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Dusk Bay Demons #1
Puck Drop
Revenge is pucking sweet. Until the blood won't wash off my hands and my enemies want their own retribution.
I can only evade them for so long, before they take a shot.
The head coach of the Dusk Bay Demons, the hockey team with everything to prove, won't let them near me.
Who will he allow? The equipment manager who's the calm to his storm, and the defenceman whose heart is as dark as he is skilled with his stick.
My guys want to convince our enemies I wasn't in the game, but that means sacrificing one of them instead. Can I sit out when I have everything to lose, or will the horn call time on our relationship first?
**This is an interconnected, standalone, hockey RH/ poly romance.**
Recommended reading
Puck drop
Breakaway
Power Play
I can only evade them for so long, before they take a shot.
The head coach of the Dusk Bay Demons, the hockey team with everything to prove, won't let them near me.
Who will he allow? The equipment manager who's the calm to his storm, and the defenceman whose heart is as dark as he is skilled with his stick.
My guys want to convince our enemies I wasn't in the game, but that means sacrificing one of them instead. Can I sit out when I have everything to lose, or will the horn call time on our relationship first?
**This is an interconnected, standalone, hockey RH/ poly romance.**
Recommended reading
Puck drop
Breakaway
Power Play
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2024
482 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 27, 2024
DNF. Got the ick.
The premise was, eh, fine but I could not get past female lead being all “I’m so basic and why would you want me?” and then in the next paragraph act like a sex goddess whom everyone wanted. I can’t stand books that do that, not my style at all. Either own that you think you’re amazing or keep it going that you don’t, but the swap back and forth with the weirdest displays of PTSD (??) thrown in was just…no. Ick.
DNF at around 30-40%
The premise was, eh, fine but I could not get past female lead being all “I’m so basic and why would you want me?” and then in the next paragraph act like a sex goddess whom everyone wanted. I can’t stand books that do that, not my style at all. Either own that you think you’re amazing or keep it going that you don’t, but the swap back and forth with the weirdest displays of PTSD (??) thrown in was just…no. Ick.
DNF at around 30-40%
February 21, 2024
Mafioso Hockey
Puck Drop is the first book of the Dusk Bay Demons Series by authors Maggie Alabaster and Jo Bradley. Our MFC is Elenna and she is married to Aidan, the coach of the Dusk Bay Demons hockey team. Finley is the team Equipment Manager and Orion is one of the defensemen. I actually liked these characters and I was rooting for them. I liked the relationship that Elenna has with her men. I liked the way the men treated Elenna, the sex was hot and I had no problem with the bits of MM action.
When I saw the book, the cover and read the blurb I decided to borrow it with Kindle Unlimited. I admit that I skimmed the blurb. I like hockey romances and I sometimes love reverse harem stories. I will admit that I almost never read reviews. I know, I’m sorry. I should have read them before opening the book. You see, the Mafia trope isn’t really one for me. I just thought it was a hot, reverse harem, hockey story. It wasn’t until I was a few pages in that I realized what the other major theme of the book was. I have never read anything from either of the authors. The problems I may have had is only because of the whole Mafia and violence. However, I spent the whole book wanting to return it because of all the bloody violence. If I want to read about that, I will turn on the news. I kept on, semi skimming ahead because I wanted to know what happened. Was it worth the read? Eh, maybe. I didn’t hate it. I am just warning people about it because I know the blood and gore might be a trigger for some.
Puck Drop is the first book of the Dusk Bay Demons Series by authors Maggie Alabaster and Jo Bradley. Our MFC is Elenna and she is married to Aidan, the coach of the Dusk Bay Demons hockey team. Finley is the team Equipment Manager and Orion is one of the defensemen. I actually liked these characters and I was rooting for them. I liked the relationship that Elenna has with her men. I liked the way the men treated Elenna, the sex was hot and I had no problem with the bits of MM action.
When I saw the book, the cover and read the blurb I decided to borrow it with Kindle Unlimited. I admit that I skimmed the blurb. I like hockey romances and I sometimes love reverse harem stories. I will admit that I almost never read reviews. I know, I’m sorry. I should have read them before opening the book. You see, the Mafia trope isn’t really one for me. I just thought it was a hot, reverse harem, hockey story. It wasn’t until I was a few pages in that I realized what the other major theme of the book was. I have never read anything from either of the authors. The problems I may have had is only because of the whole Mafia and violence. However, I spent the whole book wanting to return it because of all the bloody violence. If I want to read about that, I will turn on the news. I kept on, semi skimming ahead because I wanted to know what happened. Was it worth the read? Eh, maybe. I didn’t hate it. I am just warning people about it because I know the blood and gore might be a trigger for some.
