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Jacksonville Rays #2
Pucking Wild
Tess Owens is a confident, 33-year-old plus-sized divorcee daring to start her life over in a new job in a new city. In the process, she meets Ryan Langley, starting forward for the NHL’s Jacksonville Rays. Sure, he’s cute, in a puppy at the beach kind of way. But he’s ten years younger than her, and they have nothing in common.
But to Ryan, Tess is his dream girl. He’s ready to do anything to show her that age doesn’t matter, our pasts don’t define us, and just sometimes, two wrongs can make a right.
PUCKING WILD is a spicy MF hockey romance with positive plus size and bisexual representation. This is book two in the Jacksonville Rays series.
But to Ryan, Tess is his dream girl. He’s ready to do anything to show her that age doesn’t matter, our pasts don’t define us, and just sometimes, two wrongs can make a right.
PUCKING WILD is a spicy MF hockey romance with positive plus size and bisexual representation. This is book two in the Jacksonville Rays series.
476 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2023
6983 people are currently reading
73258 people want to read
About the author
Emily Rath
25 books10.9k followersEmily Rath is a USA Today and international bestselling author whose chart-topping, sex-positive, queer-inclusive fantasy and romance novels include the Second Sons Regency romances, the Tuonela Duet fantasy novels, and the ‘why choose’ Jacksonville Rays Hockey Romances. A former university professor, she holds PhDs in Political Science and Peace Studies. Emily lives with her husband, son, and cats in the Pacific Northwest. She can be found online at EmilyRathBooks.com, on Instagram @emilyrathauthor and on TikTok @emilyrathbooks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,443 reviews
dnf
August 24, 2023dnf at 30%
I was extremely excited about this one but it didn’t hit for me.
I received an arc and Emily mentioned that she extensively edited it before release. I just didn’t and couldn’t connect with Tess as an FMC.
I was extremely excited about this one but it didn’t hit for me.
I received an arc and Emily mentioned that she extensively edited it before release. I just didn’t and couldn’t connect with Tess as an FMC.
September 17, 2023
just keep in mind that i read the ARC version of this book and content has been changed in the actual published version so this review might not be accurate anymore
first and foremost, thank you Emily for the chance to review your book in exchange for an honest review♥️
that being said, let’s get into it, shall we.
Babe, you are love in suspended motion. The calm in the storm of our lives. You’re where everything stops. You’re where I stop. You are…everything,” he finishes with a shrug.
Tess and Ryan were everything. Just everything.
Not only could i see myself in Tess (a bit too much tbh and i didn’t like the self reflection lesson there🤡), i could also relate an awful lot to Ryan.
Because this is an Arc i cannot go too much into detail and you should for sure experience this book for yourself, but jesus christ was this a bit of a mental health healing punch in the gut.
Some people might say Tess got repetitive but that’s the whole goddamn point. She went through something incredibly traumatising for YEARS, she is used to solving her own problems and isn’t used to leaning on other people. Luckily Ryan could see right through her. Not everyone is as lucky to find a Ryan in their lifetime but we can dream of it and i think that is something we can wish for.
Also the spicy scenes made me realise shit about myself in a good way so chapeau Emily, the way you handled that was amazing.
The characters from Pucking Around were also very much interwoven into this story and i loved the part they played and how they were doing after that ending of PA.
If you thought Pucking Around was a light simple read be aware of this one because this one is significantly darker. Not the usual dark i read, but it dealt with some toxic shit, so look through the tags in the front of the book and decide for yourself🫶🏼
go read this if you like:
-reverse age gap
-a top who can also very much bottom
-found family in the best way
-2 very relatable characters
-forced proximity
-hurt comfort
-a very healthy relationship between people who can actually communicate?!1?!
-sea turtles
(also, the epilogue made me ugly cry, do whatever u want with that info)
•
rtc when i stop crying over the epilogue🫶🏼
——————
broskis.
im on the arc team
IM ON THE ARC TEAM AND IM CRYING
IM GOING CRAZY
(Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked Me in A room. A Rubber room. A rubber Room with Rats. And rats Make me Crazy. Crazy? i was crazyoncethelockedmeinaroomarubberroomarubberroomwithratsandratsmakemecrazycrazy?)
----------
Emily rath can do no wrong❌
in her we trust
first and foremost, thank you Emily for the chance to review your book in exchange for an honest review♥️
that being said, let’s get into it, shall we.
Babe, you are love in suspended motion. The calm in the storm of our lives. You’re where everything stops. You’re where I stop. You are…everything,” he finishes with a shrug.
Tess and Ryan were everything. Just everything.
Not only could i see myself in Tess (a bit too much tbh and i didn’t like the self reflection lesson there🤡), i could also relate an awful lot to Ryan.
Because this is an Arc i cannot go too much into detail and you should for sure experience this book for yourself, but jesus christ was this a bit of a mental health healing punch in the gut.
Some people might say Tess got repetitive but that’s the whole goddamn point. She went through something incredibly traumatising for YEARS, she is used to solving her own problems and isn’t used to leaning on other people. Luckily Ryan could see right through her. Not everyone is as lucky to find a Ryan in their lifetime but we can dream of it and i think that is something we can wish for.
Also the spicy scenes made me realise shit about myself in a good way so chapeau Emily, the way you handled that was amazing.
The characters from Pucking Around were also very much interwoven into this story and i loved the part they played and how they were doing after that ending of PA.
If you thought Pucking Around was a light simple read be aware of this one because this one is significantly darker. Not the usual dark i read, but it dealt with some toxic shit, so look through the tags in the front of the book and decide for yourself🫶🏼
go read this if you like:
-reverse age gap
-a top who can also very much bottom
-found family in the best way
-2 very relatable characters
-forced proximity
-hurt comfort
-a very healthy relationship between people who can actually communicate?!1?!
-sea turtles
(also, the epilogue made me ugly cry, do whatever u want with that info)
•
rtc when i stop crying over the epilogue🫶🏼
——————
broskis.
im on the arc team
IM ON THE ARC TEAM AND IM CRYING
IM GOING CRAZY
(Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked Me in A room. A Rubber room. A rubber Room with Rats. And rats Make me Crazy. Crazy? i was crazyoncethelockedmeinaroomarubberroomarubberroomwithratsandratsmakemecrazycrazy?)
----------
Emily rath can do no wrong❌
in her we trust
August 22, 2023
3.5 stars
- hockey (duh)
- reverse age gap (33F/22M)
- plus size + bi fmc
- golden retriever mmc
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- he falls first
I'm gonna be real honest, it pains me to give Emily's books anything less than 4 stars because she is a precious angel baby who deserves the world, but I struggled so hard to stay invested in Pucking Wild.
I really loved the glimpses of Tess in Rachel's books, but I didn't really connect with or like Tess for most of this book. I do love the sex and body positivity from Tess, and how funny she is, but a lot of her decisions and the impulsivity of them did not have her coming across as a 33 year old lawyer.
On the other hand I really loved Ryan! He is honestly such a good man and an absolute rock for Tess when she needed it the most. The spicy times between them were well done and I loved the kink exploration, but I didn’t really like or get as invested in their relationship as much as I thought I would.
While overall I still really enjoyed the book, the storyline was a bit too drawn out for my liking and felt like some things were just too fluffy and didn't add much to the story. That being said, I really loved seeing Rach and the gang pop up throughout the book, and the friendship that grew between Mars and Tess while working on the nonprofit together.
I think this is just a case of me going in with my expectations a little too high on this one.
- hockey (duh)
- reverse age gap (33F/22M)
- plus size + bi fmc
- golden retriever mmc
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- he falls first
I'm gonna be real honest, it pains me to give Emily's books anything less than 4 stars because she is a precious angel baby who deserves the world, but I struggled so hard to stay invested in Pucking Wild.
I really loved the glimpses of Tess in Rachel's books, but I didn't really connect with or like Tess for most of this book. I do love the sex and body positivity from Tess, and how funny she is, but a lot of her decisions and the impulsivity of them did not have her coming across as a 33 year old lawyer.
On the other hand I really loved Ryan! He is honestly such a good man and an absolute rock for Tess when she needed it the most. The spicy times between them were well done and I loved the kink exploration, but I didn’t really like or get as invested in their relationship as much as I thought I would.
While overall I still really enjoyed the book, the storyline was a bit too drawn out for my liking and felt like some things were just too fluffy and didn't add much to the story. That being said, I really loved seeing Rach and the gang pop up throughout the book, and the friendship that grew between Mars and Tess while working on the nonprofit together.
I think this is just a case of me going in with my expectations a little too high on this one.
![Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1626057011i%2F10717098._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
June 10, 2024
Pucking Wild is book two in the Jacksonville Rays series by Emily Rath. I am loving this series so much and was so excited to read Tess and Ryan’s book.
Tess Owens is thirty three years old and is Rachel’s best friend from the previous books. We knew she had a painful past but didn’t know what it was. Now we do! She is a lawyer, working for her husband’s family’s law firm. She has been separated from her husband for three years, living largely separate lives. Until he pulled a stunt that had Tess leaving Cincinnati and heading for Jacksonville and Rachel.
Ryan Langley is twenty two years old and is the star forward for the Jacksonville Rays NHL team. He and Tess have met before and he has been besotted by her ever since. To have her here in his town, is both the best kind of dream and torture at the same time. Because Tess has walls built around herself a mile high. But he is nothing if not determined. He will show her how perfect she is, that she is made for him. That she deserves to be cherished. And he is the one to do it.
