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Accidental Puck Bunny
Hattie is an aspiring cookbook author who currently spends her days baking and making lattes for a local coffee shop. When she agrees to take her pro-athlete-obsessed bestie to a hockey game for her birthday, she never in a million years would have thought she’d be interested in one of the players - let alone end up in a fake dating scenario with him as a networking and PR stunt. But here she is. And it's getting messier by the minute, because once real feelings outside of lust get involved she will be completely in over her head. Declan is an NHL rockstar turned reject who imploded his own life with bad choices and is in desperate need of a PR makeover. As he slums it on a lower team his one goal is to follow every order his PR agent gives him and get back on a top-tier team and win the Stanley Cup. But things get complicated when he starts to develop feelings for his fake girlfriend.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2023
242 people are currently reading
1027 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
February 19, 2023
Well booktok, you let me down, again!
Cute premise, cinnamon roll NHL playing MMC, prudish, shy chef FMC, overall a disappointing read.
Because no one seems to mention this in reviews: be warned this is a NO-heat. This is a kissing only/gentle caress book. Note: There is a brief sexy time implied in the last chapter but no details or descriptions. They jump in the same bed, under the covers with no clothes on.
Clean/closed door authors - why do you have adults acting like they are putting on a play for kindergartners when your characters talk?
Stars: 🏒 (I rather watch hockey, at least I would see more action)
Heat: 🥶
Cute premise, cinnamon roll NHL playing MMC, prudish, shy chef FMC, overall a disappointing read.
Because no one seems to mention this in reviews: be warned this is a NO-heat. This is a kissing only/gentle caress book. Note: There is a brief sexy time implied in the last chapter but no details or descriptions. They jump in the same bed, under the covers with no clothes on.
Clean/closed door authors - why do you have adults acting like they are putting on a play for kindergartners when your characters talk?
Stars: 🏒 (I rather watch hockey, at least I would see more action)
Heat: 🥶
April 26, 2024
this is what they make you read in hell…. DNF at 93%
clawing my eyes out as you read this….
i’m having trouble composing how awful this was. I actually shriveled at how hard I was cringing…. never again…. never again. i’ll stick to real hockey THANK YOU. this “man” captioned an insta post “cutest pumpkin in the patch” sorry no thanks
#babygirl
clawing my eyes out as you read this….
i’m having trouble composing how awful this was. I actually shriveled at how hard I was cringing…. never again…. never again. i’ll stick to real hockey THANK YOU. this “man” captioned an insta post “cutest pumpkin in the patch” sorry no thanks
#babygirl
September 22, 2023
Alright, I needed some sleep before I came back to deep dive on this. This was a SYKD book and I was in a hockey romance mood bc why not, and this premise was cute—exceeeept. TW: HARRY FUCKING POTTER
So first and foremost, most structural issues I can and will ignore if the book pulls me in and keeps my attention; however, the plot and characters were lacking so everything was obvious and my brain was skipping.
Okay—the actual plot and characters.
Had a few horrendous things not been said or done, I would’ve slapped a three star on it and kept it going. Annoying things like “He dabbed me up.” And other choice phrases took me out—and they’re annoying because they don’t *fit.* Perfectly fine action and wording, but these people are near my age, yes? Post college by a few years, professional team for years, it’s giving late 20s, no? I can’t even count on one hand how often peers my age have referenced it like that—which is why it’s annoying. My younger siblings in their young 20s, yes. These characters felt very high school/younger college kids and what they did/said didn’t match the age I had in mind.
I don’t really understand the fake dating and it feels like poor trope execution because who doesn’t love fake dating? The thing is—it makes zero fucking sense here. There’s no reason to fake date and even in doing so, the rules??? Help??? They’re so hot and fucking cold, one minute he’s non-consensually masturbating to her photo (mind you, this is explained away later as a boys will be boys kind of thing you know?) and then he’s like sharing a blanket is too intimate…(you know, petty revenge for her rejecting his advances the other day.)
Sp*z is an ableist term. Full stop. End of sentence. I’d ask the author if she even knows it’s origins, but I mean how many times did I see Harry Potter pop up in this book? It’s literally an ableist slur and appears not once, but TWICE.
Look, I’ll say it now there’s no heavy description for Hattie and she reads like a white woman, okay? Okay—so I take major issue with this “cookbook” shit and the CONSTANT references to taking recipes from different cultures and “ruining them” for her pleasure. Colonizer say what? WHAT? If a white person EVER tried to sell me fucking CHINESE DUMPLING CHILI I would smack the shit out of them for the disrespect of good ass dumplings. There’s even a little bit where they try and justify this with someone else’s perceived racism with the scent of ethnic spices, but baby YOU ARE CHOPPING UP CULTURAL RECIPES??? FOR POTENTIAL PEOFIT?? HELLO?? I have an issue with this because of instances of erasure. Take for example cucumber kimchi or aqua fresca, white people take and repopularize under a colonized and lesser version and erase the original culture of the dish etc. Not cool, and no one’s eating fucking chili and dumplings fucking weird ass Midwest bullshit (lived in Missouri, I know exactly what y’all fucking do with chili and cinnamon rolls). Idk that shit just didn’t sit right with me because it was stupid and honestly nothing really ever came from this whole “chef” shit. She got nepobabied into a book deal I’m sure because of MMCs connections, white privilege and money say what— like I said, no one was picking up the massacre of cultural dishes by a white woman for a reason.
