I absolutely adored this book ADORED it. It’s rare to find something that stands out in the romance field, and as someone who admittedly reads a lot of hockey romance, I wasn’t expecting to be so enthralled with Lucky Bounce as I was. I’ve read Cait Nary’s previous books and knew I was a fan of their style and the particular way they write romance. Like the previous books, Lucky Bounce was delightfully voicey, Zeke was both hilarious and extremely fleshed out, and I loved being in his head. I adored how grumpy and reticent Spencer was, and how he was quietly determined to both being a wonderful father to Addie and making Zeke feel loved and appreciated. I’m always a fan of one character being a bit blind to the adoration of the other and though the trope was really well done. While the spice wasn’t a huge portion of it, I thought it was perfectly done and really enjoyed Spencer and Zeke’s dynamic in that regard, and how open they were with each other with consent and preferences. I do wish there was slightly more at the end, it’s a very low conflict story which made me feel like there might be a sequel? Either way, I really loved it and will eagerly read anything Nary might write in the future!

This was a fun read. With all the dual POV books out there right now, it was a bit refreshing to read a romance through the eyes of only one of the characters. The spark and tension between Zeke and Spencer during the “will they/won’t they” stage is well-written and gave me butterflies. I loved the side characters and wished we heard from/saw them more in the second half of the book.

Where the story falls a little flat though is in the lack of focused conflict. There are many plot points that could have been expanded upon to bring that conflict to light and give the couple something to work through/for. There are a couple places where it seems like there’s going to be more tension built up or groundwork laid for something later on, but it just gets glossed over and never brought up again. There’s a lot of buildup and no payoff in that regard. For example, I don’t know why Spencer was upset at the start of the New Years trip in the hotel, and I think having the characters talk through it would have been helpful for solidifying the foundation of their relationship.

I enjoyed this book and would happily read it again or listen to the audiobook if one comes out, but what keeps it from being an instant favorite is that it lacks the tension & resolution that I was waiting for.