What do you think?
Rate this book
Heatwave Hockey #1
Pucked Together
My brother’s best friend will do anything to win. Even if it means pretending to date me–his sworn enemy. But claiming my v-card wasn’t part of the plan.
He’s Goalie-zilla of the Houston Heatwave and the man I can’t stand. Number 33. Ryker-freakin-Balinger. The only things we have in common are the temporary roof we share. And the arena where we both work.
Dealing with this muscular, tatted-up grump is the last thing I need. But he needs good press. And I want revenge on the team’s newest arrival. So this relationship is all for show.
Or so I thought.
On the ice, he’s defending the goalposts. At home, he’s coaching me on more than just trick plays.
But this game plan doesn’t just have our jobs on the line anymore. Because the smokeshow in the next room is now my baby daddy…
He’s Goalie-zilla of the Houston Heatwave and the man I can’t stand. Number 33. Ryker-freakin-Balinger. The only things we have in common are the temporary roof we share. And the arena where we both work.
Dealing with this muscular, tatted-up grump is the last thing I need. But he needs good press. And I want revenge on the team’s newest arrival. So this relationship is all for show.
Or so I thought.
On the ice, he’s defending the goalposts. At home, he’s coaching me on more than just trick plays.
But this game plan doesn’t just have our jobs on the line anymore. Because the smokeshow in the next room is now my baby daddy…
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2024
1802 people are currently reading
1363 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
February 10, 2024
Got to about 12% and DNF then I skimmed a bit and it didn’t get any better. Yikes this is bad…it’s a collection of romance book cliches. Jaysus I want the 20 minutes of my life back.
* the FMC’s brother’s mansion is large enough to house an entire hockey team but she has to share a Jack&Jill bathroom with the MMC? He’s in the shower and knocks, but because he doesn’t answer (because ya know, he’s in the shower), she goes in and opens a cabinet looking for something when he asks her what she’s doing. And of course, she’s angry at him. How dare he take a shower and get mad she came in instead of walking back out as soon as she realized he was in the shower. 🙄
* apparently there’s a swear jar the team players put money in but you have to decipher that yourself because the word “jar” just randomly appears in the dialogue. 🤦🏼♀️
* there’s a plane crash and she has amnesia and remembers every single person the second she opens her eyes — except for for the MMC, who at that time she’s with. 🙄
* the FMC has a small poodle mix that can easily be picked up but miraculously is strong enough to pull the FMC down a street and up into someone’s house (mansion)…spoiler it’s the MMC’s 🙄
* the FMC’s brother’s mansion is large enough to house an entire hockey team but she has to share a Jack&Jill bathroom with the MMC? He’s in the shower and knocks, but because he doesn’t answer (because ya know, he’s in the shower), she goes in and opens a cabinet looking for something when he asks her what she’s doing. And of course, she’s angry at him. How dare he take a shower and get mad she came in instead of walking back out as soon as she realized he was in the shower. 🙄
* apparently there’s a swear jar the team players put money in but you have to decipher that yourself because the word “jar” just randomly appears in the dialogue. 🤦🏼♀️
* there’s a plane crash and she has amnesia and remembers every single person the second she opens her eyes — except for for the MMC, who at that time she’s with. 🙄
* the FMC has a small poodle mix that can easily be picked up but miraculously is strong enough to pull the FMC down a street and up into someone’s house (mansion)…spoiler it’s the MMC’s 🙄
March 28, 2024
Interesting main story line with a ton of little story lines that didn’t really get explained super well at the end. Super easy read and it was pretty enjoyable over all.
dnf-2024
March 13, 2024I was drawn to the cover but now I’m just disappointed.
Let’s stop being shocked about 21 year old virgins..
Let’s stop being shocked about 21 year old virgins..
April 7, 2024
I can’t believe I actually finished this book. Hot disaster all around, it’s a bunch of tropes all thrown together in an incredibly fast timeline that makes no sense.
January 18, 2024
When he comes to her asking to be his fake girlfriend she think twice even though she hates him. It would get revenge on the newest team member. He needs to clean his image up so it all seems like a good idea. Feelings may just change especially when she finds out she is pregnant. What will she do? Will she tell him? How will he react? See just how it will all go
February 1, 2024
DNF. The amnesia and surprise pregnancy was too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2024
Still stuck in my hockey romance era haha. Storyline felt a little rushed but overall I enjoyed it and will likely read other books in the series.
