Putting a new spin on "getting lucky" - this is a sweet, binge-able romance read! Dual POV with a black-cat FMC who's an artist and golden retriever hockey player MMC. The author is clearly knowledgeable about hockey which really enhances the male POV. This story is a great blend of lighthearted and funny while also touching on serious topics like mental health and alcoholism and handling them well. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the Hive for providing me with an ALC of this. A lot of cringe moments, but overall a fun read!

Give this one a read if you like:
- hockey romance
- black cat FMC / golden retriever MMC
- queer representation
- he falls first

I listened to the audio and really enjoyed the narrators. The only down-side for me about the audio version is that the volume level was very inconsistent. I listened to some of this while driving and kept having to crank the volume up to hear and then suddenly the next line would be deafening. If you're listening in a quiet environment, this would be great!

eh, i enjoyed the first half and Lucy's personality but it seemed to change in the second half and the book just felt different. I'd try this author again though. i liked the alt art vibe.

Thank you to Netgalley for an alc of shoot your shot!
This was a fun & easy listen.
Pretty standard romance formula that I thought was executed well for a debut novel.

-black cat fmc/golden retriever mmc
-bi artist fmc
-professional hockey player mmc
-he falls first
-opposites attract

I enjoyed both characters and I thought Lucy was funny. I enjoyed that Jaylen fell first (one of my fav microtropes!) I loved that the audio was dual narrated (and done well!!) and it's in first person pov which is my preferred book set up.
Overall I enjoyed it!

No concerns with narration.

The story itself? Pretty bland. Lucy came across as cold, J came across as desperate, and there was no true connection shown between them. They "find out" they've been dating? What?

I really enjoyed this audio. The narrators managed to bring both characters to life in only a way a narrator can. While I don't usually gravitate toward narrators like these I did enjoy the story the way they were able to tell it.

This book was not for me. The story had a good plot but it was not one that I could connect to or get into. I was not a big fan of the narrator. I would not recommend this book to others, including those that love hockey stories.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Here’s the hockey romance I didn’t know I was missing by the former hockey playing author, married to a hockey player. Great debut novel and I can’t wait for the second book!

This was such a bingeable hockey rom-com!

Jaylen Jones finds himself in a bar the last night of his NHL hockey contract. After a decline that leads him to losing his contract, he decides to say goodbye to the city. Jaylen spends his last night in the city with a feisty Seattle local. The next morning as he’s about to hop on the plane, his agent calls and offers him a last minute roster spot on Seattle’s NHL team. As any hockey player is, Jaylen becomes superstitious and doesn’t want to give up his good luck charm.

Lucy Ross is an aspiring tattoo artist working in an apprenticeship for an asshole of a boss. She’s never had an ounce of luck in her life, so naturally she’s skeptical that she had anything to do with Jaylens luck.

When the two come to an agreement that mutually benefits them, they end up spending more and more time together. The chemistry is burning hot as they navigate what their lives look like with or without each other.

Like I said, this book was INSANELY bingeable. I read it in about six hours! The only minor detail that aggravated me a little was how she reacted to the conflict even though he was offering his unwavering support. I get that she has slight commitment issues, but it was giving college relationship reaction. I feel like at that point in the story, the couple has the communication skills to work through that with their words right then and there. But don’t let that discourage you. The story came together beautifully and the epilogue was so fun! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

As for the audiobook, both narrators were fantastic and made the story very enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for this ALC/ARC. And as always thank you to the Hive 🫶🏻

I really hate being a hater when it comes to romance books as I’m pretty easy to please… but I wish I never read this book. strike one was right off the bat, realizing that the characters names and descriptions almost exactly matched the author and her husband and it was reading like some sort of weird self insert fanfiction. but still I tried to give it a chance... then it was just bad - the book, the writing, the characters, the pacing, the dialogue, the sex (which was so cringey I thought it was a joke at first)… I am really easy to please but this read like something a 13 year old wrote on wattpad (derogatory) (and I LOVE wattpad this is not a slight against them). given this author has had very loud opinions on how everyone else writes hockey romances, it made it irrationally angry how comically bad this was. the audio itself was… fine? I didn’t love the male narrator but I don’t think it added or took away anything from the book.

