It doesn’t matter that I was the number one draft pick in the NHL or that I’m projected to be the next great generational player, because none of it is enough to impress my childhood crush back in my hometown.
Sam used to mock me for being like a Disney Princess with my uncanny knack for finding animals in need. And being home in Colorado for the summer, I’m bound to run into him now that he runs the animal shelter where I used to volunteer. Where I used to try to get his attention every chance I had.
He never noticed me then, at least not in the way I wanted.
But if there’s one thing my time in the NHL has taught me, it’s how to fight for what I want.
SAM
It’s been a few years since I saw the Disney Princess volunteer, but when he brings in a stray cat, I almost can’t believe it’s the same guy.
Damn, has he changed.
Gone is the gangly, pimple-faced teen, and in his place is a man who’s grown up and bulked out. He used to follow me around, asking endless questions about animal care.
Now he’s back, but instead of asking about animals, he’s asking about me. About my life.
Flirting with me. And he’s good at it, too.
There’s something about Lachie that’s undeniably irresistible. I’m willing to give in to his charms, even knowing all he can offer is a summer fling.
Turns out, my Disney Princess grew up to be a real Prince Charming.
5/5 - THAT’S HOW YOU END A SERIES. This is my favorite in this 10 book series by a landslide. Lachie and Sam were my favorite characters by far in this series. I loved the tropes in this book and loved how Saxon and Eden wrapped up everyone’s story at the very end. I cried in those last two chapters because fuck they were so sweet. I’m gonna miss these boys, but definitely will revisit this series in the future!
was i the only one who expected a sappy, drawn out ending? don’t get me wrong, i loved that scene with ezra but i guess i wanted more. i feel like we haven’t gotten to say goodbye properly.
for what concerns the book, it’s definitely better than the past few in this series (which isn’t saying much). absolutely not in the same league as the first three. those were exceptional.
i don’t know if i would’ve enjoyed this as much without knowing it was the last one, you know? i have so many mixed feelings about this hahaha.
I don’t know what’s more unbelievable, that this series is ending or that there were 10 books in this series 👀 I don’t even remember if I’ve read them all😭
Lachie is such a sweetheart & Sam is so perfect for him. The Disney princess nickname is so fitting for Lachie, I loved it! I really enjoyed their banter & how hilarious they were. They just fit so well together & I loved seeing them fall in love. It was never gonna be a summer fling 🤣 I hated thinking about Lachie’s offer of 7 years in St. Louis, but I was so happy when Sam went all in & surprised him there.
I really cannot believe this is the last book, I’ve loved every one in the series. So bittersweet seeing everyone in the Queer Collective one last time 🥲 but loved their shenanigans especially at the beginning of the book, & the epilogue had me cryin. This book was a great end to the series-seriously the end of an era 🏒
fav parts: I don’t want you to go, I tell him silently. I wish I could stay, his eyes tell me right back.
How he can be so familiar after all this time is a mystery to me, but as our mouths meet, hands tearing at whatever clothes we can reach, this part of my chest settles. It’s like stepping inside after a freezing cold day. Like climbing into bed when you’re exhausted to your bones. Lachie feels … he feels like home.
“I don’t need anything from you except to love me. Because you’re it for me, Sammy. You always have been. This moment, right here, it’s what I’ve been waiting for. My entire life starts with you.”
3.5 This is the end and I'm a little emotional. The last chapter is very symbolic and I loved it. The book is not the strongest one I must admit, but I still really like Lanchie and Sam and I loved to see everyone again.
I don't know if this was actually really good or if it was made better by the fact that it's the last one and I'm going to miss everyone. Yes. Even bloody Ezra. Hah! Not.
He is still SO annoyingly present in this. But I'll allow it. Because after today, I never have to put up with him again.
Also loved how Foster Grant says he thought they were called the QC because they're queer and Ezra is collecting them💀
Okay. Onto the book.
Adored Lachie and Sam. Lower stakes than Romeo and Juliet but I've always loved stories where circumstances are against them.
Lachlan's only 21 but he's already been pining after Sam for 6 years or so by the time this one starts.
And not only is he dealing with obstacles like Sam wondering if it's inappropriate to be into someone who's been into him since he was 12 and Sam an adult, but also, Lachie lives in Missouri to Sam's Colorado, is still yet to start the last year of his ELC AND has an offer for a $70m for 7 years contract waiting on his signature - still in Missouri.