I loved this book. I loved being back with the Price Family (from the previous books) and their antics. With Ilmari and his endless wisdom, with Jake and his cluelessness, and with Caleb and Rachel. They considered Tess part of their family as Rachel’s best friend, and they surrounded her and protected her as such. I also loved the way that Tess found surprising friendships with two other women associated with the Rays, Poppy and Shelby. She slowly was finding herself, remembering who she was before! And who she could be with Ryan. These two together were electric. Their chemistry flew off the pages.
This really was a fantastic addition to the series. And we’re given plenty of hints as to the next book, Poppy’s book, Pucking Sweet. I can’t wait!!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Tess Owens is thirty three years old and is Rachel’s best friend from the previous books. We knew she had a painful past but didn’t know what it was. Now we do! She is a lawyer, working for her husband’s family’s law firm. She has been separated from her husband for three years, living largely separate lives. Until he pulled a stunt that had Tess leaving Cincinnati and heading for Jacksonville and Rachel.
Ryan Langley is twenty two years old and is the star forward for the Jacksonville Rays NHL team. He and Tess have met before and he has been besotted by her ever since. To have her here in his town, is both the best kind of dream and torture at the same time. Because Tess has walls built around herself a mile high. But he is nothing if not determined. He will show her how perfect she is, that she is made for him. That she deserves to be cherished. And he is the one to do it.
I loved this book. I loved being back with the Price Family (from the previous books) and their antics. With Ilmari and his endless wisdom, with Jake and his cluelessness, and with Caleb and Rachel. They considered Tess part of their family as Rachel’s best friend, and they surrounded her and protected her as such. I also loved the way that Tess found surprising friendships with two other women associated with the Rays, Poppy and Shelby. She slowly was finding herself, remembering who she was before! And who she could be with Ryan. These two together were electric. Their chemistry flew off the pages.
This really was a fantastic addition to the series. And we’re given plenty of hints as to the next book, Poppy’s book, Pucking Sweet. I can’t wait!!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
October 2, 2023
"Life is short. Do you really want to spend the whole of it running? Or would you like to slow things down and live a little?"
Tess Owens' life is going up in flames.
Her husband (almost ex) is setting it on fire and he will not let the match go.
Tess has always run. She has to.
Only this time she runs and in her way is Ryan Langley.
Ryan is someone that Tess didn't plan for but hell if that is going to stop him.
"What is it about this hockey boy that I keep letting him in?"
Ryan Langley.
The young rising star of the Jacksonville Rays.
His life is hockey. His life depends on hockey. It was always only hockey.
But when fiery Tess Owens walks right into his life…
Ryan Langley will do everything he can to make sure Tess doesn't run again.
"Tess Owens is my dream girl… she just doesn't know it yet."
This book was legit so good. I did not expect it to be as consuming as it was for me. And I apologize for that.
"Maybe I like the idea of being the one who gets to put you first. I like taking care of people, Tess. And I take excellent care of what's mine."
First off, we have Tess Owens. Badass lawyer whose asshole (almost)ex-husband is setting fire to her life determined to ruin it and not get a divorce (again asshole). Anyway, Tess runs to Florida to Rachel - her best friend who is married to 3 NHL players (dreams do come true people). Anyway, they offer Tess a place to stay while she is laying low from her asshole of a husband (did I mention that he is an asshole and insufferable?). Anyway what Tess doesn't plan for is for Ryan Langley, the guy she kissed on the beach that one time, the adorable hockey player golden retriever to be her new roommate…
"He's drawn to me, and I'm drawn to him. Part of me questions if we're not meant to collide."
Tess is legit such a badass, I love her. She has such a sad story and we see a little into her past throughout this book but everything she does she has a reason. And Ryan is determined to get her to stop running.
"Hell, if she'll only give us a real chance, a chance to be more than just friends, I'll be her sweet puppy for the rest of my fucking life."
Then we have Ryan Langley. Adorable, heart-eyed, fully entrapped Ryan Langley. The young hockey player for the Jacksonville Rays. He lives for hockey. Hockey is his life. There is nothing but hockey. That is until he shares the most amazing kiss with one Tess Owens and his life is flipped. He cannot stop thinking about her. So imagine his surprise when his dream girl just happens to be his new roommate. And he will do everything to make sure she doesn't run again. He will do everything to make sure she stays in his arms.
"Tess, you're fucking magnetic. I don't think I can stay away, even if I try… And I don't want to."
Ryan became very quickly one of my favorite characters. He is adorable, cute, and I just want to honestly give him the biggest hug. The struggles that he goes through and him being convinced that if he doesn't have hockey he doesn't have anything broke my heart so much. Legit puppy dog and I love it.
"There is no one else. So long as you give me the time of fucking day, there won't be."
"You kill me, Tess. I can't breathe when you look at me, and I die when you look away."
As warned previously this book brought out the longest playlist to date, so bear with me, but I legit love it and I couldn't get rid of any so… (some are included in the artists' playlist as well BTW):
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Xy...
🎶 "One Kiss" - Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa
🎶 "Kiss The Girl" - Brent Morgan
🎶 "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" - Carrie Hope Fletcher
🎶 "Zodiac" - Axelle Aerts
🎶 "Narcissist" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎶 "22 (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "labour" - Paris Paloma
🎶 "F.U." - Little Mix
🎶 "Trouble" - P!nk
🎶 "Lonely" - Noah Cyrus
🎶 "I Don't Listen To You" - Delilah Bon
🎶 "CLEO" - Halle Abadi
🎶 "Angels Like You" - Miley Cyrus
🎶 "The Man - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Lover" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Too Well" - Renee Rapp
🎶 "the Audacity" - Emlyn
🎶 "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick
🎶 "Watch Me Shine" - Joanna Pacitti
🎶 "Josslyn" - Olivia O'Brien
🎶 "That Bitch" - Bea Miller
🎶 "you broke me first" - Tate McRae
🎶 "what would you do" - Tate McRae
🎶 "Line Without a Hook" - Ricky Montgomery
🎶 "Seven" - Jungkook, Latto
🎶 "tolerate it" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Hands to Myself" - Selena Gomez
🎶 "Me Too" - Meghan Trainor
🎶 "Gossip" - Maneskin
🎶 "Troublemaker" - Olly Murs, Florida
🎶 "All For Us" - Labrinth, Zendaya
🎶 "What Was I Made For" - Billie Eilish
🎶 "Collide" - Justine Skye, Tyga
🎶 "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - BBC Version" - Shawn Mendes
🎶 "Fire on Fire" - Sam Smith
🎶 "Lipstick" - Charlie Puth
🎶 "Sweetest Pie" - Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion
🎶 "You Don't Know Me" - Elizabeth Gillies
🎶 "Make Me Feel" - Janelle Monae
🎶 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Elton John, Kiki Dee
Also, two more notes:
One, the top tier protective older brother vibes from Ilmari, Jake, and Caleb in this book gave me life!!! It was everything and I loved it! And Rachel too. They legit protect her with anything and everything and I loved it!!
Two, I have found my new arch nemesis. His name is Troy. Troy sucks. Troy sucks so hard. There is no one (except maybe Lionel Acrux) that made me as mad as Troy (my ZA girlies know how severe that is!!!). He is the definition of toxic masculinity and just ew ew ew. Troy can go dig a hole and live there. Underground. Six feet under is not enough. He sucks so hard no joke!!!!! Thank you.
Also, if you thought I would leave you without a little something something well…
"Come for me, devil. This one's not for you, it's for me. I fucking own this one. Give it to me."
"Woman, let me work. I will take you to the couch and finish you there. And if you're very good, we may just end in the bed. But I'm tasting you right here, right now, before I quite literally die of thirst. Now, spread your legs and hold onto something."
"Come with me. My queen, my fucking goddess. Claim me. Take everything."
"We don't stop 'til you scream."
"I don't need a fucking toy. I can make you see stars all on my own."
And trust me there are more 😏😏😏
🌊 Tropes 🌊
🐢 Hockey Romance
🐢 Plus Size FMC
🐢 Golden Retriever MMC
🐢 Age Gap (F(33)/M(22))
🐢 Accidental Roommates
🐢 Forced Proximity
🐢 He falls first and falls hard
Tess Owens' life is going up in flames.
Her husband (almost ex) is setting it on fire and he will not let the match go.
Tess has always run. She has to.
Only this time she runs and in her way is Ryan Langley.
Ryan is someone that Tess didn't plan for but hell if that is going to stop him.
"What is it about this hockey boy that I keep letting him in?"
Ryan Langley.
The young rising star of the Jacksonville Rays.
His life is hockey. His life depends on hockey. It was always only hockey.
But when fiery Tess Owens walks right into his life…
Ryan Langley will do everything he can to make sure Tess doesn't run again.
"Tess Owens is my dream girl… she just doesn't know it yet."
This book was legit so good. I did not expect it to be as consuming as it was for me. And I apologize for that.
"Maybe I like the idea of being the one who gets to put you first. I like taking care of people, Tess. And I take excellent care of what's mine."
First off, we have Tess Owens. Badass lawyer whose asshole (almost)ex-husband is setting fire to her life determined to ruin it and not get a divorce (again asshole). Anyway, Tess runs to Florida to Rachel - her best friend who is married to 3 NHL players (dreams do come true people). Anyway, they offer Tess a place to stay while she is laying low from her asshole of a husband (did I mention that he is an asshole and insufferable?). Anyway what Tess doesn't plan for is for Ryan Langley, the guy she kissed on the beach that one time, the adorable hockey player golden retriever to be her new roommate…
"He's drawn to me, and I'm drawn to him. Part of me questions if we're not meant to collide."
Tess is legit such a badass, I love her. She has such a sad story and we see a little into her past throughout this book but everything she does she has a reason. And Ryan is determined to get her to stop running.
"Hell, if she'll only give us a real chance, a chance to be more than just friends, I'll be her sweet puppy for the rest of my fucking life."
Then we have Ryan Langley. Adorable, heart-eyed, fully entrapped Ryan Langley. The young hockey player for the Jacksonville Rays. He lives for hockey. Hockey is his life. There is nothing but hockey. That is until he shares the most amazing kiss with one Tess Owens and his life is flipped. He cannot stop thinking about her. So imagine his surprise when his dream girl just happens to be his new roommate. And he will do everything to make sure she doesn't run again. He will do everything to make sure she stays in his arms.
"Tess, you're fucking magnetic. I don't think I can stay away, even if I try… And I don't want to."
Ryan became very quickly one of my favorite characters. He is adorable, cute, and I just want to honestly give him the biggest hug. The struggles that he goes through and him being convinced that if he doesn't have hockey he doesn't have anything broke my heart so much. Legit puppy dog and I love it.
"There is no one else. So long as you give me the time of fucking day, there won't be."
"You kill me, Tess. I can't breathe when you look at me, and I die when you look away."
As warned previously this book brought out the longest playlist to date, so bear with me, but I legit love it and I couldn't get rid of any so… (some are included in the artists' playlist as well BTW):
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Xy...
🎶 "One Kiss" - Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa
🎶 "Kiss The Girl" - Brent Morgan
🎶 "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" - Carrie Hope Fletcher
🎶 "Zodiac" - Axelle Aerts
🎶 "Narcissist" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎶 "22 (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "labour" - Paris Paloma
🎶 "F.U." - Little Mix
🎶 "Trouble" - P!nk
🎶 "Lonely" - Noah Cyrus
🎶 "I Don't Listen To You" - Delilah Bon
🎶 "CLEO" - Halle Abadi
🎶 "Angels Like You" - Miley Cyrus
🎶 "The Man - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Lover" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Too Well" - Renee Rapp
🎶 "the Audacity" - Emlyn
🎶 "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick
🎶 "Watch Me Shine" - Joanna Pacitti
🎶 "Josslyn" - Olivia O'Brien
🎶 "That Bitch" - Bea Miller
🎶 "you broke me first" - Tate McRae
🎶 "what would you do" - Tate McRae
🎶 "Line Without a Hook" - Ricky Montgomery
🎶 "Seven" - Jungkook, Latto
🎶 "tolerate it" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Hands to Myself" - Selena Gomez
🎶 "Me Too" - Meghan Trainor
🎶 "Gossip" - Maneskin
🎶 "Troublemaker" - Olly Murs, Florida
🎶 "All For Us" - Labrinth, Zendaya
🎶 "What Was I Made For" - Billie Eilish
🎶 "Collide" - Justine Skye, Tyga
🎶 "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - BBC Version" - Shawn Mendes
🎶 "Fire on Fire" - Sam Smith
🎶 "Lipstick" - Charlie Puth
🎶 "Sweetest Pie" - Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion
🎶 "You Don't Know Me" - Elizabeth Gillies
🎶 "Make Me Feel" - Janelle Monae
🎶 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Elton John, Kiki Dee
Also, two more notes:
One, the top tier protective older brother vibes from Ilmari, Jake, and Caleb in this book gave me life!!! It was everything and I loved it! And Rachel too. They legit protect her with anything and everything and I loved it!!
Two, I have found my new arch nemesis. His name is Troy. Troy sucks. Troy sucks so hard. There is no one (except maybe Lionel Acrux) that made me as mad as Troy (my ZA girlies know how severe that is!!!). He is the definition of toxic masculinity and just ew ew ew. Troy can go dig a hole and live there. Underground. Six feet under is not enough. He sucks so hard no joke!!!!! Thank you.
Also, if you thought I would leave you without a little something something well…
"Come for me, devil. This one's not for you, it's for me. I fucking own this one. Give it to me."
"Woman, let me work. I will take you to the couch and finish you there. And if you're very good, we may just end in the bed. But I'm tasting you right here, right now, before I quite literally die of thirst. Now, spread your legs and hold onto something."
"Come with me. My queen, my fucking goddess. Claim me. Take everything."
"We don't stop 'til you scream."
"I don't need a fucking toy. I can make you see stars all on my own."
And trust me there are more 😏😏😏
🌊 Tropes 🌊
🐢 Hockey Romance
🐢 Plus Size FMC
🐢 Golden Retriever MMC
🐢 Age Gap (F(33)/M(22))
🐢 Accidental Roommates
🐢 Forced Proximity
🐢 He falls first and falls hard
August 23, 2023
ngl the ending gave me the ick
February 22, 2024
I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I enjoyed the absolute bonkersness (and I meant that in the best terms) of Pucking Around and had really hoped this one would make me feel the same way but...
Neither of the MMCs were well developed enough for me. We know next to nothing about Tess except that:
1. She's a lawyer
2. She's Rachel's best friend (we do get the story of how they met but it was weird and truncated and certainly wouldn't have led me to think that their relationship would have grown to the point that Tess or Rachel would have felt comfortable with Tess just walking into Rachel's bedroom and sitting on her bed while all of Rachel's husbands are with her...That felt so weird and off balance to me...and that's saying something)
3. She's been married to a man who has been emotionally/physically/psychologically abusing her for years and she's tried to leave him but he won't allow it (and for some reason, Tess is a lawyer, but she can't figure out how to push the divorce but instead keeps asking him to just sign the papers, even knowing that he's a narcissist and won't do it)
4. She was raised by a single mother who was never there for her.
5. She's bi and likes toys.
And that's about it.
And Ryan doesn't fare much better. We learn that:
1. He's got a mom and sister
2. His sister is still in college and he's paying her way, but, in a single phone call that barely happens, we're supposed to infer that his sister is taking advantage of the education he's providing and has taken the opportunity to party and drink instead of getting her degree...and now she's calling asking for more...but nothing else is ever mentioned about this. How does Ryan feel about it? How does he handle it? Are we meant to assume it's handled off page?
3. His mom works as a nurse.
4. His dad was a police officer, who died of cancer.
5. Ryan hates hospitals because they remind him of his dad, who died of cancer, in a hospital (the number of times I've seen this in books...I swear...I'm so tired of seeing this kind of hospital trauma)
6. Ryan is severely dyslexic and dysgraphic...but we don't learn this for sure until the last 10% of the book and it's aggravating because this is important information. (yes, to be fair, there were hints sprinkled in...but the fact that there was no reveal, that Tess had to guess, that he never fully discusses it with Ilmari after begging for Mars to help him...I was so frustrated)
That's about it.
And somehow, even though this is all we learn about these characters and their pasts, we're supposed to be connected enough to them to want to care about the relationship they're building together...which wasn't adequately built.
Tess spends too much time naked, even for a person who is comfortable in their own nudity, and it just felt weird for it to keep happening the way it did. She was supposed to be 33 but honestly, I'm not buying it. Ryan was more 33 than she was and he was supposed to be 22. But even that's pushing it because he seemed to be just going with the flow a lot of the time. He was there for the plot and that was about it.
The spicy scenes were not at all interesting...maybe because of my missing emotional connection to the characters...and so they were just womp womp for me...I skimmed them and I honestly wasn't expecting to.
Tess's ex was a cardboard villain if ever I've seen one...there was no nuance, no insidiousness, and it made it really difficult to understand how anyone in his life, outside of Tess, couldn't see what a jerk he was. If there was a such thing as a villain paint brush this dude was a paint roller.
Tess's relationship with his mother, Bea, was supposed to make us think that they were closer than Bea was to her own son...but every moment they were together on page (on the phone or face to face) it felt wishy-washy...I couldn't tell if Tess was being manipulated or if she genuinely cared for the woman...and vice versa.
And again please, someone explain how Tess was such a high powered attorney but she couldn't figure out how to take her husband to court to get out of the marriage. I know that we're supposed to understand that she wants to avoid the publicity for Bea's sake...but at a certain point (before three years and some choking) surely to goodness she would have just said fuck it and gone to the mattresses.
Reading Tess was like getting whiplash because she was meant to be STRONG, FIERCE, WIIIIILD...and she was, occasionally...but other times she was limper than a wet paper bag and while I know abuse will do that to you...this didn't feel realistic at all.
Honestly...Nothing in this book was fleshed out the way things were in Pucking Around. Nothing. And I'm so sad because I really wanted to love this one. The premise was interesting and the story could have been great...but it just fell super flat.
I'm still going to read the next one, because that one sounds almost as bonkers as Pucking Around...but this one will not be a reread and I will not recommend it.
Neither of the MMCs were well developed enough for me. We know next to nothing about Tess except that:
1. She's a lawyer
2. She's Rachel's best friend (we do get the story of how they met but it was weird and truncated and certainly wouldn't have led me to think that their relationship would have grown to the point that Tess or Rachel would have felt comfortable with Tess just walking into Rachel's bedroom and sitting on her bed while all of Rachel's husbands are with her...That felt so weird and off balance to me...and that's saying something)
3. She's been married to a man who has been emotionally/physically/psychologically abusing her for years and she's tried to leave him but he won't allow it (and for some reason, Tess is a lawyer, but she can't figure out how to push the divorce but instead keeps asking him to just sign the papers, even knowing that he's a narcissist and won't do it)
4. She was raised by a single mother who was never there for her.
5. She's bi and likes toys.
And that's about it.
And Ryan doesn't fare much better. We learn that:
1. He's got a mom and sister
2. His sister is still in college and he's paying her way, but, in a single phone call that barely happens, we're supposed to infer that his sister is taking advantage of the education he's providing and has taken the opportunity to party and drink instead of getting her degree...and now she's calling asking for more...but nothing else is ever mentioned about this. How does Ryan feel about it? How does he handle it? Are we meant to assume it's handled off page?
