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.

Revenge pick is a light and fun read
Fake dating is always a good time, and a bit of petty revenge never goes astray. Miscommunication however is not a trope I’m generally fond of, and sadly the last third of the book was nothing but failure to communicate and miscommunication from all parties.
“Oh, honey. That man can’t stop once he starts in on the sweets. He tries to avoid them because if he’s in for one cupcake, he won’t stop until he’s gobbled down half a dozen.”
This book was mostly a fun time and I probably look to read book 2.

This book is a good palette cleanser- I nice easy read that lets you escape for a bit. I’m always a fan of a hockey romance and this one combines betrayal, fake relationships, and intense rivalries. It’s also dual point of view and grumpy vs sunshine, which are also favorites of mine.

It was an interesting book, but it didn't stand out to me because there are so many other books just like this one. Now I will say that even though the book was nothing special, it did the basic storyline well. The tension was well written, and the characters had chemistry. But I will also say that the love triangle that the author tried to incorporate wasn't done very well, and the other love interest fell flat. He and the FMC had almost no chemistry, so it really wasn't realistic for her to want to forgive him and get back together with him. The other thing that dragged my rating down is the overuse of the word "prick". It was in every other line and often wasn't needed, making the FMC seem almost childish in her language, even though she was an adult. Overall, though this book wasn't bad, but some things make the book somewhat unenjoyable.

This book to me a minute to check into but once I did I absolutely loved it! So much so that I went out and bought the sequel! I loved Elle and Preston's relationship and with time even Christian Riley grew on me and I appreciated his character growth at the end. I would definitely recommend this book!

Definitely a fun concept. There was good tension and steamy moments. Some of the drama felt a little forced, but the banter and pacing kept it moving. If you’re into sports romance and don’t mind some OTT drama, this one fits the bill.

While I found the story entertaining, the writing needed work. The scenes felt rushed and lacked detail and the conversations between the characters seemed juvenile and unrealistic. It was hard not to cringe during the character conversations. I will not be continuing this series.

Revenge Puck was such a fun surprise! I went in expecting a spicy, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance, and that’s exactly what I got — but with more heart than I anticipated.

The chemistry between the main characters was instantly addictive. Their banter had me grinning (and sometimes blushing), and I loved how their dynamic evolved from petty revenge to something genuinely emotional. The plot moves quickly, which worked well for me, though I wouldn’t have minded a little more depth in some areas — especially around the resolution. Still, the pacing kept me hooked, and I flew through it in one sitting.

This is definitely one for fans of witty dialogue, strong heroines, and protective hockey players. It had just the right balance of heat and heart, and I’m already excited to read more from L.A. Hart.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early!

A fun, light-hearted hockey romance with fake-dating and insta-love. Elle gets dumped by hockey boyfriend Christian Riley when she thinks their relationship is more serious than he thinks it is. In a moment of revenge, she approaches Christian's arch-rival Preston Lawrence and asks for a kiss to make Christian jealous. Preston agrees since his team is against Christian's for the hockey playoffs and he wants to get into Christian's head before the game. The two decide to fake-date throughout the playoff series and fall in love.

The story was nothing new but it was a quick, fun read,

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy. Love a hockey romance story with an enemies to lovers aspect. Great story and great writing.

If you’re a hockey romance fan then this is the book for you. Revenge Puck is the first book of the ‘Shot at Love’ series and centres around Elle who is dumped by her hockey player boyfriend of five months as he is going into the playoffs with the directive that she can see whoever she wants to with the exception of his main rival….

What starts off as a fake dating scenario quickly gets complicated and hearts could potentially be broken. Elle and Preston could be good together but feelings and careers could stand in the way of something good.

This is a fast paced, enjoyable and at times spicy read that definitely makes me look forward to reading the next instalment in the series. I highly recommend it.

Ugh hockey romances are what I basically live for, but maybe I've read too many as this one left me wanting. I typically really love a "fake-dating" trope, but maybe it was the revenge aspect that didn't leave this one as fulfilling as other hockey romances -- it just felt messy from the start, and it just didn't include enough depth.

I’m a sucker for a fake dating romance, and on top of a hockey romance I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately it suffers from execution errors. I dnf’d it around 40%.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had a lot of things that caught my eye. I thought it had a lot of potential, and I was excited to read it. So I jumped at the chance to read this one when it came up on Netgalley. I dove in, and I quickly realized that this one wasn't for me.

I tried to go back to it and felt the same way, so I'll be "DNF"-ing that one. I always commend writers for putting books out there. No easy feat. The writing and characters just felt a bit flat to me, and I couldn't get into this one. I thought the story had potential though and I'd be willing to give the author another go.

The protagonist, after being dumped by her hockey player boyfriend, decides to fake a relationship with his biggest rival... to make him jealous. Yes, it’s as absurd as it sounds!🙄

Nothing she does seems logical. The decisions feel forced, the relationship development is rushed, and the dialogues come across as artificial. The story tries to be a light romantic comedy but gets lost in clichés, unbelievable situations, and flat characters!

If you’re looking for a coherent and engaging read, this book isn’t the right choice. It’s entertainment, maybe but for all the wrong reasons.

Thank you to BookGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC!

3 Stars

While Revenge Puck was entertaining and a quick paced read, it lacked the real pull and depth that I was hoping to find. The writing style is not my favorite, especially when it felt like conversations were the majority of what I was reading which left me unsure of how to build the world and scenes around me. Though that is a very personal preference. The plot was chaotic and fast paced, in a fun way, but I was hoping for more character growth and for the connection between Elle and Preston to be more fleshed out. Things felt very instalove and I don't know how believable it is to think that someone who hooked up with a hockey player a few times would be able to gain access to the arena during the Stanley Cup Playoffs with little to no issue. Just a few things like that which really took me out of the story. Overall, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a quick and fast paced palette cleanser.

Thank you for the chance to read this book, and my deepest apologies for the super late review!

I went into this read not expecting to love it as much as I did… but I was pleasantly surprised. Revenge dating isn’t always my favorite trope, but after this read, I’ve had a change of heart. The writing is spectacular, leaving me waiting for Hart’s next write (and everything other one after that)!

Hockey romance and drama?! Sign me up! I love the idea of fake dating and I love the trope. The characters felt very relatable, although a longer timeline for the relationship would’ve felt more realistic. Thank you for the book!

I wanted to at least like this one when I couldn't love it. But the MMC and the ex were both equally unlikeable and quite frankly I felt like the heroine could have done better.

I’m a sucker for a good hockey romance and this delivered!
Elle gets dumped by her boyfriend of five months, golden boy hockey star Christian, right before the playoffs. He is so insulting and careless of her feelings he even suggests she can date any player she wants with his blessing. Well, any player except his rival on the other team, Preston. Her best friend and business partner sees a golden opportunity to get back at the fool and help Elle bolster her crushed self esteem- convince the big intimidating Preston to pretend to be her fake boyfriend.
Preston has a fearsome reputation on and off the ice, especially when it comes to Christian, who he hates. He also has a lot riding on this championship, including a contract extension he needs because he has people depending on him. If he gives in to his usual rage at Christian and gets ejected from the game, well that might be the end for his place with the team. When he is approached by Elle before the game asking for a selfie he starts to dismiss her. He doesn’t do selfies, interviews, and hasn’t dated a woman in years because his focus is 100% his career and personal obligations. When she hurriedly explains her reasons he realizes that maybe this could help them both.
What starts as a photo and a kiss, becomes fake dating, and over the course of the playoffs- maybe a whole lot more!
**Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.**