Sam thinks he's just an average guy managing an animal shelter because he wasn't smart enough to pursue veterinary medicine. Definitely didn't see himself falling for a bonafide rising star. Or said star being just as into him, with an additional 6 years of specific relevant experience of being into Sam.
Really seemed like the world could not and would not give them a break.
And because they only just started seeing each other, and Lachie's only 21, not only do his parents think he's way too young to base a massive career decision on a relationship that's only lasted one summer, but secretly, he and Sam are scared of that, too.
I mean, hell. So was I.
Because, yes, they're both really into each other, but are they $70m worth of 'into' each other?
Lachie's whole thought process about that question is why he's going to be one of my faves from this series, right up there with Novi (and begrudgingly, Connor).
Yes, I love me a 'love over everything else' MC. The more unhinged, the better.
And sure, I had to painfully endure Ezra for 10 books to get to Lachlan.
But I got to Lachlan 🥰 and he was worth every minute of the wait. Yes, I usually enjoy Sadenverse books because they're fun and minimum angst. But this one has just the right amount of angst for my appetite.
Bittersweet. Sweet because no more Ezra. Bitter because I know Iggy Toma will be back in yet another Sadenverse audiobook, ready to ruin another generation of MCs with his voice.
Still.
No more Ezra. That alone is worth its own 5* rating.
5 stars!!!! I don’t want it to be over 😭😭😭 This book had me feeling all the feelings. I genuinely loved Lachie and Sam, and there is a specific part in their story that made me actually shed tears of happiness. This book had me smiling, giggling, kicking my feet (hello yearning), swooning over cute boys with PUPPIES, and it was just a great end to a great series. I will miss the hilariousness of the queer collectives shenanigans so much. A re-read of the entire series is definitely in my future.
Do you ever just read a book with a smile on your face and shimmery tears the whole time? This is how I felt reading this book, through the humour, the sweet and tender moments, the big gestures, the collective, I adored every single moment.
Sam manages the local animal shelter where Lachie volunteered growing up, he also happens to be Lachie’s childhood crush (unbeknownst to Sam)! They have a super cute re-meet cute involving a kitten, and let’s just say that Sam notices Lachie’s this time around! There was instant chemistry between these two, then cue Conner ruining that when he meets Sam again (it was hilarious).
I loved these two getting to know each other, the honesty of their feelings, the Queer collective meet up and the antics with the Stanley cup and squirrels, and those gorgeous puppies. These two were on borrowed time, a summer fling that was never going to be enough. They had to take a leap of faith to be together and I love how they worked it out.
Ezra has always been a firm favourite of mine and I’m so pleased with how much he featured in this book, bringing laughs, over the top antics and tears to my eyes with how much he cares for each and every queer player. I loved all the cameos and mentions of all of our Puckboys and their partners and all the full circle moments.
Being the last book in the series I wanted to savour every second and savour I did. Thank you so much to Saxon and Eden for giving us this series, filled with laughs, antics, so much heart and gorgeous Puckboys who all deserved their happily ever afters. I cannot wait to continue to reread the full series again and again.
Rating⭐️: 5/5 Spice🌶️: 3/5 Tropes: * MM Hockey Romance * Childhood Crush * Summer Fling * Opposites Attract * Flirty Banter * Collective Mayhem * The END of an Era🥲
It was such a bittersweet feeling finally starting this one, it being the last one and because I remember when Egotisitical Puckboy first came out. I just cannot believe this series is over 😭
This one follows the youngest Kiki brothers, Lachie, and his quest for getting his childhood crush to finally notice him. Sam is the manager at the animal shelter where Lachie used to frequently come in with animals in need, earning Lachie the name "Disney Princess". These two were the cutest things ever. What started as a summer fling with the flirting banter and spicy times, quickly turns into longing glances, yearning to be together for real and wanting nothing to get their way.
I loved everything about this book especially ALL the Queer Collective shenanigans and there were A LOT of them. Most of them are funny but also some quite sappy moments as well, *cough cough* Ezra, I did not think he would ever make me cry. 🥹🥲
Favorite quote(s): “You nursing a puppy shirtless and caring so much for those tiny creatures is probably the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“We were fucked from the beginning because it was never, ever a simple fling. What we have is deeper. A real connection.”
*I received an arc of this book from Foreword PR, this is my honest review*
I wish I could say that this series ended on a high note but after Novi’s book (which was significantly better than Connor and Easton’s books in my opinion) this just wasn’t good. This book felt like an 8 episode tv show in the sense that there wasn’t enough time to effectively execute the idea/concept, or the relationship between Sam and Lachie without it feeling hollow and rushed.