3. His mom works as a nurse.
4. His dad was a police officer, who died of cancer.
5. Ryan hates hospitals because they remind him of his dad, who died of cancer, in a hospital (the number of times I've seen this in books...I swear...I'm so tired of seeing this kind of hospital trauma)
6. Ryan is severely dyslexic and dysgraphic...but we don't learn this for sure until the last 10% of the book and it's aggravating because this is important information. (yes, to be fair, there were hints sprinkled in...but the fact that there was no reveal, that Tess had to guess, that he never fully discusses it with Ilmari after begging for Mars to help him...I was so frustrated)
That's about it.
And somehow, even though this is all we learn about these characters and their pasts, we're supposed to be connected enough to them to want to care about the relationship they're building together...which wasn't adequately built.
Tess spends too much time naked, even for a person who is comfortable in their own nudity, and it just felt weird for it to keep happening the way it did. She was supposed to be 33 but honestly, I'm not buying it. Ryan was more 33 than she was and he was supposed to be 22. But even that's pushing it because he seemed to be just going with the flow a lot of the time. He was there for the plot and that was about it.
The spicy scenes were not at all interesting...maybe because of my missing emotional connection to the characters...and so they were just womp womp for me...I skimmed them and I honestly wasn't expecting to.
Tess's ex was a cardboard villain if ever I've seen one...there was no nuance, no insidiousness, and it made it really difficult to understand how anyone in his life, outside of Tess, couldn't see what a jerk he was. If there was a such thing as a villain paint brush this dude was a paint roller.
Tess's relationship with his mother, Bea, was supposed to make us think that they were closer than Bea was to her own son...but every moment they were together on page (on the phone or face to face) it felt wishy-washy...I couldn't tell if Tess was being manipulated or if she genuinely cared for the woman...and vice versa.
And again please, someone explain how Tess was such a high powered attorney but she couldn't figure out how to take her husband to court to get out of the marriage. I know that we're supposed to understand that she wants to avoid the publicity for Bea's sake...but at a certain point (before three years and some choking) surely to goodness she would have just said fuck it and gone to the mattresses.
Reading Tess was like getting whiplash because she was meant to be STRONG, FIERCE, WIIIIILD...and she was, occasionally...but other times she was limper than a wet paper bag and while I know abuse will do that to you...this didn't feel realistic at all.
Honestly...Nothing in this book was fleshed out the way things were in Pucking Around. Nothing. And I'm so sad because I really wanted to love this one. The premise was interesting and the story could have been great...but it just fell super flat.
I'm still going to read the next one, because that one sounds almost as bonkers as Pucking Around...but this one will not be a reread and I will not recommend it.
August 22, 2023
Somehow Mars was the best character in this book and his own. I didn’t feel the connection in Tess and Ryan’s relationship and I thought that Tess was just not what I was expecting her character to be.
I did LIVE for the crumbs of Poppy, Novy, and Morrow though.
I did LIVE for the crumbs of Poppy, Novy, and Morrow though.
May 9, 2024
4.5/5 🌟 *rounded up
4/5 ❤️🩹
4/5 🥰
5/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
4/5 😰😱
3/5 🎭😂
2/5 🎭😭
0/5 👻
0/5 🔬
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️
Sexual Content
Sexual Harassment
Domestic Abuse
Gaslighting
Toxic Relationship
Emotional Abuse
Physical Abuse
Infidelity
Stalking
Profanity
Classism
Misogyny
Alcohol Use
Injury/Injury Detail
Bullying
Death of a Parent
Pregnancy
Abandonment
Sexism
Terminal Illness
Cancer
Child Abuse
Death
Fatphobia
Homophobia
Biphobia
Mental Illness
Panic Attacks
Body Horror
Body Shaming
Violence
Grief
Medical Content
Medical Trauma
Ableism
🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️
Tess Owens is a confident, 33-year-old plus-sized divorcee daring to start her life over in a new job in a new city. In the process, she meets Ryan Langley, starting forward for the NHL’s Jacksonville Rays. Sure, he’s cute, in a puppy at the beach kind of way. But he’s ten years younger than her, and they have nothing in common.
But to Ryan, Tess is his dream girl. He’s ready to do anything to show her that age doesn’t matter, our pasts don’t define us, and just sometimes, two wrongs can make a right.
PUCKING WILD is a spicy MF hockey romance with positive plus size and bisexual representation. This is book two in the Jacksonville Rays series.
🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 3,483 REVIEWS
Moods
emotional 84%
funny 71%
hopeful 51%
lighthearted 43%
tense 25%
adventurous 19%
inspiring 19%
reflective 13%
challenging 12%
sad 9%
dark 8%
relaxing 5%
mysterious 2%
informative 1%
Pace
medium 65%
fast 26%
slow 7%
Plot- or character-driven?
A mix: 47% | Character: 46% | Plot: 5%
Strong character development?
Yes: 87% | It's complicated: 6% | No: 5%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 92% | It's complicated: 6% | No: 1%
Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 50% | No: 36% | It's complicated: 10% | N/A: 2%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 73% | It's complicated: 15% | No: 10%
Average rating
4.14 ⭐️
🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔
I loved this book! It’s even better than Pucking Around!! Tess and Ryan are perfect for each other and everything that poor Tess had to go through to get her “puppy”! This was great!
I still wish that this book had better narrators. I like Amy Halls voice I just don’t like the way she delivered her lines. Her stilted staccato lines sounded robotic and Alex Kydd laughing his wheezy little smoker’s laughs in almost every sentence was so annoying. He made his female voice sound like a dingbat and his male voice made them sound like dumb jocks. I can’t help it. I would love to see some books with my favorite anime voice actors. Like Colleen Clinkenbeard and Todd Haberkorn. I would listen to those books on repeat.
One thing I didn’t understand was how Ryan’s hockey jersey didn’t quite cover Tess. I know she’s supposed to be plus sized but a hockey jersey is HUGE. They have to be cause the men are usually huge and the jersey has to not only fit the player but the padding equipment as well. That’s ginormous. So are they saying Tess is too?
I probably shouldn’t have listened to all these book by Rath consecutively because she used one phrase repeatedly with only minor variations. These characters were constantly “twisted up” “spent up” or “wound up”. I can’t even count how often those terms were used in this book.
I’ve got the second novella to read/listen to and then the third book, Pucking Sweet, doesn’t come out till June.
RATING KEY:
🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared🫣/Anxious😱 - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy😂/Tragedy😭
-based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky😵💫/Creepy🧟♀️ -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!
🔬 Sci-Fi -based on the Science Fiction in the book as well as the Dystopian elements.
4/5 ❤️🩹
4/5 🥰
5/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
4/5 😰😱
3/5 🎭😂
2/5 🎭😭
0/5 👻
0/5 🔬
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️
Sexual Content
Sexual Harassment
Domestic Abuse
Gaslighting
Toxic Relationship
Emotional Abuse
Physical Abuse
Infidelity
Stalking
Profanity
Classism
Misogyny
Alcohol Use
Injury/Injury Detail
Bullying
Death of a Parent
Pregnancy
Abandonment
Sexism
Terminal Illness
Cancer
Child Abuse
Death
Fatphobia
Homophobia
Biphobia
Mental Illness
Panic Attacks
Body Horror
Body Shaming
Violence
Grief
Medical Content
Medical Trauma
Ableism
🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️
Tess Owens is a confident, 33-year-old plus-sized divorcee daring to start her life over in a new job in a new city. In the process, she meets Ryan Langley, starting forward for the NHL’s Jacksonville Rays. Sure, he’s cute, in a puppy at the beach kind of way. But he’s ten years younger than her, and they have nothing in common.
But to Ryan, Tess is his dream girl. He’s ready to do anything to show her that age doesn’t matter, our pasts don’t define us, and just sometimes, two wrongs can make a right.
PUCKING WILD is a spicy MF hockey romance with positive plus size and bisexual representation. This is book two in the Jacksonville Rays series.
🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 3,483 REVIEWS
Moods
emotional 84%
funny 71%
hopeful 51%
lighthearted 43%
tense 25%
adventurous 19%
inspiring 19%
reflective 13%
challenging 12%
sad 9%
dark 8%
relaxing 5%
mysterious 2%
informative 1%
Pace
medium 65%
fast 26%
slow 7%
Plot- or character-driven?
A mix: 47% | Character: 46% | Plot: 5%
Strong character development?
Yes: 87% | It's complicated: 6% | No: 5%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 92% | It's complicated: 6% | No: 1%
Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 50% | No: 36% | It's complicated: 10% | N/A: 2%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 73% | It's complicated: 15% | No: 10%
Average rating
4.14 ⭐️
🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔
I loved this book! It’s even better than Pucking Around!! Tess and Ryan are perfect for each other and everything that poor Tess had to go through to get her “puppy”! This was great!
I still wish that this book had better narrators. I like Amy Halls voice I just don’t like the way she delivered her lines. Her stilted staccato lines sounded robotic and Alex Kydd laughing his wheezy little smoker’s laughs in almost every sentence was so annoying. He made his female voice sound like a dingbat and his male voice made them sound like dumb jocks. I can’t help it. I would love to see some books with my favorite anime voice actors. Like Colleen Clinkenbeard and Todd Haberkorn. I would listen to those books on repeat.
One thing I didn’t understand was how Ryan’s hockey jersey didn’t quite cover Tess. I know she’s supposed to be plus sized but a hockey jersey is HUGE. They have to be cause the men are usually huge and the jersey has to not only fit the player but the padding equipment as well. That’s ginormous. So are they saying Tess is too?