4 stars ⭐️ If you love spicy hockey romances, this is for you!! The hockey info is top tier, it’s spicy and the narrators did an excellent job bringing this book to life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun little romance between a pro-hockey player and artist trying to get a tattoo apprenticeship! After a night together, Jalen decides Lucy must be his good luck charm and will do just about anything to get her on board, eventually leading to real feelings between them.

I love a good sports romance book, and this one did not fault! I need mine to have a good amount of sports in it with the romance.

Jaylen is this down on his luck NHL player. Lucy is a wannabe tattoo apprentice. The 2 couldn't be anymore opposite.

Here you get some familiar tropes:
•Opposites attract
•Hockey Romance
•He Falls First
•Black Cat x Golden Retriever

I wasn't 100% sure on what I thought of the book at first. It started off differently, than most romance books. But I loved following along and getting to know our 2 MCs. I truly loved how much Jaylen adored Lucy and supported her.

For any hockey romance lovers, I definitely recommend this book ❤️

Seriously loved this book I could not stop listening to it I was giggling throughout the whole book. 10/10 highly recommend. Great voice actors choice too!

Shoot your shot is a contemporary romance published by Harlequin, and that is exactly how it feels (in a great way). With spicy scene throughout the book (no slow-burn here, friends), an FMC with serious attitude, and a lot of growth for both characters to go through, this book moves really well! I can't wait to see was Lexi LaFleur Brown does next!

Sometimes, when a MMC is written so well (see: honesty, anxiety representation, committed), the flaws that drive the plot sit on the FMC's shoulder in a way that makes her less likable because you sit there reading the book thinking "girl, what's wrong with you?" For me, Shoot Your Shot did fall into this pitfall, causing me to connect with the book less.

One Night Stand that ends up with them getting lucky for more than one night....

After Lucy and Jaylen meet at a bar and enjoy a fun night together, they both think they will never see the other again. Not that they don't want to, it was fun, but that was the idea of the whole situation. Imagine Lucy's surprise walks into the ice rink to work on a mural that she was volun-told to do by her awful boss, and ends up getting hit right in the head by a hockey puck. Not only did she just get in the literal face by a hockey puck, it just happens to be by the guy that she had been with the night before that said he was leaving on a plane that morning.

After a turn of events Jaylen deems Lucy his good luck charm, and if you know anything about hockey players, do not mess with their game day routines. Jaylen will do anything he can do keep his new found spot on the team, and hopefully keep his good luck charm too.

If you want an audiobook that will leave a smile on your face the whole time you’re listening, then this one is 10000% for you. I thought Lucy and Jaylen’s story was super sweet and cute. The writing is light and fun, the issues and challenges they face aren’t all that deep adding to the levity of the book, and the side characters add a lot of humor to the story.

Read if you like:
🎨Superstitious mmc
🎨Black cat fmc
🎨Meddling friends
🎨Sign stealing #13 iykyk
🎨He falls first
🎨LGBTQ representation

2.5

I wanted so badly to love this book. I don't know if it was the narrators I didn't connect with or the story itself, or possibly it was both. I don't think I liked the FMC very much and the narrators fell a little flat for me. There is a lot of potential in this book and maybe with a little more character building it would be better?

DNF at 35%

I couldn't do it im sorry. The writing style was just not for me. The way the hockey details were written and over explained, the fmc got on my nerves too much from the start. I tried overlooking it all but it just made the book not enjoyable for me.

Jaylen and Lucy are an unlikely couple, but it comes together. They each struggle with mental health and get through it with the help and support of the other. I liked the queer representation, and the mental health representation. Especially with the self doubt and anxiety.

I really enjoyed their love story and I'm glad I got the chance to preview this book.

Shoot Your Shot
by Lexi LaFleur Brown
Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio; Jamal Roque

I got an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

“A painting without flaws lacks character” - this is my favorite quote from this book.

This was a super charming rom-com and I highly recommend it!

Two flawed, unusual, imperfect, perfectly charming souls come together and it’s beautiful. I laughed and I cried, but mostly I smiled a lot. Don’t miss out on this one!