This was a fun twist on a hockey romance with a black cat artistry girl and a golden retriever angsty hockey player.

A sort of comeback story for both of them, Jaylen getting the career he always wanted and Lucy letting herself love painting again.

The audiobook was a dual narration and both narrators really brought the characters to life.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for the ALC

This one didn’t really work for me. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either, it just didn’t hold my interest. If this hadn’t been a audiobook I don’t believe I would have finished it. I’ve read a lot of hockey romances, and I struggled to see a solid foundation for this relationship. The characters didn’t have much history, and they lacked depth, making it hard to feel invested in their connection. The FMC gave off a bit of a “not like other girls” vibe, which she wasn’t but at times it was annoying, and the MMC didn’t leave much of an impression. Their romance felt unconvincing. He saw her at a bar, thought she was attractive, and somehow that led to intense longing? That setup makes sense for a casual fling, but not for the kind of emotional connection, and longing he established for her, the book was going for.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A contemporary sports romance that exemplifies that people come into our lives at the right time…Lucy, an aspiring tattoo artist, is a black cat FMC and Jaylen, a professional hockey player on the verge of being cut from his team, is a golden retriever MMC. After a one night stand, they find that they could mutually benefit each other’s careers, help each other work through past trauma and enjoy exploring their growing romantic feelings. The two are relatable: having a few arguments, plenty of spice, and reluctance to open up completely. Overall an enjoyable debut, but I felt that the characters lacked a bit of depth and some backstories could have been developed a bit more.
I tandem read this, going back and forth depending on my schedule. I did appreciate the dual narration as both narrators provided much emotion and expression and brought Lucy and Jayden to life.

After a one-night stand, hockey player Jaylen believes he’s found his lucky charm in aspiring tattoo artist Lucy. Their arrangement quickly blossoms into unexpected romance, forcing them to confront their reservations about commitment.

I love this steamy and emotional rom-com. Lucy and Jaylen are wonderful, complex characters with strong romantic and sensual chemistry. The novel is fast-paced and fun. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A good not great hockey romance. The audio made it better for sure and I liked the narrators a lot, I thought they fit the characters really well. The chemistry was a bit lacking between the main characters. I really liked her friends, I wish we would have gotten more of the teammates since I'm guessing they will be the focus as the series goes forward. I liked the opposites attract aspect and that the FMC was not your typical girl, I thought that added a unique element to the story.

When Jaylen fails to land an NHL contract after training camp, he fears his hockey career is over, until a last-minute roster spot opens up with the Seattle Rainiers right after a mysterious one-night stand. Convinced his sudden luck is tied to the woman he spent the night with, superstitious Jaylen is determined to keep her in his life. Lucy, an aspiring tattoo artist struggling to find stability, isn’t so sure about being his so-called lucky charm, but with her own career at a standstill, she agrees to send him good luck texts in exchange for perks like game tickets and event appearances. What starts as a simple arrangement soon sparks undeniable chemistry, but with Jaylen focused on his career and Lucy wary of getting attached, neither expects that getting lucky might mean risking their hearts.

Lucy had me hooked from the start. She’s a sarcastic, tattooed badass who knows exactly what she wants (and what she doesn’t, like another messy situationship). She’s determined to focus on her career as a tattoo artist, but then Jaylen, an all-American NHL player, crashes into her life with his superstitions and a wild proposition.

On paper, they couldn’t be more different. She’s all dark choppy hair and ink, and he’s clean-cut with golden retriever energy; however, that unexpected pairing is exactly what makes them work. I loved how the theme of luck played into the story, especially how Lucy becomes Jaylen’s lucky charm in ways neither of them expected.

And the ending was great. The epilogue ties everything together in such a satisfying way, making the whole journey feel even more rewarding.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC of this book!

2.25 stars

I like the author from TikTok and I had high hopes for this given the actual hockey knowledge but this fell incredibly flat for me unfortunately. Sure the hockey stuff was probably more accurate than other hockey romances but you need more than that. The FMC Lucy was definitely written to be a bit unlikable but I found her fun. The MMC Jaylen was a complete cinnamon roll simp. But I felt…nothing. Because the writing had no feeling. It was just a story told like “this happened then this happened he said this I said this” very unemotional. And because there was no prose, everything felt so rushed and sudden. And the spicy scenes were…odd and too fast and almost never made sense for the characters. Like there was no lead up to it at all and Jaylen suddenly was saying incredibly filthy things but it felt forced because it was like a switch flipped for 3 lines then boom it’s over. Basically I felt like yes there was a story and some effort but there was no writing if that makes sense?

Regarding the audiobook, the narrators did fine for what they were given but it’s hard to act when the writing gave so little.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.

I found this to be a very cute hockey rom-com with more spice than I expected! I enjoyed the chance meeting and the sports superstition story between Jaylen and Lucy. This book had a bunch of hockey in it and I loved it!

I felt that the chemistry between Lucy and Jaylen was well written !I loved how Jaylen was such a big cinnamon roll and how Lucy was the grumpy to his sunshine!

I enjoyed that this book was told in dual POV. I thought the discussion regarding mental health for both characters was well handled and both characters were very supportive of each other.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoy the dual narration.

audio narration was fantastic for this one.

I really enjoyed having a hockey romance told from someone who was a hockey wife. It added some elements but still honored the tradition of the sub genre. It was really fun and the superstition set up for their relationship was also fantastic.

Lucy is working towards being a tattoo artist. Jaylen is a hockey player. Jaylen currently doesn’t have a spot in the NHL, but that all changes after a one night stand. Jaylen needs to have her around for “good luck.” Lucy agrees. Will they stick to their agreement or will something more happen?

I very much appreciated the mental health representation. It was done very well.

