This is my team. I’ve worked my tail off to be the captain of it, and I’m a quietly gay omega. No one needs to know my sexuality, which is why I work harder than anyone to play hockey.
If I’m honest, this is my true identity and love. Omegas tend to be smaller, less muscle dense, and I was devastated when I came into my designation. My father was the one who encouraged me, went to every game, until he died last year.
Now there are two alphas that have joined The Lakeview Cougars and they refuse to leave me alone. They’re stalking me, forcing me to my knees in the locker room, and what’s worse is I love it.
I feel like I’m losing my mind. They’re willing to take everything from me unless I admit that I’m theirs.
But you know what? Puck them.
This is a dark hockey MMM omegaverse with no mpreg.
Some of this goes way beyond dark romance, and veers into being downright horror for me. I was able to get past the bit where the alphas kill somebody for drugging their omega, and some of the spicy scenes were great. But the romanticising of them tying Koen to a bed and then forcible sucking him off was too much. I thought that some of the more toxic elements would be addressed when Koen discovered that Rhodes and Skylar had deliberately trashed his apartment. But when he rejected them and ran away their response was to sedate him, kidnap him, and tie him to another bed.
I had to skip over the part where they have sex altogether while the coach they are in the process of murdering is dying, because that was just too much of an ick.
The writing is good, and I read the whole book (apart from the sex-while-murdering scene) as I wanted to know how the story would unfold. But there is just too much non-consent, toxicity, and violence for this to work for me as a romance
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4.8⭐ I wanted more at end 🥹 A MMM omegaverse with Hockey Players, Rivals to teammates to lovers, dark themes, scent matches, banters, kinks & spicy fun. I was excited to read this from Author's teasers & it was even more of a pleasant surprise! I loved Skylar, Rhodes & Koen 😁. This was a good 1st solo MMM by Jenn. I read it around 10hrs over couple days.
Koen is the Omega Captain (but being gay is his secret). K's responsible but gets into fights easily, cautious, grumpy but sweet & sassy too. Skylar's the protective, fixer, daddy D-man. Rhodes is bratty, impulsive, fashionable Goalie. They are alphas, besties, lovers & roomies.
I liked how K 1st meets S+R outside of games in a cause they're passionate about. It shows connection 😁. I'd wanted to see a book where a MC doesn't know the other(s) is their scent-match & I'm so glad to finally get it! It's fun to see how S+R try to woo K & the shit they do 😆 for it.
K was hard to get but it isn't high angst. Understandably, prologue (That coach is Ass!!). The book is spicy af with Daddy/Brat, lingerie (I love that it's R's—an Alpha!), humiliation, praise & aftercare 🥰. R & K are actually vers on page! Even if once, yay! It's satisfying when all truths are out. K's reactions felt realistic (Awesome!) & I loved how the trio affected eachother, their connection was shown well!
I'm glad to see the Omegas play hockey, not keep their identities a secret! There's plenty of games on page 😁. Seeing how S+R were out as couple, I had a feeling coming out for K will be ok. But I get it should be on his terms. I loved that we meet the good parents & the team seems awesome.
We actually see from the alphas pov a lot so we got to know why they did stuff, as opposed to it being secretive as the blurb made me think. The Alphas seemed green flags, but their red flags reveal as time went by. I didn't feel it was that toxic tho (Chat, am I cooked?). The darkness escalated quickly 😂. But so did sweetness once they're together 😍. Nest & puppy!! The torture & revenge was justified & done so good 😈.
My qualms: I felt K thought of R more sometimes? I did want more from last ch (S should've heard their ILY too 🥹) & epilogue (I need all papas there)! S had thought that S & R should bond too, but we didn't get to see if it happened 😩. I'm glad we'll see trio in series background. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Story ratings: Enjoyed—> Yes! POV: 1st Person, Triple POV 1) The Characters: 5/5 2) The feels: 😳🤨🤭😏😍🫠😅😤😆🥰😗🥴😬😈😥🤤😩🥳😁 3) Sexy/Steamy scenes: 5/5 4) Levels: Lowish-medium Angst, Kinda Cute, High Dark (check TW) 5) Build up & Style: 4.5/5
I had high hopes for this one. I loved Omegaverse and hockey, and I delved into dark romance here and there, so this book should've been an instant hit for me, but it failed so hard.