June 8, 2025
1 star ⭐️
this was actually the worst book i think i’ve ever read in my whole life. firstly, the hockey team is a gang that kills people??? what??? why??? we don’t actually ever find out why they just keep saying “life is tough like this around here” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. second, i didn’t know this book was going to be a love story about a FOURSOME COUPLE?????? WHAT???? elena’s relationship with all of the 3 boys was so confusing to me i can’t even begin to try and explain it. third, there was so many unnecessary characters and names being thrown around i was confused the whole time. i could go on and on about how bad this book is, but lastly, there was literally no plot. was this book about hockey or about gangs or about foursomes? we will never know. safe to say i will not be continuing the series.
this was actually the worst book i think i’ve ever read in my whole life. firstly, the hockey team is a gang that kills people??? what??? why??? we don’t actually ever find out why they just keep saying “life is tough like this around here” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. second, i didn’t know this book was going to be a love story about a FOURSOME COUPLE?????? WHAT???? elena’s relationship with all of the 3 boys was so confusing to me i can’t even begin to try and explain it. third, there was so many unnecessary characters and names being thrown around i was confused the whole time. i could go on and on about how bad this book is, but lastly, there was literally no plot. was this book about hockey or about gangs or about foursomes? we will never know. safe to say i will not be continuing the series.
February 2, 2024
Puck Drop by Maggie Alabaster & Jo Bradley is the First book in the Dusk Bay Demons Series. This is the story of Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion. We have a Hockey and Mafia theme along with the 'Why Choose' theme. Aiden, Orion and Finley where all so different but they all seem to come together when they had the same goal. I really enjoyed this book!
April 1, 2024
This was a really interesting story. I’ve never read a story that was able to contain all of my favorite things at once. I loved the dynamic between all the characters and the rollercoaster ride of a story they went on together. Would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys hockey romance, mafia and why choose romance tropes. I read and reviewed this title on behalf of Nerdy Girl Collective.
March 8, 2024
As the first in the series it could have gone either way… I loved it. Mafia background with MMFM, amazing.
Ellena has her work cut out for herself, with a husband who doesn’t mind sharing, and 2 very enthusiastic boyfriends, who not only explore her, but each other.
The suspense of the story pulls you along at a quick pace, and the ending to the story leaves it open for further expansion, but also ties it off nicely as a standalone.
Ellena has her work cut out for herself, with a husband who doesn’t mind sharing, and 2 very enthusiastic boyfriends, who not only explore her, but each other.
The suspense of the story pulls you along at a quick pace, and the ending to the story leaves it open for further expansion, but also ties it off nicely as a standalone.
January 20, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
June 10, 2025
wtf was that😃
February 12, 2026
I like it but it could have had more details it kinda started off in the middle of stuff n it was like we wear missing so much information.. but im gonna read book too let see how that goes
September 9, 2024
Despite my rating, I *think* I enjoyed this one? For the most part? I at least didn't hate it, but I was utterly confused for a good portion of it. It was kind of a train wreck in a way that made it impossible to stop reading.
This is a melting pot of tropes and genres, like the authors couldn't decide what they wanted to write about so they just said fuck it and wrote about ALL THE THINGS.
Hockey
Mafia
She's randomly an author
Pre-established marriage
Partner sharing
Just kidding, we're ALL in a relationship now
Why choose
Out of pocket MM
Setting up her friends with teammates for the next two books
She's a kill-shot with a gun and at pool
Possessive until they're not
Insta-love-ish
I could probably keep going but I digress.
Like always, I'm just pasting my notes from reading.
From page 1 I felt like there was a prequel novella I missed out on with important information, but then I checked and there wasn't. It felt like we were dropped into the middle of a story and I had to scramble to figure out what was going on.
She's already married to one MMC, and is friends with another. They decide RIGHT away to open their marriage (on her end only--the husband isn't interested in anyone but her), and then they decide right away to move in together with the friend they open it to and that she belongs to both of them equally and they'll both call her their wife. Then they decide that there's a third MMC that belongs with them because she talks to him one time.
All of this is before the 25% mark.
