High school sweethearts, dream wedding, exotic honeymoon, white picket fence, two and a half kids… that's the dream. My prescribed future. Except, I don't want any of that. When my on/off girlfriend of fifteen years and I finally called it quits for good, I decided that I'm ready for a new beginning.
I didn't expect that new beginning to be a dude.
Toby
This man is perfect… he obeys like a marionette, and lets me bend him and choke him until my heart's content. He lets me dress him up, breed him, and refuse his pleasure as if he were built specifically for my needs.
But Atty isn't who I thought he was and he's struggling to find his new identity while I'm freefalling for him off the face of a cliff. I'm not used to needing a safety net in life so there's a very real chance I'm going to hit the ground like a pancake.
Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. When she can't fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center - and utterly swoon-worthy! Don't ask her how many book boyfriends she has...
When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don't even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!
I think this is the first book I've read where an MC is genuinely questioning their sexuality and it happens for most of the book instead of resolving really quickly. He has a lot of questions about a lot of things and it all gets covered! Normally if a character is questioning they seem to turn into some 'gay sex god' about three chapters in even though they have no experience, and they just declare themselves gay or bi with no real inner thoughts or turmoil, so this was super refreshing. I really liked that Atty wanted to know more, he wanted to find out about kinks, identitites, preferences...
Toby was entertaining too. I loved his job at the Medieval entertainment - I live in a town with a castle where they have jousting events and they're so fun to watch, so this felt like a slice of home for me.
This book is definitely more about asking questions and learning from others than anything else, but the relationship with Toby and Atty progressed nicely, and the side characters really added to the story. I could have done without the wedding drama or yet another proposal though - purely because proposals make my skin want to get up and leave me, especially if they're public 😂😂 It's rare for me to read a proposal and not cringe honestly and this series seems to have a proposal in every damn book.
For the first time with Crea I’m disappointed… I loved some books of this serie, liked others, but this time, I just dont get it… This book is 80% smut, just sex, without feelings or ties or anything else… We don’t even see Toby or Atty really lives, or interact with people. It’s just sex, and I don’t even understand how they can say they’re in love?! They don’t build anything, or at least we don’t see them. They just fuck like rabbits, everywhere, every time, with more and more kink and forcefulness each time… So, no, this one is not for me.
Coming from Adak and Oren and the life they build together, the huge parts of their lives we discover, to this huge smut scene… really disappointed… there could have been a lot of smut and yet more than just glimpses into the characters lives, jobs, entourage…
I still love the universe, seeing Lix-Noah and Egon-Rakesh, but this 7th book is a no go for me…
Toby and Atty had the cutest meet cute ever and I was along for the journey! Atty was needing a change and when their eyes meet it was instant connection. I’m definitely a fan of bi-awakening and insta-love! This was such a cute story and never felt rushed. I loved the side characters and I thought it flowed very well!
Stick Lessons is a low-angst, lighthearted story about a hockey player and the guy who captured his attention immediately.
Atty is trying to have a fresh start after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend and wanting to make it permanent this time. Toby is just looking for a good time and no commitments.
Even though there's not much buildup at first, their relationship does evolve as time passes and both characters are figuring out new things about themselves.
Atty is a hockey player and Toby runs a social media account where he makes hockey predictions and analyzes the games, so you'll think that he'd immediately know who Atty was when they first met. Well, not so much. Atty adopted a new look at the end of the season and the change was so severe that barely anyone recognized him.
Toby didn't realize who he was either so, at first, there's a case of mistaken/hidden identity even though it's not intentional. The scene where he figures it out though is a funny one.
While I really liked the story about the main couple, I wasn't very thrilled with the many, many, many side characters who have their own books. Maybe because I haven't read most of those books so I didn't know them. However, even with all of them getting page time, I didn't have a problem following along with the story.
I'm not sure who book #8 will be about but I'm looking forward to it since it'll have a teammates-to-lovers trope.
I’m gonna go ahead and give it the 5 stars. Egon and Rakesh are still my favorite though. No one beat them. One the spice in this book was great, two fucking Christ the representation in this series is insane I fucking love it. The way Toby helped atty figure things out and the talks about feelings and labels. So so good. I loved their dynamic and how things progressed and the end was super cute.