December 26, 2024
Pucked Together isn't the best hockey romance I have read, but I gave it 4 stars because I loved the banter between Ryker & Izzy, and the goofiness from the roommates.
Ryker & Izzy start as enemies, but that doesn't last long. They are both attracted to each other from the moment they meet, but just get off on the wrong foot.
Ryker is gruff and broody, which is pretty normal for a hockey goalie. But Izzy is fun and spunky. They are each others opposites, but bring out the best in each other.
Ryker & Izzy start as enemies, but that doesn't last long. They are both attracted to each other from the moment they meet, but just get off on the wrong foot.
Ryker is gruff and broody, which is pretty normal for a hockey goalie. But Izzy is fun and spunky. They are each others opposites, but bring out the best in each other.
April 8, 2024
72/100. It had its challenges with the actual writing, but it was super cute and I was stunned at how many tropes fit into one book. 😂 I’d probably read it again
July 21, 2024
There’s definitely something about a grumpy goalie… ;p
January 18, 2024
Izzy and Ryker’s Story . . .
Izzy Landry and Ryker Balinger, her brother’s best friend, need to fake a relationship. He needs to clean up his image and she wants a little revenge on her cheating ex, Trevor. When their enemy status melts away and actual feelings start to show up, where will they go from there? There is a bit of complication… or two… thrown in, but we see how the two of them have changed. Will her amnesia clear up? Will she remember Trevor is no longer her boyfriend? Will she remember who Ryker is? Is there a HEA eventually waiting down the line for them? Or will something else keep them apart?
Izzy Landry and Ryker Balinger, her brother’s best friend, need to fake a relationship. He needs to clean up his image and she wants a little revenge on her cheating ex, Trevor. When their enemy status melts away and actual feelings start to show up, where will they go from there? There is a bit of complication… or two… thrown in, but we see how the two of them have changed. Will her amnesia clear up? Will she remember Trevor is no longer her boyfriend? Will she remember who Ryker is? Is there a HEA eventually waiting down the line for them? Or will something else keep them apart?
April 25, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
January 21, 2024
Holy hotness! Ryker just jumped to the top of my list of book boyfriends.
"You can always take what you need, Izzy. With me. I'm just as much yours as you are mine." 🥵
He and Izzy are such a great couple! I loved this story which had just the right mix of angst, twists, humour and of course a HEA. I can't wait to hear about the rest of the heatwave guys.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
"You can always take what you need, Izzy. With me. I'm just as much yours as you are mine." 🥵
He and Izzy are such a great couple! I loved this story which had just the right mix of angst, twists, humour and of course a HEA. I can't wait to hear about the rest of the heatwave guys.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 20, 2024
DNF- hockey romance
Izzy (21 virgin) catches her fiancée cheating on her with her roommate and moves from LA to live with her hockey player brother, Keelan. Keelan, the team captain also encourages his teammates to live with him, including older goalie Ryker(32) …sounds great but lots of conflicting details….
1. Izzy just moves from LA but her ex has been playing on her brothers team for weeks?
2. Cheating ex, Trevor said he cheated because she was too clingy, wearing his jersey, going to his games….. uh they were engaged.
3. Izzy flipping bottles at bar and makes a comment her brother didn’t let her play with bottles until she “was of age”….
Just too many details that seemed off and stopped reading .
Izzy (21 virgin) catches her fiancée cheating on her with her roommate and moves from LA to live with her hockey player brother, Keelan. Keelan, the team captain also encourages his teammates to live with him, including older goalie Ryker(32) …sounds great but lots of conflicting details….
1. Izzy just moves from LA but her ex has been playing on her brothers team for weeks?
2. Cheating ex, Trevor said he cheated because she was too clingy, wearing his jersey, going to his games….. uh they were engaged.
3. Izzy flipping bottles at bar and makes a comment her brother didn’t let her play with bottles until she “was of age”….
Just too many details that seemed off and stopped reading .
January 31, 2024
DNF at 50%.Grumpy sunshine but he’s really not grumpy. And it’s not a novella but there’s insta love like it is. No enemies to lovers to be seen. They have one run in at the beginning of the book and then all of a sudden they’re in love and show love in their eyes? I’m just confused because the marketing for the book paints a different story than the actual book.
March 11, 2024
2 stars.
Don’t you hate when the trope doesn’t even trope properly? The pacing of the book was completely off and there were so many story lines that got introduced only to never be heard of again.