First impression, I was not a fan of Skylar's blunt personality. He was too forward and arrogant. He was not the kind of 'Daddy' I would find sexy at all. Rhodes was the sensitive yet dramatic little thing. I actually quite enjoy his personality. He was not afraid to show his flamboyant style. Their relationship reminded me of Bonnie and Clyde. I don't know why.
I didn't like how they were obsessed right from the start and I know that was how omegaverse usually works, but this one was a bit in my face type of thing. And the story went dark right away. There was no mistake, our two alphas were psychotics. Like the fact that they easily killed someone outside a bar where anyone could see them was insane. They were way, way reckless and impulsive. I was surprised no one had caught them yet in the act.
Koen was also not what I expected. He was nothing special, to be honest. He was supposed to be the omega captain, but he never really acted like a captain. I think Olsson was a better captain than Koen. He was closer to the team and more outspoken.
The relationship development was written poorly. Crazy enough, being turned on by murder was not the most hideous thing on my bingo card, but it didn't fit Koen's character at all. I also couldn't visualize him as an omega. The only omega trait he had was his heat. And I know that was a bit stereotypical for an omega to always be soft, but I think that was what made them so interesting. Their softness.
Some of the scenes were not stitched well. Like, the dark elements of the story were not laid out properly. The whole thing was lacking depth. This was really unfortunate since I was looking forward to this book.
Whatthefkdoyoumeanthisbooksisover? I did not consent to this. Hello? I need more.
I am absolutely 100% not ready to move on.
To say that I love these psychos would be an understatement. An UNDERSTATEMENT.
This story was absolutely crazy in the best way possible. Our Little Viking hockey badass captain 😎 totally owns two of the most psychotic Alpha's in the League... and I am here for it.
Sky and Ro are so unhinged OMG, YESSS, PLEASE. They are absolutely my kind of unhinged and I love them so freaking much. The way they barged into Koen's life once they found out they're scented mates had me giggling and kicking my feet. No one, and I mean NO ONE could've ever come between them and their Little Omega.
The lengths to which they were willing to go for Koen are what won me over. It was disturbing, but also oh, so fitting. Who wouldn't want two mates like these two?
Each one of them is so freaking different and the way they just fit is perfect. I loved how they dotted on Ko every chance they got, and how unapologetic they were about it. "Yes, yes, we know, we are two big strong Alpha's but for our Omega will we burn the world down" kind of energy had me on my knees. This is the type of masculine that I love to see. We need more of that into the world.
And the puppy? Oh, don't even get me started in the puppy cuz I will melt.
The spice in this book is off the charts, OFF THE CHARTS, I'm telling you, and their brand of foreplay is... well, let's just say... something must be wrong with me too...
I can't wait for more books in this series, but omg for real I feel so sad this is over. 😭
I had a great time with this, I did. But I wished more pushback from Koen's side when it came to Skylar and Rhodes. And parts of me wished it was more dark, because of the trigger warnings.
But with that said, this was fun! Rhodes was my favorite character, he was very interesting and of course he's the goalie 🤣 And when Skylar went into the role of Daddy? Hot 🥵 In fact, all the spicy scenes were hooot.
The audiobook was fantastic as well, my favorite narrator were Kayden Lukakis as Rhodes 👌 But Tyler Griffin and Dameon Knight were a surprise to me, since it was my first time listening to both of them. Loved them as well!
Excited to see what book 2 is going to be about, I'm thinking it will be about Richard and Julian(?).
"Dark Romance" my ass... There was no connection just a whole lot of sex and "kidnapping" but honestly wish there as a better plot no to mention the whole thing about how he was warned from the Coach and he made a big thing of it and then the poor couch got killed for looking out for the teenager.
Story: 3/5 Spice: Medium Characters: 3/5 -ˏˋ⋆⋆ˊˎ- Overall Reco: Enjoyable, bit long in the end but still enjoyable. Its between 3.5 and 4 for me.