We never see her relationship with her husband develop to the point that he wants to share her with his friend because he loves her enough to make her happy. We never see the tension he saw between her and his friend, we're just thrown into this stuff already in full swing.
It's definitely insta-love for all of them, with very close to zero relationship building, even after the fact.
Okay and the mafia to hockey pipeline? 👀
It's hella weird that the fucking mafia is tied up with hockey so much that their higher ups and even their heirs are literally coaches and players. Every player on this team is part of the mafia, ready to throw down, and they do business with other teams and their coaches. Why??? What is their purpose? There's using professional hockey as a front to run product or wash money, and then there's making professional hockey the keystone of your empire. The second one is only viable in a book, but I'll roll with it I guess.
How many times is she going to tell us she's pretty but immediately detract from that by saying she's not as pretty as her friends?? Like we get it, seriously. Self esteem issues disguised as being a girl's girl...
Oh now one of the MMCs has gotta tell us how ugly he is multiple times too. Why am I being subjected to this fake humility?
It's a mafia romance but it's not a dark romance, so if that's what you're looking for, you won't find it here.
❌Spoilers maybe ❌
All that possessive posturing about never letting anyone find out she was the one who killed the enemy's guy, and wanting to take the blame in her place, and it was for nothing both times lol.
First he decided one of the other MMCs would go in her place and say he did it and he let her unnecessarily fret about him being killed or tortured, and then he didn't even hand him over when it came down to it. In fact he didn't even tell them it was him, he didn't tell them anything, and that was supposedly his grand plan all along, so that stress wasn't even needed.
Then when there were hostages, they're all like okay FMC, you can give yourself up now and we'll cover you...which goes against everything they had said and done to protect her in the book before then.
The MM was secondary to the story, and mostly came out of the blue. Like I thought if anything it'd be between the two who had been friends before and had even a kernel of chemistry, but then the other two were going at it randomly. And ngl most of it seemed like it was just to make the FMC happy, even though they tried to establish a base for feelings after the fact. We just don't see any of the build up, much like every other part of this book.
No third act breakup. No OW/OM drama.
Very light degradation kink from one of her guys. It's supposed to have a praise kink too from another of her guys, but I didn't add the tag bc I don't count calling someone good girl/boy a bunch of times as praise kink.
Oh yeah I forgot this born and raised mafia girl was a successful author. Good thing this character mentioned that at the end to go along with the other two-ish times it was ever mentioned
This could have been a hella good story, it was just trying to do too much without laying the groundwork for this world or for their relationships.
This is a melting pot of tropes and genres, like the authors couldn't decide what they wanted to write about so they just said fuck it and wrote about ALL THE THINGS.
Hockey
Mafia
She's randomly an author
Pre-established marriage
Partner sharing
Just kidding, we're ALL in a relationship now
Why choose
Out of pocket MM
Setting up her friends with teammates for the next two books
She's a kill-shot with a gun and at pool
Possessive until they're not
Insta-love-ish
I could probably keep going but I digress.
Like always, I'm just pasting my notes from reading.
From page 1 I felt like there was a prequel novella I missed out on with important information, but then I checked and there wasn't. It felt like we were dropped into the middle of a story and I had to scramble to figure out what was going on.
She's already married to one MMC, and is friends with another. They decide RIGHT away to open their marriage (on her end only--the husband isn't interested in anyone but her), and then they decide right away to move in together with the friend they open it to and that she belongs to both of them equally and they'll both call her their wife. Then they decide that there's a third MMC that belongs with them because she talks to him one time.
All of this is before the 25% mark.
We never see her relationship with her husband develop to the point that he wants to share her with his friend because he loves her enough to make her happy. We never see the tension he saw between her and his friend, we're just thrown into this stuff already in full swing.
It's definitely insta-love for all of them, with very close to zero relationship building, even after the fact.
Okay and the mafia to hockey pipeline? 👀
It's hella weird that the fucking mafia is tied up with hockey so much that their higher ups and even their heirs are literally coaches and players. Every player on this team is part of the mafia, ready to throw down, and they do business with other teams and their coaches. Why??? What is their purpose? There's using professional hockey as a front to run product or wash money, and then there's making professional hockey the keystone of your empire. The second one is only viable in a book, but I'll roll with it I guess.
How many times is she going to tell us she's pretty but immediately detract from that by saying she's not as pretty as her friends?? Like we get it, seriously. Self esteem issues disguised as being a girl's girl...