And the plot “twist” isn’t much of a plot twist when there isn’t a plot to really twist…and don’t get me started on the “spice” 😒
The first few chapters had decent writing and then it went downhill from there.
Skip this one.
Don’t you hate when the trope doesn’t even trope properly? The pacing of the book was completely off and there were so many story lines that got introduced only to never be heard of again.
And the plot “twist” isn’t much of a plot twist when there isn’t a plot to really twist…and don’t get me started on the “spice” 😒
The first few chapters had decent writing and then it went downhill from there.
Skip this one.
March 18, 2024
…
I liked the start but it just kept going downhill. After the millionth asthma attack (with no inhaler), A plane crash with amnesia, and a surprise pregnancy, I wanted to DNF but stuck it out and finished it. It did not get better. This story was trying to do too much and was poorly executed. And the fact that no one took the FMCs life threatening asthma seriously really bothered me.
I liked the start but it just kept going downhill. After the millionth asthma attack (with no inhaler), A plane crash with amnesia, and a surprise pregnancy, I wanted to DNF but stuck it out and finished it. It did not get better. This story was trying to do too much and was poorly executed. And the fact that no one took the FMCs life threatening asthma seriously really bothered me.
Read
January 25, 2024Eh. That’s about all I feel. For being a nice short read, it was all over the freaking place.
June 17, 2024
We’ve got a dog peeing wherever it wants and a dance off.
March 22, 2025
Eu não esperava muito desse livro. Acho que já deu pra perceber que todos esses livros de esportes com menos de trezentas páginas quase sempre seguem a mesma fórmula genérica e básica. Se eu ver mais um desses, vou gentilmente remover da minha TBR e fingir que nada aconteceu.
Agora, sobre Pucked Together... eu sinceramente não sei o que esse livro queria ser. Ele tenta encaixar todas as tropes possíveis, não desenvolve nenhuma direito e, de repente, acaba. O mais confuso é que a escrita não é ruim, eu já li coisas muito piores, mas a forma como a história se desenrola é um caos completo.
O livro já começa com uma cena que deveria ter sido o meu primeiro alerta para abandonar a leitura: a protagonista sofre um ataque de asma depois de flagrar o namorado na cama com sua melhor amiga. Como está longe da bombinha, desmaia. O tempo todo nesse livro a asma da protagonista é tratada como se fosse uma doença raríssima e mortal, então se prepare para o impacto. Corta para ela se mudando para o Texas para morar com o irmão, que é capitão de um time de hóquei e divide uma mansão com outros jogadores.
Aliás, eu nem sabia que hóquei era popular no Texas, mas tudo bem. O que gostei nessa parte é que o time tem bem aquela vibe de série B tentando se firmar na elite, o que significa que eles até têm algum dinheiro, mas vivem na pindaíba. Eles juram que, com cinco anos de preparação, vão conquistar a NHL, mas tudo só vai de mal a pior.
Em seguida conhecemos os novos colegas de casa da protagonista: além do irmão, tem o um jogador paquerador e inconveniente e, claro, o mocinho da história, que nome começa com "R" (e é parecido demais com o do irmão dela, então eu não tenho a menor ideia do nome dele). Ele é o goleiro durão, insuportável e emocionalmente fechado, e ela começa a chamar ele de Goaliezilla (pra já deeeeu essa coisa de apelido forçado em romance). Ele também tem seus 30+, não usa celular nem redes sociais e sabe que está prestes a ser demitido porque no mundo dos esportes ele já é considerado velho, então ele está desesperado para ganhar. Isso parecia que ia ser um grande ponto na história, e daria profundidade ao personagem e exploraria o age gap, mas a autora simplesmente não se deu ao trabalho.
A protagonista usa calça legging o tempo todo, ao ponto de ir numa entrevista de emprego assim, e o livro faz questão de repetir isso umas cem vezes. As interações entre os caras são recheadas de comentários machistas, daquele tipo bem hétero que trata mulher como propriedade. Isso me incomodou, mas tentei relevar na esperança de ter pelo menos um romance fosse fofinho. (Spoiler: não foi).
Descobrimos então que o ex-namorado dela que ela terminou no começo do livro foi contratado pelo time e agora cabe a ninguém mais, ninguém menos do que nosso protagonista chato a proteger a mocinha que ainda está de coração partido.