Longer review When I first saw the premise for the book I thought it was interesting enough. Dark romance is very hit or miss for me, sometimes I'm able to suspend my disbelief and other times I can't get how ridiculous some of the behaviors are and it just ruins it. I thought since it was an OV that would help. Cutting to the chase, it did help but I also feel like this wasn't nearly that dark. I've seen reviews calling in darkish which I would agree with.
The first half of the book was very interesting, it sucked me right in and I easily found a way to read like half the book in one day (on top of finishing a novella as well. not to brag but that was invested I was). The story was fairly typical for a possessive CNC kinda relationship thing, and it kept moving. Right until it didn't. About halfway through we hit this dip and the story started to feel like "okay that has to mean something right?" only for it to not really come up again or it did but it was like "oh".
The dark parts were graphic. The spice was pretty good, better than some but not the hottest thing I'd ever read.
My complaints:sometimes I'm a picky bitch Another reviewer state that they thought that the author sometimes go ahead of themselves in the writing and it created weird jumps. I felt like that was a great description of something that happened to me a few times. I don't have specific callouts but when things got intense sometimes it felt like there was a jump and I was usually too into the moment, chalked it up to my ADHD and tendency to page jump and moved on.
There was way too much extra stuff. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Several times its mentioned that someone made sure to turn on an alarm or shut and lock a door only for that to just be a waste of time. Like no one later came back and tried the doors or hacked the alarm. And these are just kind of pointless examples but it happened enough that I started actively going "is this important?" or "why are you telling me this?" out loud. I like detail, but like, unless you are mentioning that they are shutting and locking EVERY DAMN DOOR, I don't need to know about the one in the office after the conversation. It sent me on a "hey remember that door" thought way too often.
The other thing I didn't like was just how much internal monologuing the 2 alphas had about things. The omega made sense, he's freaked out about things, he doesn't know who/what to trust. But the among on narcissistic grandstanding those two alphas did in their heads was just... ugh. It would have been totally fine had it been like "I know its wrong but it's for my Omega so fuck it" but it was like lines and lines and line of them telling the reader about consent or sex or politics or justice or gay rights. After a while it just felt like they were talking to themselves but talking to the ready in a rather heavy handed "these are important issues, go write your congressman" kind of way. And to be clear, I'm not saying that shouldn't be in books but to feel like I'm being randomly lectured in a dark romance book about consent felt kind of freaking weird.
I absolutely loved this story. It is full of hockey, MM action, morally grey to black activities, adorable animals and a man finally acknowledging his omega nature.
Koen is a very talented Omega hockey player. He is known as The Viking Captain as he throws himself into everything for his team to prove that designation and stature do not disqualify you. One coach told him years ago to give up or he would end up being a victim to the Alpha players and this always stayed with him.
Rhodes and Skylar are a couple who had been playing for a rival team until a random charity even had them crossing paths with their scent matched Omega....unfortunately he doesn't realize this due to the scent blocker he wears (gotta make sure not to become a victim). Good thing these guys were looking to be traded and knew exactly where to go.
Rhodes and Skylar have this fantastic Daddy and his Brat relationship going on and the way Koen fits into it is perfection. These two men will stop at nothing to ensure the safety if their Omega and weather or not it is legal doesn't really matter. Their process is absolutely unhinged in the best ways.
The spice in this is pleasure, punishment, and discovery all rolled into one. The big punishment scene was so freaking hot. The heat scene was done with on my their Omegas comfort and safety in mind.
Jenn brought these guys to life and fit all their dented and unhinged pieces together to create the most beautiful picture. I can't wait to see what's next.
This was a fun read. I liked each of the MCs. First, we have Koen. He's reserved and more of the silent type. He keeps to himself. I don't actually feel like we know a lot about Koen, even by the end. Then we have Skyler, who is the take charge leader of the pack. He's dominant and a true caretaker. And finally, Rhodes, who is a bratty bb angel. He's totally himself, and I love that. He's confident.
I really enjoy the scent match aspect of this world. And I love how Rhodes and Skyler realize Koen is their scent match before Koen does. It's fun to see them try so hard to woo him, only to give up and go completely possessive and obsessive on him. I liked seeing Koen slowly start to accept his role in the pack and I appreciated how difficult that was made because of
Overall, it was a fun, quick read. I found myself skimming a bit as it seemed somewhat repetitive, but I had a good time.
