Special thanks to Teagan Hunter and her team for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: Puck Shy (Carolina Comets #1)
Publication Date: 28 October 2021
Genre: Sports Romance
Panda Rating:

I’m having the definition of a bad year.
Game Six loss costing my team the Cup? Check.
Getting arrested and ruining my image? Check.
Almost getting run over after my car breaks down? Oh, look—a hat trick.

My contract is up with the Carolina Comets this year, and I need to get it together if I want to stay with the team.
I need relaxation, not a relationship.
But when I’m scrolling on a dating app and stumble across the pretty girl who almost ran me over, I know I can’t let her walk away this time.

Harper is funny, smart, and doesn’t care about hockey.
I’m not supposed to be focusing on anything other than my career, yet I can’t get Harper off my mind.
I know I shouldn’t fall for her…but I think I already have.
PUCK SHY is a standalone hockey romantic comedy. It’s good, low angst fun with some hot hockey players.

I’m a Missouri-raised gal, but currently live in North Carolina with my US Marine husband and 9-year-old dog. I spend my days begging him for a cat, and I survive off coffee, pizza, and sarcasm. When I’m not writing, you can find me binge-watching various TV shows, especially Supernatural and One Tree Hill. I like cold weather, buy more paperbacks than I’ll ever read, and I never say no to brownies.

Writing is my passion, and this is just the beginning of my journey.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter | Reader Group

TL;DR: This was a great start to a new sports romance series! Harper and Collin were super likeable characters and their romance, albeit a little cheesy at times, was really sweet. Their goofy and flirty banter brought had me constantly smiling as I read, and I loved seeing them get to know each other and slowly fall in love. There are also some great friendships in this story, Harper and Ryan are hilarious besties, and I can’t wait to meet more of the Carolina Comets in future books!

Teagan Hunter is one of my favourite “comfort” romance authors because her books are always a guaranteed good time, plus she never fails to make me laugh! I started to read a bit more sports romance this year so I was pretty excited when I heard that Hunter was going to write a hockey romance, so I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed it! If book one is an indication of things to come, then I’m looking forward to it even more!

What made me happy:

• Harper and Collin were both very likeable. I really liked Harper and Collin grew on me after his suss decision making near the start. Harper is one of those quirky girls who are unconventionally pretty and is exuberant about everything. She’s obsessed with horror and earns a living making horror dolls, and I loved her passion for her art! Although Collin started out kinda (ngl) stupid, he really grew on me! I kinda felt bad for him cos as the saying goes, when it rains it pours, and it really poured on him! That said, despite being kinda secretive, he was a really easy-going and down-to-earth guy. I loved seeing his more natural and playful side. He also had a kinda sappy romantic heart and I liked that he’s the one who was all in first! 😍
• These two had amazing chemistry right from the start! Their banter was so adorable and I loved seeing what they each thought about the other in their POVs. Their times together were nothing flashy and I really liked how comfortable they felt with each other. Their very corny and flirty conversations really had me grinning and I was so happy when they finally went on a date! Their first date was adorable and I loved how Collin made a big effort to let Harper get to know the real him behind is ‘hockey persona’. Not to mention the sexual tension built up deliciously between them on this date and as always, Hunter writes some great steamy scenes!
• I loved Harper’s friendship with Ryan and Collin’s friendship with Rhodes! Harper and Ryan were hilarious and their connection reminded me so much of my own with my girls! Theirs is a level of comfort and weirdness that speaks to true ride or dies and I was totally here for it.
• The surprise cameos from some favourites! Honestly, Shep’s name didn’t click at first but the minute ‘baby goats’ were mentioned and Delia appeared, immediately followed by Zach and his über nerdiness, I squealed with delight! I love them and they’re still one of my favourite couples.

What I was on the fence about:

• I’m not a fan of lying and while I do understand get Collin’s fame made him want to hide his identity, at the same time, it’s not like Harper had never met him before. After spending hours getting to know her during the car ride, did he really think she was that kind of person? Honestly, I kinda wished Harper had given him a bit of a harder time to make up for his lying, especially since it was “kinda a deal-breaker” for her.
• While both characters were very likeable, they were also pretty one-dimensional. Also, aside from Ryan and Rhodes, they spend time with no one else and that’s absolutely fine but their family gets mentioned often though we don’t get any interaction with them. They’re supposedly close with their families (or at least Collin is, especially with his brother) but we don’t see them interact at all. It would’ve been nice to have gotten more depth and backstory for both.
• I would’ve loved to see more of the team dynamic and friendships between Collin and his closer teammates. That’s usually one of the more fun aspects of sports romances, especially the cheeky team banter/good-natured ribbing, so I’m kinda sad we didn’t see that more!

Long story short, I’m already looking forward to more! I get the feeling that it’s going to be about Ryan and Rhodes and I seriously hope I’m not wrong because I love them and could definitely see them together! 😍

Is Puck Shy on your TBR or does it sound like a romance you’d like to read?