Daqui para frente, é só ladeira abaixo. Então, segue um recap das tropes que aparecem no livro, porque a autora claramente quis marcar bingo:
✅ Enemies to Lovers
✅ Brother’s Best Friend
✅ Sports Romance (Hóquei)
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Fake Dating
✅ Bad Boy Grumpy x Sunshine
✅ Virgin FMC
✅ Surprise Pregnancy
✅ Memory Loss
✅ Age Gap
✅ Redemption Arc do MMC
✅ MMC ciumento
✅ Ex contratado pelo time
✅ Irmão do MMC ex-presidiário
✅ Acidente de avião.
Para coroar essa bagunça, o final é resolvido com um pulo de meses e tudo acontece offscreen. O romance é insosso, os conflitos aparecem do nada e se resolvem rápido demais e terminei com uma sensação de "tanto faz". Preciso urgentemente aprender a escolher melhor minhas leituras.
Agora, sobre Pucked Together... eu sinceramente não sei o que esse livro queria ser. Ele tenta encaixar todas as tropes possíveis, não desenvolve nenhuma direito e, de repente, acaba. O mais confuso é que a escrita não é ruim, eu já li coisas muito piores, mas a forma como a história se desenrola é um caos completo.
O livro já começa com uma cena que deveria ter sido o meu primeiro alerta para abandonar a leitura: a protagonista sofre um ataque de asma depois de flagrar o namorado na cama com sua melhor amiga. Como está longe da bombinha, desmaia. O tempo todo nesse livro a asma da protagonista é tratada como se fosse uma doença raríssima e mortal, então se prepare para o impacto. Corta para ela se mudando para o Texas para morar com o irmão, que é capitão de um time de hóquei e divide uma mansão com outros jogadores.
Aliás, eu nem sabia que hóquei era popular no Texas, mas tudo bem. O que gostei nessa parte é que o time tem bem aquela vibe de série B tentando se firmar na elite, o que significa que eles até têm algum dinheiro, mas vivem na pindaíba. Eles juram que, com cinco anos de preparação, vão conquistar a NHL, mas tudo só vai de mal a pior.
Em seguida conhecemos os novos colegas de casa da protagonista: além do irmão, tem o um jogador paquerador e inconveniente e, claro, o mocinho da história, que nome começa com "R" (e é parecido demais com o do irmão dela, então eu não tenho a menor ideia do nome dele). Ele é o goleiro durão, insuportável e emocionalmente fechado, e ela começa a chamar ele de Goaliezilla (pra já deeeeu essa coisa de apelido forçado em romance). Ele também tem seus 30+, não usa celular nem redes sociais e sabe que está prestes a ser demitido porque no mundo dos esportes ele já é considerado velho, então ele está desesperado para ganhar. Isso parecia que ia ser um grande ponto na história, e daria profundidade ao personagem e exploraria o age gap, mas a autora simplesmente não se deu ao trabalho.
A protagonista usa calça legging o tempo todo, ao ponto de ir numa entrevista de emprego assim, e o livro faz questão de repetir isso umas cem vezes. As interações entre os caras são recheadas de comentários machistas, daquele tipo bem hétero que trata mulher como propriedade. Isso me incomodou, mas tentei relevar na esperança de ter pelo menos um romance fosse fofinho. (Spoiler: não foi).
Descobrimos então que o ex-namorado dela que ela terminou no começo do livro foi contratado pelo time e agora cabe a ninguém mais, ninguém menos do que nosso protagonista chato a proteger a mocinha que ainda está de coração partido.
Daqui para frente, é só ladeira abaixo. Então, segue um recap das tropes que aparecem no livro, porque a autora claramente quis marcar bingo:
✅ Enemies to Lovers
✅ Brother’s Best Friend
✅ Sports Romance (Hóquei)
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Fake Dating
✅ Bad Boy Grumpy x Sunshine
✅ Virgin FMC
✅ Surprise Pregnancy
✅ Memory Loss
✅ Age Gap
✅ Redemption Arc do MMC
✅ MMC ciumento
✅ Ex contratado pelo time
✅ Irmão do MMC ex-presidiário
✅ Acidente de avião.
Para coroar essa bagunça, o final é resolvido com um pulo de meses e tudo acontece offscreen. O romance é insosso, os conflitos aparecem do nada e se resolvem rápido demais e terminei com uma sensação de "tanto faz". Preciso urgentemente aprender a escolher melhor minhas leituras.
