3/5 stars

Ah, the age-old art of revenge: petty, dramatic, and, when executed correctly, deeply satisfying.

In Revenge Puck, L.A. Hart serves up a whirlwind of fake dating, jealous exes, and a hockey rivalry so intense it might just melt the ice.

Elle Townsend, our freshly dumped heroine, takes a page out of the *How to Ruin Your Ex’s Life* handbook and enlists her ex's biggest rival, Preston Lawrence, for some good old-fashioned emotional chaos.

But, as these things go, the line between faking it and catching real feelings blurs faster than a slapshot. While the book is brimming with drama, tension, and just enough chemistry to keep the pages turning, the breakneck pace and occasionally disjointed development leave it teetering between an all-star read and a penalty-worthy infraction.

The book dabbles in themes of revenge, emotional growth, and second chances, but the overarching theme? Chaos. Delicious, messy, emotionally turbulent chaos. The enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes are strong, but the pacing sometimes undercuts the emotional depth these themes could have had.

- Elle Townsend: She starts off strong—angry, impulsive, and hell-bent on making Christian suffer (relatable). But her rapid switch from heartbroken to head-over-heels for Preston in less than two weeks? A bit too speedy for believability.

- Preston Lawrence: Our angry, emotionally volatile hockey hunk has trauma (because, of course, he does). He’s got serious possessiveness issues, but hey, that’s a romance novel staple at this point. His arc would’ve hit harder with more gradual development.

- Christian Riley : The ex-boyfriend turned side plot MVP.

- Side Characters : The subplot with Maya and Christian sometimes overshadowed the main romance—probably not the intention, but definitely where my attention drifted.

Hart leans heavily into dialogue, which keeps things moving but often at the expense of real emotional build-up. We get some inner monologue, but not nearly enough to really invest in these characters. The whole story plays out over less than two weeks—which is just not enough time for the emotional rollercoaster this book tries to sell.

While fake dating and rivals-to-lovers aren’t groundbreaking, the hockey-fueled revenge plot was a fun twist. It just needed a little more room to breathe. Also, the fact that all of this takes place in a single series instead of an entire season? A missed opportunity for some long-term, slow-burn tension.

What Worked
- Entertaining, fast-paced drama that keeps you hooked.
- Preston and Christian’s rivalry adds a layer of intensity beyond the romance.
- The revenge angle was good, well because who doesn’t love a little well-executed pettiness?

What Didn’t Work
- The relationship speed-run—we went from “fake dating” to “soulmates” in the blink of an eye.
- Preston’s emotional volatility? 🚩🚩🚩
- The epilogue didn’t solidify the romance—it just *amplified* how rushed everything was.
- Side plot takeover: Maya and Christian low-key stole the spotlight.

If you’re here for realism, Revenge Puck might not be your cup of tea. But if you’re looking for a quick read—the kind that’s messy, dramatic, and best enjoyed with a side of popcorn—this one delivers. The chemistry could have been stronger, the emotional arcs deeper, and the timeline much longer, but at the end of the day, it’s an entertaining one.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 – Fun, chaotic, but ultimately too fast for its own good. Will I read the next book? Absolutely—because if Christian and Maya’s story is anything like this, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

In recent years, I’ve been in my hockey era, which is probably why I devoured this book. Normally, I’m not a big fan of fake dating tropes, but this one hit differently. Who doesn’t love a girl like Elle trying to get back at her ex—with the help of his nemesis, Preston? While there were moments Elle frustrated me with her constant self-doubt (I just wanted to yell, “Girl, know your worth!”), I really appreciated the moments of redemption and the characters’ personal growth. The plot twist was a highlight—even though I guessed where it was heading within the first few chapters, it was still satisfying. A minor critique is that Elle and Preston’s relationship felt a bit rushed, but I loved it nonetheless. Also, a huge shoutout to Maya—she absolutely needs her own book!