Moving on—just because you mention JK Rowling’s Harry Potter doesn’t mean your book will become the next big thing. Stop. It. It is 2023, are you seriously going to tell me you don’t know how fucking horrible that woman is? Or even how problematic Harry Potter is? Or rather, are you going to tell me you just don’t care because *you* love it? Enough said.
Listen, I can get down with fade to black. Not everything needs sexually explicit material and a lot of what I do enjoy the most has very little to none. What we’re not gonna do is sex bait, fuck bait? Spice…bait? Whatever you wanna call it, if you’re going down this weird fucking purity shit (highlighted it) and giving it the “I don’t cuss” FMC bs etc, stop fucking baiting and teasing spice because now I’m just mad. Four fucking times did “sexy time” get interrupted by a fucking ass hat or some other reason. I would’ve thrown the book, but it was digital and I value my phone more than whatever tf this was. Any sort of actual open door whatever occurred at 93%. I’m GOOD. KEEP IT. “I’m not sleeping on the first date, I don’t do casual sex, I won’t move in unless engaged.” Take this purity culture coded shit off of my kindle rn.
All in all, it was clunky and now I’m grumpy. Gonna go make some breakfast and not fuck up five cultural recipes in the process.
So first and foremost, most structural issues I can and will ignore if the book pulls me in and keeps my attention; however, the plot and characters were lacking so everything was obvious and my brain was skipping.
Okay—the actual plot and characters.
Had a few horrendous things not been said or done, I would’ve slapped a three star on it and kept it going. Annoying things like “He dabbed me up.” And other choice phrases took me out—and they’re annoying because they don’t *fit.* Perfectly fine action and wording, but these people are near my age, yes? Post college by a few years, professional team for years, it’s giving late 20s, no? I can’t even count on one hand how often peers my age have referenced it like that—which is why it’s annoying. My younger siblings in their young 20s, yes. These characters felt very high school/younger college kids and what they did/said didn’t match the age I had in mind.
I don’t really understand the fake dating and it feels like poor trope execution because who doesn’t love fake dating? The thing is—it makes zero fucking sense here. There’s no reason to fake date and even in doing so, the rules??? Help??? They’re so hot and fucking cold, one minute he’s non-consensually masturbating to her photo (mind you, this is explained away later as a boys will be boys kind of thing you know?) and then he’s like sharing a blanket is too intimate…(you know, petty revenge for her rejecting his advances the other day.)
Sp*z is an ableist term. Full stop. End of sentence. I’d ask the author if she even knows it’s origins, but I mean how many times did I see Harry Potter pop up in this book? It’s literally an ableist slur and appears not once, but TWICE.
Look, I’ll say it now there’s no heavy description for Hattie and she reads like a white woman, okay? Okay—so I take major issue with this “cookbook” shit and the CONSTANT references to taking recipes from different cultures and “ruining them” for her pleasure. Colonizer say what? WHAT? If a white person EVER tried to sell me fucking CHINESE DUMPLING CHILI I would smack the shit out of them for the disrespect of good ass dumplings. There’s even a little bit where they try and justify this with someone else’s perceived racism with the scent of ethnic spices, but baby YOU ARE CHOPPING UP CULTURAL RECIPES??? FOR POTENTIAL PEOFIT?? HELLO?? I have an issue with this because of instances of erasure. Take for example cucumber kimchi or aqua fresca, white people take and repopularize under a colonized and lesser version and erase the original culture of the dish etc. Not cool, and no one’s eating fucking chili and dumplings fucking weird ass Midwest bullshit (lived in Missouri, I know exactly what y’all fucking do with chili and cinnamon rolls). Idk that shit just didn’t sit right with me because it was stupid and honestly nothing really ever came from this whole “chef” shit. She got nepobabied into a book deal I’m sure because of MMCs connections, white privilege and money say what— like I said, no one was picking up the massacre of cultural dishes by a white woman for a reason.
Moving on—just because you mention JK Rowling’s Harry Potter doesn’t mean your book will become the next big thing. Stop. It. It is 2023, are you seriously going to tell me you don’t know how fucking horrible that woman is? Or even how problematic Harry Potter is? Or rather, are you going to tell me you just don’t care because *you* love it? Enough said.