January 18, 2024
Pucked Together is the first book I have read by Anne Martin and I absolutely loved it. This is one of the best hockey romance stories I have read. Honestly, I couldn't read the pages fast enough and yes, I finished this book in one sitting. Anne made it impossible for me to put this book down. She delivered a plot that was original, fun and filled with plenty of spicey scenes, but not only that she breathed life into wonderful characters making this one entertaining read. I adored Ryker and Izzy these two were absolutely perfect for one another. Their relationship may have had a rocky start, but it didn't take long for Ryker to show Izzy his sweet side. The chemistry between these two was instantaneous and most especially intense. It was obvious that Ryker and Izzy would not be able to resist their carnal desires for very long and boy, there was steam coming off the pages as I read my book. I am excited to read more stories by Anne. I feel she is an author I will be able to trust to deliver books worth reading.
Izzy decides to move to Houston after a bad break up hoping to forget how she was betrayed by two people she cared about. Her brother Keelan offers to take her in until she gets on her feet and is able to find a place of her own. What she wasn't expecting was to be rooming with a few players from the Houston Heatwave hockey team her brother plays for. Of course, one of those men happens to be Ryker Balinger the starting goalie for the team and a man she already loathes. The more time they spend together quickly leads to them realizing they may have misjudged each other. Without warning Ryker and Izzy find themselves wrapped together in one another's arms sharing intimacy beyond their imagination. Keelan is angry when he discovers that these two are dating, well, fake dating, but he doesn't know that. It begins as a fake relationship to help with Ryker's image, but also allows Izzy to get revenge against one of the new team members. Will Ryker and Izzy be able to make their relationship work with Keelan breathing down both of their necks to end things? What about a happily ever after - is that in the cards for these two star struck lovers?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Izzy decides to move to Houston after a bad break up hoping to forget how she was betrayed by two people she cared about. Her brother Keelan offers to take her in until she gets on her feet and is able to find a place of her own. What she wasn't expecting was to be rooming with a few players from the Houston Heatwave hockey team her brother plays for. Of course, one of those men happens to be Ryker Balinger the starting goalie for the team and a man she already loathes. The more time they spend together quickly leads to them realizing they may have misjudged each other. Without warning Ryker and Izzy find themselves wrapped together in one another's arms sharing intimacy beyond their imagination. Keelan is angry when he discovers that these two are dating, well, fake dating, but he doesn't know that. It begins as a fake relationship to help with Ryker's image, but also allows Izzy to get revenge against one of the new team members. Will Ryker and Izzy be able to make their relationship work with Keelan breathing down both of their necks to end things? What about a happily ever after - is that in the cards for these two star struck lovers?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 28, 2024
This book reads like it had been written by an AI account. No depth to the story; one plot point after another combined by words to give you the illusion of a novel. Little makes sense. Add to that that this 'writer' managed to publish 8 books within 10 months and well ...
Spoilers ahead:
You're promised an enemies to lovers story. You’ve been deceived. The first time they meet they annoy each other and then huff and puff the second time around and after that it's basically insta-love. How did they fall for one another? We're never shown.
The virgin 21yo FMC is engaged to be married to a hockey player. Dude and her break up (this in itself is a storyline that is unnecessarily convoluted). She doesn't want to have sex without a proper commitment, yet then has no qualms to jump into bed with MMC (who at this point she has a fake relationship with for a maybe a couple of weeks) because, as we're told much later in the story, she knew he was one. How did she know he was the one? Who knows, certainly the reader doesn't.
She's very close to her brother, another hockey player, yet said close brother has no idea she is (was) engaged to the newest addition to his own team! How? Why? And how come FMC didn't know that her fiancé had been traded to her brother's team?
Honestly, very little here makes sense, I could go on and on about the little plot-holes littered through out this book. All the tropes that you can think of have been smashed together complete with amnesia and surprise pregnancy. Because why not? Remember, there's no depth to the story so we need all these devices to make the story longer.
Also, the brain is an organ, not a muscle.
Don't waste your time, skip this one.
Spoilers ahead:
You're promised an enemies to lovers story. You’ve been deceived. The first time they meet they annoy each other and then huff and puff the second time around and after that it's basically insta-love. How did they fall for one another? We're never shown.
The virgin 21yo FMC is engaged to be married to a hockey player. Dude and her break up (this in itself is a storyline that is unnecessarily convoluted). She doesn't want to have sex without a proper commitment, yet then has no qualms to jump into bed with MMC (who at this point she has a fake relationship with for a maybe a couple of weeks) because, as we're told much later in the story, she knew he was one. How did she know he was the one? Who knows, certainly the reader doesn't.
