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iam 's review for:
Possessive Puckboy
by Saxon James, Eden Finley
The 8th installment of the Puckboys series made me a bit wary of it by featuring a bit of (former) bully-victim trope. However, seeing both Conner and Parker already introduced in Forbidden Puckboy made me quite excited for this one, as I really enjoyed Connor's arc in it.
I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot. The book has overlap with Forbidden Puckboy , and Connor starts out in a bit of a crisis after realizing that his little brother is feeling smothered by his overbearing protectiveness. And it has him questioning all other aspects of his life as well.
The whole plotline with Parker buying Connor's team to "make his life living hell" as revenge for getting bullied in high school is immediately revealed as a setup - Parker has no revenge plans, and his grudge is overshadowed by grief for his father, who is the real reason why he bought the hockey team.
There still is plenty of resentment between the two for a good chunk of the beginning of the book. But it was mostly understandable. I liked reading about how these two got closer.
However, even as I was enjoying myself, there were some cracks in there that didn't sit quite right with me - Connor doesn't seem to grasp the horrors of bullying that Parker went through (even if not at his hand), and while he eventually gives an genuine apology, there are repeated comments or stray thoughts that show he does not really understand that trauma. Even in the epilogue there's a comment, which felt really out of place.
I enjoyed Connor a lot in Forbidden Puckboy as the levelheaded, a bit too serious older brother. So I was a bit dissappointed when his characterization in Possessive Puckboy veered much more into sulky and meatheaded, with a bit of density for what mostly felt like comedic relief in situations that didn't really need it. At the same time he was also ready to be vulnerable and unselfconscious, which I appreciated and liked a lot. All that, however, didn't quite fit together with the possessive streak that gives the book its title.
Which is exactly the problem I had with the book - it did not feel like it was entirely cohesive. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second half did not seem to fit with it at all. The direction both Parker's and Connor's stories take together was almost completely removed from where they start at the beginning, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but Connor's in particular hit me completely out of left field. It is set up, in a way, but still felt underdeveloped and made me feel a bit concerned.
I did not have an issue with Connor deciding to quit hockey, but the timeline from the first inkling to definitely quitting felt way too fast, and that's not really addressed at all. And it's not like he has a plan B?? I guess he has a ton of money and doesn't need to worry about getting a new job, but it still bothered me.
The book of course has a happy ending, and I am glad for the characters, but for me it didn't feel really satisfying because I couldn't quite get on board with how fast and definite the big decisions the characters make felt. Maybe that's me-issue.
I also felt like there was a big stretch towards the latter half of the book that was really focussed on the romance, that would have done better with some outside influence to the characters. I would have enjoyed more cameos of the familiar characters, and more focus on the pet that Parker gets eventually, that felt a bit like an afterthought.
There is setup for the next book, which I'm looking forward to, even though it's not what I expected. I was really surprised to see very little of Lachie, the youngest Kikishkin brother, who I expected to be the main character in the next Puckboys book. Instead we get two new characters, one of which gets an introduction quite late in this book.
Overall a fine hockey romance, but far from my favourite in this series due to how the main character doesn't seem to genuinely understand what bullying does to its victims, the lack of cohesion in the plot, and some personal issues with how the story progressed.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot. The book has overlap with Forbidden Puckboy , and Connor starts out in a bit of a crisis after realizing that his little brother is feeling smothered by his overbearing protectiveness. And it has him questioning all other aspects of his life as well.
The whole plotline with Parker buying Connor's team to "make his life living hell" as revenge for getting bullied in high school is immediately revealed as a setup - Parker has no revenge plans, and his grudge is overshadowed by grief for his father, who is the real reason why he bought the hockey team.
There still is plenty of resentment between the two for a good chunk of the beginning of the book. But it was mostly understandable. I liked reading about how these two got closer.
However, even as I was enjoying myself, there were some cracks in there that didn't sit quite right with me - Connor doesn't seem to grasp the horrors of bullying that Parker went through (even if not at his hand), and while he eventually gives an genuine apology, there are repeated comments or stray thoughts that show he does not really understand that trauma. Even in the epilogue there's a comment, which felt really out of place.
I enjoyed Connor a lot in Forbidden Puckboy as the levelheaded, a bit too serious older brother. So I was a bit dissappointed when his characterization in Possessive Puckboy veered much more into sulky and meatheaded, with a bit of density for what mostly felt like comedic relief in situations that didn't really need it. At the same time he was also ready to be vulnerable and unselfconscious, which I appreciated and liked a lot. All that, however, didn't quite fit together with the possessive streak that gives the book its title.
Which is exactly the problem I had with the book - it did not feel like it was entirely cohesive. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second half did not seem to fit with it at all. The direction both Parker's and Connor's stories take together was almost completely removed from where they start at the beginning, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but Connor's in particular hit me completely out of left field. It is set up, in a way, but still felt underdeveloped and made me feel a bit concerned.
The book of course has a happy ending, and I am glad for the characters, but for me it didn't feel really satisfying because I couldn't quite get on board with how fast and definite the big decisions the characters make felt. Maybe that's me-issue.
I also felt like there was a big stretch towards the latter half of the book that was really focussed on the romance, that would have done better with some outside influence to the characters. I would have enjoyed more cameos of the familiar characters, and more focus on the pet that Parker gets eventually, that felt a bit like an afterthought.
There is setup for the next book, which I'm looking forward to, even though it's not what I expected. I was really surprised to see very little of Lachie, the youngest Kikishkin brother, who I expected to be the main character in the next Puckboys book. Instead we get two new characters, one of which gets an introduction quite late in this book.
Overall a fine hockey romance, but far from my favourite in this series due to how the main character doesn't seem to genuinely understand what bullying does to its victims, the lack of cohesion in the plot, and some personal issues with how the story progressed.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent