Pucked (Pucked, #1)

by Helena Hunting

Shannon Lumetta (Illustrator)

With a famous NHL player for a stepbrother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation of many a hockey star. She isn't interested in legendary team captain Alex Waters or his pretty, beat-up face and rock-hard six-pack abs. When Alex inadvertently obliterates Violet's misapprehension regarding the inferior intellect of hockey players, he becomes much more than just a hot body with the face to match.


Suffering from a complete lapse in judgment, Violet discovers just how good Alex is with the hockey stick in his pants. Violet believes her night of orgasmic magic with Alex is just that: one night. But Alex starts to call. And text. And email and send extravagant-and quirky-gifts. Suddenly, he's too difficult to ignore, and nearly impossible not to like.


The problem is, the media portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn't want to be part of the game.

• ISBN10: 0993800130
• ISBN13: 9780993800139
• Publish Date: 28 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Helena Hunting
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 382
• Language: English

Reviews

Slut shaming, insta love and have I mention slut shaming? Being nerdy and liking books is a trope but you will only get the attention of a hockey player if you, like, read a book in the middle of a game cause, ya know, he will find it /so/ refreshing.

Have I mentioned the amount of slut shaming?

[Linda]

Pucked had so much gorgeous hotness! And some humor, and a little angst. I truly loved Alex. He was a tough hockey player with a gooey heart. And his way of seduction, and always making sure what was happening was OK with Violet made my heart melt!
Full review to come.

[ross91]

Was this supposed to be a chick-lit parody? If so, very well done.
Alas I have a feeling the author was serious, so this book is a big NO for me.

[stacey_is_sassy]

I didn't realise Canadian's sounded so Irish... 😉

This is the kind of audio that I really look forward to. I've read the story, know what's going to happen and I'm prepared for every bump in the road to happiness. I can relax sit back and enjoy the journey without stressing about background noises or my attention drifting. It doesn't always happen, but if there's a lot going on around me, I can sometimes get distracted from the storyline. In Pucked, I was able to follow along well, get a bunch of laughs (embarassingly, on the train...again) and experience the connection of the main characters.

The narrators do a good job but admit to loving the female narrator a touch more. She is easy to listen to and jumps from a male to a female character with ease. The male narrator was ok but admit to being a little distracted from the storyline by his accent. I'm convinced he's Irish, or maybe originally born in Ireland. Lots of rolling with an almost melodic flow to his narration. It was all good, though.

I'm glad I got the chance to listen to Pucked and I'm keen to try a few more audios of this series.

No change in rating as I enjoyed the audio as much as the read.

**********

All the stars and planets aligned.

For me, a book has to cross A LOT of hurdles to be a five-star read. The cover must be appealing, both the hero and heroine have to be at least likable, preferably lovable and I have to get drawn into their world. Pucked ticked all my boxes. I needed a good laugh and this one definitely delivered. My son's, aged 12 and 9, kept asking me what was so funny? This is NOT one I could fudge and come up with an age-appropriate explanation...normally I give a slight variation of what's really going on. How do you make an age-appropriate explanation of why it's so funny that her mum walks into her room as she is "jilling" (who went up the hill with Jill...a thing guys like doing...an action that ends with off) herself? Ahhh...I got nothing. Pucked ended up being my own little giggle, snort party.

Violet lives in the pool house on her mum and stepdad's property. Her mum Skye, has a very bad habit of walking in whenever she feels like it. This drives Violet crazy but you can tell they have a very close relationship. Violet's stepdad is a hockey scout and stepbrother a professional hockey player. She's a little bit of a nerd and had a nasty end to a relationship with a hockey player. Both of those things and the fact that Buck (the stepbrother) is a manwhore, makes Violet weary of hockey players. Then she meets Alex and decides she might make a one-time exception for him.