It makes me sad that my least favorite books in this series are the Kiki brothers books because when they were introduced I got so excited for their stories.
I will miss many of the characters in this series, and the joy many of these books brought me even if they were ridiculous at times, and disappointing at others.
Asher Dalton I will love you forever.
Book Spoilers:
I swear this book was 5% relationship development and 95% thinking/talking about long distance and then doing it for like five seconds. I get there was history with Sam and Lachie knowing each other prior to this book, but we needed more time with them actually developing a relationship together. Not one based on childhood crushes and insta lust, and not one that was developed over long distance. As a result, I didn’t really care about their relationship and they both just irritated me constantly.
Because of the setup of them only having the summer and then in actuality only like 2 weeks because of the puppies and Sam’s job and the collective, everything felt rushed. It felt like they really only dated and were truly together for like five minutes before 70 million dollars was being turned down and Sam was thinking about moving states and they were like we’re in love and we’re doing long distance but we hate it and are both depressed. The idea and concept was there, but it just didn’t work.
Also, while many of these books aren’t realistic, Lachie in this book was the exact opposite to the Lachie we’d seen before. Him being 21 and all the sudden deciding he’s ready to settle down also just felt all kinds of off to his character.
I feel like this book and their relationship would’ve benefited more if they started hooking up that summer, and over the years did that while Lachie was home during his break before he ultimately got traded back home after the 7 years and then they could actually date. Idk I feel like that would’ve made more sense for their relationship and for me, would have been more entertaining and shown more development.
I was really looking forward to this as I’ve enjoyed this series a lot but what was that? In what world would Lachie go for Sam? Chemistry was nonexistent. This had no angst no tensions and the spice was at the level of ketchup. So bummed.
It’s the end of an era. The last Puckboys book, and wow did this one deliver. Little Kiki Lachie is a Disney Princess with animals always finding him, and Sam is the manager of an animal shelter. They have known each other for years. Lachie has had a crush on Sam since they were teenagers and Sam doesn’t even know who the Kiki brothers are!!! A summer fling, Queer Collective shenanigans, a box of puppies and one very large contract make this book a must read in the series. Saxon and Eden definitely made me fall in love brought out a few tears lots of laughs and made me remember how much I love this series.
This was everything! I laughed, I cried and had a smile on my face the whole time. Lachie and Sam have something special and I loved being on this ride with them. I loved the tension and the strong emotions between them. Lachie is young, and while he's a really laid-back and chill person he also has a maturity about him that makes you forget that he's the baby of the Collective. He's worked hard for his career and I understood why he was hesitant to accept the contract. On the other hand Sam has also worked hard for his career and had a job and community that he loved. These two boys made me cry a couple of times, but they figured it out in the end, and boy were they happy.
It's also a bittersweet book, because we say goodbye to our favorite group of chaotic hockey players. The Collective lives on, but slightly differently. I loved the Collective shenanigans and all of the cameos. Ezra started it all and it was such a full circle moment with the last chapter. Coincidentally that is when the waterworks started 😅 I love Ezra, he is the most chaotic but also most loveable character and I'll miss his quips a lot. It was great to see everyone in that last chapter and see how their lives have changed and evolved. It was great to see them be happy and living their best lives.
Thank you to Eden Finley and Saxon James to writing this world and all of these great characters! This was a fun ride and I hope we'll still see them around in the Sadenverse.
3.5 stars, but rounded up for old-time's sake since this is the last installment in this series (thank god). This was cute. It was long, it was predictable, but it was cute. I think the super likeable characters are what did it for me. Lachie, the youngest Kikishkin brother gets his time in the limelight in this book where we see him and his animal magnetism bag the animal shelter manager he has been crushing on since he was a child. Sam, said animal wrangler, is a sweet, hot man who looks after injured and abandoned animals, so what's not to love there. They embark on a Summer fling while Lachie is off for the season and back home in Colorado. But come season, they will be forced to part as Lachie goes back to Missouri. Their chemistry was great, and they gel in more ways than physical. Things obviously get complicated when feelings get involved and then the rest of the book is them just trying to make this seemingly impossible thing work. There were lots of Collective member cameos and Kiki brother shenanigans. We get updates on basically the entire squad. It was a sweet send off for a long series, that I am actually glad is over because I just couldn't keep them all straight anymore.
