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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
Puck Love by Lane Hayes, the final book in the Elmwood series, is so close to fabulous. I love Trinsky and Jake so much. The enemies to frenemies to lovers is perfectly written, and they feel so completely believable, I was bummed that the last 1/4 of the book sped up too much. I still love the book but found myself disappointed at the end. That said, the entire Elmwood series is wonderful, and I may feel differently when I come back to reread them.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is book six of the author’s Elmwood Stories series and features one of Elmwood’s own— Boston’s hockey star, Jake Milligan and Denver’s Mason Trinsky.
Mason and Jake were well known for their animosity on and off the ice but when it changed from enemies to more than friends, would they have the courage to give up the safety that the public bickering afforded their private relationship?
This was an enemies to lovers, secret, romance. In the beginning, I didn’t care much for Mason…he was kind of a jerk but as the book went on and more things were revealed, I fell in love with him too. Jake though, he was super sweet, always concerned about everyone else, he was my favorite MC.
If either hockey or enemies to lovers are one of your favorite tropes, you’ve hit the jackpot with this one but even if you don’t know much about hockey, don’t worry as it’s more hockey lite with it being more about the players than the game itself.
I received a copy of this book for free from GRR but am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mason and Jake were well known for their animosity on and off the ice but when it changed from enemies to more than friends, would they have the courage to give up the safety that the public bickering afforded their private relationship?
This was an enemies to lovers, secret, romance. In the beginning, I didn’t care much for Mason…he was kind of a jerk but as the book went on and more things were revealed, I fell in love with him too. Jake though, he was super sweet, always concerned about everyone else, he was my favorite MC.
If either hockey or enemies to lovers are one of your favorite tropes, you’ve hit the jackpot with this one but even if you don’t know much about hockey, don’t worry as it’s more hockey lite with it being more about the players than the game itself.
I received a copy of this book for free from GRR but am voluntarily leaving a review.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Puck Love by Lane Hayes
The Elmwood Stories Book 6
Length: 280 pages
Source: Gay Romance Reviews eARC
Publication date: March 21, 2025
5 ⭐️
3.5 🌶️
Jake Milligan and Mason Trinsky cannot stand each other…but that’s not going to keep them from falling in love.
Opposites on and off the ice, Jake and Trinsky are paired up for a camping trip during the regular summer hockey camp in Elmwood after their agents decide it would be a great idea to give the public a little “friendly rivalry” behind-the-scenes coverage. Both men realize they are stuck volunteering with each other, but soon enough, they each also start to see that maybe the things they at first didn’t like about each other might actually be the things they like the most. Getting stuck with only one tent doesn’t hurt, either.
Awww, Jake’s story to end the series 🥹
This book just plain made me happy. It’s low angst and a lovely way to wrap up our time in Elmwood. Having grown up in a small town, the whole Elmwood series has felt welcoming and familiar. I love the way Trinsky got Jake to lighten up and the way Jake got Trinsky to take some emotional risks despite his less-than-ideal childhood.
Other books/series with similar vibes:
📗 Any of the other books in The Elmwood Stories series
📘 Puckboys series by Eden Finley and Saxon James
📙 Rules of the Game series by Brigham Vaughn
Puck Love serves up:
🏒 MM hockey romance
☀️ ‘Just for the summer’
🧲 Opposites attract
🤫 Secret hookups
⛺️ Rivals to lovers
🩵 Bi-awakening
🏡 Small town
Verdict? Definitely a yes from me. I’m already looking forward to Hayes taking us to nearby Wood Hollow.
— A
Thanks to GRR and Lane Hayes for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine. Review up now on BlueSky, StoryGraph, Fable, Tome, and BookBub.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would like to thank GRR for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Straight up I 100% love what i've read of this series so far and ngl i'm pretty sad that it's over! Something about Elmwood just hits and Hayes earned another solid 5 with Puck Love because it was marvelous!
There's rivalry, Jakey and Mase were making me laugh, it's got a cozy summer camp-Cali surf vibe and overall I just really loved the energy. As usual, the narrative was vibrant, with tons of lighthearted fun and charismatic characters, great banter and super sexy loving! Everything about the families and the kid siblings gave me heart-eyes, and the myriad ways the softest things got me up in my feelings just gave me so much joy. My heart was full, i was all smiles and i sighed a lot. Lane Hayes delivered in spades and I couldn't have asked for a better time!
This series is honestly such a gem, and i'm sincerely looking forward to when i can vacation binge the whole lot, because Puck Love was everything i could ask for in a romance and i simply could not get enough of it in my brain! Loved this!
Straight up I 100% love what i've read of this series so far and ngl i'm pretty sad that it's over! Something about Elmwood just hits and Hayes earned another solid 5 with Puck Love because it was marvelous!
There's rivalry, Jakey and Mase were making me laugh, it's got a cozy summer camp-Cali surf vibe and overall I just really loved the energy. As usual, the narrative was vibrant, with tons of lighthearted fun and charismatic characters, great banter and super sexy loving! Everything about the families and the kid siblings gave me heart-eyes, and the myriad ways the softest things got me up in my feelings just gave me so much joy. My heart was full, i was all smiles and i sighed a lot. Lane Hayes delivered in spades and I couldn't have asked for a better time!
This series is honestly such a gem, and i'm sincerely looking forward to when i can vacation binge the whole lot, because Puck Love was everything i could ask for in a romance and i simply could not get enough of it in my brain! Loved this!
fast-paced
<strong>Another enjoyable Elmwood story</strong>
I really love this small town in Vermont and I wish it existed and I could move there. I’ve so enjoyed this series. Each of the couples’ stories have been great but in reality it’s the whole town and the whole vibe that’s really captured me. All of the MCs are great, including Jake and Trinsky in this book, but the secondary characters are fun too.
In this book we have an enemies to lovers story. We’ve moved along the timeline as the teenager heading off to college in Bryson and Smitty’s story is now an NHL veteran contemplating the end of his career. Jake plays for Boston and his nemesis, a player he sees as an immature, cocky, showboat, Trinsky plays for Denver. The media plays up the rivalry and after Trinsky essentially blames their Stanley Cup loss on Jake their agents work on a PR campaign getting them together and egging on the rivalry. Of course, that is the opposite of what happens.
It’s a sweet story and there’s a lot of baggage that each player carries and each one realizes they made a lot of bad assumptions about the other one. It is just the kind of story I needed to read right now given the daily angst in the real world.
I really love this small town in Vermont and I wish it existed and I could move there. I’ve so enjoyed this series. Each of the couples’ stories have been great but in reality it’s the whole town and the whole vibe that’s really captured me. All of the MCs are great, including Jake and Trinsky in this book, but the secondary characters are fun too.
In this book we have an enemies to lovers story. We’ve moved along the timeline as the teenager heading off to college in Bryson and Smitty’s story is now an NHL veteran contemplating the end of his career. Jake plays for Boston and his nemesis, a player he sees as an immature, cocky, showboat, Trinsky plays for Denver. The media plays up the rivalry and after Trinsky essentially blames their Stanley Cup loss on Jake their agents work on a PR campaign getting them together and egging on the rivalry. Of course, that is the opposite of what happens.
It’s a sweet story and there’s a lot of baggage that each player carries and each one realizes they made a lot of bad assumptions about the other one. It is just the kind of story I needed to read right now given the daily angst in the real world.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A