Are you ready for a new MMM dark hockey omegaverse romance? Well, welcome to Minnesota and the Lakeview Cougars hockey series. Koen is an omega who is the captain of his team. Skylar and Rhodes have been together since they were rookies. They meet Koen in Los Angeles at a charity event and discover that he is their scent match. And…..the fun begins. So, sit back, relax and get ready for a wild roller coaster ride. The duet performance by Tyler Griffin, Kayden Lukakis and Dameon Knight was beyond extraordinary. Dameon Knight was spectacular as strong, tough, kind, determined Omega Koen. His uncertainty, fierceness, strength, determination and love were all clearly evident in his voice. Kayden Lukakis was sensational as bratty, loving, lingerie wearing Alpha Rhodes. Tyler Griffin was marvellous as obsessive, possessive “Daddy” Alpha Skylar. His deep, growly tone was swoon worthy. Rhodes and Skylar were both unhinged in the best way. I highly recommend listening to this audiobook. Thanks to the author and Adler Audios for this ALC. AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Story 5 stars Performance 5 stars
I was told it would be a wild ride and I wasn't disappointed.
The thing with any sort of paranormal book is you need to put real world thoughts aside... I mean we're dealing with human werewolves here. (Non shifters)
I enjoyed the unhinged alphas and their extreme methods ... Were they stable and acceptable in normal society? Absolutely not, but I'm reading fiction for that exact reason.
Koen was cute... I would have loved a little from his on between years to see his decline and how he fell further into the mindset he got in, but I also understand the book wasn't about that...
I liked the addition of the dodgy cop character as I feel without him I would have had questions about how two semi-celebrities got away with their many dastardly deeds.
I enjoyed the unhinged, wild behaviour and murderous lifestyle... The spice was fun too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Puck Them by Jenn Bullard is a dark MMM hockey omegaverse romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Tyler Griffin, Kayden Lukaki and Dameon Knight. This is the first book in the Lakeview Cougars Hockey series.
This is the second book of Jenn's that I have read, and it won't be my last. I loved the relationship between Koen, Rhodes, and Skylar. It was messy but you couldn't help but root for them. I really enjoyed getting all of their points of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.
Tyler, Kayden, and Dameon did an amazing job on the narration. They really know how to bring a story to life. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.
I would recommend this book if you're looking for a dark romance, omegaverse romance, MMM romance, or a hockey romance.
I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I saw that was doing a hockey MMM book. I’m such a fan of MM+ books because they’re so good in my opinion. Besides, I’ve loved every single one of her books and have been addicted to her writing since I read Beg For It.
I felt for Koen is definitely one of the best omegas I have read in a hot minute. That prologue made me want to hug him because that little moment truly made his prospective of being on a hockey team truly changed. I was so happy that later in the book that Rhodes and Skylar gave him that revenge he needed.
First off, I love me a hot lingerie alpha and man, Rhodes takes the cake for that one. I knew he was going to be my favorite just from his first chapter.
These two alphas are so unhinged for their omega, who doesn’t even know he’s their scent matches because he puts a certain blocker under his nose to hide the smell of alphas. These two start by getting a trade to Koen’s team and heck, they even go as far as making his apartment flood. How convenient, boys!
This book is just so perfect. It has the right amount of unhinged crazy over the top alphas but then they have the cutest moments. They are so cute with their puppy. Magic Nugget gets changed to Princess Sunny, which fits her personality because she is wrapped around all of their fingers, especially Rhodes. Haha. He’s whipped.
When Koen finds out what these guys did, man, it was so emotional and well, if you know Jenn, she makes these guys so unhinged they are not letting their omega go without a fight! And ugh, the ending had me in my feelings for sure.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series because yes, please! I need more.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.
This MMM hockey omegaverse was absolutely delicious. Full of morally grey (and sometimes questionable) situations, I ate this up. The spice was definitely spicing the whole way through (which I loved- I'm definitely a fast burn girlie). In addition to being steamy, this was also angsty and emotional. Jenn Bullard always knows how to play with our emotions. Koen, Rhodes, and Skylar definitely stole my heart and I hope to see many cameos of them in future books!
