Hot as Puck - Book Review

By Lili Valente

Synopsis

The NHL’s biggest bad boy is about to fall for the virgin next door…

I am the world’s biggest dating failure. We’re talking my last date went home with our waitress kind of failure.

But I have an ace in the back pocket of my mom jeans–my sexy-as-sin best friend, NHL superstar forward, Justin Cruise.

Justin owes me favors dating back to seventh grade, long before he became a hotshot with a world famous…stick. So in return for my undying platonic loyalty, all I want is an easy-peasy crash course on how to be a sex goddess.

How hard can it be?

***

I have never been so hard in my life.

The things I want to do to my sweet, kindergarten-teaching, mitten-crocheting best friend Libby Collins are ten different kinds of wrong. Maybe twenty.

But I’m a firm believer in teaching by example, and by the end of our first lesson, we’ve graduated to a hands on approach to her education: my hands all over her, her hands all over me, and her hot mouth melting beneath mine as I prove to her there isn’t a damned thing wrong with the way she kisses.

Give me a month, and I’ll transform Libby from wall flower to wall banger, and ensure she’s confident enough to seduce any guy she wants.

Problem is… the only guy I want her seducing is me.

Review

One of my favorite authors said that HOT AS PUCK was one of the best hockey romances she’s read, so with that glowing endorsement I thought I’d be in for a good and enjoyable read. Sadly, I struggled with this book from beginning to end, unable to get into the characters or their story.

I didn’t feel any connection between Justin and Libby at all, who suddenly go from a decade long friendship, to friends with benefits, to being madly in love in the span of about a week. I couldn’t get over the fact that Justin was suddenly attracted to Libby just because she wore tight and revealing clothing one night, which made him shallow in my opinion. It was the same with Libby, who was suddenly attracted to Justin just because he touched her that same night; something I’m sure he would have done many, many times over the course of their very close friendship.

HOT AS PUCK is listed on Amazon as being a romantic comedy, but I don’t remember finding any part of this story funny or chuckle worthy. Apart from some make out sessions, some sex and some knitting/crocheting, not much else happens in this book. The conflict was a little on the weak side, and while I found the resolution to be somewhat cute, it was also a little cheesy.

HOT AS PUCK is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Justin and Libby. While this story didn’t do much for me, I would give this author another go.