Oh now one of the MMCs has gotta tell us how ugly he is multiple times too. Why am I being subjected to this fake humility?
It's a mafia romance but it's not a dark romance, so if that's what you're looking for, you won't find it here.
❌Spoilers maybe ❌
All that possessive posturing about never letting anyone find out she was the one who killed the enemy's guy, and wanting to take the blame in her place, and it was for nothing both times lol.
First he decided one of the other MMCs would go in her place and say he did it and he let her unnecessarily fret about him being killed or tortured, and then he didn't even hand him over when it came down to it. In fact he didn't even tell them it was him, he didn't tell them anything, and that was supposedly his grand plan all along, so that stress wasn't even needed.
Then when there were hostages, they're all like okay FMC, you can give yourself up now and we'll cover you...which goes against everything they had said and done to protect her in the book before then.
The MM was secondary to the story, and mostly came out of the blue. Like I thought if anything it'd be between the two who had been friends before and had even a kernel of chemistry, but then the other two were going at it randomly. And ngl most of it seemed like it was just to make the FMC happy, even though they tried to establish a base for feelings after the fact. We just don't see any of the build up, much like every other part of this book.
No third act breakup. No OW/OM drama.
Very light degradation kink from one of her guys. It's supposed to have a praise kink too from another of her guys, but I didn't add the tag bc I don't count calling someone good girl/boy a bunch of times as praise kink.
Oh yeah I forgot this born and raised mafia girl was a successful author. Good thing this character mentioned that at the end to go along with the other two-ish times it was ever mentioned
This could have been a hella good story, it was just trying to do too much without laying the groundwork for this world or for their relationships.
August 16, 2025
You can read my review of Puck Drop on my blog, here: https://thepaperworlds.blogspot.com/2....
This is a spoiler-free review!
Guys... my kindle privileges need to be revoked. I cannot believe Stuff Your Kindle Day has lead me down this path. Hockey romance plus crime plus why choose... none of these words have ever been uttered in the same sentence before, and yet here we are. Why do I continue to put myself through this? I do not even know what I was thinking when I downloaded it, but it was free and I love to see what random books have in store for me. I was, however, utterly confused when this hockey team seemed to be full of murdering gang members?? Can someone explain this to me? I feel like I came out of this book with a concussion.
The author literally throws you into the strangest predicament known to man and expects readers to simply accept the fact that the leading lady and, for some reason, the majority of this hockey team are involved in some form of gang that are straight up killing people. Because apparently that is a normal thing for hockey players to be involved in, but I digress. Elenna is constantly in the pick-me girl scenario and finds herself being a mediator instead of a wife - Aidan is controlling when it comes to their outside relationships, but it makes sense as he is her husband. As for the other ones, they become oddly possessive after being involved for approximately two seconds and think they are just as important as Aidan.
Elenna was annoying - I have no idea why basically the entire hockey team thought she was the greatest gift to be brought to Earth, but good grief every single time we switched to her perspective a part of me died inside. I wanted her to be likable so bad, but I could just not warm up to her. Finley and Orion had such different personalities than Aidan, but they cared about Elenna just as much as he did. However, I still think their characterization and the way they immediately felt that they had just as much say in the relationship was presumptuous considering they were new.
The spice was wild and whacky but nothing that I had not seen before. A lot of the scenes felt as though they were thrown into the story at random, and we were going back and forth between smut and randomly killing people with no clear transition. This book put me in such a spin that I started to think I got hit in the head with a hockey puck halfway through. The overall tone of this book was so random and the goal was clearly to try to add some action into Elenna, Aidan, Orion, and Finley's lives, but it fell flat to the lack of consistency and ability to smoothly transition between perspectives and plot points. In my opinion, this would have worked much better if the author made this series only focus on this group, instead of making it interconnected stand alones where each book focuses on a different group.
You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads (maddymartinelli), Instagram (@thepaperworlds), Twitter (@thepaperworlds), and following this blog in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!
April 3, 2024
*Why Choose
*Contemporary
*Multi-PoV
*Mafia
*Hockey
*Revenge
*Building Harem (3)
*MM ⚔️
*Fast Burn
*Standalone
*Interconnected Trilogy
Satisfying read.