I read this in one sitting. I physically could not put it down lmao. Such a fun and addictive story. I cannot wait for more books in this series to come out!!!
I have read and loved many if Jenn Bullard's books in the past, but I found this particular book hard to connect with. I loved the MMM hockey aspect of it and even tossing in the omegaverse theme gave it a unique flare. But what I could not wrap my head around was the purpose of having two of the three hockey player MMCs, regardless of them being alphas, so comfortable with eliminating and kidnapping people with no concern at all. Like I get both of them had a rough childhood but to make the story feel more realistic I would have loved to see more backstory as to WHY they were that way. Are all alphas in this world the same or just these two? Are the next books going to have characters with the same darkness? The darkness felt off with the baseline of the story. I get that it's fiction but without more of a backstory of the why, I felt like I was reading two different story themes forced into a single book. Some parts didn't seem relevant or complementary to the story overall, while other parts felt off and unrealistic. Professional hockey players able to just skip practices and games at random when they wanted to? Strange. With that said, I still LOOOOVE Jenn Bullard and will continue to read every one of her stories! This particular one just wasn't my cup of tea.
Let me preface this by saying, I’m not normally a dark romance reader but these characters were intriguing. It took a while for me to “get” where the “dark” came from. It seemed…out of place. Hear me out. These are hockey players who very casually talk about helping people meet their maker. There’s a line where someone says Skylar sounded like the mafia. Therein lies the issue that I have with this book. It’s like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Mafia. Hockey. Rom com? It was interesting and while I felt the story ended abruptly, it was enjoyable. It just didn’t wow me like the author’s other books.
Felt like I was reading Wattpad writing. I feel like there's a way to do Dark MM Romances and this book just completely missed the mark. I couldn't get down with how completely ridiculous, childish, and straight up unreasonable the two alphas were at times. Nor did I like the disregard fir consent in this book (which is my biggest issue). Majority of the Dark MM Romance novels I've read all had some sort reluctance that leads to consent but this right here was just nonconsentual. I wanted to finish the book just to see how it finished, as I was very excited for this book, but I just couldn't. DNF.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed the story until chapter sixteen, everything kinda just fell through after that. And the fucking dog, how much space did that dog actually need?! 🙄 I liked the characters and their dynamics, but it was a bit weird sometimes. I also felt like I was missing pages randomly 🤷🏼♀️ I am looking forward to the next book though, really hope their is more communication in that one 🤞🏼
2⭐️ Because I made it to 74%, I just can’t do it anymore, I don’t know if it’s the writing, the plot or the characters but I’m just not enjoying this at all and feel no connection to the characters
This was pretty intense! If you love dark omegaverse romances and your alphas being ‘extra’ in every way: extra possessive, extra protective, extra… well, everything, you’ll love this! Rhodes and Skylar seem to dial everything up to extreme while trying to claim Koen, going in full guns a blazing; these psycho alphas do not do anything half-arsed! Honestly, Koen never stood a chance at keeping his distance from these two (say goodbye to your personal space, Koen!).
Going too far seems like an understatement for Rhodes and Skylar. And they have no qualms at all about handling things violently if there’s any sign of danger; any little slight against their omega sends them into hunting mode. Luckily, they have plenty of ropes and zip ties on hand for all their fave activities (yes, of course, I mean for spicy times too!).
Rhodes was my definite favourite. I loved how he’s so unapologetically himself: a 6ft6 alpha goalie who loves to primp so he can both look AND feel good and that he’s a massive brat. He’s a big, colourful personality, and I couldn’t get enough of his outrageousness.
Skylar will go to the ends of the earth to protect his alpha and his omega. He’s a daddy who loves to punish his two brats. I loved seeing the rarer softer side of Skylar after all the aggressive pursuing of Koen.
And Koen, well, he’s portrayed as a grump but it’s more to protect himself that anything else. Known as the ‘tattooed Viking’, I loved the role he plays on the hockey team, especially that he’s an omega captain. He pushes back initially due to his distrust of alphas, but I really respected the fact that he doesn’t want to lose himself and his freedom as part of a pack. He’s a fighter in his own way; feisty and obstinate, he’s definitely a “gremlin omega” as Skylar affectionately calls him.
