When things go from friend zone to friends-with-benefits, can these lifelong besties handle the heat?
As the NHL’s sexiest, surliest bad boy, Kyle “Henny” Henderson basically wrote the book on awkward morning-afters. But nothing prepares him for the hat trick of waking up naked, hungover, and hard as hell with his face between a luscious pair of breasts he doesn’t recognize…
Because those soft, oh-so-lickable curves belong to his completely off-limits best friend.
After a devastating breakup, Bex Canfield moved home to Buffalo to put her life back together, not cause another train wreck. But that was before. Before the hockey fight that led to Henny’s suspension that led to the tequila that led to… Oh, God.
Bedroom? Trashed. Dignity? Obliterated. Best friend? He’s… wow. Seriously packing.
Looks like last night was one to remember, but neither of them has a clue what happened. So maybe they should try it one more time—sober—just to get it out of their systems. Okay, two more. Three tops. Because nothing says train wreck like a wild, uninhibited, toe-curling, wall-banging sexcapade with your oldest friend…
Except for maybe falling in love.
DOWN TO PUCK is a sexy, steamy, best friends to lovers hockey romance and the second book in the Buffalo Tempest series. If you like red-hot, dirty-mouthed hockey players, smart and sassy women who aren't afraid to put their men against the boards, and a big, hilarious helping of bromance, then you don't want to miss this lineup!
Sylvia Pierce is the author of seductive erotic romance stories, including the BAD BOYS ON HOLIDAY series, the BARED TO THE BILLIONAIRE series, and the BUFFALO TEMPEST HOCKEY series.
Sylvia loves writing about kick-ass, headstrong women and the gorgeous alpha guys who never see them coming. She believes that life should be a lot like her favorite books—smoking hot, with happy endings and lots of temptations, twists, and trouble along the way.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with a strong, sexy husband who appreciates her devious mind, loves making her laugh, and always keeps her guessing. Like the heroes in her stories, Sylvia’s man didn’t see her coming… but after seventeen years together, he’s finally figured out who’s boss.
This was a friends to lovers story of a star NHL hockey player (right wing) and a pub mgr.
Kyle "Henny" a bad-boy hockey player spent too much time in the penalty box. Why couldn't his fellow team members defend themselves or seek pay-back when another team targeted one or more of the Tempests? Rebecca "Bex" had been his best friend for 25 yrs. Hen- ny returned Bex to Buffalo from her unhappy love affair in California- she was numb & mum on the details. Later she shared the specifics w/ him.
Would the MCs lose their friendship if they became lovers? Was he 'worth the risk' to her (his words)? Something felt incomplete. The MCs were sexy together but was their love real? Would they both remain in the same city? Remain together?
A night of Tequila + Nachos and your best friend, what could possibly go wrong? Waking up in the morning with said best friend NAKED! That's what happens.
Bex and Henny have been friends since grade school. Friends and nothing more. He's always had her back and made sure that no one ever bullied her. When he needed a place to stay in Junior high it was Bex and her Mother who threw open their doors and took him in. The bond they have is tight and it's never been romantically inclined. Until that morning.
Both trying to figure out what happened or if anything did happen is in their thoughts. There's some smoking hot flashbacks but that's it. Now we have both of them on the same page they can't help but wonder if they should take that step. But with a friendship like theirs there's also the worrying thought that this could ruin what they have.
Henny has some major issues, if everyone eventually leaves him, so he tends to destroy things when the going gets tough. Bex is also dealing with the shit-show that her ex left her in not only financially but emotionally.
These two worked, the friends to lovers story was believable, and it was hot. The story moved swiftly and the secondary characters were engaging.
Great book , especially if you enjoy a romantic and sexy friends to lovers story. Bex and Henny have been best friends since they were children but suddenly they are looking at each other in a whole new light. I enjoyed the plot - the chemistry is hot between these two. Henny is a gorgeous Hockey payer and Bex runs her Mother's pub. They have been apart for a while but Henny rescued Bex when she was at her lowest ebb and now she is home. And these two should absolutely be together.
So why not 5 stars? For me there was a little bit too much back and forth as to whether they should or should not be together. I wanted to shake some sense into Bex on more than one occasion. But it was a really enjoyable book and one that I would read again for sure. I am really enjoying this series.
HEA? YES CHEATING? NO My musical muse for Bex and Henny would be 'Something To Talk About' by Bonnie Raitt.
I absolutely LOVED this story and the way Ms. Pierce writes her characters. If you read the previous Buffalo Tempest Hockey book, with Walker and Eva's story, you will already have 'met' Henny in that book. Henny is the bad boy of the team and has a lot of pain from his childhood that makes it hard for him to let people into his life. However, once he does let someone in, he would do anything for them. After the way his parents gave up on him when he was a teenager, he has always been the first to walk away when things start going wrong, before someone else can hurt him. His friendship with Bex and her mother has been the one constant in his life since he was five years old and he would do anything for either of them. Looking forward to the next book this wonderful author comes out with.