This book comes in sexually strong and driven, giving off intimate dark vibes and then at over half past point flips and turns into the mushiest love driven, sweet forever vibes. Very descriptive kink erotica. Probably the most immersive I've read in a while. You sort of live it and if it's not your thing, you should stay away. But if you're o.k., Crea Reitan, again, does not shy away from difficult scenes. So, I won't get into any of the kink aspect, I had been warned and read on, that's ok, respect and all that. *But what did annoy me is the 'inside' joke of " we all heard him screaming your name" that is so disrespectful to Atlas, I cringe. He's already in a 'sub' position, but to share that with friends is foreign to me and really pisses me off. Not to mention the condom f up 😡 Toby is a piece of work at the beginning of the book and only reveals his mushy twinkiness as th book progresses.
Thoughts as reading...
...ok...You need to really be committed to read @49% it gets a little (more) intense, watch your triggers and what you can take, just saying.
Ugh! What?!! No groveling after ghosting? What bad writing is this???😄😄😄 I'm sorta-kinda disappointed 🙄
All in all a good book that I enjoyed. Hockey is fully present and the team is full on family.
As always Crea has me falling in love with all her characters. In this book she brings back so many favs from previous books it just left a huge smile on my face.
Lessons in Love Crea version: this book focused on my opinion on the acceptance of the hook up culture, people enjoying sex and a lot of it. So let's just say there is NO holding back and these 2 MCs are spicy as hell!
Atty and Toby are amazing together. Atty is learning all kinds of new things about himself and struggles with finding and putting labels on himself. This found family Crea has created is just beautiful in letting him feel safe and being available for his questions.
Toby is so confident in who he is and what he is and even though these 2 started as only hooking up...they both grow to wanting more. I loved their journey to finding love and realizing they may be very happy with their sex life but having the fairy tale romance can be added into the equation and a HEA is just what these two needed!!!
i have nothing against strangers with benefits but their definitely could’ve been a lot more communication on both sides
i’m honestly glad toby didn’t. take that job, it didn’t seem necessary for him especially because they just got together and it probably would’ve just made there relationship tense for no reason so good for him for sticking with his man
atty’s self journey was certainly something, i need to know more about hugo and his questions!
This was such a heartwarming read! It’s definitely one of the lighter ones which have more spice🌶️ I enjoyed every minute of it! Atty was such a sweetheart 🥹 and I absolutely loved Hugo as a side character because he reminds me of me with all his blurted questions 😂
not usually what i am into but wow i loved it as soon as i started this. super hot and definitely insta lust this series is pretty good so far this is my favorite but there's one left so we'll see!
I enjoyed the second half better than the first, but this was a decent read overall 🥰 Surprisingly, I'm not tired of this series yet and I'm halfway through it 🤣
On paper Atty has it all, but he is not happy. His future is all mapped out but something is missing. Toby is falling in love with Atty, he is Tobys dream man. But falling for a man who doesn’t know who is anymore is painful, a man who is engaged to be married to his childhood sweetheart. This story is steamy and romantic with plenty of angst. Great storyline adorable characters another great story in this awesome series
too much of saying n no showing. I am 1/3rd into the book n most of the scenes between MCs happen in past and they reminisce about them. I was so excited to read this but was really disappointed. smut scenes were also meh! dnf
Toby is a play acting knight. He puts on a show a couple of times a week, he enjoys it, but his real love is his platform on social media?! He predicts hockey scores, he also does reviews on the players (they aren’t always popular, but they are honest in his opinion) he also likes his s£x a certain way! He makes no apologies and he certainly isn’t looking for long term commitments yet.
Hector Atlas (or Atty to friends and family) is an ice hockey player, not great, but certainly not in any danger of being transferred. He’s stuck in a rut, he’s changed his appearance, stopped dating his on/off girlfriend, but nothing excites him anymore, that is until his friend takes him to a jousting event! And yup, you guessed it…. Eyes meet across an arena… and Toby and Atty end up going home together!!
Is Atty gay? He doesn’t think he is, and when he’s not around Toby he’s sure, and he’s not interested in other men. But when Toby calls, all bets are off! Atty just can’t get enough of this choke holding, throw me around and call me good girl time that he has with Toby!
This one did my head in! 😆 but in a good way. I got a little confused with the “good girl” and “baby girl” I thought I was reading an M/F and then realised this was just Toby and his way.