She's very close to her brother, another hockey player, yet said close brother has no idea she is (was) engaged to the newest addition to his own team! How? Why? And how come FMC didn't know that her fiancé had been traded to her brother's team?
Honestly, very little here makes sense, I could go on and on about the little plot-holes littered through out this book. All the tropes that you can think of have been smashed together complete with amnesia and surprise pregnancy. Because why not? Remember, there's no depth to the story so we need all these devices to make the story longer.
Also, the brain is an organ, not a muscle.
Don't waste your time, skip this one.
January 18, 2024
This was an enemies to lovers brother's best friend sports romance.
Loved this story! The characters were complex and relatable. The story had several great twists, was steamy and had all the feels. Highly recommend!
Isabella Izzy Landry is a vegetarian, has severe asthma, studied photography and has a dog named Wednesday. She drives from California to Texas to live with her older brother Keelan after walking in on her fiance Trevor with her best friend.
Ryker Balinger is the starting goalie for the Houston Heatwave NHL team. He has a tragic family background.
Keelan is the center for the Heatwave and after a hurricane hit Houston, opened up his home to several of his teammates including Ryker. Ryker and Izzy wind up having to share a bathroom and connecting rooms. Keelan encourages Izzy to interview with the team's PR rep Rina Lopez. She is offered a 30 trial period as the team photographer and has to attend all practices and games. Meanwhile her ex Trevor becomes the newest rookie on the team. Ryker and Izzy start a relationship. Ryker beats up Trevor at a bar after he says something unflattering about Izzy as gets an 8 game suspension. The team is traveling to the East Coast when the plane goes down. Keelan breaks a leg and is out for the season. Izzy has a head trauma, is put in a medically induced coma, suffers memory loss and finds out she is pregnant. Ryker moved her into his house, they get back together, she regains her memory and they have their HEA.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this story! The characters were complex and relatable. The story had several great twists, was steamy and had all the feels. Highly recommend!
Isabella Izzy Landry is a vegetarian, has severe asthma, studied photography and has a dog named Wednesday. She drives from California to Texas to live with her older brother Keelan after walking in on her fiance Trevor with her best friend.
Ryker Balinger is the starting goalie for the Houston Heatwave NHL team. He has a tragic family background.
Keelan is the center for the Heatwave and after a hurricane hit Houston, opened up his home to several of his teammates including Ryker. Ryker and Izzy wind up having to share a bathroom and connecting rooms. Keelan encourages Izzy to interview with the team's PR rep Rina Lopez. She is offered a 30 trial period as the team photographer and has to attend all practices and games. Meanwhile her ex Trevor becomes the newest rookie on the team. Ryker and Izzy start a relationship. Ryker beats up Trevor at a bar after he says something unflattering about Izzy as gets an 8 game suspension. The team is traveling to the East Coast when the plane goes down. Keelan breaks a leg and is out for the season. Izzy has a head trauma, is put in a medically induced coma, suffers memory loss and finds out she is pregnant. Ryker moved her into his house, they get back together, she regains her memory and they have their HEA.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 19, 2024
this book was so good
I have nothing bad to say about this book
Spoilers
Here a over few of the characters
Character
Keleen Landry;
Keleen is izzy big brother
He is the star center of his NHL hockey team
He owns a big house that he let teammate stay in with him
He becomes the captain of the team
His dad was a hockey player
He has a thing for Rina (she is the media manager) and she does too. They have history
Isabella (Izzy) Landry;
Her Fiancé cheated on her with her best friend/roommate
She has asthma
Izzy is Keleen's little sister
She has a dog named Wednesday
She coming to live with Keleen in Texas
Her aunt Ginny took her in when she was 6
She is 21 and a Virgin
She’s a photographers
Her dad was also a hockey player
She got a job being the photographer for her brother team
Her ex, Trevor transferred to the same team that Keleen plays on
She a vegan
She was in a plane accident with the team and hit her head so she lost 3 months of memory and doesn't remember Ryker
Isabella found out she pregnant
Ryker Balinger;
Moved in with Keleen the same day Izzy did
He drives an expensive car
He is then the goalie of the hockey team
His number 32
He Keleen best friend
He doesn’t do social media
Izzy call him goalie-Zella
His teammates call him Balsy
After his dad died his mom drank her to death
I have nothing bad to say about this book
Spoilers
Here a over few of the characters
Character
Keleen Landry;
Keleen is izzy big brother
He is the star center of his NHL hockey team
He owns a big house that he let teammate stay in with him
He becomes the captain of the team
His dad was a hockey player
He has a thing for Rina (she is the media manager) and she does too. They have history
Isabella (Izzy) Landry;