I adored how supportive and loyal the team are of Koen – one of the few omegas in hockey – and how they look out for him in so many ways, even if he’s unaware. There’s some great detailed hockey scenes in this (not that I’m an expert being in the UK, but I enjoyed them).
As a dog mum of a golden retriever, I also very much appreciated the adorable puppy in this and loved how she brought out the softer sides of these alphas, who can, without a doubt, be incredibly OTT at times.
There’s some injections of humour in this that made me snort with laughter, as well as plenty of spice with degradation, praise and feminisation.
I don’t think I’ve read another omegaverse MM/MM+ hockey romance like this one.
----
Some of my favourite quotes
Hope you’re ready for us, Koen. We play for keeps.
“It’s no secret that Koen is bat shit crazy.” “Ugh, I am not. My mental health is rock solid, fuck you very much.”
Don’t run, Little Omega. We enjoy the chase.
I’m willing to burn the world down for my omega, and I know Skylar feels the exact same way.
“I need you to understand there is no line we won’t cross for you. The second we saw you in Los Angeles, it’s like our brains were rewired.”
“You can be as stubborn as you want, but I know you love us. I also know you feel betrayed. You were never some fucked up game, Little Viking. You’re simply ours, and to belong to us is all-consuming.”
“I’ll always be yours. Scent matching isn’t everything. My soul recognizes yours, and I’m never going away.”
“Look, Rhodes and I are not perfect, and we don’t pretend to be. However, you’ll be safe with us.”
The Viking and His Alphas: A Deliciously Devious Match
📚 Book = Standalone (book 1) 🔥 Burn = Fast and high-heat, 🎭 OW/OM Drama = No, 🏒 Alpha Men = Absolutely, 💯 🌶️ Heat/spice = 10/10, 😬 Angst = Medium, 💔 Third Act Breakup = 🤥 Cheating = No, 🌈 MM/FF = MMM (Omegaverse) 🤷🏻♀️ RH/ Poly = MMM Pack, 🔹 Writing = 1st Person, Multi-POV, 🔸 Genre = Omegaverse / non shifter, 🔹 Tropes = MMM✨Dark Hockey romance✨Omega Captain with secrets✨Scent Matches✨Alpha with Daddy energy who enjoys spanking✨Lingerie wearing goalie who is a brat✨🔴Flag Alphas✨Alphas who will do anything for their omega✨Emergency heats✨Aggressive Self Care✨Found Family✨HEA✨ ‼️ Trigġers - My POV = Low. (Please check before reading)
Koan is an Omega hockey player known as "The Viking Captain" because he throws himself head-on into every fight to prove his designation and stature doesn’t define him. At a charity event, he catches the eyes of Rhodes and Skylar, who immediately recognise him as their scent match. However, Koan has no idea because he uses Alpha pheromone suppressant creams to ensure he isn’t influenced by Alphas on or off the ice. Rhodes and Skylar will go to any lengths in order to bring Koan into their pack, even if that includes a lot of rope or some handcuffs!
Jenn Bullard has officially nailed her solo venture into MM+ omegaverse, and honestly, she can do no wrong in my eyes! Puck Them is a fabulous, high-heat Lakeview Cougars Hockey series that didn’t disappoint for a second.
The possessiveness between Rhodes and Skylar is top-tier. Their antics are brilliant—yes, they’re a bit devious, underhanded, and waving more than a few red flags—but they are just so scrummy! I’ve always had a soft spot for those unapologetic characters who go after exactly what they want without saying sorry for it. Their daddy/brat/sub dynamic is incredibly hot, and adding Koan to the pack only turned the heat up further.
My heart really went out to Koan. Between the pressure of his designation and the disgraceful things his coach said to him at such a young age, you really feel for his need to constantly prove himself, with the anxiety and trust issues he has within his beloved sport. Seeing him realize he actually has a wonderful found family within his hockey team was so touching and I loved how Rhodes and Skylar give Koan his power back.
This book is the perfect mix: I swooned, I laughed, and I definitely had to fan myself through the spicy bits. Skylar and Rhodes encapsulate everything I love—fun, loving, and highly protective with a wonderful side of crazy. I’m already buzzing for the next books in this series!