I probably shouldn’t have listened to all these book by Rath consecutively because she used one phrase repeatedly with only minor variations. These characters were constantly “twisted up” “spent up” or “wound up”. I can’t even count how often those terms were used in this book.
I’ve got the second novella to read/listen to and then the third book, Pucking Sweet, doesn’t come out till June.
RATING KEY:
🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared🫣/Anxious😱 - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy😂/Tragedy😭
-based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky😵💫/Creepy🧟♀️ -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!
🔬 Sci-Fi -based on the Science Fiction in the book as well as the Dystopian elements.
August 13, 2025
”Life is beautiful and short, and you only get one. Live it on purpose."
wow wow wow… this book hit me straight in the heart.
-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-
Tess is a lawyer trapped in a messy, drawn-out divorce from her manipulative, controlling ex-husband, Troy. (he is actually the WORST. like when I tell you I’ve never wanted to strangle someone more…😤) He’s the kind of man who thrives on holding power over her, refusing to sign the papers, twisting her words, and chipping away at her spark. Once, Tess was vibrant and carefree. Now, years of emotional damage have her second-guessing her voice, her wants, her very self. Watching her try to reclaim the pieces she lost was equal parts gut-wrenching and inspiring.
And then there’s Ryan, professional hockey player for the Jacksonville Rays and the walking embodiment of a cinnamon roll with a protective streak. From the first moment he saw Tess, he knew. Even their hilariously awkward run-in, which ended in a kiss that rocked him to his core, never really left him. Ryan doesn’t just want Tess. He wants to prove she can trust someone to put her first, no matter what.
The found family in this book absolutely wrecked me in the best way. When Tess felt like the world had abandoned her, the Rays’ circle stepped in. Friends became family, showing up for her over and over until you could almost feel her shoulders start to lighten. Those moments had me teary-eyed more than once. (okay multiple times 😭)
I’ll admit, there were times I wanted to shake Tess for keeping Ryan at arm’s length and insisting their connection stay purely physical. But knowing the scars she carried from Troy, it made sense. Those boundaries were her shield, her way of surviving until she was ready to risk her heart again.
This story is equal parts steamy, emotional, and empowering. Tess’s journey is about more than romance. It’s about breaking free from a cage you didn’t realize was closing in and learning you’re worthy of love that is safe, steady, and fiercely loyal.
By the final chapter, I wasn’t just rooting for Tess and Ryan. I was all in on their future. This is a story about second chances, fierce love, and taking back your life… and it will make your heart go Pucking Wild.
-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-
things to know about the book ↓
🏒 reverse age gap (she’s 33, he’s 22)
🏒 plus size representation
🏒 forced proximity
🏒 found family
🏒 love at first sight (for him)
──────────
・❥・⁀➷ pre-read
hoping this one lives up to the expectations i have for it. i read the first and third and im just hoping this one delivers 🩵🩷
wow wow wow… this book hit me straight in the heart.
-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-
Tess is a lawyer trapped in a messy, drawn-out divorce from her manipulative, controlling ex-husband, Troy. (he is actually the WORST. like when I tell you I’ve never wanted to strangle someone more…😤) He’s the kind of man who thrives on holding power over her, refusing to sign the papers, twisting her words, and chipping away at her spark. Once, Tess was vibrant and carefree. Now, years of emotional damage have her second-guessing her voice, her wants, her very self. Watching her try to reclaim the pieces she lost was equal parts gut-wrenching and inspiring.
And then there’s Ryan, professional hockey player for the Jacksonville Rays and the walking embodiment of a cinnamon roll with a protective streak. From the first moment he saw Tess, he knew. Even their hilariously awkward run-in, which ended in a kiss that rocked him to his core, never really left him. Ryan doesn’t just want Tess. He wants to prove she can trust someone to put her first, no matter what.
The found family in this book absolutely wrecked me in the best way. When Tess felt like the world had abandoned her, the Rays’ circle stepped in. Friends became family, showing up for her over and over until you could almost feel her shoulders start to lighten. Those moments had me teary-eyed more than once. (okay multiple times 😭)
I’ll admit, there were times I wanted to shake Tess for keeping Ryan at arm’s length and insisting their connection stay purely physical. But knowing the scars she carried from Troy, it made sense. Those boundaries were her shield, her way of surviving until she was ready to risk her heart again.
This story is equal parts steamy, emotional, and empowering. Tess’s journey is about more than romance. It’s about breaking free from a cage you didn’t realize was closing in and learning you’re worthy of love that is safe, steady, and fiercely loyal.
By the final chapter, I wasn’t just rooting for Tess and Ryan. I was all in on their future. This is a story about second chances, fierce love, and taking back your life… and it will make your heart go Pucking Wild.
-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-
things to know about the book ↓
🏒 reverse age gap (she’s 33, he’s 22)
🏒 plus size representation
🏒 forced proximity
🏒 found family
🏒 love at first sight (for him)
──────────
・❥・⁀➷ pre-read
hoping this one lives up to the expectations i have for it. i read the first and third and im just hoping this one delivers 🩵🩷
Read
March 31, 2023💥 See the Community Rating by 'Mya', well this book's not out until Aug 2023, Adding ratings before a book is released makes a farce of the whole Goodreads review process and spoils it for all members. Why do they do this? If they're an Alpha/Beta reader, or a friend of the author who got a copy early, fair enough, but they should disclose this. I wish idiots would stop ruining this forum. 🤬
July 15, 2024
This book took me entirely too long to read... despite being shorter than the mammoth first book in the series.
Here we are following Tess, a lawyer and Rachel's bestie as she rekindles that flirtationship she had with Ryan, the new guy on the team [ but they're an expansion team...so most of them are new, but he's 22 and a baby...]. We kick things off at Rachel's commitment ceremony to the men she's with, Johnny Depp is also randomly in attendance for some reason. Tess and Ryan link up at the wedding, it's a cute time had by all. Or it should be until Tess goes back to bumfuck Ohio and is confronted with photos of her dancing with Ryan at the wedding by her husband, Troy. Tess and this man have been estranged for some time and he simply refuses to sign divorce papers, or even have them drawn up or discussed. It's here that she is put on paid leave as they look into her violating her contract... something they don't do for Troy even though apparently everyone knows he's fucked several assistants on company time AND THEN ENGAGES IN ASSAULTING TESS IN THE WORK PLACE LITERAL SECONDS AFTER PUTTING HER ON LEAVE TO WHICH THERE ARE DEFINITE WITNESSES....
It doesn't matter, Tess shows up in Florida because in addition to dancing with Ryan at the wedding she got a job offer from one of Rachel's husbands, so she'll cash in on that while maybe she loses her job in bumfuck Ohio. Because Rachel now lives in a sex dungeon they put Tess up in one of the husbands' beach house that he hasn't managed to flip, the same one that gave her a job offer, and more on that in a minute.
Ryan is a sad puppy. He's trying his best to prove that he's a valuable part of the team so they give him an extension on his contract, we also know that he's financially supporting his family, and then at the beginning of the book he sustains a knee injury that could bench him for good. Most of the book is spent with him rehabbing this injury and taking things slow so he can eventually get back on the ice. Because he lives in a split level with too many stairs Jake suggests that he go live int he beach house his husband hasn't been able to sell...
Cue Ryan and Tess forced to share this house that they quickly turn into their version of a sex dungeon... They have one real date where they can sorta hammer things out, but it ends with Ryan discovering that Tess told her abusive husband some lies because he was never going to believe the truth and so Ryan is like well damn, I guess I will be your dildo then.... and then he spends the rest of the book as her dildo in a series of sex scenes that felt more and more gratuitous. Maybe I'm just a hater but some of the shit they were doing might not have been wild, but it was definitely giving tacky.
I mentioned this in my updates but Ryan is functionally illiterate. We learn very early on this man doesn't read or has difficulties or something is going on there. At the end, and I do mean the end, of the book we learn that he's dyslexic and a couple other things that make it where this man isn't doing any reading ever; street signs, tweets, instagram captions. This does come into play with how Tess' husband comes back into the picture [ also at the very end of the book and in a way so stupid it might as well not really be part of the story ].
The middle of this book is smut city. For the girlies that read nothing but smut fanfic, this is for you. Good fanfic authors are able to make to see the romance, to layer in character building in an AU setting, but this was lacking all of that. It was just the sex and people claiming to have these intense emotions for one another that lack evidentiary support.
The book sorta sets up a storyline for Ryan in the first few chapters where we get to meet him, but all of that falls to the wayside. The stuff with Tess's husband is carried through a little better with some hints along the way, but the way that concludes is utterly unsatisfying... We never really understand why Tess would want to marry Ryan after swearing off marriage...
At least that tracks though, because we also never understand why Ryan when Tess allegedly swore of all men after her husband and was in a series of not great Sapphic relationships, but at least those we understood her investment in? Not to be the age gap police in a book featuring fully grown people, but it does read like Ryan is just safe bc she got that man down bad for her... Honestly it's giving the kind of relationship the people on line would be praying would end because she needs to get away from him.
This book also spends some time setting up the third book, but honestly after Rachel was out here doing what she was doing of course the PR lady is getting dicked down by multiple members of the team not knowing who her baby daddy is. Dr. Prof. Rath is simply not good at her game, she should pack it up and go back to her previous field of employment because this was hot trash and not the fun kind you can enjoy poolside.