It’s funny how we give labels to male and female, and then rebel when the labels are turned. But I loved how the author made me think about these labels and how we need to change our way of thinking.
And then it hit me…. It’s Toby… the guy who worked with Vulcan (who I still absolutely adore) he has a story that you need to read (For Your Forever) we see a completely different side to Toby in this book.
Anyway I digress….. Back to Toby and Atty (who I think has come to terms with his sexuality, he’s definitely only gay for Toby) It’s becoming apparent to Toby’s roommates that he’s spending more and more time with just one man, and the same man! Toby is certain it will wear off eventually, he’s not worried.
But when Toby finds out that Atty isn’t gay, and has only ever slept with one man, (that would be him!) it freaks him out a little. He’s also freaked out that he’s sleeping with a hockey player and didn’t recognise him (he’s only ever seen Atty with long fair and a beard!) He’s also aware that Atty is engaged to a woman!!
Atty is beginning to fall for Toby, and that has his slightly concerned. They haven’t talked about being a couple. They haven’t even gone out on a date! His friends and family are still assuming he will go back to his girlfriend at some point!
So where do they go from here? To find that out, you’ll need to read this book.
We also get to see other couples from this series. And possibly new couples that could happen 😉
Still not what i would call a “hockey” story. It’s jam packed with smut 🥵 😜 but I throughly enjoyed it. 🤌🏻
♥ Atty and Toby ♥ Genre: M/M Sports Romance Format: E-Book (ARC) I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Character Development: 4/5 • Each character felt like they could exist in the real world. I felt like the characters from previous books weren't over explained to a reader who is caught up in the series but I also felt like there was enough detail for a reader who chose to read "Stick Lessons" first.
Plot: 4/5 • The plot was engaging and well written. It was not heavy on the hockey (which is not a bad thing, at the end of the day, this story is about the characters and their relationships, not hockey). In fact, Atty and his team were on summer break. The last few chapters of the book the season had just started. I enjoyed watching Atty come into his own.
Writing Style: 4.5/5 • The book was well written, with no grammatical or spelling errors. It was not too wordy. Things were explained in a way that didn't feel like overkill. Crea has a way of writing characters that feel like you are in their head. They speak like they would speak to themselves when they are explaining how they feel or are perceiving things. I appreciate her writing style and enjoy it.
Spice Level: 4/5 • The spice was spicin' from the moment Atty & Toby met. If you like twinky tops and whimpering masculine bottoms, this one is for you. The consent checks between characters was so heart warming. Even during the heavier scenes, they always made sure each other was okay with what was going on in the moment.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 • Okay... Atty and Toby gave Egon and Rake a run for their money for my favorite couple in this series. But sorry boys Egon and Rake have my heart still. This was such a fun read. Watching Atty blossom into himself with Toby's gentle guidance was so heart warming. The LGBTQ+ representation in Crea's books is always spot on. The way Noah helped Atty through his questioning period without slapping him with labels was really amazing. He gently guided him to the answers he was looking for and helped so him how he can do the research himself.
All in all a great installment in the series. I can't wait to see who's book is next... ;)
Tropes: • Fast burn • Hidden Identity • Secret relationship • Bi-awakening • Nerd/Hockey Player • HEA
POV: Dual POV (First Person POV) KU: Yes Series: For Puck's Sake # 7 Pages: 351 Publication Date: 06/13/2024
♥ Favorite Quote ♥ "There's something about this man that captivates me and no matter how much I try to force my attention literally anywhere else, I'm transfixed."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 This book is by far the best book in the series! I'll definitely be recommending it!
Toby is having fun in life. He's working for fun at Medieval Company, “I get to wear armor, ride a horse, and try to stab other people with a really long stick. What’s not to love about that?”. He's making enough money on the stock market to live comfortably on for fun. And my favorite part is that he's Toby Eads, the guy who makes hockey predictions and updates, that we've heard about in previous books, which he does for fun too!
Atty is making serious changes in his life. He's got a whole new look that makes him unrecognizable and safe from the prying eyes of fans and the paparazzi. He's moved on from his relationship with his on-again-off-again relationship with his childhood sweetheart that's held him back from finding someone new for years. He's even bought a new house to make new memories in.
Atty goes to Medieval Company with some friends for some entertainment and sees Toby on his horse as a knight and cannot look away. Atty is confused about his instant attraction and lust for a man, but goes with it, and it leads to his MAGICAL bi-awakening. They meet up after the show, and let me tell you, they skip the sparks and go straight to fire 🔥
This is an extremely spicy book. This book has everything! They're vers, love frotting and blow jobs, Toby dresses Atty up in thongs and dresses 👗 there are buttplugs aplenty, they get it on outdoors, and more!
There is a ton of story to go with that spice, and we get to see how their relationship processes and the struggles they face.
This is a great book with a great plot and some very spicy spice. It's 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5 chilis on the spicy scale. There's a very HEA and a wonderful epilogue, with a fabulous bonus story -The wedding: Cinderella, but make it gay 🥿🌈
I listened to the audiobook. It's amazing! Shawn K. Jain and Simon Dornet are the perfect choices to narrate! When I first read the book, I thought it would make a great audiobook within reading the first couple of chapters and it absolutely does! Dual narration, 2 narrators, 2 POVs, first person
Fast burn High heat Bi-awakening Hand necklaces Switch/vers Dom/sub Twink is the top 0rgasm control Feminization 0ral An@l Hidden identity Secret relationship Nerd/jock Summer romance
I so thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book. It’s such a beautiful love story, of people falling in love at first sight.
Atty is a hockey player for the ‘Golden Tides’ when he and his friends attend a Medieval Company show, with knights and jousting etc. He spots Toby as part of the company and he’s instantly pulled in! There is just something about him that he wants! Atty doesn’t question it at first as he’s so bowled over by him. Toby works for the Medieval Company but he’s also a massive hockey fan. He also runs his own hockey commentary, predicting stats and outcomes etc. which is extremely popular. When he spots Atty the sparks fly, he takes him home that very night and their relationship just grows stronger and stronger. Atty has only ever been with woman so his attraction to Toby is really confusing to him and he struggles to put a label on himself. Toby is extremely supportive throughout! I love all the debates and where everyone should/shouldn’t sit with labels, it’s just wonderful that people should like what or who they like without having to define anything!! Their love together just jumped at you from the page and boy was their s3xy time hot!! 🔥
📚Book = Standalone, ( has interconnected characters) 💕Burn = Fast, 🎭OW/OM Drama = No, 🐺 Alpha Men = Yes, 🔥Heat/spice = 9/10, 😬Angst = Very Low, 🍆🌮 MM/FF = Yes, MM 🔸POV = 1st Person, MPV, 🔸Genre = Contemporary Romance, 🔹Tropes = MM, bi-awakening, feminisation, orgasm control, choking/breath play, obedience, branding, secret relationship, hidden/mistaken identity, restraint play, low angst, praise, dirty talk, LGBT+ & all the colours in between!! ‼️Triggers = Extremely minor talk of miscarriage!
Hector “Atty” Atlas and Toby Eads first meet at Medieval Company, where Toby works. They lock eyes and are immediately attracted to each other despite Atty having never been attracted to a man before. After the show, Atty goes home with Toby and hooks up with him. Soon, they’re hooking up all the time, although initially, their relationship is just casual. Toby doesn't do serious, and Atty is struggling with what this means for his sexuality.
Eventually, the two men start texting each other more and having serious conversations when they're together. They both find they want to spend time with each other even when they’re not hooking up. Atty comes to terms with his sexuality and realizes he’s bisexual. Toby realizes that he cares about Atty and wants to have an actual relationship for once. They both admit to having feelings for each other and decide they want to date.
“Stick Lessons” is a low-angst bi-awakening romance. The attraction between Atty and Toby is instant, and they quickly start hooking up. It is also lovely to see them get sweet with each other as their relationship develops. While it is unnecessary to have read previous books by the author to enjoy this story, it makes the cameos more fun. I enjoyed this story and rated it four and a half stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Atty and Toby totally grabbed my attention and demanded I go along for the ride. I love how they met, it’s really something that all single people think about when they head to Medieval Times for a performance, no? (Just me? Ok then) Such a Buena Park experience that place, definitely reminding me of my high school days. Atty and Toby just worked for me, there wasn’t even a third act breakup, every obstacle was handled with communication and the story was just light hearted, fun and definitely very very spicy. It hits the right spot.
This is one of those books that is in a hockey series, but doesn’t have a lot of sport in it, despite the MC being a hockey player and the other MC being a hockey fan. It’s mostly about their explosive dynamic and one MC figuring out his attraction to the other MC. If you come to this book thinking it’ll be lots of hockey, then put it down until you want a book that does not contain lots of sports. This is not that book for you. But if you’re looking for k1nk and fun times, then this is the book for you.
Omg I don't understand how someone can make such good books and then... Not 😭
I just didn't like this book, it took me forever to finish it. 🙄😭
50% of the book is about sex, and not to take it the wrong way, I know what books are about before reading it, but seriously, if it's all about sex and nothing about the relationship, it's just tiring 😭
And after that 50%, when the couple supposedly got to know each other, the author simply wrote "we've talked a lot about personal, intimate things and blah blah blah"
I think the only thing I can rescue is the author did portray Atty's confusion well when he felt attracted to another man, how difficult was for the protagonist to understand that he is not heterosexual and what that means for his life, that internal debate and the conversations with his friends (Noah I love you, you're still my favorite) was the best part of the book.
Apart from that, the book is just not good 😭 and it's a shame because I was really expecting a lot more. 😭
I read the previous book in the series a few weeks ago and I thought it was a great book. But I missed some depth and there was more of that in this book. Atty has recently made a drastic decision to end the relationship with his on-and-off girlfriend for good. he makes a completely new start: new house, shaves his Viking beard and long hair. When he goes out during the off season he meets Toby. Meeting means a lot: they are immediately attracted to each other. Atty has never been with a man before, but goes along without hesitation and experiences the best night of his life.
The spice is very good from moment one and the relationship also evolves naturally. Toby never pushes Atty to express himself.
Re-read. Well, listened, since I got my grubby hands on the audiobook. First read was through kindle unlimited and I gave it 3 stars. I changed my rating to 2 stars because it just wasn’t good. The main reason for reading (and rereading) was to the feminization kink. I freakin love beefy dudes being dressed up prettily and getting railed within an inch of their life. And don’t get me wrong, this book has that, but it’s kind of the only thing this book has. It’s not well written, the characters are rather flat and unsympathetic and the plot is non-existent. But if you like beefy dudes in dresses getting railed then this is your book.
So. One star for the smut and one star for Hugo (he is baby)
Another great book. Love this series so much. It’s great that you can read them as standalones. I will al always say this in my review about these books. It’s great because each book is a new character. They also have character crossovers which I absolutely love. Love Atty and Toby. They are couples goals. Love how Atty and Toby meet and can’t get enough of each other. Atty is a relatable character. He’s not sure of his sexuality. He was with a woman for a long time. Then he lets Toby and falls for him. Atty has some learning and research to do to help him understand his sexuality. There just something about MM hockey romances that hit just right.
Atty and Toby, hockey player and hockey fan who also works at a "Medieval Times" type of place.
I went back and forth on my rating, but ultimately, 5 stars feels right. There were some repetitive conversations I could have done without, but it was still well done. I'm also a big fan of the "love at first sight" trope. That's how my husband and I ended up together almost 30 years ago. I was 20 years old and NOT looking for someone, but I saw him and was mesmerized. Thank God he turned out to be amazing on the inside, too. 😂🥰
This book was a bit boring to me and I'm not sure why I even read as far as I did. I just felt a disconnect between the two MLS. All they did was hook up and never bothered to get to know each other. I mean, when they're together, Atty pretty much goes into delirium and loses himself in sex. Toby takes all the control and Atty just goes along with it. There's no real conversation between them.
Also, for someone who was such a hockey sports fanatic, I found it hard to believe that Toby didn't recognize Atty, especially when he was sleeping with the guy.
Crea has this way of pulling you into the world of these characters. These two were brilliant - I loved their instant connection ❤️ I also really enjoyed the hidden identity aspect even if Atty hadn't intended that!
This was a fast burn book, with loads of spice and low angst. Toby and Atty were perfect together, and I really enjoyed the discussions they had and how well they communicated with each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Seeing the entire LBGTQIA2S+ spectrum in this series has been amazing in do many different levels. I don't have the words to express my gratitude for the level of representation the For Puck's Sake series had provided. While all the tropes (seriously too many to list!) weren't up my queer alley, the overall themes of family, friendship, and the fight for love in whatever way works best for YOU?? 😚👌🏾