I think this one had potential but unfortunately it didn't quite hit for me. This has all sorts of things I should love. Queer, sports romance, omega verse, great kinks, etc. but none of that could pull together for me on this one. I just felt like it tried to do SO much and yet, didn't do any of the things super well. Like, it's touted as a dark romance and yes, don't get me wrong, Skyler and Rhodes do crime, kill people, etc. But they're not really dark characters. There's no real insight as to why they are the way they are (except for maybe a small blip of a conversation that still really doesn't explain much). They call themselves psychopaths but they're so cavalier about it. I don't know. The "dark" aspect just wasn't what I was expecting after reading the blurb. Skyler and Rhodes are made to sound way more intimidating than they are because they're really just gigantic simps.
There's definitely a lot spice so if you're looking for heat, this probably fits that bill. There's definitely some question about the validity of it being dub-con/non-con which I suppose fits for the claimed "dark" aspect. I did enjoy some of the involved kinks that were a part of their intimacy which helped my enjoyment levels.
That said, I did consider DNFing this multiple times and it was partly because of the above but mostly because of the narration. All three of the narrators were new listens for me. I enjoyed Tyler Griffin as Skyler. He for the most part checked my boxes and Demeon Knight worked well for me as Koen. But Kaden Lukakis did not work well for me as Rhodes. I don't know if the style choice is typical of his narration but gosh dang, whatever accent or whatever you want to call it was chosen just did not work here. I think they were going for sunshine jock guy but it just made him sound kind of dumb. I powered through but definitely upped the speed to crank it out.
Overall, I think this has potential if there's just a little more refinement of what actually needs to be covered here. There's a lot going on and I think some of it could get trimmed down to allow for other aspects (for example, the dark) to be more refined and allow it to actually shine. I can't say I'll be coming back to check out more of this series or this author anytime soon.
Thanks to Adler Audio for the advanced listener copy. Sorry this one didn't hit the mark for me.
Here's Jenn Bullard's "Puck Them." It's the first novel in the Lakeview Cougars Hockey series.
["This is my team. I’ve worked my tail off to be the captain of it, and I’m a quietly gay omega. No one needs to know my sexuality, which is why I work harder than anyone to play hockey.
If I’m honest, this is my true identity and love. Omegas tend to be smaller, less muscle dense, and I was devastated when I came into my designation. My father was the one who encouraged me, went to every game, until he died last year.
Now there are two alphas that have joined The Lakeview Cougars and they refuse to leave me alone. They’re stalking me, forcing me to my knees in the locker room, and what’s worse is I love it.
I feel like I’m losing my mind. They’re willing to take everything from me unless I admit that I’m theirs.
But you know what? Puck them."]
Well Sky and Rhodes were not like I expected based on that blurb. Then again, when it came to those two alphas Koen wasn't exactly an unbiased source. Their first set of POV chapters were spicy as hell but might lighter and more playful than I expected. They were loving and caring and kind and sweet; granted, they're not afraid to go all shades of morally gray for each other (and Koen), but it's all in the name of safety and happiness for their pack.
I honestly really loved these three. It took me a while to sort through who was who, but that was probably a me thing (I don't always pay attention to names). They were all just so perfect for each other. They each brought something to the table to enhance the relationship, as pairs as as a whole. They were...n't patient, but they tried their best to be for Koen, just as Koen (eventually) trusted them.
I canNOT wait for more of this series!
Trigger Warnings: stalking, homophobia, drink spiking, murder, destruction of home, manipulation and gaslighting, hidden cameras, dub-con, forced proximity, breaking and entering, violence drugging, sedation and kidnapping, restraint, and more.
First thank you to Adler Audios for the Advanced Listener Copy. The below review is my honest opinions on the book.
Puck Them is a MMM Omegaverse Hockey Romance with Rivals to teammates to lovers, scent matches, banter, kinks and spicy fun, and dark themes.
The narrators for this book are some of my favorites and if you haven't listened to Tyler Griffin, Kayden Lukakis, and Daemon Knight....you really need to.
This was a good first MMM by Jenn Bullard and at just over 10 hours I was able to complete it within a few days.