Her Fiancé cheated on her with her best friend/roommate
She has asthma
Izzy is Keleen's little sister
She has a dog named Wednesday
She coming to live with Keleen in Texas
Her aunt Ginny took her in when she was 6
She is 21 and a Virgin
She’s a photographers
Her dad was also a hockey player
She got a job being the photographer for her brother team
Her ex, Trevor transferred to the same team that Keleen plays on
She a vegan
She was in a plane accident with the team and hit her head so she lost 3 months of memory and doesn't remember Ryker
Isabella found out she pregnant
Ryker Balinger;
Moved in with Keleen the same day Izzy did
He drives an expensive car
He is then the goalie of the hockey team
His number 32
He Keleen best friend
He doesn’t do social media
Izzy call him goalie-Zella
His teammates call him Balsy
After his dad died his mom drank her to death
January 24, 2024
When Izzy finds herself moving in with her brother and his teammates, she is relieved to be done with her ex and moving forward, but starting over being surrounded by crazy hockey crazies wasn’t what she had planned either. Izzy tries to make the best of the situation and with her sweet demeanor everyone seems to love her except for Ryker. Ryker takes his job as a professional hockey goalie, he isn’t into the partying life like some of his teammates, and for some reason Izzy gets under his skin. Ryker tries to stay away from her but when she needs help, he is the one that is there for her and the more time they are around each other the more this attraction keeps brewing between them no matter how hard they fight it. Will they be able to keep their hands to themselves or will they dive in to explore what is happening even though they know things could go south quick? This was a sweet read with great characters, and I loved the group of guys because each one had their own personality while we know they all have a story of their own to tell and Ryker may have been a grump, but he had a heart of gold that made it easy to fall for him.
June 10, 2025
This could have been better! The beginning setup was good, but then everything happened too fast, without actual character development or showing us a deepening relationship.
The timeline management in this book was atrocious, some of the worst I've seen. It was along the lines of the reader being told 'the next day' while the characters say 'remember a few weeks ago when...' over and over.
2 stars instead of 1 because it had potential - This book would have benefited greatly by spending more time on building the characters and showing their relationship than manufacturing all those odd AF tropes.
The timeline management in this book was atrocious, some of the worst I've seen. It was along the lines of the reader being told 'the next day' while the characters say 'remember a few weeks ago when...' over and over.
2 stars instead of 1 because it had potential - This book would have benefited greatly by spending more time on building the characters and showing their relationship than manufacturing all those odd AF tropes.
January 21, 2024
Pucked Together is the first novel by Anne Martin that I’ve read and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a sports fan by any means but I really enjoy sports romance, hockey especially, so that was already a plus for me for this book.
I liked that there is a decent balance of real life issues and hockey games, though the drama was borderline too much in the last third or so of the book.
In the end I enjoyed reading Pucked Together and appreciated the happily ever after.
I’d recommend it to anyone that enjoys hockey romance without a lot of angst and prefers books with more of a focus on plot than spice while still featuring spicy scenes.
PROS
-Mild angst that doesn’t drag out forever
-No real breakup between MC’s
-Likable main and supporting characters
-Extra brownie points for featuring a pet (dog)
CONS
-Nothing overly unique about the story if you’re looking for something different
-Drama kind of feels over the top
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a sports fan by any means but I really enjoy sports romance, hockey especially, so that was already a plus for me for this book.
I liked that there is a decent balance of real life issues and hockey games, though the drama was borderline too much in the last third or so of the book.
In the end I enjoyed reading Pucked Together and appreciated the happily ever after.
I’d recommend it to anyone that enjoys hockey romance without a lot of angst and prefers books with more of a focus on plot than spice while still featuring spicy scenes.
PROS
-Mild angst that doesn’t drag out forever
-No real breakup between MC’s
-Likable main and supporting characters
-Extra brownie points for featuring a pet (dog)
CONS
-Nothing overly unique about the story if you’re looking for something different
-Drama kind of feels over the top
January 31, 2024
Um, not sure where the hell that came from but… WOW
My emotions the entire time:
👏🏼🥹😭🫣🥲🫶🏼🥵🔥
Tropes:
-bro’s college bestie
-star NHL players 🏒 (he’s the goalie)
-fake dating
-revenge > cheating ex
-close proximity
-virgin FMC
- he teachers her…
-plot twists, plot twists & plot twists
-SO MANY MORE BUT THEY’RE SPOILERS 👀
This was next level. I was like ‘oh cute, a fake dating, brothers best friend story…’ but then at 45%, those storyline’s weren’t super relevant anymore so I was confused about the second half of the story….