Here we are following Tess, a lawyer and Rachel's bestie as she rekindles that flirtationship she had with Ryan, the new guy on the team [ but they're an expansion team...so most of them are new, but he's 22 and a baby...]. We kick things off at Rachel's commitment ceremony to the men she's with, Johnny Depp is also randomly in attendance for some reason. Tess and Ryan link up at the wedding, it's a cute time had by all. Or it should be until Tess goes back to bumfuck Ohio and is confronted with photos of her dancing with Ryan at the wedding by her husband, Troy. Tess and this man have been estranged for some time and he simply refuses to sign divorce papers, or even have them drawn up or discussed. It's here that she is put on paid leave as they look into her violating her contract... something they don't do for Troy even though apparently everyone knows he's fucked several assistants on company time AND THEN ENGAGES IN ASSAULTING TESS IN THE WORK PLACE LITERAL SECONDS AFTER PUTTING HER ON LEAVE TO WHICH THERE ARE DEFINITE WITNESSES....
It doesn't matter, Tess shows up in Florida because in addition to dancing with Ryan at the wedding she got a job offer from one of Rachel's husbands, so she'll cash in on that while maybe she loses her job in bumfuck Ohio. Because Rachel now lives in a sex dungeon they put Tess up in one of the husbands' beach house that he hasn't managed to flip, the same one that gave her a job offer, and more on that in a minute.
Ryan is a sad puppy. He's trying his best to prove that he's a valuable part of the team so they give him an extension on his contract, we also know that he's financially supporting his family, and then at the beginning of the book he sustains a knee injury that could bench him for good. Most of the book is spent with him rehabbing this injury and taking things slow so he can eventually get back on the ice. Because he lives in a split level with too many stairs Jake suggests that he go live int he beach house his husband hasn't been able to sell...
Cue Ryan and Tess forced to share this house that they quickly turn into their version of a sex dungeon... They have one real date where they can sorta hammer things out, but it ends with Ryan discovering that Tess told her abusive husband some lies because he was never going to believe the truth and so Ryan is like well damn, I guess I will be your dildo then.... and then he spends the rest of the book as her dildo in a series of sex scenes that felt more and more gratuitous. Maybe I'm just a hater but some of the shit they were doing might not have been wild, but it was definitely giving tacky.
I mentioned this in my updates but Ryan is functionally illiterate. We learn very early on this man doesn't read or has difficulties or something is going on there. At the end, and I do mean the end, of the book we learn that he's dyslexic and a couple other things that make it where this man isn't doing any reading ever; street signs, tweets, instagram captions. This does come into play with how Tess' husband comes back into the picture [ also at the very end of the book and in a way so stupid it might as well not really be part of the story ].
The middle of this book is smut city. For the girlies that read nothing but smut fanfic, this is for you. Good fanfic authors are able to make to see the romance, to layer in character building in an AU setting, but this was lacking all of that. It was just the sex and people claiming to have these intense emotions for one another that lack evidentiary support.
The book sorta sets up a storyline for Ryan in the first few chapters where we get to meet him, but all of that falls to the wayside. The stuff with Tess's husband is carried through a little better with some hints along the way, but the way that concludes is utterly unsatisfying... We never really understand why Tess would want to marry Ryan after swearing off marriage...
At least that tracks though, because we also never understand why Ryan when Tess allegedly swore of all men after her husband and was in a series of not great Sapphic relationships, but at least those we understood her investment in? Not to be the age gap police in a book featuring fully grown people, but it does read like Ryan is just safe bc she got that man down bad for her... Honestly it's giving the kind of relationship the people on line would be praying would end because she needs to get away from him.
This book also spends some time setting up the third book, but honestly after Rachel was out here doing what she was doing of course the PR lady is getting dicked down by multiple members of the team not knowing who her baby daddy is. Dr. Prof. Rath is simply not good at her game, she should pack it up and go back to her previous field of employment because this was hot trash and not the fun kind you can enjoy poolside.
November 27, 2023
ALRIGHT i finally got around to rereading this since reading the pre edited arc. i wanna start by saying this is a total improvement from the pre edited version. if i had read this one first it probably would’ve been a 5. this was one of those rare cases for me that the audio did not make me love the book more, i just really could never move past the male narrator doing tess’ parts especially during the smut i wanted to cut my ears off lmao 🥴
i am SO glad emily made the decision to rewrite pretty much everything that had to do with rach and tess, pre edit rach was made to be the villain and the “mirror”/bed scene was AWFUL to read the first time around.
i didnt really love tess my first time reading this, i thought for a 32 year old lawyer she seemed to be lacking a lot of critical thinking and people skills, she was also extremely immature feeling. i tried making excuses for this but the fact still remained that pre edit PW tess was NOT pucking around tess and i think post edit she matched PA tess much more. she was 10x more likeable post edit. i was really happy in the way she finally stood up for herself and how she finally handled everything with troy and bea!!
ryan was the saving grace of the book my first time reading, hes pretty much the only reason i didnt DNF the first time. though i didnt really like the narration for him it didnt diminish how much i absolutely adore that man. he is so sweet and just everything that tess needed in her life. and im happy that i feel like this version of tess really deserved him bc pre edit i was screaming at my kindle that he deserved so much better.
the prices, you will always be famous to me. their cameos in this book was just the icing on the cake 😭 i adore that family with everything in me so still getting to see them through out the entire book without it feeling like overload was *chefs kiss*. i love how much they were all such a positive influence on tess and ryan, ilmari my sweet sweet finn you are the star of the show 😭
i am SO glad emily made the decision to rewrite pretty much everything that had to do with rach and tess, pre edit rach was made to be the villain and the “mirror”/bed scene was AWFUL to read the first time around.
i didnt really love tess my first time reading this, i thought for a 32 year old lawyer she seemed to be lacking a lot of critical thinking and people skills, she was also extremely immature feeling. i tried making excuses for this but the fact still remained that pre edit PW tess was NOT pucking around tess and i think post edit she matched PA tess much more. she was 10x more likeable post edit. i was really happy in the way she finally stood up for herself and how she finally handled everything with troy and bea!!
ryan was the saving grace of the book my first time reading, hes pretty much the only reason i didnt DNF the first time. though i didnt really like the narration for him it didnt diminish how much i absolutely adore that man. he is so sweet and just everything that tess needed in her life. and im happy that i feel like this version of tess really deserved him bc pre edit i was screaming at my kindle that he deserved so much better.
the prices, you will always be famous to me. their cameos in this book was just the icing on the cake 😭 i adore that family with everything in me so still getting to see them through out the entire book without it feeling like overload was *chefs kiss*. i love how much they were all such a positive influence on tess and ryan, ilmari my sweet sweet finn you are the star of the show 😭
February 11, 2024
Меееееен🔥👑
dnf
June 9, 2025🏒🏒🏒
September 9, 2023
4.25 Stars
Ugh I loved this so much. This did for me what Pucking Around failed to do. I never thought I would have feelings for some blonde guy named Ryan—of all things—but here we are.
First of all, it should go without saying that Tess is everything. I related to her so much that it’s insane. That feeling of never really knowing where you belong and trying to find your reason in others is unfortunately too familiar for me. I loved her humor, her confidence, and her strength. I wanted to hug her and be her best friend, but I also kind of wanted Ryan to myself so I don’t see how that would work. ANYWAY.
Langley was such an angel. I loved him so much, and getting to know him was such a delight. Many people have commented on the fact that he seemed more mature emotionally than Tess, and they found it strange considering he’s 22 to her 33. I think his emotional maturity made sense considering how quickly he had to grow up in order to provide for his family. When you’re young but still the one providing financial security it makes sense that you would seem older than you are—because you simply have to be. He has a ton of responsibility weighing on his shoulders, and I think Emily did a great job representing that. He also was still a 22 year-old guy though, and that showed with his relaxation time and playing Mario Kart with the boys, which was always funny (especially with the rookies). I also never caught onto his secret despite all of the signs being there, and truthfully my heart burst for him when it was time for him to be vulnerable.
This book also just cemented my love for Ilmari even more. I enjoyed watching a friendship blossom between him and Tess, and I also loved Jake/Mars/Caleb taking her in as a sister. I am a sucker for found family, so it’s gonna get me every time. Rachel and I still have beef, but I will say that I enjoyed her more in this than I did in her own book, so that’s something I guess.
Ok, now we have to talk about it… Poppy, Novy and Morrow… I’m practically foaming at the mouth for how excited I am. The scene from Shelby’s birthday party had me screaming, and I cannot wait to read about it from their perspectives.
Ugh I loved this so much. This did for me what Pucking Around failed to do. I never thought I would have feelings for some blonde guy named Ryan—of all things—but here we are.
First of all, it should go without saying that Tess is everything. I related to her so much that it’s insane. That feeling of never really knowing where you belong and trying to find your reason in others is unfortunately too familiar for me. I loved her humor, her confidence, and her strength. I wanted to hug her and be her best friend, but I also kind of wanted Ryan to myself so I don’t see how that would work. ANYWAY.
Langley was such an angel. I loved him so much, and getting to know him was such a delight. Many people have commented on the fact that he seemed more mature emotionally than Tess, and they found it strange considering he’s 22 to her 33. I think his emotional maturity made sense considering how quickly he had to grow up in order to provide for his family. When you’re young but still the one providing financial security it makes sense that you would seem older than you are—because you simply have to be. He has a ton of responsibility weighing on his shoulders, and I think Emily did a great job representing that. He also was still a 22 year-old guy though, and that showed with his relaxation time and playing Mario Kart with the boys, which was always funny (especially with the rookies). I also never caught onto his secret despite all of the signs being there, and truthfully my heart burst for him when it was time for him to be vulnerable.
This book also just cemented my love for Ilmari even more. I enjoyed watching a friendship blossom between him and Tess, and I also loved Jake/Mars/Caleb taking her in as a sister. I am a sucker for found family, so it’s gonna get me every time. Rachel and I still have beef, but I will say that I enjoyed her more in this than I did in her own book, so that’s something I guess.
Ok, now we have to talk about it… Poppy, Novy and Morrow… I’m practically foaming at the mouth for how excited I am. The scene from Shelby’s birthday party had me screaming, and I cannot wait to read about it from their perspectives.
December 15, 2023
My favorite parts of this whole book were any scenes with the Prices. Outside of that, I didn't care for it.
I needed more character and relationship development. I just read a 600 something page book and still don't really know either main character outside of their sexual preferences and surface details. Tess was not a compelling FMC and was naked more often than clothed. I also didn't enjoy the way she spoke to Ryan a lot of the time. Plus she's 10 years older than him but acts way younger? Ryan was sweet but just there. We get one scene where his sister asks him to pay for a school trip and then it's like he doesn't have a mom or sister the rest of the book lol.
The third act conflict was a result of them both not communicating well with each other because they spent the first 2/3 of the book just pining and fucking.
Coming back to add: I'm also upset over the fact that these two agreed that marriage wasn't in the cards for them, they didn't care for it and it's not necessary, ONLY FOR THE EPILOGUE TO BE A PROPOSAL?
I needed more character and relationship development. I just read a 600 something page book and still don't really know either main character outside of their sexual preferences and surface details. Tess was not a compelling FMC and was naked more often than clothed. I also didn't enjoy the way she spoke to Ryan a lot of the time. Plus she's 10 years older than him but acts way younger? Ryan was sweet but just there. We get one scene where his sister asks him to pay for a school trip and then it's like he doesn't have a mom or sister the rest of the book lol.
The third act conflict was a result of them both not communicating well with each other because they spent the first 2/3 of the book just pining and fucking.
Coming back to add: I'm also upset over the fact that these two agreed that marriage wasn't in the cards for them, they didn't care for it and it's not necessary, ONLY FOR THE EPILOGUE TO BE A PROPOSAL?
February 17, 2024
Update: Lol do you ever see your old reviews and roll your eyes a bit? Yeah I struggled with this book honestly. Great concept, I just didn’t enjoy it 😭
No third act breakup
Age gap (she’s older)
✨lots of toys✨
Plus size/Curvy FMC
Bisexual FMC
He falls first and HARD
just
No third act breakup
Age gap (she’s older)
✨lots of toys✨
Plus size/Curvy FMC
Bisexual FMC
He falls first and HARD
just
August 25, 2023
ugh, just no. Huge disappointment.
September 6, 2023
DNF. There was nothing I enjoyed about this story or the characters. Did she have to call him puppy every ten seconds? Barf. He was such a pushover and she was just too much. I was so excited for this book and it fell flat on its face.
October 18, 2024
Pucking wild follows Tess Owens and Ryan Langley. Tess is best friends with Rachel who is the main character in the first book, and she has been going through a difficult separation as her estranged husband Troy tries to manipulate and gaslight her. Meanwhile Ryan is a Jacksonville Rays hockey player. Tess and Ryan meet at the beach and it's not long before they end up sharing a kiss. Ryan is determined to be in a relationship with Tess (even though he doesn't tell her) but she is traumatised by what she has been through with her ex, and she doesn't want to be a relationship. One day Ryan is injured during a hockey game and he has to move into where Tess is currently staying which is at Ilmari's former house. Their close proximity brings them closer together and they soon end up in a relationship. However Tess and Ryan eventually find out that her ex Troy has been having a man spy on them because he doesn't want her to be in a relationship with another man. Troy later ends up stalking Tess and Ryan at a event and he threatens both of them in order to end their relationship. However he is thankfully removed from the event and Tess and Ryan declare their feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't a fan of Pucking around but this one suprised me. I felt Tess and Ryan's emotional connection and I really liked the spice scenes as well. I love the way Ryan loves and supports Tess no matter what happens. All of this means that this is my favorite book in the series.
August 27, 2023
I read a review a while back that said “you don’t know how high you’re expectations were, until you see them plummeting down to earth” and shit, I FELT THAT.
I really, honest to god, wanted to love this book so much. I loved Tess in Pucking Around, but that Tess vs this one … two whole different people, and to this one I couldn’t relate. This story didn’t need to be 600 pages, at one point it felt like reading the same thing over and over again.
I didn’t like how Tess spoke to Ryan, it felt wrong.
Good news is Ilmari is still king, so that’s why this mess got two stars from me.
I LOVE EMILY, but babes, this wasn’t it. It wasn’t giving what it was supposed to give, and I hate to even give this two stars, but I can’t force myself to give it 3. I’ll still ride for you tho 😅
I really, honest to god, wanted to love this book so much. I loved Tess in Pucking Around, but that Tess vs this one … two whole different people, and to this one I couldn’t relate. This story didn’t need to be 600 pages, at one point it felt like reading the same thing over and over again.
I didn’t like how Tess spoke to Ryan, it felt wrong.
Good news is Ilmari is still king, so that’s why this mess got two stars from me.
I LOVE EMILY, but babes, this wasn’t it. It wasn’t giving what it was supposed to give, and I hate to even give this two stars, but I can’t force myself to give it 3. I’ll still ride for you tho 😅
March 8, 2024
2.75 - I rounded up.
I would have been perfectly fine if I never read this. I did not need to read this.
I would have been perfectly fine if I never read this. I did not need to read this.
August 15, 2023
"My Tess. My ginger goddess. Ruler of my fucking universe."
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️,5/5
Hockey romance
MF romance
Interconnected standalone
Reverse age gap (22M-33F)
Plus-size and bi-sexual FMC
Golden retriever MMC
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
He falls first
SWITCH PERFECTION
Dom(me)/sub
Toy play
Backdoor action (for him and her!)
Pegging
Impact play
Public play
Dirty talk (ALL the praise)
Bondage
Breath play
I literally DEVOURED this in 24 hours. I laughed. I swooned. I was kicking my feet. I was boiling with anger at some point. Tess is a character we don't see that often in romance books and this whole journey with Ryan was like a balm to my heart.
Tess is a divorcee and she escapes her toxic ex by moving to Jacksonville to be close to Rachel (Pucking Around) and to start her new job. She meets hockeyplayer Ryan, a 22 year old athlete with golden retriever puppy energy. One kiss is all it takes and he is obsessed with her. And he's determined to make her his, to make her see that her past doesn't matter, the age difference doesn't matter, all that matters is that opposites attract and that they are perfect for each other.
Tess is a character after my heart. I felt so seen. She has the classic oldest daugher independence (even though she's an only child), she wants to fix her life on her own and she keeps everyone at a safe distance. She's wild, a bit of a mess, a sex positive and plus-size goddess. I loved how her being plus-size wasn't a part of the plot but we still see her being confident and owning her body and that was so refreshing. Her journey to divorce is a tough one but she has so much character development along the way, CHAPEAU!!! Ryan is golden retriever perfection. God that man was SO good. Sweet, curious, funny, but he has a DOM side and OMG?! Both Tess and Ryan can switch and that too was SO refreshing. I felt all the feelings while reading this book and I wanted to murder Troy so bad. The plot was a bit slow, but we see all the character development and I loooooved the Price side characters. Jake made me laugh SO many times. I also loved that Tess and Ryan slaughter the traditional relationship roles. The spice was incredible. Experimental and emotional and super kinky. I loved how Tess showed Ryan the ropes and gave him a safe space to try new things with her - and also explore his Dom tendencies. I can't WAIT for the next book, because this series is so incredible.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️,5/5
Hockey romance
MF romance
Interconnected standalone
Reverse age gap (22M-33F)
Plus-size and bi-sexual FMC
Golden retriever MMC
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
He falls first
SWITCH PERFECTION
Dom(me)/sub
Toy play
Backdoor action (for him and her!)
Pegging
Impact play
Public play
Dirty talk (ALL the praise)
Bondage
Breath play
I literally DEVOURED this in 24 hours. I laughed. I swooned. I was kicking my feet. I was boiling with anger at some point. Tess is a character we don't see that often in romance books and this whole journey with Ryan was like a balm to my heart.
Tess is a divorcee and she escapes her toxic ex by moving to Jacksonville to be close to Rachel (Pucking Around) and to start her new job. She meets hockeyplayer Ryan, a 22 year old athlete with golden retriever puppy energy. One kiss is all it takes and he is obsessed with her. And he's determined to make her his, to make her see that her past doesn't matter, the age difference doesn't matter, all that matters is that opposites attract and that they are perfect for each other.
Tess is a character after my heart. I felt so seen. She has the classic oldest daugher independence (even though she's an only child), she wants to fix her life on her own and she keeps everyone at a safe distance. She's wild, a bit of a mess, a sex positive and plus-size goddess. I loved how her being plus-size wasn't a part of the plot but we still see her being confident and owning her body and that was so refreshing. Her journey to divorce is a tough one but she has so much character development along the way, CHAPEAU!!! Ryan is golden retriever perfection. God that man was SO good. Sweet, curious, funny, but he has a DOM side and OMG?! Both Tess and Ryan can switch and that too was SO refreshing. I felt all the feelings while reading this book and I wanted to murder Troy so bad. The plot was a bit slow, but we see all the character development and I loooooved the Price side characters. Jake made me laugh SO many times. I also loved that Tess and Ryan slaughter the traditional relationship roles. The spice was incredible. Experimental and emotional and super kinky. I loved how Tess showed Ryan the ropes and gave him a safe space to try new things with her - and also explore his Dom tendencies. I can't WAIT for the next book, because this series is so incredible.
December 9, 2024
« 𝑹𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒚. 𝑴𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒚𝒂𝒏. 𝑴𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏. » 🩵
ce livre est une masterclass de A à Z.
je n’ai rien à reprocher à cette histoire, tout était absolument parfait, j’ai le cœur en miette de devoir les quitter, c’était incroyable.
j’ai tellement savouré chaque chaque chapitre, chaque ligne, il fait 613 pages, je n’ai ressenti aucune longueur grâce à la plume tellement addictive d’Emily. j’ai su hyper tôt dans ma lecture que cette histoire serait un coup de cœur. les tropes sont pépites : proximité forcée | found family | hockey romance | reverse age gap | golden retriever MMC | plus size & bi FMC friends to lovers | he fell first | et spicyyyy +++
ce tome s’inscrit parfaitement dans la continuité de pucking around, la found family est absolument incroyable et essentielle, on retrouve Rachel, Jake, Caleb & Ilmari qui jouent tous un rôle particulier dans l’histoire de Tess & Ryan. c’était tellement beau de les voir tous ensemble, chacun à sa place, quel coup de cœur, vraiment, j’ai juste envie d’entrer dans le livre, de vivre à Jacksonville auprès des Rays.
Ryan Langley vraiment parlons en ? j’ai débloqué un nouveau book boyfriend de qualité, quel green flag ce mec, ils m’ont tous les deux trop touchée avec Tess. l’alchimie entre eux est si belle, c’était tellement pur et sain, les voir si bien communiquer à rempli mon cœur de bonheur. l’histoire fait passer de très beaux messages, le smut et clairement l’un des meilleurs que j’ai pu lire, c’était émouvant, drôle et touchant. ils ont trouvé leur chez eux et je veux faire de mon chez moi chez eux mdr
ce genre d’histoire dotée d’un amour si pur et authentique me rappelle pourquoi j’aime autant lire de la romance. bref je pourrai parler de cette histoire pendant des heures donc je vais me canaliser mais vraiment, c’était parfait. en plus, on a un super teasing du tome 3, faut voir comment j’ai hâte. cette saga est entrain de se faire une grosse place dans mon cœur.
— "j’ai l’impression que des bouts de moi se détachent et son remplacés par elle."
— "quand on est ensemble, je n’ai pas l’impression qu’on est vraiment deux."
ce livre est une masterclass de A à Z.
je n’ai rien à reprocher à cette histoire, tout était absolument parfait, j’ai le cœur en miette de devoir les quitter, c’était incroyable.
j’ai tellement savouré chaque chaque chapitre, chaque ligne, il fait 613 pages, je n’ai ressenti aucune longueur grâce à la plume tellement addictive d’Emily. j’ai su hyper tôt dans ma lecture que cette histoire serait un coup de cœur. les tropes sont pépites : proximité forcée | found family | hockey romance | reverse age gap | golden retriever MMC | plus size & bi FMC friends to lovers | he fell first | et spicyyyy +++
ce tome s’inscrit parfaitement dans la continuité de pucking around, la found family est absolument incroyable et essentielle, on retrouve Rachel, Jake, Caleb & Ilmari qui jouent tous un rôle particulier dans l’histoire de Tess & Ryan. c’était tellement beau de les voir tous ensemble, chacun à sa place, quel coup de cœur, vraiment, j’ai juste envie d’entrer dans le livre, de vivre à Jacksonville auprès des Rays.
Ryan Langley vraiment parlons en ? j’ai débloqué un nouveau book boyfriend de qualité, quel green flag ce mec, ils m’ont tous les deux trop touchée avec Tess. l’alchimie entre eux est si belle, c’était tellement pur et sain, les voir si bien communiquer à rempli mon cœur de bonheur. l’histoire fait passer de très beaux messages, le smut et clairement l’un des meilleurs que j’ai pu lire, c’était émouvant, drôle et touchant. ils ont trouvé leur chez eux et je veux faire de mon chez moi chez eux mdr
ce genre d’histoire dotée d’un amour si pur et authentique me rappelle pourquoi j’aime autant lire de la romance. bref je pourrai parler de cette histoire pendant des heures donc je vais me canaliser mais vraiment, c’était parfait. en plus, on a un super teasing du tome 3, faut voir comment j’ai hâte. cette saga est entrain de se faire une grosse place dans mon cœur.
— "j’ai l’impression que des bouts de moi se détachent et son remplacés par elle."
— "quand on est ensemble, je n’ai pas l’impression qu’on est vraiment deux."
September 28, 2023
A great second book to the first viral sensation…
Leave it to Emily Rath to turn my high expectations into reality.
📔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼: Pucking Wild, the second book in the Jacksonville Rays series by Emily Rath.
📚𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲: Sports romance (hockey), reverse age gap, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, he falls first (and HARD), golden retriever MMC, domme vibes.
📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Tess is trying to escape a mentally and physically violent marriage, so she moves to Jacksonville to be closer to her best friend and regain her balance. But the pull toward Ryan Langley - the star forward of the Rays who is almost a decade her junior, makes her question her newfound hate for relationships.
🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This is the kind of book you hope a writer will give you when you fall in love with the first of a series.
It’s got tropes you underestimate - reverse age gap, with a golden retriever male MC - that don’t make me scream in anticipation. But the best writers give you what you need, not what you want.
And Tess and Ryan were incredible. Tess is wild and messy, with plus size representation and a serious “taking back my life” vibe. And though Ryan is head over heels for her right from the start, he’s no pushover. But he’s also there for Tess every single step of her journey.
I wasn’t thrilled this book was 700 pages - an author has to do a lot to prove to me that was worth it. But part of the reason it is that long is because the story heavily features our favorite characters from book one, and it’s just got a great homey feel to be back within their orbit.
The spice on this one was off the charts hot. And the happy ending made me tear up. What more can you ask for in a book?
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5/5 🌶🌶🌶🌶
🆓️ on KU
Leave it to Emily Rath to turn my high expectations into reality.
📔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼: Pucking Wild, the second book in the Jacksonville Rays series by Emily Rath.
📚𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲: Sports romance (hockey), reverse age gap, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, he falls first (and HARD), golden retriever MMC, domme vibes.
📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Tess is trying to escape a mentally and physically violent marriage, so she moves to Jacksonville to be closer to her best friend and regain her balance. But the pull toward Ryan Langley - the star forward of the Rays who is almost a decade her junior, makes her question her newfound hate for relationships.
🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This is the kind of book you hope a writer will give you when you fall in love with the first of a series.
It’s got tropes you underestimate - reverse age gap, with a golden retriever male MC - that don’t make me scream in anticipation. But the best writers give you what you need, not what you want.
And Tess and Ryan were incredible. Tess is wild and messy, with plus size representation and a serious “taking back my life” vibe. And though Ryan is head over heels for her right from the start, he’s no pushover. But he’s also there for Tess every single step of her journey.
I wasn’t thrilled this book was 700 pages - an author has to do a lot to prove to me that was worth it. But part of the reason it is that long is because the story heavily features our favorite characters from book one, and it’s just got a great homey feel to be back within their orbit.
The spice on this one was off the charts hot. And the happy ending made me tear up. What more can you ask for in a book?
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5/5 🌶🌶🌶🌶
🆓️ on KU
November 24, 2024
Although Tess and Ryan seemed an unlikely pair, I thought they were good together. This is a fun series. I enjoyed the storyline in this one more than Pucking Around and surprisingly I actually love the hockey aspect of these stories. The 3.5 stars rounded up. 💫
August 20, 2023
Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I dnf'd at 64% when I just couldn't handle it anymore and it took me over a week to even get that far into it. I almost never quit on books - I'm pretty sure I've dnf'd less than 10 books in my whole life.
**This is all based off the original ARC I received, but there was an email explaining the pub version will be drastically different from the ARC version....
I LOVED Pucking Around and both novellas surrounding it. I bought the limited edition and all the stickers. Reread it. I was obsessed. So I was so excited for this book... but I really reallllly do not like Tess. I am a HUGE believer that while our trauma can explain why we act and think a certain way it DOES NOT EXCUSE IT. And the way Tess treated Ryan doesn't sit right with me.
Now, I didn't finish it so maybe this changes but I couldn't read anymore of how Tess talked to, thought about, and treated Ryan.
The true star of this book is Mars. I love that man.
**This is all based off the original ARC I received, but there was an email explaining the pub version will be drastically different from the ARC version....
I LOVED Pucking Around and both novellas surrounding it. I bought the limited edition and all the stickers. Reread it. I was obsessed. So I was so excited for this book... but I really reallllly do not like Tess. I am a HUGE believer that while our trauma can explain why we act and think a certain way it DOES NOT EXCUSE IT. And the way Tess treated Ryan doesn't sit right with me.
Now, I didn't finish it so maybe this changes but I couldn't read anymore of how Tess talked to, thought about, and treated Ryan.
The true star of this book is Mars. I love that man.
August 12, 2023
Emily Rath, this was a masterpiece! You had me swooning, giggling, steaming with anger at a certain douchebag, steaming with lust at the spice, crying, smiling so wide and asking for more! I absolutely adored Tess and Ryan and I could not put this book down! I thought the guys from Pucking Around would be hard to top but please tell me where I can find my own Ryan Langley 😍 He's so sweet, thoughtful, determined and protective and just perfect for Tess. I want someone to shower me in love the way he makes it his life's purpose to love her.
Thank you so much for the ARC, I cannot wait for others to go on this journey!
Thank you so much for the ARC, I cannot wait for others to go on this journey!
August 24, 2023
bold of this author to self proclaim this as "positive plus size and bisexual representation" when i didn't even realize she was plus size and the only time her bisexuality is brought up is in relation to men or when she is actively having sex with this man
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