Koen is the captain of the hockey team, an Omega and in the closet. He is known as the Viking Captain because of how aggressively he plays for his teams and throws himself into the fray constantly. He is definitely grumpy, and he is very cautious. Even by the time we get to the end I am not sure we know a lot about him.
Skylar is our Daddy D0m, extremely protective, and definitely morally grey. He plays his cards close to his vest but he has a huge heart and he is always paying attention to both Rhodes and Koen. Rhodes is bratty, fashionable, strong in his personality, impulsive, and the goalie. He is portrayed as the stereotypical jock and California surfer dude but he is smarter than he lets on.
Skylar and Rhodes are on a rival team from Koen. They are already in an open relationship and they meet him at a charity event. They then get themselves transferred to Minnesota to be on the same team as the Viking and the shenanigans begin.
There is a lot of spice in this book. If you are familiar with omegaverses you know what I mean.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think this is a good start to the series and I will continue it.
Yes it is advertised as a Dark Romance and while, for me, this wasn't what I would classify it as, there are definitely darker themes. So please read the Trigger Warnings as your mental health matters.
Audio: 2/5 stars. Horrendous. This narration almost TANKED the book and nearly had me decide to stop listening in chapter 3. I pushed through though. WTF was that? Firstly, wrong casting for Skyler and for Rhodes, neither MC had a narrator voice that suited them. Kayden Lukakis used a voice so annoying that I could barely stand to listen to him. He had me listening at an uncomfortably fast speed just so I could get through his chapters. / Tyler Griffin sounded flat and uninspired during the whole thing, even during the spicy scenes. Come on, dude, give us something! His voice wasn’t deep, he didn’t growl or commit to anything. The saving grace for this audio was Dameon Knight and thank F for him. His voice is great, but beyond that, this man committed to the spice like no other. Nearly had me salivating. Applause! 👏🏻 He single-handedly rescued this audio from being the worst audio I’ve listened to.
Book: 5.5 stars. I was going to give it 5 stars but the fact that it survived its awful narration means I gotta give it nearly 6 stars. Was this a perfect book? No. Did it hit the right buttons? Yes.
Koen, the 6’2 tattooed Viking, 🏒 the omega captain, the grumpy black cat with a jawline so sharp it could cut glass. I LOVED him. 🖤🐈⬛🔥 Skyler, the growly dom alpha D-man 🏒, whose love language is stalking, control and kidnapping? 🔪🥵 Yes, please. Rhodes, the flamboyant giant alpha goalie 🥅 with a soft heart. 🥰🌶️
“Three jocks”, distinctly different from one another. MMM doesn’t always work for me, but I didn’t mind it here.
Our badass protagonist gave the boys quite the attitude and the chase. It was delicious. Koen was tough, strong-headed, and gorgeous. Not your typical soft omega. Who else could handle them but him? And the alphas? Yeah, they’re a bit psycho, but they’re gentle psychos. 🤷♀️ You had to be there.
This book is about Koen, an omega hockey player who takes no shit, as a kid he was told by a coach to stop playing, that he was too small for it, that he’d just get hurt—especially in the locker room. Koen being the badass that he is refuses to listen, he takes that hate and makes it into something great. This book is also about his two stalker alphas, Rhodes and Skylar. These two sees who they want and they stop at nothing to win him over. But what happens when Koen finds out just how far they’re willing to go?
As usual win Jenn, this book is on the darker side so check your triggers and take care of yourself—you matter!
I loved this book! It’s another full M book by Jenn but this is the first one she publishes/writes on her own. Koen, Rhodes and Skylar stole my heart. They’re so quirky, chaotic, and with such vibrant personalities that you can’t help but love them. The way they just support and accept each other through everything, sports, kinks, stalking… It had my heart singing and I just need more!
I really don’t go for sports books but I just couldn’t put this down. The game scenes had me hooked to the point of it making me want to get a ticket to the boy aquarium to watch one for myself. It’s infuriating how much Jenn makes me want to watch sports!
Anyhow, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who reads omegaverse, doesn’t matter if you’re a sports fan or not—though if you’re anything like me you’re likely to start looking at getting a ticket to one. I suppose that could be both good and bad. Either way, the book is worth the existential crisis.