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and L.A Hart for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

This is a perfect book if you’re not used to spicy chapters there is spice but it’s not as detailed as other books are which is a good in between.

This was such a fun read I was pleasantly surprised. It did move really fast at the beginning of the book so I was kinda lost and it was such an emotional rollercoaster throughout.

There was a lot of miscommunication which I’m not really a fan of but it gets cleared up pretty quickly. I hated Christian but he’s growing on me. I need the next book now. Loved the ending 😭

3/5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and L.A Hart for this arc.

This was a cute fast paced quick read which was exactly what I was looking for! I love a hockey romance and the fake dating and grumpy/sunshine trope. I felt at times the story was a bit rushed, and I would have liked a bit more character depth but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️

⛸️ Dual POV
⛸️ Fake dating
⛸️ He falls first
⛸️ Rival Teams
⛸️ Grumpy x Sunshine

This book was my introduction to Author L.A Hart & I really enjoyed the book, I couldn’t keep my hands off it. I’m a sucker for a hockey romance book along with fake dating. I adored Elle so much & enjoyed reading the growth between both her & Preston.

The amount of times that ‘cupcake was used’ was the only thing that gave me an ick.

Thank you NetGalley & L.A Hart for allowing me to read & review this book.

Okay I trued my best but I just couldn't finish and simply DNF'ed. I'm a ice hockey romance girlie and I don't mind clichés in this genre but... Wow, that was so badly executed. I found the writing subpar, the characters void of any charm or essence, the chemistry between the MC missing and most of all, the dialogues so childish and repetitive.
Please who, above the age of 5, says "I know it feels YUCKY now, but things will get better"? And how dumb is this sentence "That and be a, what do you call it, hair stylist? I don't know how what you call a female barber"?? Excuse me? How is this supposed to be the main interest if he doesn't know the word HAIRDRESSER?
Big pass for me, sorry. Thanks to the editor for providing me an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

This book is good if you just want a straightforward book. It was too much yell, not enough show. It made everyone seem like a YA soap opera

We love Em, we read them hockey romances or sports romances. Which are becoming increasingly popular here? We have the story of ellie, who is dating him president playboy of the bobcats and finds out.That there's no room in his life for her after he wins the championship. As he's planning, she's heartbroken he tells her to date whoever he wants but not to date his enemy. She has no clue who his enemy is. His name is Preston. He plays for the rival team. They're playing in the championship. Saw her and her friend. How'd your plan for them to fake date? She meets him puts the plan in action, and of course, calamity ensues. You know what happens has a couple twists in it, though. Why do Preston and chase hate each other so much? Well, that's another story, wouldn't mind a sequel to this one. Especially Ellie's best friend or Preston's sister. I thought the epilog could have been a little bit better. But all in all, it was a good sports romance

*** does have some spice to it if you like spice?

Thank you, nat galley, for art, in exchange for an honest review

Thank you for allowing me to review this book!

It was a quick and easy read. I was expecting a familiar, generic plot. The writing style felt disjointed, with the pacing and tone often abrupt so I struggled to connect with the characters. The book overall felt chaotic. Overall, while an easy read, this book just didn’t resonate with me.

This book was absolutely addictive—I was hooked from chapter one & finished it in a day! I loved the characters, and the ending has me so excited for the next book in the series.

- hockey player x hairstylist
- revenge on an ex
- fake dating to real dating
- dual pov
- curvy girl rep
- she's the exception to his "rules"

Overall, an incredible read, and I can’t wait for the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC to review!

Feedback:
The only reason I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars is the number of typos in the ARC I received. I completely understand that it may still be undergoing final revisions, so a few errors would absolutely be expected. However, there were quite a few moments where I had to pause and decipher what was meant, which pulled me out of the story.

2 stars.

The plot of this book is generic which I knew going into it, although it was not executed well. The style of writing is very choppy, with characters' personalities changing with the flip of a page. Furthermore, the plot jumped around, with the chapters not flowing into one another. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

I really wanted to love this book and I gave it a good go but it just wasn't for me. Everything seemed to happen very quickly and I rest didn't love the pacing.

