involving a group of guys who used to be friends, and the girl many of them crushed on. She dated two of them separately. The first, who didn't seem to appreciate her properly, and the second ended in a mutual break up when they realized they were holding each other back from their goals.
Five years later, they all end up back together when two new teams form, but they're playing on opposing teams.
Mikaela is thrilled when she learns she's been accepted for an internship as a team nurse, though ends up with mixed feelings when she discovers she has to be on the opposite team as the one her father coaches. She feels she's wearing the wrong jersey, but does her best to just focus on her job and support both teams.
Social media is having a hay day with her love life, making it appear she's in a bit of a love triangle between Jayce - her first boyfriend and plays for her dad's team, and Maddox, her SECOND boyfriend and is on her own team. Secretly, she's already in a relationship with Maddox, but they go along with it for the media attention. As time goes on, a few others begin their relationship with her as well, but all on the down low. Meanwhile, Jayce is jealous because he wants "Mickey" back, but doesn't want to share.
This is the story of two new rival teams playing for the chance to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and to win the Stanley Cup. A story about battling for Mikaela and her heart. A story about overcoming obstacles that could challenge all of their relationships, and staying true to themselves.
There's drama, manipulation, lies, betrayal, some bullying from one or two hockey players for others being a part of the LGTBQ+ community, near death, and more. The ending may leave you reeling a bit.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for a sports romance!
Is technically an MMMMF, though no actual scenes have more than the men kissing.
This is a hockey romance involving a group of guys who used to be friends, and the girl many of them crushed on. She dated two of them separately. The first, who didn't seem to appreciate her properly, and the second ended in a mutual break up when they realized they were holding each other back from their goals.
Five years later, they all end up back together when two new teams form, but they're playing on opposing teams.
Mikaela is thrilled when she learns she's been accepted for an internship as a team nurse, though ends up with mixed feelings when she discovers she has to be on the opposite team as the one her father coaches. She feels she's wearing the wrong jersey, but does her best to just focus on her job and support both teams.
Social media is having a hay day with her love life, making it appear she's in a bit of a love triangle between Jayce - her first boyfriend and plays for her dad's team, and Maddox, her SECOND boyfriend and is on her own team. Secretly, she's already in a relationship with Maddox, but they go along with it for the media attention. As time goes on, a few others begin their relationship with her as well, but all on the down low. Meanwhile, Jayce is jealous because he wants "Mickey" back, but doesn't want to share.
This is the story of two new rival teams playing for the chance to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and to win the Stanley Cup. A story about battling for Mikaela and her heart. A story about overcoming obstacles that could challenge all of their relationships, and staying true to themselves.
There's drama, manipulation, lies, betrayal, some bullying from one or two hockey players for others being a part of the LGTBQ+ community, near death, and more. The ending may leave you reeling a bit.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for a sports romance!
Is technically an MMMMF, though no actual scenes have more than the men kissing.
July 18, 2023
DNF - Didn't even get past the first couple chapters. The internal dialogue was all over the place and the grammar was awful. Sentences didn't make sense.
August 28, 2023
Honesrlt the story wasn't bad, annoying in parts because the editing was so bad. You can't type the name of your male main character wrong that many times, O'Neil and O'Riley are not interchangeable, if you can't keep Dimitri and Damien straight change your character names. While characters having nicknames are great if you give no backstory to them they just get confusing. Overall it was a lot of buildup for a meh ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews