This was a short and sweet hockey romance with some of my favorite tropes! He's a broody hockey player on a farm team dreaming of making it to the NHL. She's a famous popstar looking to get over her cheating ex-boyfriend. A plot to bring them together for PR turns into much more!

💕 grumpy x sunshine
💕 hockey player x popstar
💕 fake dating
💕 small town romance

4 ⭐️
1 🌶️

Sweet, sassy, and so much fun—The Pucker-Up Pact is a flirty feel-good romance that had me smiling (and maybe blushing) through every chapter. The banter? On point. The chemistry? Off the charts. And listening to it on audiobook made it all the more addictive—like having a front-row seat to a romantic comedy unfolding in your ears. J.P. Sterling nails that perfect mix of heart and humor. If you love friends-to-lovers with a pact that spirals deliciously out of control, this one’s a must-listen.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Pucker-Up Pact
JP Sterling

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely loved this super quick read sports romance novella.

I hadn't realised that this was only a novella as I never read blurbs before reading the book, so was a little shocked to see that it was just over 180 pages long - but loved that I could power through this over the course of just one morning and enjoy the full story in one sitting.

This is the first book in a series of similar short reads - The Fast And The Flirty series - all based in the world of ice hockey.
It's the first book in this series that I've read and also my first read by this author too.

This story had everything you'd expect from a great sports romance - even down to the almost third act break-up which I wasn't expecting in such a short read.
I loved that this familiar format was used and that there was still plenty of time to become immersed in the storyline.

Our main characters were easy to connect with and they were likable too.
Although Sophie was already famous, we get to see more of her personal and family life rather than the glamour and fame, so this kept her grounded and relatable still.

It was pretty obvious that the fake relationship that Sophie and Axl fall into - to help their respective careers - was going to lead to much more and if was great to watch as this developed.

Obviously we don't get super deep on the characters lives, but there was plenty of backstory to endear us to them both.

A great little quick read that I raced through!
I'm definitely going to look into getting hold of the rest of the series now!
Loved this!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

My rating is 3.5

I’ll start with the narration: great and I loved it, they brought the characters to life beautifully.

But the story-It felt rushed like everything was happening a bit too fast and I feel like there wasn’t enough Axl in this book. Everything revolves around Sophie and her family but almost nothing about Axl.

Adorable and funny. This hockey romance was so fun to listen to. Duet narration and great narrators.

The Pucker-Up Pact was exactly the lighthearted escape I needed in the middle of my chaotic finals week. J.P. Sterling delivers a clean, fake-dating rom-com with a grumpy hockey player and a sunshiney pop star that totally hit the spot.

The grump vs. sunshine trope was A1—Axl and Sophie had instant chemistry, fun banter, and just the right amount of emotional tension. Their “no kissing” pact made it even better as the slow burn tension built… even if the actual pace of the relationship felt a little fast for me at times. I would’ve loved just a bit more development and depth before we reached the final emotional beats—but that’s a small trade-off for a story that still left me smiling.

If you’re in the mood for something sparkly, fun, and heartwarming, this book is a perfect pick. It’s short, sweet, and full of charm—ideal for readers looking for an easy read with zero spice and maximum feel-good vibes.

Fake dating + hockey romance = a book right up my alley.

This book was sadly just not it for me. That being said there were so many elements of the series that I liked but it just started to fall a little fall for me. There is of course a hockey star, but there was fake dating, forced proximity, small town elements, any other elements I tend to really enjoy. The book felt almost like a novella and since I didn't have a lot of background on the characters there was not enough time to really have any development. I think with a few more scenes thrown in there I would have been really invested in these characters. Sadly I think what really made this book not very enjoyable to me was the choice of narrators. The male narrator did not sound at all like a young hockey star. It really started to take me out of the story and made me analyze it more than I think I normally would have.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this story!

I feel I cannot review or rate this audio fairly as I really struggled to get into it and stopped listening half way through.

I am giving it a ⭐️ purely because I have to a star to submit my feedback.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Axl and Sophie are interesting, relatable, intriguing, fun, complex, wounded, entertaining characters. Their romance is not a straight line to their HEA but is entertaining to read. The secondary characters – particularly Sophie’s family – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I loved how Axl and Sam bonded and the role that played in the story. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There Pucker-Up Pact is a cute, hockey romance read! I enjoyed it, and the narration was very good. Sometimes I can't understand narrators with an accent, but that was not a problem for this book. I enjoyed it. It was a shorter audiobook, so I was able to finish it pretty quickly.

I am such a fan of hockey romance. This was that with fake dating. Both things that I love in my romance stories. I loved the banter. I laughed while reading this one. The narration in this was great. Thank you to NetGalley and Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled to get into this one. I don't know if I just didn't fall in love with the characters or what the issue was, but it wasn't for me. This would be a great book for some, just wasn't catching my attention.

If you're craving a light, charming audiobook steeped in hockey romance, banter, and emotional payoff, The Pucker‑Up Pact delivers. It's a clean, feel‑good story with a solid balance of humor and sweetness, narrated with chemistry and sincerity. Great for fans of J.P. Sterling’s Sweet RomCom Hockey world or anyone looking for a breezy, engaging listen with big heart.

Thank you to the NetGalley team for the chance to experience Sophie and Axl’s delightfully puck‑ish journey!

This combo celebrity and sports story was a quick and easy listen with dual narration. I really felt for Sophie as she discovered her boyfriend’s cheating and had to deal with it also being splashed around in the media. The author also did a great job of creating the feeling of awkwardness together that Axl and Sophie experienced as they began their fake relationship. They had some ups and downs throughout the story as they balanced what to do in front of the paparazzi as a tentative friendship developed. My heart hurt for Axl as the story progressed toward its ending and some events caused problems for the two and brought up old hurts for him. But the author brought things around to a sweet and satisfying conclusion, leaving me with a happy feeling about these characters and this sweet story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The pucker up pact.

Axl needs to fix his reputation to be able to make it to the NHL. Sophie is looking to mend her broken heart after she learns her boyfriend was cheating on her. She is a professional singer, who was dating and NFL star. Now she back on her home to lay low and hide out from the media.

She gets woken up to excessive knocking on her door. When she opens it to find to strange Middle Ages men. The are from the new AHL hockey team The Granite Ice. She figures they are trying to sell her something and tries to close the door. The one man persuades her to give him just a few minutes of her time. The have concocted a scheme to help Axl with his reputation as well as help Sophie’s reputation in the public eyes as her ex is now public with his new girlfriend.
They will fake date for a short period of time to help each other out. They both agree to a no kissing rule. How long till one of them wants to break the rule??
Then the owners of the Hocky team decided that the for dating wasn’t working, so now the my need to have them kiss on Camera. But they had a no kissing pact!! Does Sophie go along with the ruse? What happens when their fake dating doesn’t feel so fake anymore?? You need to pick up a copy of this book to find out!! You won’t be disappointed!!

Thank you @NetGalley for the LARC. This was a cute short spicy novella. The narrators were great. Axel and Sophie were so cute.

It sounded like a really cute story. I enjoyed the beginning where Sophie caught her boyfriend cheating on her. Now I don’t think revenge is the best option in real life, but it made an interesting twist in the story. Unfortunately, I did not like the way the owner and coach of Axel’s hockey team approached her. I also didn’t care for Axel. I thought some of his grumpiness would ease up, but I didn’t feel that at all. I didn’t think there was good chemistry between the two and kind of lost interest about halfway through. I did finish it, but probably wouldn’t plan on reading it again. I did listen to the audiobook. I thought the narrators did a good job. It is a clean, wholesome romance, I do appreciate that. I have read other books from this author and I have enjoyed them so I think this was just a missed hit for me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Revenge fake dating that takes fun and flirty to a whole new level! You'll giggle and growl on behalf of the adorably funny female lead, but you'll swoon as the jealous fake date male lead becomes protector on and off the ice! It's a short book, but packed with a plot full of punch! You'll have a delightful time listening to the audio book as the duet of male for the male chapters and female for the female chapters helps bring the story to life. This is the perfect listen for a short afternoon of lighthearted listening. Be prepared though, your cheeks will ache from all the smiling after listening to this sweet hockey romance. It's a clean-cut listen so no blushing will ensue, but a happily ever after will wrap it up with a bow for you!

Not a huge fan of the male narrator, that can really bring me out of the story. But in this case I was able to push through because the plot/storyline was actually really great and I love a good hockey romance!
Narration rating: 3 Star
Story rating: 4 Star

I really enjoyed this story! It was a quick read and was a very sweet romance. I loved the story but wasn't a huge fan of the narration in the audiobook. The narrators voices didn’t seem to match what I thought they would sound like. I love the fake dating for revenge aspect of this book. I would totally recommend reading it over listening to it!