Is There Violence? Some Violence - simply due to the game of hockey
Is There Sexual Content? Some Pretty Hot Sexual Content
How would you describe the plot of this book? Some Twists
Which of these words best describes the mood? Angsty, Hopeful, Nostalgic
How Would you describe the pace? Steady
How would you describe the characters? Both of the main characters as well as characters from previous books were well developed
How is the Story Narrated? Alternating Person
Type of Story: Bad Boys Humorous Romantic Sports
Target Audience: Adult Romance Adult Series Readers
Reviewer Rating: It was amazing/5 Stars
Main Character’s Descriptions: Bex and Henny have been best friends since they were five years old.
Summary paragraph: Everyone around them was able to see that they had more feelings than best friends between them.
What the reviewer liked: I loved the way they just got each other and how we get to see characters (such as Jared and Ari Blackwell) from previous books in this series and others. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments that just make you feel good.
Favorite Quote: Until you’ve seen a cucumber f*ck a grapefruit, don’t judge.
Who I would recommend this book to: Anyone that loves a friends to lovers storyline ********** **Honest review voluntarily provided from a Complimentary Copy**
What cute short hockey story. Hockey player gets injured and falls in love with the junior team physician. They don’t fight the attraction and go far it. Cute.
“If your not into “…” we can have that made in to a magnet too” had me 😂😂 3.5 cute, easy read hockey romance. BFF to lovers I love it. However.. still cringing when a female voice uses the male voice at their part (audiobook) 🌝
They are so cute, like even as friends he's so in love with her, they literally act like an old married couple. I do wish that we'd seen more of Henry in book one, because we saw more of Roscoe then and it felt like his book should've naturally come next? I also wish that we'd seen Bex appear in book one and her friendship with Eva, that sort of came from nowhere.
If you want friends to lovers 'no we're not dating we really should stop sleeping together oh no we did it again' hockey romance, this is for you. 10/10 enjoyed.
How sweet is it when we read a book about childhood friends that finally figure out what everyone else in their lives saw a looooong time ago? That’s what we get with Bex and Henny. They might have some rough spots, and that horrible dreaded third act breakup, but thankfully everything works out in the end.
4 stars because of Henny... 3 stars really, because Bex is an idiot. Please, authors, stop making female characters such a mess. Just an easy example: who in their right mind makes a freaking fuss that leads to a break-up over her best friend/lover trying to help her by putting her in contact with a professional who can solve her cash problems... only to, in the end, do that very same thing as if she’d had such a brilliant idea on her own?
I do have one request, please... if any of you understood what Henny's problem was, please enlighten me, because for the life of me, I don't get what the big deal was—except for Bex being selfish and an idiot and always putting herself first. The guy put his heart on the table for her, and all she did was bitch about the ex who ruined her.
Personal preference: I hate people who bring their baggage from a previous relationship into the next one. Like sure, be cautious and spot the red flags because now you know them—but don't punish me for what someone else did to you.
Audiobook is dual style, not duet..Sean Masters is boo <3
Didn’t quite enjoy the story on Bex and Henny as much as the first. I just found it hard to believe that the h had this super hot hockey friend all her life and had never ever thought about him romantically.
I like friends to lovers stories but sometimes they are more sweet than hot. I liked how they got together over tequila then couldn’t remember anything the next day, but I felt like that was the hottest part and we didn’t really get much info about it.
I also found the h a bit weak. She was obviously vulnerable after a very bad previous relationship, but I prefer a stronger character personally. It just added a level of angst that I could have happily skipped. Plus, i thought her thinking they could ever go back to being ‘just friends’ was a bit lame.
But it was still a good read. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I’m a sucker for hockey romances. This one was sweet and sexy and swoon worthy. Bex and Henny grew up together and are best friends. Kyle “Henny” Henderson is an NHL player and Bex is a bartender running her Mom’s pub after moving back to Buffalo. Vex and Henny hook up after a night of tequila and nachos. They’re trying to figure out their newfound feelings for one another while balancing their 25 year friendship and the fact that they can’t keep from tearing each other’s clothes off. Bex has to learn how to trust and let her guard down while Henny has to learn how to get his feelings in check. It was rather sweet seeing how perfect they were for each other. This is my first book that I’ve read from this author but I think I’ll check out her others. Great hockey romance.
Great follow up to Naughty or Ice. I enjoyed getting to know Hanney and Bex - a beautiful friends to lovers story. But as most love stories - nothing is simple. Their attraction and insatiable desire for each other after 25 years of friendship was off the page and the spice was.... spicy! It was close to 5-stars for me, but their stubbornness and ability to get in their own way was annoying when it happened for the umpteenth time. Mixed format of writing bouncing between narration and first-person monologue had my brain struggling at times to get in the flow of things. But I love how genuine Sylvia writes banter - it's a banger and will have me coming back for more! Ready for the final shot in the net - Big Hard Stick... Bring. It. On! :) Story 4.5 ⭐ Spice 4 🌶
Henny and Bex have been friends forever. They grew up together and shared so many memories together. Bex hit a snag in her life that brings her back to Buffalo and Henny is having all sorts of issues on and off the ice that are sending his game in a downward spiral. A suspension and a bottle of tequila are just the push they need to step out of the friend zone. But it takes them a little while to fully get out of their own way. Work out their issues and let their HEA shine.
I enjoyed this book so much and just couldn't put it down.
Two long time best friends since elementary school have been looking out for each other during the good an the bad struggles in their lives . Until recently she had her life ripped out from under her completely an deviated beyond repair waiting for it to all to come to a end . That is how he found her shattered an lost so he takes her back home to heal an help her get her life back together again . This moment changes both their lives forever . 18+
Okay so this review is supposed to be about the book (and I'll get there in a moment) but I really need to talk about the narrators because they're why I rated this story 5 stars. There are several narrators that I love listening to and really don't care what they read because they always do a fantastic job and Sean Masters is one of them. I've listened to a number of books that he's narrated and I have to say that he could put any sports commentator to shame with the way he narrates the hockey games in this book. His lively performance here made me believe I was listening to a real life game. Of course his performance as Henny off the rink was also no less stellar. I don't/can't self-insert when I read but the way he brings Henny to life with so much emotion gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to self-insert. He can read a phone book and hold my attention easily till the end. Not to be outdone, Vanessa Edwin also brought her A-game as Bex. I believe this is the first time hearing her narrate and I absolutely love her male voices. It's unique albeit a bit nasally but not annoyingly so and not like the typical lower register tones many female narrators like to use. Bonus points for also sounding like a 30 year old for a 30 year old MC.
The story itself is a cozy friends to lovers romcom. Henny is your cookie cutter hockey player with a GodBod while Bex is the stereotypical romance lead with a familiar backstory: gets heartbroken, moves back home, and has an ultra hot best friend in said home. Overall, it was fine. Not bad but nothing unique enough to differentiate it from other books with a similar premise. It has several spicy scenes. The phone sex was stupidly hot you'll forget Henny was on the phone with Bex, not you ;)
If it's not obvious, I enthusiastically recommend the audiobook version of this book if only to listen to the storytelling. Otherwise, I recommend it if you enjoy or are interested in: - best friends to lovers trope - idiots in love - loads of banter - no pregnancy - 30 year old MCs - low angst - low miscommunication - innuendo as foreplay
Henny and Bex are the best of friends but what happens when they get drunk and the next morning have no idea what happened? This is such an addictive read about friends who become something more. Sylvia Pierce knows how to start a story and pull you in. How the characters interact makes you root for them and see them live happily ever after! Throw in some sport and bang! A great read all around!
Overall great story, a little slow in middle (got confused on what Henny's problem was) but once it picked up I really enjoyed it. They had a great friendship but once they slept together a whole lot of feelings came in to play. Bet was a strong character, loved her and Henny was hot and sexy. Would recommend this book, great story.
Loved me some Henny! So glad I stumbled upon this series. Bed got a little annoying to me at the end but Henny was an epic book boyfriend. If you like a fun, easy read about hot hockey boys, this is a perfect choice. Hope we see a book for Roscoe soon...
Absolutely loved the story and the chemistry between the characters from friends to lovers and the journey they take. It will blow you away. Would highly recommend
I think this was my favorite of the 3 so far. Gotta love a true, lifetime love-story. As scary as it was for Henny and Bex to lose what they had, the potential for what was to come was just so much better. I hope there are more in this series, the characters are awesome. 4.5 stars from me.
Love how Henne and be have been best friend for 25 yrs until tequila. Telling secrets of holding them back can be a lethal combination. By true friendship is so important when love comes to play.Great story.
Sure am glad that this book was as good as the first one in the series! The story was really cool. The friends for a lot of years and finally turned into true love, what a great way to find the love of your life. Sexy and hot!
I honestly thought that book was really a great book. I think that I actually learned a little hockey. I live in the South and I don't think we have a hockey team. Kathleen Ryan
This book was a fun emotional experience. I fell for the main characters from beginning. Their individual stories kept me wanting more, and I couldn't stop reading it until I was finished the book.