If you know nothing about hockey, you can still enjoy this book. I thought it was well written and had really great character development.

I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrators. The chapters go back and forth between Lucy and Jaylen’s POV. The audio reflects that. There is a narrator for Lucy and one for Jaylen, which I love. I hate when there’s one narrator for multiple POVs.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Audio in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my review at all. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin!

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown is a fun & interesting spicy hockey romance between two opposites a golden retriever hero hockey player & a black cat heroine artist.

Shoot Your Shot Is great for those looking to read…
🏒 Spicy Hockey Romance
🏒 Hockey Player x Artist
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 Opposites Attract
🏒 Golden Retriever Hero x Black Cat Heroine
🏒 Bisexual Representation
🏒 Mental Illness Representation

I’ve followed the author on TikTok & their sense of humor is showcased in this book. I appreciated the humor & the sarcastic heroine. This was a little bit of a slower start for me but I was glad I stuck with it & ended up enjoying it. I really appreciated the mental illness representation & especially experiencing from undiagnosed to seeing a doctor & getting treatment. I don’t want to give away too much, but I liked how that was done & feel it’s important to showcase.

I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook as well & enjoyed this. This is the first time I’ve listened to Jamal Roque & they did a phenomenal job. I listened at 2x & it was the perfect speed for my ADHD brain

Massive thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio & Harlequin Trade Press-Canary Stress Press for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

unfortunately, this one was not for me - I had to DNF at 30% because of this line "I can't believe the biggest bust in NHL history busted inside my bestie"

I liked the narrators though...

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.</i>

Audio

3.5 stars rounded down

As not a huge ~sports~ girly, I wasn’t sure about this but honestly was pleasantly surprised! This was funny and witty and there were a lot of sweet more serious content while at the same time being fun and sexy.

If you loved the novella “That One Night,” but the Jacksonville Rays Series was too spicy for you as a whole, this book may be for you.

I had high hopes for this black cat x golden retriever hockey romance, but it fell flat for me. There is a one night stand where the both believe it is their last night in the city (spoiler it’s not). Then, Jaylen ends up convinced Lucy is his lucky charm and falls head first. Lucy has a fear of commitment and takes a while to come around to the idea.

And . . . That’s all I remember because I got bored and did not connect to the characters.


Thank you the Hive, Harlequin Audio, and Net Galley for a free ALC and ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This is a fun hockey romance. One of my favorite part was the side character friends of the FMC. They felt like real and well developed people and I loved that they and the FMC were a part of a robust queer community. Just makes everything more fun.

I loved the initial reason the main characters were brought together, the push pull of a one night stand to quasi-workplace/forced proximity. But the reasoning of the MMC wanting their relationship to continue for superstitious reasons when he admits in all his years of hockey he was never that superstitious didn't really make sense to me. I just felt like that plotting could've been tightened up a bit.

Otherwise, it's a fun and spicy time. I didn't really find the black cat FMC unlikeable I honestly loved her.

The narrator for the FMC did a great job. I felt pretty neutral about the one for the MMC but it's always fun to have dual narrators. Thank you to Harlequin audio for the ALC!

I'd first like to thank Harlequin Audio, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for both an ALC and eARC of this book on Netgalley.

For me, listening to a book while reading it makes the experience that much *more* and I really enjoyed listening to the narrators tell this story. I do think I would've struggled to get more into Lucy and Jaylen's story had I not been able to listen to it at the same time.

This book felt like an almost fictionalized version of her own romance with her husband, which felt kind of strange to me, but if other like it, then pop off sis!

I did find that when listening/reading to a lot of the hockey talk (yes, I know this is a hockey romance lol) made me kind of want to skim over parts to get to more of the story.

All thoughts in the review are my own.

Also a huge thank you to HTP Hive for allowing me to have read this title <3

I really really loved this romance! While it may seem like just another hockey romance, you can really see knows and loves hockey. The games scenes were really technical, but the authors writing made you feel like you were watching rinkside! The chemistry and banter between the two main characters was great! I loved how their relationship progressed, with Lucy and Jaylen really learning to open up to each other gradually, but organically. Their individual growth was great as well. I also loved the side characters, and I hope we see more of them in the future!

The narration was great, the narrators really made the story come alive and kept me hooked throughout.

“I didn’t think he really saw me, but after today I know he’s looking at the ugly parts and not past them.”

The first half of this book was slow and I was having a hard time connecting to the characters. I kept thinking to myself 'I couldn't possibly relate less'. I also found their banter to be a little cringy, but I could see how some people might enjoy that. You know that one friend that shares way too much about themselves... that was their banter. At one point they try to tell each other the cringiest things about themselves in an attempt to scare each other off, or lay all their cards on the table. He admits to pissing the bed when he gets too drunk and she's like "what man doesn't"... Girl hell no.

At about half-way, that feeling started to change. The MMC's guilt over losing his friend and not being there for him, the FMC's self-sabotaging behavior and need for approval from her father... I felt personally victimized by this book. But my FAVORITE part? Discovering the author loosely based this book on herself and her NHL husband. I couldn't tell you how much of her own life she put into this book, other than their names and styles seem similar, and her husband is #23 and the MMC's is #13... but I imagined this book being a love letter to her own relationship which made me like it more.

Tropes: hockey romance | black cat x golden retriever | opposites attract | bisexual FMC | mental health awareness

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was entertaining enough but I wanted more from almost every aspect of the book. More romance, more hockey, more of the friend group. It felt very surface level and like the author could have gone a little deeper. The mental health rep was very well done though and both narrators were great.

I honestly thought this was so interesting. I am in love with Hockey related books. I loved the way this book was written the author did a great job writing this. I would definitely recommend this book to my hockey loving friends. This was amazing to listen to and even better to read!