Listen, I can get down with fade to black. Not everything needs sexually explicit material and a lot of what I do enjoy the most has very little to none. What we’re not gonna do is sex bait, fuck bait? Spice…bait? Whatever you wanna call it, if you’re going down this weird fucking purity shit (highlighted it) and giving it the “I don’t cuss” FMC bs etc, stop fucking baiting and teasing spice because now I’m just mad. Four fucking times did “sexy time” get interrupted by a fucking ass hat or some other reason. I would’ve thrown the book, but it was digital and I value my phone more than whatever tf this was. Any sort of actual open door whatever occurred at 93%. I’m GOOD. KEEP IT. “I’m not sleeping on the first date, I don’t do casual sex, I won’t move in unless engaged.” Take this purity culture coded shit off of my kindle rn.
All in all, it was clunky and now I’m grumpy. Gonna go make some breakfast and not fuck up five cultural recipes in the process.
May 2, 2024
Booorrinnnggggg, too insta love. I felt nothing for the characters and I wasn't the biggest fan of her writing.
March 16, 2025
Pese a que en algunos momentos, el monólogo interno de Declan se hace un poquito repetitivo, la historia tan linda entre él y Hattie me ha llenado el corazoncito <3 4 Estrellas, muy ligerito y ameno, no hay relleno absurdo y las escenas están muy bien hiladas entre ellas, haciendo que el paso del tiempo en la historia suene muy natural.
Recomendado
Recomendado
August 29, 2025
Eh, nope.
Lacking, messy, and quite a few grammatical errors.
Lacking, messy, and quite a few grammatical errors.
September 24, 2023
DNF 77%
Standard rom-com with unnecessarily complicated set up and almost no conflict.
It was so obvious that they would end up dating I was bored, there was no conflict or any tension that needed to be worked through.
If you are in the mood for fluff then maybe you will like it.
Standard rom-com with unnecessarily complicated set up and almost no conflict.
It was so obvious that they would end up dating I was bored, there was no conflict or any tension that needed to be worked through.
If you are in the mood for fluff then maybe you will like it.
September 3, 2024
1 ⭐️
Straight to jail and throw away the key for using the words “member” and “loins” 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
Straight to jail and throw away the key for using the words “member” and “loins” 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
February 9, 2023
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for a true and honest review.
Release Date: February 12, 2023
rating: 4/5
spice: 2/5
Hockey Romance, fake dating, slow burn
Me, like a good amount of the reading community, is in their hockey era. So when I started seeing S. Frasher’s teasers on IG and then her post about needing ARC readers I jumped at the chance. So glad I did.
I really enjoyed reading Accidental Puck Bunny.
I wish I was a sports girlie, but I’m not so it was fun to have a FMC that puts her foot in her mouth about hockey to a hockey player (without knowing the person).
Hattie and me though… two peas in a pod. The whole time I was reading it was like I was the main character (minus the crazy cooking). I would be thinking, “that sounds like something I would say” “Giant pretzels are the best” “oh, yeah that would have happened to me.” She was so relatable.
The only thing I had trouble with was at times it felt like parts of the story were missing. Like between the chapters I caught myself double checking to make sure I didn’t miss something or any pages.
But the story is cute and I loved the characters. Can't wait to see what other titles from S. Frasher are out there and what will come from them in the future.
QUOTES
"Honestly, you being humiliated in front of an arena of drunk hockey fans is not the birthday gift I asked for, but I just realized it's the gift I needed." -- Brooke, Hattie's best friend
Declan: If it helps, I think you looked adorable up there.
Hattie: Yes, adorably covered in cheese & butter, with chipmunk cheeks full of carbs.
Declan: Like I said, it was cute. Don't be embarrassed.
"Sometimes strangers are easier to talk to than people we're close to." -- Hattie
Release Date: February 12, 2023
rating: 4/5
spice: 2/5
Hockey Romance, fake dating, slow burn
Me, like a good amount of the reading community, is in their hockey era. So when I started seeing S. Frasher’s teasers on IG and then her post about needing ARC readers I jumped at the chance. So glad I did.
I really enjoyed reading Accidental Puck Bunny.
I wish I was a sports girlie, but I’m not so it was fun to have a FMC that puts her foot in her mouth about hockey to a hockey player (without knowing the person).
Hattie and me though… two peas in a pod. The whole time I was reading it was like I was the main character (minus the crazy cooking). I would be thinking, “that sounds like something I would say” “Giant pretzels are the best” “oh, yeah that would have happened to me.” She was so relatable.
The only thing I had trouble with was at times it felt like parts of the story were missing. Like between the chapters I caught myself double checking to make sure I didn’t miss something or any pages.
But the story is cute and I loved the characters. Can't wait to see what other titles from S. Frasher are out there and what will come from them in the future.
QUOTES
"Honestly, you being humiliated in front of an arena of drunk hockey fans is not the birthday gift I asked for, but I just realized it's the gift I needed." -- Brooke, Hattie's best friend
Declan: If it helps, I think you looked adorable up there.