BAM! Plot twist after plot twist! I was not expecting it from this book!
Buttt, I’m also not surprised because I was completely hooked from page one.
Also: Ryker is my new favourite 🥵🔥👏🏼
That. Man.
This was definitely unique and had a different timeline to what I’m used to, but it was perfect!
& that HEA 🥲
I need book two!
My emotions the entire time:
👏🏼🥹😭🫣🥲🫶🏼🥵🔥
Tropes:
-bro’s college bestie
-star NHL players 🏒 (he’s the goalie)
-fake dating
-revenge > cheating ex
-close proximity
-virgin FMC
- he teachers her…
-plot twists, plot twists & plot twists
-SO MANY MORE BUT THEY’RE SPOILERS 👀
This was next level. I was like ‘oh cute, a fake dating, brothers best friend story…’ but then at 45%, those storyline’s weren’t super relevant anymore so I was confused about the second half of the story….
BAM! Plot twist after plot twist! I was not expecting it from this book!
Buttt, I’m also not surprised because I was completely hooked from page one.
Also: Ryker is my new favourite 🥵🔥👏🏼
That. Man.
This was definitely unique and had a different timeline to what I’m used to, but it was perfect!
& that HEA 🥲
I need book two!
February 14, 2024
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
This book was okay. It was under 250 pages so definitely a lot shorter than other hockey books I’ve read. Izzy pulled me in right off the bat. She was funny and whitty and I enjoyed reading from her POV.
Mild grumpy sunshine which I liked.
There were 2 main plot twists or conflicts I guess that I didn’t really realize were going to happen. Although the baby daddy reveal was in the description I guess I didn’t remember reading about that when I picked the book up.
I felt like everything moved very quickly and it was very shallow. A mindless read that was just okay.
The backstory between Ryker and Rowan seemed rushed and unnecessary and seemed like a way to fill up some more pages.
The spice wasn’t too bad but wasn’t the spiciest book I’ve ever read.
I don’t think I would recommend this.
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
This book was okay. It was under 250 pages so definitely a lot shorter than other hockey books I’ve read. Izzy pulled me in right off the bat. She was funny and whitty and I enjoyed reading from her POV.
Mild grumpy sunshine which I liked.
There were 2 main plot twists or conflicts I guess that I didn’t really realize were going to happen. Although the baby daddy reveal was in the description I guess I didn’t remember reading about that when I picked the book up.
I felt like everything moved very quickly and it was very shallow. A mindless read that was just okay.
The backstory between Ryker and Rowan seemed rushed and unnecessary and seemed like a way to fill up some more pages.
The spice wasn’t too bad but wasn’t the spiciest book I’ve ever read.
I don’t think I would recommend this.
February 14, 2024
Enemies to lovers?
Brother's best friend?
Forced proximity?
YES PLEASE.
I've never read one of Anne Martin's books, but if they all are this delicious, I'll probably consume them all in a matter of days. This book was dripping with all of my favorite tropes. And the mouth on Ryker? Sweet gods. I'm not usually big on virginal heroines, it just feels over done to me, but Izzy wasn't obnoxious about it, and the only emphasis that was put on it was just that she didn't trust a guy enough up until that point.
Izzy was witty, sassy, and so determined.
Ryker was stoic, if a tad grumpy, and absolutely everything you want in a book boyfriend.
The spice was well written and added to the story well without overpowering it.
4.5 stars and 3.5 peppers for Pucked Together by Anne Martin.
Brother's best friend?
Forced proximity?
YES PLEASE.
I've never read one of Anne Martin's books, but if they all are this delicious, I'll probably consume them all in a matter of days. This book was dripping with all of my favorite tropes. And the mouth on Ryker? Sweet gods. I'm not usually big on virginal heroines, it just feels over done to me, but Izzy wasn't obnoxious about it, and the only emphasis that was put on it was just that she didn't trust a guy enough up until that point.
Izzy was witty, sassy, and so determined.
Ryker was stoic, if a tad grumpy, and absolutely everything you want in a book boyfriend.
The spice was well written and added to the story well without overpowering it.
4.5 stars and 3.5 peppers for Pucked Together by Anne Martin.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews