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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Whew we! š„µ
This was so dang good!
Hockey romance
Fake dating
Forced proximity
Found family
He falls first
Dual POV
Jack is a rookie for the New York blades. Heās played on the AHL team for a year after college but is now in the NHL.
Kendra is a soccer player hoping to go to the World Cup. She breaks up with her boyfriend and has some apartment troubles.
Through a mutual friend Jack offers her his spare room. The journey of friends and roommates turns steamy.
This was a fabulous hockey romance that I found a pleasure to read!
This was so dang good!
Hockey romance
Fake dating
Forced proximity
Found family
He falls first
Dual POV
Jack is a rookie for the New York blades. Heās played on the AHL team for a year after college but is now in the NHL.
Kendra is a soccer player hoping to go to the World Cup. She breaks up with her boyfriend and has some apartment troubles.
Through a mutual friend Jack offers her his spare room. The journey of friends and roommates turns steamy.
This was a fabulous hockey romance that I found a pleasure to read!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
*Thank you so much to Wordsmith Publicity and Ruth Stilling for providing me with an ARC, I greatly appreciate!
4.5āļø/ 4š¶ļø
If youāve read Ruth Stillingās previous series, the Seattle Scorpions, then Iām sure youāve familiar with the characters as well as how our main MMC, Jake Morgan was first introduced in that series. Jack had always dreamed of being on a NHL team, and with all that hard work and coaching he got from his stepdad, Jon Morgan, Jack was now officially an NHL hockey player! Woo! Yay! Settling into his new team meant learning the teamās dynamics, and the players themselves. Jack wasnāt excited as the prospect of having his rival be his teammate, but oh well there were bigger things to worry about. For Kendra Hart, being a professional soccer player was everything sheād worked for, but with her relationship with her boyfriend continuing to go downhill, sheād become frustrated over putting in all the effort. Long story short, Kendra finally dumped her boyfriend, and found herself needing a place to stay after her apartment complex was in bad shape. Enter, Jake and his offer to let Kendra stay in his apartment, oh and the added bonus of pretending to fake date in order to get her ex-boyfriend to leave her alone. Ruth Stillingās newest series brings a whole new load of characters, as well as some familiar beloved faces youāll recognize from Ruthās previous books. A hockey romance with fake dating, forced proximity, golden retriever/ black cat vibes, heās always had feelings for her, spice galore, and more!
Whenever I see a book that mentions the fake dating trope, Iām always curious to see how itāll play out despite already knowing the characters are going to end up together. Jack had always had feelings for Kendra so, when the opportunity arose to help her with her ex-boyfriend issues, Jack swooped in and made the most of pretending to be Kendraās new boyfriend. I could see Jack enjoyed every aspect of fake dating Kendra, and while Kendra wasnāt fully aware of how deep Jackās feelings were for her, she realized just how much he cared for her with all the things he said and did for her. Iāll admit, I feel like the fake dating aspect of the storyline didnāt last very long, but oh well it was satisfying to see Jack and Kendra mutually agree that there was nothing fake about the way they felt about each other.
Kendra was treated like an absolute Queen alongside Jack and that was exactly the kind of thing she deserved always! Before when Kendra dated her former boyfriend, she was use to being put second or a second thought, but Jack always made Kendra the priority NO MATTER WHAT! Without giving spoilers away, all iāll say is, if you love seeing a man of action, then youāll love Jack because, Jack showed rather than just say what he wanted to do for Kendra, and that was thoughtful of him. Kendra was use to being independent even from a young age, but with Jack, he also became her supporter and confidant which was another part of their relationship I liked.
While Jack wasnāt Jonās biological son, that man learned from the best in being both an absolute gentleman and the dirtiest talk to ever grace these pages! Jack may have been from England, and was respectful, thoughtful, and sweet, but that London boy also knew when to turn on the SEX APPEAL! Some part of me couldnāt help but think, āwow! Jackās Lowkey giving me Jon vibesā haha. The thing I loved most about Jack was the way he always said the right thing. When I say that, I mean the way Jack just automatically said the right thing to whatever Kendra had to say. For instance, Kendra was always use to her independence and liked it. Even when Jack wanted to spoil Kendra or get something for her, he always acknowledged her need to do things for herself, and made sure to check with her if it was ok to do things for her. Point in case, Jack always had me cheering and applauding his actions and spot on responses no matter the situation!
With this being the first book in not only a new series, but a second generation series, it made me feel hopeful and excited for the new characters. Jack was someone I kind of already knew since his mom, Felicity married Jon from the previous series. Jack and Kendraās story was hot, passionate, but also heartwarming and sweet. Seeing both Kendra and Jack fall in love and form a lovely connection was great, and it just goes to show that when you find the person who gives you the butterflies, makes you smile, and feel safe, then itās safe to say that youāve found your person just like Kendra and Jack found each other. Between seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones, Iām excited to continue on with this series! Like any story (especially within a series), towards the end of this book, we got some little snippets of what Iām presuming will be Sawyerās story to come next. Something tells me the next book will have me jumping for joy, and even more jam packed fun, lovable characters, romance, and Ruth Stilling absolutely stealing my heart with her story!
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
I've never given an ā¾ļøāļø before but that was my immediate thought after finishing Perfect Deke. Ruth Stilling's storytelling continues to blossom with each book & this one is my favorite to date. I love the unrequited love, the pining, the drama & angst. This is the second generation from her Seattle Scorpions series but it feels as it's intended: a brand new series with some familiar faces. You don't need to have read the previous series to jump into this one (but I highly recommend it).
Perfect Deke is Jack Morgan's story. He's an NHL rookie on the team his stepdad is coaching & is now teammates with his college rival, the guy who got the girl that Jack's been pining for. Pro soccer player Kendra has sacrificed a lot for her relationship but is finally ready to cut off the guy who doesn't treat her well. Jack sees this as his opportunity & when Kendra needs a place to stay he offers her his spare room. They are friends, they fake date to help get her ex & his teammate off her back, but quickly their fake relationship transforms into something real...
This has so much heart, sweetness, tension & drama with the ex - I absolutely ate it up. Jack is sweet, attentive & is the definition of falling hard & fast. He finally has the girl and wants to show her how she should be treated - like she is his world. I love how Kendra finally has someone to treat her right and opens her eyes up to what a relationship should be. Jack is the perfect book boyfriend (with a dirty mouth). The spice hits perfectly & I just ate this story up. And if you like spice - wait until chapter 29 š„µ
We also get introduced to a whole new crew & the easter eggs we get from potential future storylines just have me so excited. There's a great group of guys but also the girl group we get introduced to might just rival the first gen. I am so excited for this series & can't wait until the next book drops.
š Pro Hockey MMC x Pro Soccer FMC
šāā¬ Golden Retriever x Black Kitten
ā”ļø Rival Teammateās Ex
ā£ļø Fake Dating
š He Falls First & Hard
šļø Forced Proximity
š«¶ Found Family
āš» Dual POV
Perfect Deke is Jack Morgan's story. He's an NHL rookie on the team his stepdad is coaching & is now teammates with his college rival, the guy who got the girl that Jack's been pining for. Pro soccer player Kendra has sacrificed a lot for her relationship but is finally ready to cut off the guy who doesn't treat her well. Jack sees this as his opportunity & when Kendra needs a place to stay he offers her his spare room. They are friends, they fake date to help get her ex & his teammate off her back, but quickly their fake relationship transforms into something real...
This has so much heart, sweetness, tension & drama with the ex - I absolutely ate it up. Jack is sweet, attentive & is the definition of falling hard & fast. He finally has the girl and wants to show her how she should be treated - like she is his world. I love how Kendra finally has someone to treat her right and opens her eyes up to what a relationship should be. Jack is the perfect book boyfriend (with a dirty mouth). The spice hits perfectly & I just ate this story up. And if you like spice - wait until chapter 29 š„µ
We also get introduced to a whole new crew & the easter eggs we get from potential future storylines just have me so excited. There's a great group of guys but also the girl group we get introduced to might just rival the first gen. I am so excited for this series & can't wait until the next book drops.
š Pro Hockey MMC x Pro Soccer FMC
šāā¬ Golden Retriever x Black Kitten
ā”ļø Rival Teammateās Ex
ā£ļø Fake Dating
š He Falls First & Hard
šļø Forced Proximity
š«¶ Found Family
āš» Dual POV
Thank you to Ruth Stilling and Wordsmith Publicity for an Advanced Reader Copy of Perfect Deke which release March 6th 2024.
Ruth has done it again. Another hockey romance that you wonāt be able to put down.
Perfect Deke is the first book in the Blade Kings series and follows the story of Jack Morgan, step son of Ruthās first book MMC Jon Morgan, and Kendra Hart.
Jack is a rookie forward for the New York Blades after finishing college and spending a year in the AHL affiliate team and is now settling into life in New York. Kendra is a football (yes, Iām British, itās football) defender who is looking to go to the World Cup in the upcoming year. Oh, and her boyfriend is Jackās teammate.
Kendra ends up breaking up with Tyler but the day after, her apartment becomes a no go zone due to necessary construction and after spending some time at her friendās place, she ends up staying with Jack who has a spare room.
The Scorpions characters that we know and love appear in the book to varying degrees with Jon as Jackās coach taking centre stage (but no wedding planning as of yet, iykyk). And there are more characters that I canāt wait for everyone else to meet and maybe read their books š.
I also really appreciated the discussion about the disparity of pay between professional male and female athletes because this doesnāt seem to be present in some other books that Iāve read.
As with Ruthās other books, this book will pull at your heart strings, have you blushing with what the characters say, and need you wanting more.
I canāt wait for this book to be out in the world and for everyone else to elevate Jack Morgan to the top of their book boyfriend list.
REVIEW POST - Book 9 of 2025
Perfect Deke by Ruth Stilling
I don't know how she does it. Every single time. Just knocks it out of the park. I had the absolute pleasure of Alpha reading for this beauty and it killed me to wait until ARC release so that I can finally share my thoughts.
The Seattle Scorpions walked so that The Blade King's could run. And Jack gets the new series off to a FLYING start!!! Oh, that quiet little English boy with that posh accent, sure knows how to dirty it up in the bedroom with Miss Kendra 'soccer' Hart! š
Featuring some very British arguments about scones and about the game of kicking balls on a pitch, I was laughing from start to finish. But the way that Jack and Kendra are around each other had me squealing like a girl. I hit Ruth's inbox so often during this one and honestly, we are still in our feels about this boy.
His and Jon's relationship is absolutely beautiful... yes that's right, we do see Magnificent Morgan back in this one. He's back, he's coaching, and guys... he brought his binder! ššš
The way the series is set up for other potential characters in this one is so exciting. Who will the rest of the series be about?? š
Jack talks the talk and walks the walk in this steamy, fake dating, forced proximity story. Two of my favourite tropes here!!! And we see a dual sport partnership here too. Kendra being a pro soccer player and Jack being a pro hockey player. We get to see some serious sport insight and Ruth explores the differences between male and female sports so well.
Jack is kind, considerate, funny, quietly confident and oh so hot. Kendra is powerful and empowering and knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let Jack know that. She's a sexy and strong woman who matches Jack so well. They compliment each other beautifully.
Oh and also, you thought the group chats were good in Seattle Scorpions? Wait till you get to meet this group chat!
Ruth Stilling, come collect your crown, you deserve it yet ahain š
Perfect Deke by Ruth Stilling
I don't know how she does it. Every single time. Just knocks it out of the park. I had the absolute pleasure of Alpha reading for this beauty and it killed me to wait until ARC release so that I can finally share my thoughts.
The Seattle Scorpions walked so that The Blade King's could run. And Jack gets the new series off to a FLYING start!!! Oh, that quiet little English boy with that posh accent, sure knows how to dirty it up in the bedroom with Miss Kendra 'soccer' Hart! š
Featuring some very British arguments about scones and about the game of kicking balls on a pitch, I was laughing from start to finish. But the way that Jack and Kendra are around each other had me squealing like a girl. I hit Ruth's inbox so often during this one and honestly, we are still in our feels about this boy.
His and Jon's relationship is absolutely beautiful... yes that's right, we do see Magnificent Morgan back in this one. He's back, he's coaching, and guys... he brought his binder! ššš
The way the series is set up for other potential characters in this one is so exciting. Who will the rest of the series be about?? š
Jack talks the talk and walks the walk in this steamy, fake dating, forced proximity story. Two of my favourite tropes here!!! And we see a dual sport partnership here too. Kendra being a pro soccer player and Jack being a pro hockey player. We get to see some serious sport insight and Ruth explores the differences between male and female sports so well.
Jack is kind, considerate, funny, quietly confident and oh so hot. Kendra is powerful and empowering and knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let Jack know that. She's a sexy and strong woman who matches Jack so well. They compliment each other beautifully.
Oh and also, you thought the group chats were good in Seattle Scorpions? Wait till you get to meet this group chat!
Ruth Stilling, come collect your crown, you deserve it yet ahain š