This story follows Elenna in the city of Dusk Bay which seems to be a hot bed for violence, organised crime and trouble 🙈
After wiping her brothers k!ll3r off the board Elenna has to deal with the guilt but also the fact that the family will be coming after her 😬 thankfully her husband Aiden is a lieutenant for the major family and so is quite adept at keeping his wife safe 😍 it’s apparent the Elenna has feelings for the Equipment Coach Fin and the new guy Orion - this was dynamic I haven’t read before a husband/wide duo adding more me but it worked! Especially as Aiden is a grumpy grumpy bear who’s balanced out by the lightness of Fin and despite clashing with the arrogance of Orion it brings out a playful side to Aiden ! 🥰Elenna and her men create a unique found family that really support each other and have each other’s backs….which they’re going to need to survive what comes for them 😄 it’s got plenty of smut to balance out the plot including a developing relationship between two of the guys 🌶️
*Contemporary
*Multi-PoV
*Mafia
*Hockey
*Revenge
*Building Harem (3)
*MM ⚔️
*Fast Burn
*Standalone
*Interconnected Trilogy
Satisfying read.
This story follows Elenna in the city of Dusk Bay which seems to be a hot bed for violence, organised crime and trouble 🙈
After wiping her brothers k!ll3r off the board Elenna has to deal with the guilt but also the fact that the family will be coming after her 😬 thankfully her husband Aiden is a lieutenant for the major family and so is quite adept at keeping his wife safe 😍 it’s apparent the Elenna has feelings for the Equipment Coach Fin and the new guy Orion - this was dynamic I haven’t read before a husband/wide duo adding more me but it worked! Especially as Aiden is a grumpy grumpy bear who’s balanced out by the lightness of Fin and despite clashing with the arrogance of Orion it brings out a playful side to Aiden ! 🥰Elenna and her men create a unique found family that really support each other and have each other’s backs….which they’re going to need to survive what comes for them 😄 it’s got plenty of smut to balance out the plot including a developing relationship between two of the guys 🌶️
October 7, 2024
DNF @ 20%
I'm not entirely too sure what was happening in this book in the first 60 pages, 27 of them had sex/suggestive content. That is almost 50% of all the content IN THE FIRST 20% OF THE BOOK.
Look, I know why choose novels and hockey/mafia romances are the rage right now, but it gets to a point where you aren't reading a novel - you are reading straight up porn which I didnt sign up for when I saw this being advertised online.
I love my mafia romances & I love my sports romances, and this was supposed to be a combination of the two which I was SO excited for, but instead I'm met with no storyline, about 2 pages worth of hockey content, maybe 5 to 10 of mafia content and the rest of the content was talking about dick.
Like we have an entire scene where Elenna (FL) is sitting there scared about asking Finley if he wanted to sleep with her because "he had morals" and she was married to Aidan. Then, a paragraph later, Finley has his hand down her pants??? Im sorry???
Please remember, you can have a great spicy book without taking away ALL of the personality of the characters and plot
I'm not entirely too sure what was happening in this book in the first 60 pages, 27 of them had sex/suggestive content. That is almost 50% of all the content IN THE FIRST 20% OF THE BOOK.
Look, I know why choose novels and hockey/mafia romances are the rage right now, but it gets to a point where you aren't reading a novel - you are reading straight up porn which I didnt sign up for when I saw this being advertised online.
I love my mafia romances & I love my sports romances, and this was supposed to be a combination of the two which I was SO excited for, but instead I'm met with no storyline, about 2 pages worth of hockey content, maybe 5 to 10 of mafia content and the rest of the content was talking about dick.
Like we have an entire scene where Elenna (FL) is sitting there scared about asking Finley if he wanted to sleep with her because "he had morals" and she was married to Aidan. Then, a paragraph later, Finley has his hand down her pants??? Im sorry???
Please remember, you can have a great spicy book without taking away ALL of the personality of the characters and plot
February 1, 2024
Title: Puck Drop
Author: Maggie Alabaster, Jo Bradley
Format: ebook
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime, RH, Sports (Hockey)
Standalone: yes
Part of a Series: Dusk Bat Demons
POV: Elenna Finley, Orion, Aidan
Steam Level: Hot, hot, hot
4/5
Overall I really liked Puck Drop. However because I’ve only read one other series set in Dusk Bay I felt a little lost at times. I recognized the organized crime families names and another character mentioned in passing but I didn’t remember all the details. I felt like I needed a reading order or something so some sort of family tree or character list. That being said I still really enjoyed this book. All three guys are different and provide for ELeena’s different needs, physically and emotionally. I love the dark, gritty world of Dusk Bay, sexy way the tough guys show a softer side to each other and the suspense/tension of always looking over your shoulder looking for the bullet that may or may not be coming for you.