I knew this was the last book in the series but I was not mentally prepared to say goodbye. This series has meant so much to me and for it to be over I am absolutely unwell. Eden and Saxon had this series go out with a bang. I loved LACHIE and SAM!!!!!!! They were everything we needed. Thank you Eden and Saxon for giving us these great stories and greater characters.
The nostalgia of this being the last Puckboys book hits so hard. I really enjoyed one last hurrah with the Collective. There was embarrassing childhood crushes, pining, cute puppies and plenty of spice.
This book followed the youngest Kiki brother as he battles balancing his career success with his personal life. Turns out that balance is pretty hard when you find someone you might want to give it all up for. Turns out that ‘Princess’ just needed to find his Prince Charming.
So many fun Collective cameos and one chaotic summer group trip later and the Puckboys are finally done. Thank-you Eden and Saxon for creating such a feel-good, fun MM hockey series. These books have been a highlight of my reading over the last three years and I’m sure they will regular rereads for me.
Thank-you to Foreword PR for providing me an ARC to read and review. This review is my honest opinion.
I am so unwell it’s not even funny. I’m talking sobbing, 15 tissues used and having to re read scenes cause the page is so blurry I can’t. Who would have thought saying goodbye would be so hard?
Anyways, review to come when I can actually stop crying.
What to expect: ☀️ summer fling (that was never going to stay a fling) 🐶 hockey player × animal shelter manager 💛 childhood crush ⏳ age gap (6 years) 🏒 “it was always you” 🐾 cute animals + puppies + chaos 💬 banter! banter! banter! 🌈 found family (THE QUEER COLLECTIVE!!!)
I am still unwell. I genuinely don’t know how to put into words how perfect this finale was, but I’m going to try because this book deserves every ounce of love I can give it. Charming Puckboy is the kind of ending that makes you laugh, cry, smile through tears, and then immediately want to reread the entire series from the beginning.... eventhough I did that already in preparation for this release.
This book felt like coming home.
From the moment Sam reappeared — yes, the SAME vet who flirted with Parker, I screamed — I knew this was going to be special. And then the Queer Collective shows up doing a half marathon in TUTUS??? I was gone. Fully feral. This group of idiots has owned my heart for ten books, and seeing them together one last time felt like a gift.
Ezra and Anton just carrying the freaking stanley cup around like a child and making the players that have not won yet, like Lachie try to touch it, had me in utter hysterics. My lovable idiots.
And then there’s Lachie.
Disney Princess Lachie. Sunshine incarnate. The softest, sweetest, most chaotic Kiki brother who has been carrying a crush on Sam since he was basically a kid bringing injured animals to the shelter. The way he looks at Sam? The way he adores Sam? I melted.
Sam didn’t stand a chance.
Their re-meet cute with the kitten? Adorable. The puppy photoshoot? I was kicking my feet. Uncle Ezra? I ascended. The feud with the squirrels and stealing the Cup? Peak Collective behavior.
But what really got me — what absolutely destroyed me — was the yearning.
Because they’re together. They’re kissing, touching, falling, laughing, spending every second of the summer wrapped up in each other… and they’re STILL yearning. Still aching. Still holding back because they both know there’s an end date looming over them.
That kind of yearning hits DIFFERENT.
And the thing is… it was never going to be just a summer fling. Everyone knew. Lachie knew. Sam knew. I knew. The Collective definitely knew. These two fit together so naturally, so inevitably, that watching them try to pretend it was temporary was both beautiful and heartbreaking (kid you not I was a sobbing mess reading the airport goodbye scene).
Sam is perfect for Lachie. He’s grounded, steady, a little grumpy, a lot clueless about hockey (which was hilarious), and he sees Lachie for exactly who he is — not the NHL golden boy, not the generational talent, but the boy who used to show up at his shelter with animals tucked under his arm.
And Lachie? He’s so full of love it spills out of him. His idolization of Ezra had me cackling, especially when he used Ezra and Anton’s obsession with each other to his advantage. His relationship with his brothers has grown so much, and Connor and Easton making sure Sam didn’t feel abandoned after the summer? My heart.
And Sam being demanding in bed? I was not prepared. Not even a little. The intimacy between them is soft, emotional, and still so intense. It fits them perfectly.
But the emotional core of this book — the thing that made me cry — is the choice Lachie has to make. His career, his future, his dreams… or Sam. And the way they navigate that, the way they try every option, the way they refuse to rush into something without thinking it through… it felt so real. So mature. So earned.