Hattie: Yes, adorably covered in cheese & butter, with chipmunk cheeks full of carbs.
Declan: Like I said, it was cute. Don't be embarrassed.
"Sometimes strangers are easier to talk to than people we're close to." -- Hattie
January 29, 2023
As an ice hockey fan I adored this book, as a bookworm I thought it was brilliant! Ice hockey meets hallmark movies, this book is hilarious, sarcastic, cheesy and utterly romantic...it will make you fall in love with ice hockey. I will admit this book is slightly predictable but I love it even more for it.
What starts out as a deal to help better a hockey player turns into something both Hattie and Declan never imagined. The relationship that these two people have is one that every cheesy romantic lover out there wants in their life...I am one of those said people. I adore a cheesy slow burn romance, the hand holding and just the little things like a players hockey number on a beanie, it makes my little heart melt.
I am dying for a sequel, for me the ending seems a little bit rushed. It's such a sweet ending and I love it but I feel like there could have maybe been a little bit more? But that's just me I probably just need more of the book (which I definitely do!).
One thing I think is brilliant about this book is the dual perspective, different chapters as re headed with either 'Hattie' or 'Declan' and we got to see their thoughts, feelings and generally what they were seeing. This I think gave me a better insight as to who these two protagonists are.
So the main question...would I recommend this book? Hell yeah!! It is every romance loving bookworms dream and also I really need a Stella in my life she is just the sweetest thing! If you don't know who Stella is you obviously need to read it to find out.
Thank you again for sending me this book as an arc I have loved reading and reviewing it, fingers crossed for more of Hattie and Declan!
What starts out as a deal to help better a hockey player turns into something both Hattie and Declan never imagined. The relationship that these two people have is one that every cheesy romantic lover out there wants in their life...I am one of those said people. I adore a cheesy slow burn romance, the hand holding and just the little things like a players hockey number on a beanie, it makes my little heart melt.
I am dying for a sequel, for me the ending seems a little bit rushed. It's such a sweet ending and I love it but I feel like there could have maybe been a little bit more? But that's just me I probably just need more of the book (which I definitely do!).
One thing I think is brilliant about this book is the dual perspective, different chapters as re headed with either 'Hattie' or 'Declan' and we got to see their thoughts, feelings and generally what they were seeing. This I think gave me a better insight as to who these two protagonists are.
So the main question...would I recommend this book? Hell yeah!! It is every romance loving bookworms dream and also I really need a Stella in my life she is just the sweetest thing! If you don't know who Stella is you obviously need to read it to find out.
Thank you again for sending me this book as an arc I have loved reading and reviewing it, fingers crossed for more of Hattie and Declan!
February 3, 2023
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story includes fake dating, hockey tension, he falls first and slow burn spice. The icing on top of the cake is that the FMC is a chef and the book contains actual recipes within it! Declan Hollis used to be a playboy, alcoholic until he got kicked off the NHL team he was playing for. Hattie Collins is an aspiring cookbook writer and her best friend, Brooke, is a wanna be puck bunny so obviously Hattie gets dragged into her antics. On the way to get hockey tickets for Brookes birthday, Hattie has a run in with Declan but she doesn’t know he’s a star hockey player. Declan does everything in his power to get Hattie’s attention without revealing his identity until they have another run in at his home for an after game party. Declan’s PR manager insists on him getting a fake girlfriend so naturally Declan turns to Hattie. But is it fake or are their feelings going to take over?
There is the cutest and sentimental touch at the end of this book where the recipes that you hear Hattie speak of or she cooks are available to us at the readers to recreate if we want to!
This story includes fake dating, hockey tension, he falls first and slow burn spice. The icing on top of the cake is that the FMC is a chef and the book contains actual recipes within it! Declan Hollis used to be a playboy, alcoholic until he got kicked off the NHL team he was playing for. Hattie Collins is an aspiring cookbook writer and her best friend, Brooke, is a wanna be puck bunny so obviously Hattie gets dragged into her antics. On the way to get hockey tickets for Brookes birthday, Hattie has a run in with Declan but she doesn’t know he’s a star hockey player. Declan does everything in his power to get Hattie’s attention without revealing his identity until they have another run in at his home for an after game party. Declan’s PR manager insists on him getting a fake girlfriend so naturally Declan turns to Hattie. But is it fake or are their feelings going to take over?
There is the cutest and sentimental touch at the end of this book where the recipes that you hear Hattie speak of or she cooks are available to us at the readers to recreate if we want to!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2025
I'm sorry, but did anyone edit this book? The grammar is absolutely atrocious. At one point, the text says that the main character is "accessing the damage" rather than assessing it. Then there are smaller things like unfazed vs. unphased, the weird sentence structure, and the fact that one line of dialogue ends with a backslash. Also, sometimes the correct word is me, not I. Honestly, the story is what it is, a cute little hockey romance (although there are issues there, too), but I could not get past how poorly edited it was.