I'm sad to say that I skimmed the last quarter of this book as it got boring and I wasn't really taken with it from the beginning anyway

Thank you netgalley for sending me this arc!

This was such a fast, easy read. I devoured it in one sitting! If you want cheesy and fast paced this is the book for you!! I enjoy a hockey romance and I’m a big fan of the fake dating and grumpy sunshine tropes, so this ticked all the boxes. This was the perfect pallet cleanser in between some nitty gritty thrillers. I understand why some people felt the book was a bit rushed in terms of the timeline, but for me personally I didn’t see the issue with this, as I quite like a fairytale-esque romance that develops quickly. There was just the right amount of spice in this book, it felt natural and not forced and didn’t completely take over the plot. I was definitely frustrated by how the MMC handled a few situations, but it kept me engaged and wanting to find out how it worked out for him. Overall, I enjoyed the growth of Preston and Elle, and I’m super excited for Christian and Maya’s story!! This was my first book by this author and I’m already looking forward to reading more of their work!

Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I love a hockey romance something about this one didn't work for me, the writing wasn't my favourite and I couldn't connect with the characters. This could be a me thing so if it sounds interesting to you still give it a try but it just didn't work for me.

I really could not get into this book. The tone of the writing felt off and a little childish, and I had a hard time getting through it. It’s possible this book just was not for me.

ticks every box omg I WAS LITERALLY OBSESSED!!! I sped through this in one night and ended up finishing it at 2am on a work night - I was drained the next day but it was so worth it ugh I loved it so much

Thanks for NetGalley and L A Hart to receive this ARC. I love a good hockey romance mixed with fake dating. MMC Preston plays hockey for a team against Elle Townsend's ex boyfriend in a big game. Elle finds out about the rival on and off the ice. Elle present Preston with the idea of fake dating to make her ex jealous. Overall it was so cute.

Although, I'm a sucker for a hockey romance this book just felt very flat to me. I usually fall in love with the MMC but with this book he honestly made me want to punch a wall. I'm a sucker for some good banter but this couple was not giving me anything at all. Personally, I think this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to L.A. Hart and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating-⭐⭐⭐
Spice- 🌶️🌶️
Tropes- Fake Dating, He Falls First, Miscommunication, Grumpy Sunshine


Revenge Puck follows Elle Townsend as she navigates dealing with her most recent breakup from hockey star Christian Riley. With revenge on her mind to heal her breaking heart, she plans to make him pay by going after his biggest enemy on the ice, Preston Lawrence. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" after all so the two concoct the perfect fake dating scenario. Elle and Preston use their shared hatred of Christian to make him jealous but also regulate Preston's aggression on the ice. Along the way lines get burry about what is fake and what is real.


I enjoyed this fake dating story, and it was the perfect pallet cleanser after reading a high stakes fantasy novel. I've read several hockey romances with similar tropes to this one and found myself begging the author to not follow the same plot line I thought I saw coming. L.A. Hart did not disappoint. The book follows the characters over a matter of several days which seems a bit rushed in order to watch them develop and even redeem themselves in some cases. I wish we could have spent time with them over an extended part of the season rather than just a few days of playoff games. Despite some of my reservations, I look forward to Christian and Maya's story.

There’s nothing I love more than a good grumpy x sunshine hockey romance💘

Since the start of the book it was such an easy and fast paced read (I actually finished it the same day I started reading it), I loved the growth of Preston and Elle and how they discovered themselves throughout the book. Also it got me really excited about the next coming book about Christian’s and Maya’s story (can’t wait!!)

Thank you NetGalley and L.A Hart for the ARC!🫶🏻

4.5/5⭐️ I don’t give the book a 5 stars review just because at times it felt like the pacing was a little rushed but I absolutely enjoyed it anyways!