So, The Puckered Up Pact is a short and sweet romance novel, packed with familiar tropes.
It’s very much in the ballpark of easy, breezy romantic reads.
Because it’s so short, I think that played a part in how well we connected with the characters—which, to be honest, wasn’t a lot.
For me, there was quite a bit of telling rather than showing, which took away some of the emotional impact.
It’s not the kind of romance I’d pick up if I were looking for something with layers or deeper character development.
That said, it is a fun, light read—very surface-level, no heavy world-building or emotional intensity.
Perfect if you’re just in the mood for something quick and uncomplicated

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. For starters, it’s very short—shorter than most novellas, even. The plot is fun in the way most hockey romances are, and I liked the characters well enough, though the limited length didn’t leave much room for real development.

What really threw me off, though? The male audiobook narrator. His voice just felt… miscast. Too old for the character and a strange choice overall. If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, I’d still say go for it—just maybe stick to the ebook or paperback and skip the audio version.

Sweet story following singer Sophie, who is trying to get revenge on her cheating ex and hockey player Axel. Axel has a “not so friendly” reputation in the league as he tries his hardest to make it to the NHL; his boss comes up with a great idea to improve his reputation by setting him up to fake date a celebrity. The one rule Sophie and Axel have, no kissing.
Listed to the audio book; the narrators did a great job on the dual narrated story.
Thank you to Victory Editing, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book

This story centers on two characters who dive headfirst into a whirlwind romance. However, I found myself wishing for a bit more. The relationship between the main characters moves at lightning speed, so much so that it felt like they barely knew each other before falling in love. The insta-love trope is strong here, and I struggled to see any real chemistry or connection between them. I honestly think the story could have benefited from a longer format, giving the characters more time to develop and for their relationship to feel more believable.

But the narration is where this audiobook truly shines. Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlssen are fantastic. Their performances brought energy and personality to the story, making even the weaker moments more enjoyable. The biggest issue for me was the lack of depth in the story. The plot felt rushed, and the emotional stakes just weren’t there. I wanted to root for the main couple, but without more time or meaningful interaction, their romance left me wanting more.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy listen with stellar narration, The Pucker-Up Pact might be worth a try; if not, I'd skip this one. The narrators are the real stars here, and they definitely elevated the experience.

Wonderfully written novella and narrated good, a clean light felt book that leaves you with a cosy feeling. Would definitely recommend and look forward to read more from this author

This was a fast cute romcom.

When a grumpy hockey player and a music star that was just publicly cheated on and humiliated need to revamp their imagines they agree to fake date. Everything goes according to plan until obviously they fall for it each other ;)

A couple twists and turns and no spice but refreshing for it to just get the story told and get to the point :)

If you like your fake dating tropes with a side of slapshot sass and serious slow-burn swoon, The Pucker-Up Pact audiobook is your next comfort listen.

Axl is a grumpy hockey player with a PR problem. Sophie is a sunshiney pop princess in need of a little positive press. Together? Chaos. Chemistry. And kisses. Lots of fake ones… until they’re not so fake anymore.

Kasey Miracle nails Sophie’s bright, bubbly energy without tipping into sugar overload. Magnus Carlssen brings the perfect gruff-yet-vulnerable edge to Axl’s inner monologue (bonus points for his ability to sound so done with life while secretly being an emotional cinnamon roll).

The pacing is snappy, the banter is adorable, and the story stays light without being shallow. It’s got just enough heart to keep you invested and just enough hockey jargon to make you feel sporty—without needing to know what a power play is.

No spice, no swearing, no stress. Just a clean, wholesome romantic comedy that feels like a Hallmark movie you actually want to finish. Bonus: you don’t have to see the matching flannel pajamas.

This was beyond adorable! I loved this book! I loved the banter, the homeyness, and the slow burn of this book! Clean Hockey Rom-Com's are my jam right now! I will be absolutely read/listen to more of this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and this author for this story! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed the idea behind this book but the audiobook kind of fell flat. I think it would have been better with just the female narrator as they didn’t mesh well together. I also felt the main conflict of the book ended so quickly. I got to the epilogue and thought was that it? I did enjoy the bonus epilogue though. Otherwise it was just felt like it was picking up when it ended and was rushed.

ARC provided by Victory Editing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars ⭐️ I love a hockey romance and this delivered some of my favorite tropes! It was a perfect weekend rom-com read!

✨ fake dating
✨ forced proximity
✨ grumpy x sunshine

The audiobook is dual POV and I truly enjoyed it. Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlssen did an excellent job!

Thank you to NetGalley and J.P. Sterling for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

Hockey star meets pop star for a contractual romance to better their public appearance. A well deserved happily ever after for both characters. Narrators did a very well job and I loved the male narrator’s slight accent. Brb while I start a kissing pact with my hubby

"I'll love you. Not flawlessly as l'm not without my faults, but l'll give you my everything."

This was a cute rom com, this was fast paced insta love, Axel is a sweet hockey player but doesn’t date. Overall this was a good read.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn’t get past the male narrator’s smarmy Transatlantic accent apropos of nothing or the fact that the very first chapter had the brand new AHL player straight from college complaining about his job playing professional hockey, but I struggled with this one. While I was glad it was over soon, it was too short to have any real character development or in depth plot line so the main male character’s sudden and complete personality change was jarring to say the least.

Can a kiss really be that powerful?
After being publicly humiliated by her boyfriend, popstar Sophie breaks up with him, cancels her upcoming tour and heads to her hometown to be with her loved ones.
Axl, trying to make a name for himself at his new ice hockey club (so that he can be recruited to the NHL) finds himself fake dating a popstar to fix his reputation.
This was a story of heartbreak, revenge, some fun times, a perfect kiss and a secret withheld leading to hurt.
A really sweet short story that was “kisses only” with a bit of playful fun along the way.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and its duet narration by Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlssen.

Thank you to J P Sterling, NetGalley and Victory Editing for the audiobook.

I love a good hockey romance combined with the fake dating trope it’s a match made in heaven! I loved the characters! It’s a cute story story that I listened to in one day! I can’t wait to read the next book!

After Sophie catches her boyfriend cheating on her she is done with men and focusing solely on her singing career. Axl is an AHL player set on making it to the NHL. He’s sworn off dating since he was high school, but when dating might be his ticket to the NHL he agrees to the fake date with Sophie. Will their fake relationship go as planned or will it turn out even better than expected?

I’m a hockey romance fan and enjoy the fake dating trope so I knew I had to give this one a try. I liked the overall idea of the book and the characters were good, but I didn’t really feel any chemistry between them. This was a good enough read, but I didn’t feel anything besides friendship between Axl and Sophie. I liked the short length of the book and found it easy to get through.

Cute short story. Audio narration is 4 stars. I thought it was a duet but it’s not. It was a different approach on fake dating which intrigued me but the owner felt off since it didn’t have any back story on him it felt out of character.

Ahhhh-dorable! I enjoyed this one. It was short and sweet and the drama didn't last too long. Plus HOCKEY ROMANCE! Grumpy Sunshine! Hello. Two of the best things.

The narrators did a good job!

Cute story but not overly complex characters. I feel like the inciting incidents were dealt with really quickly. More time and complexity would have made this book more enjoyable.

I didn’t realise this was a clean romance and that’s not a bad thing but … I felt like I was missing a trick. I love a tropey book but I kept feeling like it was going to go from clean to religious romance, and the narrators really took me out of any potential connection I could have felt with the story or Axl and Sophie. It just didn’t land for me, and the writing fell flat.

The narration is also dual, not duet.