The hockey aspect was also tough because I was failing to suspend disbelief. I'm a diehard hockey fan and have been for ages. Paps don't care about hockey players 99% of the time. A hockey player with perfectly straight teeth? I guess they could be dentures. There's a whole thing that happens early on at the arena that would NEVER happen in the NHL. But yeah, this is a me problem, expecting reality in a romcom.
The hockey aspect was also tough because I was failing to suspend disbelief. I'm a diehard hockey fan and have been for ages. Paps don't care about hockey players 99% of the time. A hockey player with perfectly straight teeth? I guess they could be dentures. There's a whole thing that happens early on at the arena that would NEVER happen in the NHL. But yeah, this is a me problem, expecting reality in a romcom.
April 27, 2025
think hockey romance just has to be my favourite sports romance. This book just added to that favouritism
I've never read a book by this author before and I'm do glad I found her and her work. I really enjoyed her writing style and how the words flowed so well. Not once did I have to question what I was reading or have you reread something to understand.
The plot was great of had few good tropes that we all love in a romance: fake dating 🔥🔥 the sexual tension between these two - damn you could cut it with a knife.
I love how sweet and caring the MMC was and how he got his redemption from his past. And I love how creative the FMC is , at first I did turn up my nose at her idea of foods but then as the story progressed some just sounded absolutely delicious - shout out to the author for leaving recipes at the back!
We had our typical epilogue for romance - but it was short and sweet which I think was the perfect way to end this book. As everything that needed to be said was already done on the main story.
Overall and enjoy hockey romance with some good smut and some damn tasty sounding food (and I'm not just talking about the hockey players)
I've never read a book by this author before and I'm do glad I found her and her work. I really enjoyed her writing style and how the words flowed so well. Not once did I have to question what I was reading or have you reread something to understand.
The plot was great of had few good tropes that we all love in a romance: fake dating 🔥🔥 the sexual tension between these two - damn you could cut it with a knife.
I love how sweet and caring the MMC was and how he got his redemption from his past. And I love how creative the FMC is , at first I did turn up my nose at her idea of foods but then as the story progressed some just sounded absolutely delicious - shout out to the author for leaving recipes at the back!
We had our typical epilogue for romance - but it was short and sweet which I think was the perfect way to end this book. As everything that needed to be said was already done on the main story.
Overall and enjoy hockey romance with some good smut and some damn tasty sounding food (and I'm not just talking about the hockey players)
February 13, 2023
A fake dating hockey romance with plenty of sweetness and a little spice.
I really liked Hattie and Declan as characters. I was rooting for them both to achieve their dreams and for them to get together. But for me, I felt things were rushed. I would’ve liked for things to have been slowed down a bit and progressed more naturally. At times, it almost seemed like we were just getting the highlights of their relationship. I felt the ending was especially rushed.
I adored Jax and Brooke. They had me laughing out loud at times and I loved getting to see a glimpse of their relationship as well. And one final thing, I loved that the recipes Hattie mentioned in the story were added in at the end of the book! I’ll definitely be trying a few of them out.
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
I really liked Hattie and Declan as characters. I was rooting for them both to achieve their dreams and for them to get together. But for me, I felt things were rushed. I would’ve liked for things to have been slowed down a bit and progressed more naturally. At times, it almost seemed like we were just getting the highlights of their relationship. I felt the ending was especially rushed.
I adored Jax and Brooke. They had me laughing out loud at times and I loved getting to see a glimpse of their relationship as well. And one final thing, I loved that the recipes Hattie mentioned in the story were added in at the end of the book! I’ll definitely be trying a few of them out.
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
March 27, 2023
Great Read
This is a good read. I like that the relationship is more organic from the start. Can’t wait to see what else she writes.
This is a good read. I like that the relationship is more organic from the start. Can’t wait to see what else she writes.
January 20, 2025
enough to make me want to finish it but they were too meh
August 20, 2025
So i definitely needed this book. I’ve been following this author for awhile and snagged this back on SYKD.
Hockey Romance. Fake Dating. Meet-Cute.
I devoured it basically in less than 48 hours. I lost sleep so I can finish this book.
Definitely read it.
Hockey Romance. Fake Dating. Meet-Cute.
I devoured it basically in less than 48 hours. I lost sleep so I can finish this book.
Definitely read it.
June 3, 2024
Hockey romance debut <3
January 29, 2023
I was given this as an arc. It was a cute storyline. I liked how they met in the beginning and all the stuff he did to try and “woo” her without her even knowing, but then it kind of slowed down for me. I felt like the whole middle of the book kind of dragged whereas the end was rushed. I loved how it ended, but I felt like I would’ve liked to have to stretched out a little more cause it was like bam they’re back together then married and a baby all within a few pages. Definitely agree there is potential and definitely some swooning moments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2023
4.5 Stars, rounding up to 5!
I devoured this in one sitting! Make this your next sports romance read.
We are greeted by party-boy, hockey player Declan Hollis and his infamous reputation. Alternating POVs to Hattie Collins, an aspiring cookbook author for her creative dishes, who finds herself running into Declan - literally. Their chemistry was apparent from the get-go and the slow burn was an amazing build throughout. I hope there's a sequel following their friends Brooke and Jax!
This story has it all: the flirting and banter between our main characters, fake dating trope, slow burn romance, sports with a touch of celebrity style situations, and a feel good ending to round it out.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I devoured this in one sitting! Make this your next sports romance read.
We are greeted by party-boy, hockey player Declan Hollis and his infamous reputation. Alternating POVs to Hattie Collins, an aspiring cookbook author for her creative dishes, who finds herself running into Declan - literally. Their chemistry was apparent from the get-go and the slow burn was an amazing build throughout. I hope there's a sequel following their friends Brooke and Jax!
This story has it all: the flirting and banter between our main characters, fake dating trope, slow burn romance, sports with a touch of celebrity style situations, and a feel good ending to round it out.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 27, 2023
I received this as an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like the story itself is great and has a lot of promise but the dialogue didn’t always flow well, there was a lot of use of redundant language and there was some issues with switching tenses.
Has a lot of potential!
I feel like the story itself is great and has a lot of promise but the dialogue didn’t always flow well, there was a lot of use of redundant language and there was some issues with switching tenses.
Has a lot of potential!
May 6, 2024
Easy read, just what i needed. Pretty good storyline with classic tropes!
January 27, 2025
I would rate this a 3.5⭐️ - I really enjoyed the hallmark movie aspect, it was a super easy light read which I love.
There wasn’t any spice, definitely more of an ice hockey hallmark movie but it’s still cute and the ending was a bit predictable.
I would recommend this if you’re okay with no spice and looking for a quick filler read in between books 🫶🏼
There wasn’t any spice, definitely more of an ice hockey hallmark movie but it’s still cute and the ending was a bit predictable.
I would recommend this if you’re okay with no spice and looking for a quick filler read in between books 🫶🏼
December 11, 2023
What in the actual culinary hell is happening here?
(A friend read this, told me it was terrible, I tried it on KU, got ~30% in and DNF'd because 💕no💕)
(A friend read this, told me it was terrible, I tried it on KU, got ~30% in and DNF'd because 💕no💕)
January 9, 2024
This book was so adorable; I just love the hockey world.
October 21, 2024
Good vibes
June 9, 2024
I’m going to be nice and not say anything.
March 4, 2025
You can read my review of Accidental Puck Bunny on my blog, here: https://thepaperworlds.blogspot.com/2....
This is a spoiler-free review!
I downloaded this forever ago on a Stuff Your Kindle Day, and since I have been riding on the hockey romances, I figured I should jump to another one and keep the ball rolling. When Declan needs to turn his image around in order to sing for a better hockey team, his PR team decides a fake relationship is exactly what he needs in order to win the public favor and get back in good graces with the hockey world. Hattie, an up-and-coming cookbook author, just so happens to spark a connection with Declan, and falls into a situationship turned fake relationship in order for them to both get what they want - what could possibly go wrong?
This book is riddled with pop culture references, which is not my cup of tea - considering it was published in 2023, I would have hoped that the writing style of 2013 would have been long abandoned. I understand some millennials have an attachment to Harry Potter, but I am begging them to let it go!! Hattie's self confidence seems to appear and then disappear throughout the book - I could not get a read on her, considering she seemed shy in the beginning but then suddenly became super confident after meeting Declan. And with a friend like Brooke, I was surprised to see that she was not as outgoing as I expected her to be. I would have loved to see a smoother transition of her self-confidence throughout the book, it would have enhanced her characterization.
To be honest, Declan's characterization was the best by far - he has a much clearer journey compared to the rest of the characters, and I enjoyed his perspective chapters a lot more than I enjoyed Hattie's chapters. He was easier to be sympathetic towards, and that may be because of how much more of a backstory we got of Declan's and his current internal struggles. Brooke and Jax were fun side characters, but I will say that Brooke annoyed me beyond belief - it felt as though she would just abandon Hattie at any chance she got to go and try to hook up with a hockey player, and Hattie was usually just left sitting by herself or going home. Jax was a decent comedic relief when the story needed one, but he was not in the book enough for me to actually form a solid opinion on his character.
The writing is... something. I truly believe this should have gone through another round of editing or two before being published - at times, the writing felt choppy and unfinished. You can somewhat tell where the author wanted to take the story, and then it would either cut off completely or change perspectives. This was more so for a light and quick read - it reads like every other TikTok blurb book you see about hockey romances, and while I am a sucker for fake relationships, it never truly felt as though their relationship was fake, so the stakes felt low and the miscommunication was not my favorite aspect.
If you are also riding the hockey romance train, this could be a palette cleanser in between series or just a quick read to throw you into the genre before you embark into a planned reading schedule. The concept for this book was there, but I would not reach for it again unless the author acquired some serious editors to go through it. The story moves quickly, but at the cost of characterization and to be quite honest, plot. The author sacrifices a lot of pages in place of smut, and while it was decent, it was not something that had such a wow factor that I could forgive the plot being put on the back burner.
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December 27, 2024
Initial Thoughts:
Oh to have an NHL player run you over and then fall in love. For a hockey romance novel, this one is cute, with a fake-dating plotline that turns into real dating. Eliza Beth keeps this novel fun and flirty the entire way through. I liked Hattie, and love Declan, and even side characters like Brooke and Jax add to some fun side plotlines as both our girls end up with hockey players. This novel strictly flew the okay line, which is exactly the type of easy romance read I wanted, one with a simple plot, and no family / personal drama. The only thing they have to overcome is admitting their feelings for each other, to allow for a cute and satisfying romantic ending.
Characters:
The story is told from both Hattie and Declan's view, with only a few overlapping periods in time. We see Hattie getting run over by Declan, her realizing he’s cute and asking him to coffee. Declan’s point of view of how hot he found Hattie, and his reasoning why he would not, initially, go on a date with her. Beth, trying their best, did make the characters a bit too 2D for my liking, or maybe I have just been reading too many novels with overly dramatic and need development characters - something Hattie and Declan do not have. Hattie’s main personal drama in this story is trying to get her cookbook published, which really was only a plot line for her first and last chapter. Through their fake dating contract, Declan was going to put Hattie in contact with publishing houses, which could have happened, but that was a plot line that Beth did not let us read about. For Declan, it was his playboy past that his hired PR team was fixing for him. Except, Beth had him at the end of this clean-up journey, and with no relapse, it did not play a part in the story at all. I was waiting for the point that one of Declan’s past flings would come back and make Hattie insecure or jealous, for fear, Declan may be cheating on her, or the publishing company wanted Hattie to get formal training at some French culinary school and she would have to leave - unfortunately Beth was not that creative. As much as I love Declan and Hattie's romance, I was honestly more excited to see the drama of Brooke and Jax, and wish Beth included more of the best friends' romance in this story. Oh well, here's to hoping for a sequel!
Plot / Writing:
I actually loved the plot line of the story, and how Beth’s quick and easy writing really made this novel fly through my hands. Needing to clean up his act, Declan’s PR team wanted to put him in a healthy and stable relationship to show him that he was completely away from his playboy past. For a relationship to work, it had to be fake, because otherwise, Declan had a chance of screwing it up. Thus Hattie, a girl he met organically and actually liked, was willing to be his fake girlfriend to show that Declan is stable, in exchange for using his fame to get her book published. With these characters starting off with real chemistry, it was fun to read about all the PR stunts they were put through as they were actually falling in love. I was not a huge fan of the ending, however, given Hattie's life rules and how Beth was moving the story, it made sense even if it did feel a bit rushed. There were a few smutty chapters, making it worth it as a slow-burn romance, but also hiked up the sexuality of this novel which seemed unneeded at the time. I do get the trend, but if I read another sentence about how “she wraps her hand around my member” I will be committing some literary arson. I understand why, but Beth - sex scenes are not your strong suit. With the sweetest epilogue for our characters, Beth truly uses Hattie’s love of hockey romances to the test, as she gives Hattie her very own NHL fairy tale.
Conclusion:
This novel is a simple love story with an NHL and fake dating twist to keep things interesting. Sure the plot was simple, with no overt complications, nor challenges our characters took forever to figure out, just a good old-fashioned romance. Honestly, this was a hallmark movie in book form and even included Christmas-matching PJs for the hell of it.
Oh to have an NHL player run you over and then fall in love. For a hockey romance novel, this one is cute, with a fake-dating plotline that turns into real dating. Eliza Beth keeps this novel fun and flirty the entire way through. I liked Hattie, and love Declan, and even side characters like Brooke and Jax add to some fun side plotlines as both our girls end up with hockey players. This novel strictly flew the okay line, which is exactly the type of easy romance read I wanted, one with a simple plot, and no family / personal drama. The only thing they have to overcome is admitting their feelings for each other, to allow for a cute and satisfying romantic ending.
Characters:
The story is told from both Hattie and Declan's view, with only a few overlapping periods in time. We see Hattie getting run over by Declan, her realizing he’s cute and asking him to coffee. Declan’s point of view of how hot he found Hattie, and his reasoning why he would not, initially, go on a date with her. Beth, trying their best, did make the characters a bit too 2D for my liking, or maybe I have just been reading too many novels with overly dramatic and need development characters - something Hattie and Declan do not have. Hattie’s main personal drama in this story is trying to get her cookbook published, which really was only a plot line for her first and last chapter. Through their fake dating contract, Declan was going to put Hattie in contact with publishing houses, which could have happened, but that was a plot line that Beth did not let us read about. For Declan, it was his playboy past that his hired PR team was fixing for him. Except, Beth had him at the end of this clean-up journey, and with no relapse, it did not play a part in the story at all. I was waiting for the point that one of Declan’s past flings would come back and make Hattie insecure or jealous, for fear, Declan may be cheating on her, or the publishing company wanted Hattie to get formal training at some French culinary school and she would have to leave - unfortunately Beth was not that creative. As much as I love Declan and Hattie's romance, I was honestly more excited to see the drama of Brooke and Jax, and wish Beth included more of the best friends' romance in this story. Oh well, here's to hoping for a sequel!
Plot / Writing:
I actually loved the plot line of the story, and how Beth’s quick and easy writing really made this novel fly through my hands. Needing to clean up his act, Declan’s PR team wanted to put him in a healthy and stable relationship to show him that he was completely away from his playboy past. For a relationship to work, it had to be fake, because otherwise, Declan had a chance of screwing it up. Thus Hattie, a girl he met organically and actually liked, was willing to be his fake girlfriend to show that Declan is stable, in exchange for using his fame to get her book published. With these characters starting off with real chemistry, it was fun to read about all the PR stunts they were put through as they were actually falling in love. I was not a huge fan of the ending, however, given Hattie's life rules and how Beth was moving the story, it made sense even if it did feel a bit rushed. There were a few smutty chapters, making it worth it as a slow-burn romance, but also hiked up the sexuality of this novel which seemed unneeded at the time. I do get the trend, but if I read another sentence about how “she wraps her hand around my member” I will be committing some literary arson. I understand why, but Beth - sex scenes are not your strong suit. With the sweetest epilogue for our characters, Beth truly uses Hattie’s love of hockey romances to the test, as she gives Hattie her very own NHL fairy tale.
Conclusion:
This novel is a simple love story with an NHL and fake dating twist to keep things interesting. Sure the plot was simple, with no overt complications, nor challenges our characters took forever to figure out, just a good old-fashioned romance. Honestly, this was a hallmark movie in book form and even included Christmas-matching PJs for the hell of it.
September 25, 2023
Aspiring chef, Hattie Collins, is feeling a little defeated after getting rejections from publishers for her creative cookbook. A college degree can only get you so far apparently. On her way to get her best friend the hockey tickets she wanted for her birthday celebration, she runs into a stranger. Literally. He’s sweet, funny and extremely hot. And after helping her get the best seats in the house, he just walks away. After some very fortuitous events, and a lot of flirting, it turns out the hottie who she ran into is really hot shot NHL player Declan Hollis. Declan’s cleaning up his image and the next step in his PR reimage is to find that steady relationship and who else to ask other than the woman he’s currently chasing but can’t have. Will these two be able to keep it fake or will the lines blur and neither can tell the difference between which actions are for show or which ones come from the heart?
I would recommend this for any hockey romance lover who adores when the guy falls first, and hard but also a good slow, simmer (get it? Cause she likes to cook? LOL).
I fell in love with Declan before his first chapter even ended. That guy fell the moment she landed on him. And who wouldn’t want that in a guy? The whole book is essentiall him chasing her around, waiting to tell her how he really feels. Even though I loved Declan, the characters were different than I’m used to. I mean, Declan is the old bad boy in the league who is cleaning up his image, which is nothing new. But Hattie didn’t have a single thing wrong with her other than she was just a regular girl who caught the eye of an NHL star, who we all want to be by the way. I guess it isn’t fair to compare other books and authors but like, Elle Kennedy gives us characters that have a little depth to them, both male and female. I also didn’t really like the name of the book. I understand what she was trying to say but like, puck bunnies are women who are into the sport only because of the attractiveness of the players and Hattie is FAR from a puck bunny.
I would recommend this for any hockey romance lover who adores when the guy falls first, and hard but also a good slow, simmer (get it? Cause she likes to cook? LOL).
I fell in love with Declan before his first chapter even ended. That guy fell the moment she landed on him. And who wouldn’t want that in a guy? The whole book is essentiall him chasing her around, waiting to tell her how he really feels. Even though I loved Declan, the characters were different than I’m used to. I mean, Declan is the old bad boy in the league who is cleaning up his image, which is nothing new. But Hattie didn’t have a single thing wrong with her other than she was just a regular girl who caught the eye of an NHL star, who we all want to be by the way. I guess it isn’t fair to compare other books and authors but like, Elle Kennedy gives us characters that have a little depth to them, both male and female. I also didn’t really like the name of the book. I understand what she was trying to say but like, puck bunnies are women who are into the sport only because of the attractiveness of the players and Hattie is FAR from a puck bunny.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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