I received an advanced copy of this book for free this is my honest and voluntary review.
Author: Maggie Alabaster, Jo Bradley
Format: ebook
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime, RH, Sports (Hockey)
Standalone: yes
Part of a Series: Dusk Bat Demons
POV: Elenna Finley, Orion, Aidan
Steam Level: Hot, hot, hot
4/5
Overall I really liked Puck Drop. However because I’ve only read one other series set in Dusk Bay I felt a little lost at times. I recognized the organized crime families names and another character mentioned in passing but I didn’t remember all the details. I felt like I needed a reading order or something so some sort of family tree or character list. That being said I still really enjoyed this book. All three guys are different and provide for ELeena’s different needs, physically and emotionally. I love the dark, gritty world of Dusk Bay, sexy way the tough guys show a softer side to each other and the suspense/tension of always looking over your shoulder looking for the bullet that may or may not be coming for you.
I received an advanced copy of this book for free this is my honest and voluntary review.
April 1, 2024
Tropes
🏒why choose (MFMM)
💎mafia ties
🏒sports romance (hockey)
💎bi-awakening
My brain may be broken with how many books that i've read over the past few years, but i *think* this the first book that i've read that has an already established main couple that chooses to grow their relationship over the duration of the book. Even though Elenna and Aidan already have an established relationship at the beginning of the book, I really felt like they grew in their relationship, and in turn family, with the additions of Finley and Orion. I enjoyed seeing their relationships with Elenna grow and being able to be their authentic selves without feeling judged or ridiculed. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot with the interconnectedness between the organized crime/mafia and hockey--I think it was interwoven and paired well. I do wish it was a bit longer to get a better sense of the timeline and seeing the relationship(s) develop between the characters. The mafia side of the plot also fell a bit short for me, I wish there was more to it. I feel like this same plot is going to go on throughout the entire trilogy when it all could have been resolved within the first book.
🏒why choose (MFMM)
💎mafia ties
🏒sports romance (hockey)
💎bi-awakening
My brain may be broken with how many books that i've read over the past few years, but i *think* this the first book that i've read that has an already established main couple that chooses to grow their relationship over the duration of the book. Even though Elenna and Aidan already have an established relationship at the beginning of the book, I really felt like they grew in their relationship, and in turn family, with the additions of Finley and Orion. I enjoyed seeing their relationships with Elenna grow and being able to be their authentic selves without feeling judged or ridiculed. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot with the interconnectedness between the organized crime/mafia and hockey--I think it was interwoven and paired well. I do wish it was a bit longer to get a better sense of the timeline and seeing the relationship(s) develop between the characters. The mafia side of the plot also fell a bit short for me, I wish there was more to it. I feel like this same plot is going to go on throughout the entire trilogy when it all could have been resolved within the first book.
February 14, 2026
this was so bad... first of all hockey and mafia?! Those two do not mix well and it honestly felt ridiculous reading it, bc what do you mean they have guns in the locker room?? 😭
But like, I could've lived with that.
What I could not live with was teh zero character development, the zero development of feelings (they were just hot for each other, starten effing around and then throwing about big "I love you"s. No development at all, just instand lust and love.
and the FMC? She was always like "omg noo I'm not that pretty, why would they like me", but as soon as she saw a 🐓 she was a nymph knowing how hot and sexy she was. Huh?? 🤨
also I fell like I was missing parts of the plot, it felt incomplete at times and I was a whole lot confused at times so yeah.. I won't continue the series.
But like, I could've lived with that.
What I could not live with was teh zero character development, the zero development of feelings (they were just hot for each other, starten effing around and then throwing about big "I love you"s. No development at all, just instand lust and love.
and the FMC? She was always like "omg noo I'm not that pretty, why would they like me", but as soon as she saw a 🐓 she was a nymph knowing how hot and sexy she was. Huh?? 🤨
also I fell like I was missing parts of the plot, it felt incomplete at times and I was a whole lot confused at times so yeah.. I won't continue the series.
February 1, 2024
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.