Alex is the captain of the professional hockey team Buck plays for. He has a reputation that he refuses to agree or deny about to sports reporters. His manager Dick (very appropriate), thinks any reputation is a good reputation, but Alex is starting to get sick of it. When he meets Violet he is really attracted to her. She is funny and says the most inappropriate stuff. For Alex, it's a little bit of a shock when Violet doesn't jump at the chance to have a relationship with him. He must convince her that the reputation is not always earned. Challenge accepted.

Pucked is a very funny sports romance with a spunky heroine and a hero that isn't as confident as he lets everyone believe. There are a lot more ups than downs, and the sexy times were steamy with great humour as well. Alex does have a brain malfunction later on in the story, but it wasn't bad enough to reduce my like...lust...love for him.

If you're looking for a very lighthearted, funny romance that's a little silly and a lot goofy Pucked is perfect. I was thoroughly satisfied.

[ellieroth]

violet es adorable 3
Ms. Bullock is my spirit animal
Alex 3


Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Este tipo de portada me da un poco de miedo, toda oscura y musculosa, parece prometerte algún dramón que terminaras pidiendo tratamiento psicológico. O quizá solo sea yo, con lo exagerada que tiendo a ser.

Pucked fue todo menos oscuro. Helena Hunting me gustó mucho con su serie debut Clipped Wings, desde que publicó su última historia corta no se me había antojado leer nada de su autoría, hasta Pucked.

En el comentario que la escritora escribió sobre Pucked en su página de Goodreads, ella dice que este libro se pasa de ridículo. Y cuánta razón tiene.

En este libro nos presenta a Violet, hermanastra de un jugador de Hockey que ha decidido nunca más tener nada uno de ellos gracias a una mala experiencia. Todo eso hasta que aparece Alex, un tipo en teoría cliché de toda novela New Adult.

Pucked no es el libro ANGST que la portada me vendía, al contrario, es bastante divertido.

Violet y Alex son la pareja más rara que he leído hasta ahora. Los dos tienen una mente bastante pervertida, cosa que hasta ahora lo había visto mayormente en personajes masculinos. Los escritores generalmente tienden a hacer personajes femeninos un tanto tímidos. Oh, no, no Violet. Es refrescante leer mujeres cómodas con su sexualidad. Sobre todo porque Violet tiene una ligera ansiedad, que si bien no es algo en lo que se centra el libro, es importante el saber que su ansiedad no es algo que la defina, sino parte de quien es.

Tengo una relación muy curiosa con un personaje como Violet, conozco a personas extrovertidas, de esas personas con personalidad con volumen bastante alto, y en mi vida diaria, generalmente se me hace incómodo estar cerca de ellos; pero con Violet ha sido todo lo contrario, más el hecho que sea tan ruidosa y a la vez lidiar con su nerviosismo ante grupos grandes, se me hizo sumamente cómodo. La representación importa.

Luego esta Alex.

Me gusta cuando los personajes no son lo que parecen, sobre todo que si tienen un pasado, no tenga necesariamente que ser oscuro.

Un detalle que me ha gustado bastante es que las redes sociales forman parte bastante importante de la trama, cosa que muchos escritores tienden a evitar. Estamos en 2015 y siguen trayéndonos historias con tecnología de hace 20 años. Hay que modernizarse escritores.

Helena Hunting trajo drama y oscuridad con su serie debut, pero esta vez trae personajes frescos y divertidos de leer. Pucked me ha gustado bastante, sobre todo porque Violet me recordaba a una Serena (Sailor Moon) borracha.

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[Sam@WLABB]

This book was a ton of fun. Violet is a total goofball, who kept me laughing from beginning to end. The book is filled with zany and colorful characters, who provided love an support for Violet. I really loved Alex. He as not your typical jock, no matter how hard he tried. He was sweet and totally supportive of Violet's nuttiness. Overall, fun, sexy, rom-com read.

[Jack]

Yeah...couldn't get through much of this at all. Beyond annoying and frustrating. I felt like I was reading a stream of conscious piece. Everything that she thought we were told about. Not to mention the short and choppy sentences and no description of anything. We're told literally everything.

I couldn't deal with it, and I didn't even find any of the characters likable.

AND WHO BRINGS A BOOK TO A HOCKEY GAME!!!!

[thebookdisciple]

Oh I loved this book! This isn't the type of book I normally read. Its a bit too crass for me, but for some reason, I wasn't really bothered by it. Maybe because it was the female MC that was crass? I don't know. But, if you are not ok with crass and lots of sex talk, don't read this. This book is FUNNY! I loved the characters and enjoyed the way they all interacted with each other. I hope she turns this into a series! Check out my full review here: http://www.thebookdisciple.com

[chemicalscream]

Also posted on my book blog MEReadALOT.



I have to admit, this is the first Helena Hunting book I’ve read and I am NOT DISAPPOINTED. I’m always looking for a book that will give me a good giggle and I definitely found it in this book! This book is LAUGH OUT LOUD hilarious. It’s also got a little bit of sweet and a little bit of sexy going on in this book.

I am so glad I decided to check it out. Half way through I texted Melanie and told her that she NEEDED to check this book out. We both love a good laugh when it comes to our romances and I knew she’d love this one.

Violet is recently out of college and working as a junior account for a PR firm that specials in Sports Financial Management. Her stepdad Sidney is a scout for the NHL, her stepbrother plays for the NHL, and she’s straight surrounded by hockey.

Alex Waters is the captain for the Hawks, a professional hockey team. He’s a little nerdy and is well-versed in English Lit.

The characters in this book are great. I thought they were all very entertaining in their own right.

Violet is quirky and has no brain to mouth filter. She says whatever she’s thinking and a lot of it is down right dirty. I can be a bit inappropriate at times with my humor too, so with all the dirty talk in this book I wasn’t bothered a all.

I really enjoyed Alex too; I think he’s a bit more tame compared to Violet, but he could dish out as well. There was a part or two when he was being a dumbass, but he’s a boy and it’s expected! As we all know boys can be stupid, it always takes a hard lesson for them to learn! Alex definitely learns his in this book.

Buck, he’s not really all that deep, but when he was around he added even more hilarity to the book. Him and Violet may only be his step siblings, but he treats her like she’s blood. He was very overprotective of her at times and it was very sweet.

I think Helena should make this a series and give us books for Violet’s brother, Buck, her BFF Charlene and Darren?! I would love to see more of all of these characters!!

This book really entertained me and underneath the toilet humor it was a very sweet romance. If you’re a fan of books like the Chocolate Lovers series by Tara Sivec check this book out! I think you’ll enjoy it.

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.



Karen's Thoughts

PUCKED is a charming fast paced story, with witty dialogue, interesting secondarily characters and realistic main characters.  Alex and Violet meet when Violet attends one of Alex’s hockey games.  Alex is a professional hockey player and he is immediately taken with Violet.  Violet is attracted to Alex, but she has no desire to get involved with him because she assumes all hockey players are womanizing, jocks with low IQs.

I love Alex, he is a great guy.  He is the team captain and although he has a playboy reputation, he is a sweet and down to earth guy.  Alex surprises Violet when she discovers he is well read, smart and can keep up with and all her sarcastic remarks.   Although he is a successful, good looking hockey player Alex has some insecurities and he makes some mistakes along the way, but that only makes the story more interesting.  Violet is tough and even though she cares about Alex, she doesn’t let him get away with anything.  He has to work hard to win her heart and he has to get his priorities straight. Violet had me laughing out loud with all the inappropriate remarks she makes. It’s funny how they talk to each other’s body parts, but a little odd when she dresses up a certain part as a super hero.

Helena Hunting writes a well written story with lots of funny lines and it is told from both Alex and Violet’s prospective. Alex and Violet have incredible chemistry and things get hot and steamy whenever these two get together.  I love a good hockey story and this has all the elements that make it perfect.  This is a captivating, stand-alone erotic romance.