When Sam said “I adopted Angelica,” I actually choked. When Lachie said Sam felt like home, I cried. When the Collective showed up in the epilogue, I sobbed.
(I may have gone through an entire packet of kleenex reading this book.... I wish I was joking)
This book is everything I love about this series: the humor, the chaos, the found family, the tenderness, the big gestures, the quiet moments, the love that feels like destiny.
It’s the perfect goodbye.
I’m not okay. But I loved this so much.
And if Eden and Saxon ever decide to give us something Puckboy-adjacent or an extended epilogue or a "here they are 10 years later" I WILL BE FIRST IN LINE. Although, in the meantime, I wouldn't say no to an Ethan or Hawke book.... cause I AM SEATED ALREADY.
This is a childhood crush, second chance, small town summer romance between an NHL golden boy and the animal shelter volunteer he’s been in love with forever… with puppies, longing, and the entire Queer Collective chaos in the background
And I had a smile on my face the ENTIRE time
Like actually smiling… while also lowkey stressed because I just needed them to get together immediately
Because it was SO obvious to me that they were meant to be together
Even when things were moving fast, even when it felt like everything was happening all at once, I didn’t care. If anything it made sense. When you know, you KNOW. And they knew. I knew. Everyone knew
AND you know how we all eat up yearning???
The fact that we got yearning WHILE THEY WERE ALREADY TOGETHER???
Because they both knew it was just a summer fling. They knew there was an end date. And they were STILL actively falling, still holding back, still wanting more, still aching for each other while literally being together
That???
Chef’s kiss. Actually insane. I ate that up
Lachie is literal sunshine. I’m not even exaggerating. He is soft, loving, determined, slightly chaotic in the best way, and I was just… gone for him. Completely
And Sam??? The way he didn’t stand a chance against Lachie… exactly
Their dynamic was sweet, emotional, and so easy to fall into. The kind of love that feels inevitable
And the SMUT??? Perfect perfection
Like soft but still hot, emotional but still intense. It fit them perfectly
But what really got me was everything else
Seeing all the Queer Collective guys again, seeing where they are now, how their lives turned out, the friendships, the chaos, the LOVE… it genuinely felt like coming home one last time
I loved every single second of that
I cannot believe this is the end of an era
This series has been comfort, chaos, laughter, feelings… all of it
I’m not crying your crying. That scene, you know the one. 😭. These have always been my go to for light hearted shenanigans but this one ripped my heart out. As angsty as this was we still get the humour and laugh out loud moments. This was a great combination of that. I think Lachie and Sam are my favourite couple of the queer collective. There is nothing I didn’t love about this. I cannot wait to see what Saxon James and Eden Finley come up with next! It was an honour and pleasure to be chosen to read and review this incredible end to an incredible series.
“When we fuck, I want to be the boy one you’re thinking of.”
This was truly the icing on what was a spectacular series! Little kiki is my favourite kiki, Sam was absolute boyfriend goals!
I loved every moment of this book, the chaos, the shenanigans, the cameos from all the collective! I laughed, I cried, oh how I cried. I knew I would cry, but holy shit it was like a sucker punch to the heart when you got to that final chapter, the chapter name alone had me bawling my eyes out!
What an ending, what a send off. How is it over? What do i do with my life now? What do you mean there is no puckboy #11! I wont accept it!
Side note: necklace pulling - yes! 1000x yes! HOT!
This book made me happy and sad at the same time! I am excited that Lachie gets his HEA and we get to see all of the Puckboys living their best lives, but I'm sad that its the end of this chapter in the Sadenverse... Fortunately, there is a sliver of hope for an eventual spin off and a reinvention of the Queer Collective.
But back to the story itself, I love that it centers around Lachie's love for animals and reconnecting with Sam... not that there aren't funny moments (because it's Saxon & Eden), but this really was a sweet and spicy send off!
5 stars for already hitting nostalgic phase. puckboys series is absolute comfort, the characters are like family at this point, and i'm sad it's over, but at the same time very happy for them all 🥹💕💕💕
This book, this series, these authors! They all had me in a chokehold, coming to the end of this series feels surreal, I can’t believe it’s finished! And what a way to finish! Lachie and Sam were pure perfection, the sweetest little idiots you will read, their love is so pure and gentle with some serious spice! The whole story was just a brilliant ride, of two people getting their story and the life they choose as well as being together, seeing all the other Collective was a perfect way to end this series and really does make your heart feel so full! 5 ⭐️ Spice 🔥🔥🔥