This is the first book in the Dusk Bay Demons. It is a hockey romance with mafia ties. This is the story of Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion. Each of those guys is totally different. Aiden is the one who is a morally grey bad boy. Finley is the sweetest little guy you have ever met. Orion is the grumpy one. He kind of reminded me grumpy from the seven dwarfs. She is involved in the mafia and loves dolling our revenge. But, what comes around goes around. Now the guys want her enemies to believe she is out of the game. There is a lot going on in this book and I loved every single second. I loved the characters and they story they have to tell. Now I can not wait to see what happens next.
This is the first book in the Dusk Bay Demons. It is a hockey romance with mafia ties. This is the story of Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion. Each of those guys is totally different. Aiden is the one who is a morally grey bad boy. Finley is the sweetest little guy you have ever met. Orion is the grumpy one. He kind of reminded me grumpy from the seven dwarfs. She is involved in the mafia and loves dolling our revenge. But, what comes around goes around. Now the guys want her enemies to believe she is out of the game. There is a lot going on in this book and I loved every single second. I loved the characters and they story they have to tell. Now I can not wait to see what happens next.
February 6, 2024
I love Elenna and her men! I really liked the dynamic of her being married to Aidan and the other two guys joining later. They all fit together really well and felt like a family. The guys were all so protective of Elenna and she was the same towards them.
There were a few times where I felt like I had missed something or that there should’ve been a prequel to this story. I felt a little lost and definitely would’ve liked to see more of Aidan and Elenna’s past.
The MM part of the harem came out of nowhere and didn’t really seem as natural as it could have.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading the other books in this series. I will also be reading more books from both authors’ backlists. ❤️
There were a few times where I felt like I had missed something or that there should’ve been a prequel to this story. I felt a little lost and definitely would’ve liked to see more of Aidan and Elenna’s past.
The MM part of the harem came out of nowhere and didn’t really seem as natural as it could have.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading the other books in this series. I will also be reading more books from both authors’ backlists. ❤️
Read
March 5, 2024DNF - I didn’t even make it through the first chapter I feel like hockey and mafia just do not blend. I absolutely LOVE both genres but mixing the two? It’s a no from me.
I probably didn’t give it as much time as I should have but honestly the opening just didn’t make me feel anything. She’s hanging around the hockey guys because they’re owned by the people who want her dead…. That’s so bloody stupid I snorted and then decided that this was going to be one of those books where I scream at the FMC because she’s acting like every single girl who dies at the beginning of the movie because she does something no one else would do in her situation
I probably didn’t give it as much time as I should have but honestly the opening just didn’t make me feel anything. She’s hanging around the hockey guys because they’re owned by the people who want her dead…. That’s so bloody stupid I snorted and then decided that this was going to be one of those books where I scream at the FMC because she’s acting like every single girl who dies at the beginning of the movie because she does something no one else would do in her situation
did-not-finish
August 27, 2025Book Name/Series: Puck Drop (Dusk Bay Demons #1)
Author: Maggie Alabaster
DNF at: 20%
Why:
Author: Maggie Alabaster
DNF at: 20%
Why:
February 1, 2024
This is the first book in a new series, and this is Elenna, Finlay, Aiden, and Orion’s story.
Finlay is sweet, Aiden is morally grey, Orion is grumpy, and Elenna loves dishing out vengeance. The three guys are totally devoted to Elenna, and I loved the strong bond which developed between them as the story evolves.
This is a well written story which is a reverse harem, hockey, and mafia romance, with emotions, intrigue, humor, and love, which leads to an entertaining and compelling page turner.
I look forward to reading more from these talented authors’ whose work I highly recommend.
Finlay is sweet, Aiden is morally grey, Orion is grumpy, and Elenna loves dishing out vengeance. The three guys are totally devoted to Elenna, and I loved the strong bond which developed between them as the story evolves.
This is a well written story which is a reverse harem, hockey, and mafia romance, with emotions, intrigue, humor, and love, which leads to an entertaining and compelling page turner.
I look forward to reading more from these talented authors’ whose work I highly recommend.
March 28, 2024
Elenna is married to Aidan, the head coach of the Dusk Bay Demons. They have an open marriage and bring in Finley, the Equipment Manager, and Orion, one of the team’s defensemen. Elenna got revenge for the murder of her brother by killing a rival mafia member but now the rival mafia wants payback.
I enjoyed the progression of their relationship throughout the story. The sexual chemistry between all of them was insane and the guys would do anything for Elenna. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat and sometimes I didn’t want to put the book down.
I enjoyed the progression of their relationship throughout the story. The sexual chemistry between all of them was insane and the guys would do anything for Elenna. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat and sometimes I didn’t want to put the book down.
November 11, 2024
This book was beyond cheesy. It was very lighthearted with dark mafia tones but everything is done in the name of LOOOVEEEEE 🩷 all the guys are so casual about sharing Elenna and never fight about anything. There was hardly any discussion about them being a big unit — it just.. happens? And everyone is so horny all the time . EVERYONE . Including the friends — who are always talking about cock… in public.
Did I enjoy this? 100000000% but it’s because of how cheesy and easy a read it was that I loved it
Did I enjoy this? 100000000% but it’s because of how cheesy and easy a read it was that I loved it
February 2, 2024
✨Review✨
***
Puck Drop was so good and filled with spice. I loved the guys. They were complete opposite but so good together. Elenna was amazing. I loved her personality and her attitude. The storyline was so good and easy to read. I loved the characters and the action. The ending was perfectly written and the spice was so hot.
***
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Romance: 🩷🩷🩷🩷
***
Thank you to Maggie Alabaster & Jo Bradley for the ARC to review.
***
***
Puck Drop was so good and filled with spice. I loved the guys. They were complete opposite but so good together. Elenna was amazing. I loved her personality and her attitude. The storyline was so good and easy to read. I loved the characters and the action. The ending was perfectly written and the spice was so hot.
***
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Romance: 🩷🩷🩷🩷
***
Thank you to Maggie Alabaster & Jo Bradley for the ARC to review.
***
February 5, 2024
Honestly, I felt a little lost in the first few chapters. I wasn't sure if I missed a book...
This is Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion story. It has a unique twist on sports romance with RH and mafia thrown in. Each man is different but all are devoted to Elenna and will do anything to keep her happy and safe. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship through out their story.
review by Raychel
This is Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion story. It has a unique twist on sports romance with RH and mafia thrown in. Each man is different but all are devoted to Elenna and will do anything to keep her happy and safe. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship through out their story.
review by Raychel
February 6, 2024
Why choose, sports romance, mafia
I truly enjoyed the storyline and it moved at a good pace.
Filled with enimies, revenge, suspense and drama! In addition, we get some delicious steam and lots of feels.
Elenna makes a great FMC. She is one tough lady.
Finlay, Orion, and Aiden were the guys. Each of them were unique and offered something different to the group.
From the steamy scenes, the banter, and challenges they face makes the book even better!
Overall, a great read!!
I truly enjoyed the storyline and it moved at a good pace.
Filled with enimies, revenge, suspense and drama! In addition, we get some delicious steam and lots of feels.
Elenna makes a great FMC. She is one tough lady.
Finlay, Orion, and Aiden were the guys. Each of them were unique and offered something different to the group.
From the steamy scenes, the banter, and challenges they face makes the book even better!
Overall, a great read!!
January 31, 2024
OMG! I adore this world created. Brantleys, Bells, etc. This is a hockey romance with Mafia ties and it is phenomenal. Aiden, our morally grey bad boy, Finley, our cinnamon roll, and Orion, our grumpy hero all unite to devote themselves to Elenna. I am so excited to see what happens next in Dusk Bay.
February 1, 2024
Interesting twist to sports romance with mafia thrown in on top of the RH trope. Elenna, Orion, Aidan and Finley, despite the guys having different personalities had one thing in common they were devoted to Elenna. The bond between all of them as the story progressed was strong. When the attack happened we saw just how fierce Elenna could be. Good mixture of tropes and everything else.
February 2, 2024
This is a first for me where mafia and hockey collide and it is the best mix ever here. The story is good. This is the story of Elenna, Finley, Aiden and Orion. I love that each of the guys is different and the ties this book has with the mafia. I love the Dusk Bay darker setting and this story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I really liked it and can't wait for the next one.
March 8, 2024
Loved
Do u love possessive touch her n die vibes, love ice hockey, rh and smut then this book is for u. It's dark but not dark there's no bullying the guys love her unconditionally. I adore this story the author is good at giving u everything u could ask for definitely worth reading
Do u love possessive touch her n die vibes, love ice hockey, rh and smut then this book is for u. It's dark but not dark there's no bullying the guys love her unconditionally. I adore this story the author is good at giving u everything u could ask for definitely worth reading
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