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For Puck's Sake #3
Lucky Shot
The entire game can be determined by a lucky shot.
PrettyInLace
Even a gay athlete has an appearance to uphold. There are a handful out in every sport and while every trashy magazine wants to get the scoop on what the gays are up to, looking for a scandal and a way to ruin us, every one of us is constantly on our best behavior. Acting a certain way; dressing a certain way; speaking a certain way.
If the world knew the real me, it’d shudder. Lace. Pearls. Dresses. Collars. All I want is to be someone’s pretty little doll that they dress up and tell me how pretty I am. I want to be loved for the real me; not the image I’m forced to show to the world just so I can keep my spot on the ice.
The only place I find that escape is in an online role playing game where I can be the sexy femme mage and get my flirt on. Find the man of my dreams.
And I do. He’s a big, hot druid ready to sweep me off my feet. Now if only I could find the courage to tell him who I am and trust that he won’t share it with the rest of the world. I’m not ready to end my career yet.
DemiDefenseKip
I’m known for my defensive plays. Aggressive. Precise. Quick. Strong. On the ice, I’m an icon that the world loves to put on a pedestal and worship. I’ve carefully cultivated everything about my public appearance to capitalize on my short career. Considering I’m a noted ‘queer athlete’ - a title that never strays too far from any article - I’m truly living a charmed life.
What the world doesn’t know is that it’s not just my sexuality that makes having a relationship in the spotlight difficult. It’s also because I’m demisexual. Finding someone interested in me and not my jersey or bank balance has proven especially challenging.
So how does someone with a recognizable face the world over find love? If you figure it out, let me know.
***
This is a LGBT+ story with content not intended for those under 18 years of age due to graphic scenes and situations.
PrettyInLace
Even a gay athlete has an appearance to uphold. There are a handful out in every sport and while every trashy magazine wants to get the scoop on what the gays are up to, looking for a scandal and a way to ruin us, every one of us is constantly on our best behavior. Acting a certain way; dressing a certain way; speaking a certain way.
If the world knew the real me, it’d shudder. Lace. Pearls. Dresses. Collars. All I want is to be someone’s pretty little doll that they dress up and tell me how pretty I am. I want to be loved for the real me; not the image I’m forced to show to the world just so I can keep my spot on the ice.
The only place I find that escape is in an online role playing game where I can be the sexy femme mage and get my flirt on. Find the man of my dreams.
And I do. He’s a big, hot druid ready to sweep me off my feet. Now if only I could find the courage to tell him who I am and trust that he won’t share it with the rest of the world. I’m not ready to end my career yet.
DemiDefenseKip
I’m known for my defensive plays. Aggressive. Precise. Quick. Strong. On the ice, I’m an icon that the world loves to put on a pedestal and worship. I’ve carefully cultivated everything about my public appearance to capitalize on my short career. Considering I’m a noted ‘queer athlete’ - a title that never strays too far from any article - I’m truly living a charmed life.
What the world doesn’t know is that it’s not just my sexuality that makes having a relationship in the spotlight difficult. It’s also because I’m demisexual. Finding someone interested in me and not my jersey or bank balance has proven especially challenging.
So how does someone with a recognizable face the world over find love? If you figure it out, let me know.
***
This is a LGBT+ story with content not intended for those under 18 years of age due to graphic scenes and situations.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2023
551 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
Crea Reitan
115 books1,127 followersCrea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. When she can't fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center - and utterly swoon-worthy! Don't ask her how many book boyfriends she has...
When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don't even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!
When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don't even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!
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January 1, 2024
“I know. I love you too. For the past several years, I’ve been waiting for someone to sweep me off my feet. I think you’ve launched me into orbit instead.”
Lucky Shot is the third book in the For Puck’s Sake series. I really enjoyed the first one and looked forward to this one.
We have Noah, who is an NHL hockey player. He’s pretty, popular and a proud and out gay player. However, he also has a secret, one he is scared of, that could impact his image. He loves to dress up like a doll. He wants to put on collars and dresses and just be pretty, but being gay is one thing, but having his desire to dress up go public? No way.
Also, due to his pretty face, he has always dealt with men who just wanted him for his looks and not who he is. He feels uncomfortable in crowds, especially when he becomes the centre of attention. This leads to anxiety and panic attacks. It’s difficult to make friends and date because most people he meets don't really see him beyond his looks and have these expectations of him. This makes him weary. He often escapes into an MMO Second World as PrettyInLace to live out his fantasies.
Elixon is a 35-year-old NFL player. He’s demisexual and wants to find a long-term partner, not just hookup. He’s been struggling in that area of his life for a while. He goes on the annual yacht trip with other gay athletes, where he crosses paths with Noah. They meet in passing as they know each other as players. However, in Second World Life as DemiDefenseKip, he meets Noah and, as they play and meet online, get closer - while not knowing who the other person is. Their relationship grows online, and they start messaging outside the game and soon talking.
I personally enjoyed this book as much as the first one. It’s very different and not as focused on sex don’t get me wrong, we do get sex scenes, but it’s secondary to the emotional aspect plus it's a slow burn. Especially as they don’t officially meet in real life until around the 40% mark. I enjoyed seeing them interact virtually and creating that bond which I think helped them once they met in real life.
I loved the way Elixon really cared for Noah and how supportive he was; he knew what he needed emotionally and physically and Noah also strived to understand Elixon’s sexuality and what it meant for him in terms of being in a relationship. They were perfect for one another.
There are also a number of interesting side characters in the stories I am looking forward to reading about Azure, Elixon’s brother, and Max. I also want to mention this story, as with all of Crea’s books, is well written, and honestly, the words flow and you get pulled into the story easily. I read it in one sitting.
Finally, this story is not focused on hockey since it happens mostly off season for the most part.
Overall, I really enjoyed Lucky Shot and look forward to Max's book!
Lucky Shot is the third book in the For Puck’s Sake series. I really enjoyed the first one and looked forward to this one.
We have Noah, who is an NHL hockey player. He’s pretty, popular and a proud and out gay player. However, he also has a secret, one he is scared of, that could impact his image. He loves to dress up like a doll. He wants to put on collars and dresses and just be pretty, but being gay is one thing, but having his desire to dress up go public? No way.
Also, due to his pretty face, he has always dealt with men who just wanted him for his looks and not who he is. He feels uncomfortable in crowds, especially when he becomes the centre of attention. This leads to anxiety and panic attacks. It’s difficult to make friends and date because most people he meets don't really see him beyond his looks and have these expectations of him. This makes him weary. He often escapes into an MMO Second World as PrettyInLace to live out his fantasies.
Elixon is a 35-year-old NFL player. He’s demisexual and wants to find a long-term partner, not just hookup. He’s been struggling in that area of his life for a while. He goes on the annual yacht trip with other gay athletes, where he crosses paths with Noah. They meet in passing as they know each other as players. However, in Second World Life as DemiDefenseKip, he meets Noah and, as they play and meet online, get closer - while not knowing who the other person is. Their relationship grows online, and they start messaging outside the game and soon talking.
I personally enjoyed this book as much as the first one. It’s very different and not as focused on sex don’t get me wrong, we do get sex scenes, but it’s secondary to the emotional aspect plus it's a slow burn. Especially as they don’t officially meet in real life until around the 40% mark. I enjoyed seeing them interact virtually and creating that bond which I think helped them once they met in real life.
He has a heartbeat that harmonizes with mine. This man is fucking perfection. He’s my every sleeping fantasy and waking daydream. He’s the man I’ve wished for since I was a teenager. I’m not just hard for him. I’m completely and totally in love with him.
I loved the way Elixon really cared for Noah and how supportive he was; he knew what he needed emotionally and physically and Noah also strived to understand Elixon’s sexuality and what it meant for him in terms of being in a relationship. They were perfect for one another.
There are also a number of interesting side characters in the stories I am looking forward to reading about Azure, Elixon’s brother, and Max. I also want to mention this story, as with all of Crea’s books, is well written, and honestly, the words flow and you get pulled into the story easily. I read it in one sitting.
Finally, this story is not focused on hockey since it happens mostly off season for the most part.
Overall, I really enjoyed Lucky Shot and look forward to Max's book!
January 12, 2025
I spent the first 20-30% of the book seeing more chemistry between Noah and Azure(sp? I listened to the audiobook so not sure) THAN Noah and Elixon.
The book kept pinging between Noah and Elixon's POV but I was genuinely convinced there was some sort of mistake.
AND Azure has antisocial personality disorder so he kept taking a bit too long to decide what the appropriate response/reaction to things was. So it's damning that he STILL had more chemistry with one of the MCs.
It did NOT help that Elixon was boring and had nothing going on in his life beyond being demi.
Moving on to other crimes.
Noah suffers from I'm A Boy Magnet Boo Hoo™ so he's sad about being too pretty for most of the book. It was fine when he mentioned it the first 32 times but by the 33rd I was like OKAY, WE GET IT. GUYS FIND YOU ASTONISHINGLY ATTRACTIVE. Cry me a river. This is a first world problem, sorry.
Then the MCs didn't meet (as love interests) until like 70% in. What even are we doing?
PS-These are guys who know each other irl but they meet via an online game and the relationship develops there. Which, fine. 10/10 plot device since one of them is demi so it was a great way for him to build an emotional connection with the other.(1 star is specifically for this)
But 70% is too long to wait. Especially since they were ALSO building a budding friendship irl. Aaaaaaaand we waited all this long for there not to even be any panic on either side from when they discovered who the other was.
Really. Two hockey players from different teams, one of whom likes to be dressed up like a doll and called 'pretty' and the other who's been very private about his demisexuality because people tend not to understand it...figure out that they've been having sex via a game and sending each other explicit content and their immediate reaction is 'cool'?
Sure, Jan.
My last complaint is that this was disgustingly healthy. They always communicate openly for the most part, even irl before the game, Noah was the first person who didn't make fun of Elixon's demisexuality.
Even the reveal falls flat because they both have mature albeit incredibly boring reactions to it.
Nothing is made of the fact that one is much older than the other. Or that they play for different teams. Guess what these healthy fucks do? One retires so he can be the supportive boyfriend of a hockey player.
Gahhhh.
Boring. Boring. Boring. Not the book, necessarily, but choosing the healthy option each bloody time. The second star is because there's nothing TECHNICALLY wrong with the book AND Loren and Max sound interesting. Pity they don't end up together) but overall....
Ew.
Give me toxicity or give me death.
The book kept pinging between Noah and Elixon's POV but I was genuinely convinced there was some sort of mistake.
AND Azure has antisocial personality disorder so he kept taking a bit too long to decide what the appropriate response/reaction to things was. So it's damning that he STILL had more chemistry with one of the MCs.
It did NOT help that Elixon was boring and had nothing going on in his life beyond being demi.
Moving on to other crimes.
Noah suffers from I'm A Boy Magnet Boo Hoo™ so he's sad about being too pretty for most of the book. It was fine when he mentioned it the first 32 times but by the 33rd I was like OKAY, WE GET IT. GUYS FIND YOU ASTONISHINGLY ATTRACTIVE. Cry me a river. This is a first world problem, sorry.
Then the MCs didn't meet (as love interests) until like 70% in. What even are we doing?
PS-These are guys who know each other irl but they meet via an online game and the relationship develops there. Which, fine. 10/10 plot device since one of them is demi so it was a great way for him to build an emotional connection with the other.(1 star is specifically for this)
But 70% is too long to wait. Especially since they were ALSO building a budding friendship irl. Aaaaaaaand we waited all this long for there not to even be any panic on either side from when they discovered who the other was.
Really. Two hockey players from different teams, one of whom likes to be dressed up like a doll and called 'pretty' and the other who's been very private about his demisexuality because people tend not to understand it...figure out that they've been having sex via a game and sending each other explicit content and their immediate reaction is 'cool'?
Sure, Jan.
My last complaint is that this was disgustingly healthy. They always communicate openly for the most part, even irl before the game, Noah was the first person who didn't make fun of Elixon's demisexuality.
Even the reveal falls flat because they both have mature albeit incredibly boring reactions to it.
Nothing is made of the fact that one is much older than the other. Or that they play for different teams. Guess what these healthy fucks do? One retires so he can be the supportive boyfriend of a hockey player.
Gahhhh.
Boring. Boring. Boring. Not the book, necessarily, but choosing the healthy option each bloody time. The second star is because there's nothing TECHNICALLY wrong with the book AND Loren and Max sound interesting. Pity they don't end up together) but overall....
Ew.
Give me toxicity or give me death.
December 16, 2023
2 stars. I loved the idea. I hated the execution. This was just…saddening. Like color me surprised—and excited—when I read the blurb because this was clearly a book containing interesting tropes. However, when the reading process began, I knew right away that it was nowhere near what I expected. Still, I continued it because I wanted to give it a fair chance.
There was literally more chemistry between Noah and Azure than there was between Noah and Elixon. Like I genuinely was HOPING that Azure would be the love interest because him and Noah hanging out on the yacht was full of tension and was kinda cute 🫤 but nope, we got Lix instead, and the whole relationship between them felt so damn unauthentic. And it’s not because of the whole “meeting on a game” thing but more so the lack of chemistry once they finally identified themselves. I think the most interesting part of this entire book was the game, Second World, itself. The concept behind it was really cool, but holy shit did everything else fall off. This can’t even be considered a hockey romance because these mf’s didn’t even play. I read the warning; I get that it’s the off-season, but for those charity games or whatever, there was no actual hockey. I understand that the author doesn’t know much about the sport, but why even consider this a hockey romance series then? I ignored that in the first book because everything else was fun and entertaining, but this one just was not for me.
The whole dolling up plot was interesting but the execution fell so flat. The characters themselves were uninteresting as hell. Noah’s whole personality was being pretty and mentioning how he hates it every goddamn chapter. Elixon was just boring. And the side characters were unimaginative too aside from Azure. And a huge flaw of the book was the pacing. How the hell did we get a whole chapter for Noah’s friend Loren being a sociopath or whatever but then completely skip through other scenes (i.e. the game where Noah saw Sidney glaring at him). And speaking of that dumbass Sid, how the hell did we just quickly brush over him kissing Lix without consent? The end of that chapter literally showed Lix freaking out over it and missing Noah, yet the next chapter says “Two Months Later.” Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. Here. That genuinely baffled me and drove me insane.
I have no expectations for the rest of this series, and I doubt the following ones will ever beat the first book. Now I’m questioning whether Shiver was actually good or not.
There was literally more chemistry between Noah and Azure than there was between Noah and Elixon. Like I genuinely was HOPING that Azure would be the love interest because him and Noah hanging out on the yacht was full of tension and was kinda cute 🫤 but nope, we got Lix instead, and the whole relationship between them felt so damn unauthentic. And it’s not because of the whole “meeting on a game” thing but more so the lack of chemistry once they finally identified themselves. I think the most interesting part of this entire book was the game, Second World, itself. The concept behind it was really cool, but holy shit did everything else fall off. This can’t even be considered a hockey romance because these mf’s didn’t even play. I read the warning; I get that it’s the off-season, but for those charity games or whatever, there was no actual hockey. I understand that the author doesn’t know much about the sport, but why even consider this a hockey romance series then? I ignored that in the first book because everything else was fun and entertaining, but this one just was not for me.
The whole dolling up plot was interesting but the execution fell so flat. The characters themselves were uninteresting as hell. Noah’s whole personality was being pretty and mentioning how he hates it every goddamn chapter. Elixon was just boring. And the side characters were unimaginative too aside from Azure. And a huge flaw of the book was the pacing. How the hell did we get a whole chapter for Noah’s friend Loren being a sociopath or whatever but then completely skip through other scenes (i.e. the game where Noah saw Sidney glaring at him). And speaking of that dumbass Sid, how the hell did we just quickly brush over him kissing Lix without consent? The end of that chapter literally showed Lix freaking out over it and missing Noah, yet the next chapter says “Two Months Later.” Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. Here. That genuinely baffled me and drove me insane.
I have no expectations for the rest of this series, and I doubt the following ones will ever beat the first book. Now I’m questioning whether Shiver was actually good or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
June 28, 2025DNF @84%
I really wanted to like this, but it’s just so all over the place. The pacing was slow (which isn’t a problem since the author was very upfront about it being a slow burn), but once they got together in real life it seems like we completely missed out on actually seeing them TOGETHER.
Also, I find both MCs just kind of… boring. There’s not much to them besides Lex is demisexual and fantasizes about dressing his partner up, and Noah hates being seen as pretty but desperately wants to be Pretty. Roux and Gabe’s storyline was far more intriguing than Lex and Noah’s.
This could’ve been great with some reworking of the plot timelines and flushing out the characters. If I actually finished it, can imagine I could rate it more than 2 stars.
I really wanted to like this, but it’s just so all over the place. The pacing was slow (which isn’t a problem since the author was very upfront about it being a slow burn), but once they got together in real life it seems like we completely missed out on actually seeing them TOGETHER.
Also, I find both MCs just kind of… boring. There’s not much to them besides Lex is demisexual and fantasizes about dressing his partner up, and Noah hates being seen as pretty but desperately wants to be Pretty. Roux and Gabe’s storyline was far more intriguing than Lex and Noah’s.
This could’ve been great with some reworking of the plot timelines and flushing out the characters. If I actually finished it, can imagine I could rate it more than 2 stars.
May 13, 2024
Oh well.... This was bad... Like they met in real life until 70% of the book bad. This dragged so much, it was nuts.
It was just... Bad (to me)
It was just... Bad (to me)
November 11, 2025
Not my favourite unfortunately! I first started this a year ago and abandoned it when I got to 36% because it was just so slow and nothing was happening. I came back to it because I love the books I've read that aren't in this hockey series and I want to read the Creaverse in chronological order...
I was relieved to get to the end of this one! I liked seeing more links between characters that I've already read or that have been mentioned. I liked seeing the friendships. But that was pretty much it.
Lix and Noah just weren't very interesting to me. There was so much repetition of the same inner monologue and conversations that it felt like this could have been a novella and still told the same story.
I also didn't really see how Noah's neighbours fit? I did like meeting Loren though! Plus Gabe and Roux's fling was interesting.
I think this was just too slow to get going. I love a slow burn but this felt glacial 😬 I'm wondering whether it's just the hockey series that I'm not loving for whatever reason because I'm 0-3, whereas I adored the For Your Love books, The Way You Lie and Project FU/DWL!!
I was relieved to get to the end of this one! I liked seeing more links between characters that I've already read or that have been mentioned. I liked seeing the friendships. But that was pretty much it.
Lix and Noah just weren't very interesting to me. There was so much repetition of the same inner monologue and conversations that it felt like this could have been a novella and still told the same story.
I also didn't really see how Noah's neighbours fit? I did like meeting Loren though! Plus Gabe and Roux's fling was interesting.
I think this was just too slow to get going. I love a slow burn but this felt glacial 😬 I'm wondering whether it's just the hockey series that I'm not loving for whatever reason because I'm 0-3, whereas I adored the For Your Love books, The Way You Lie and Project FU/DWL!!
December 20, 2023
Romantic and character driven!!
This proves that a book doesn’t need smut for the characters to develop chemistry/emotions between them (or for me to be interested lol). There wasn’t as much spice as Crea’s books usually have but who even cares when these characters are soooo perfect?! Demisexual rep is sooo hard to find and it was portrayed correctly!
The plot was amazing and hit close to my heart. It all felt authentic and beautiful. I loveee the positive outlook towards online relationships. Alllll you hear is the negatives or skepticism. It’s a fresh take. Also, can we talk about how important and seamless the secondary characters were involved without overshadowing the MCs story? AND it was handled with grace and respect, enough that I wanted to tear up.
I do think Noah’s prettiness got repetitive. By that, I mean just how much it was referenced lol. Bc it was A LOT. I really want that Second World game now! And I actually hope we get Roux’s (Kip’s bro) story soon! Or Max?! I need them both! This series has taken me by surprise. These def ain’t your average hockey romances. Hockey actually plays very little in it, besides connecting the characters together.
This proves that a book doesn’t need smut for the characters to develop chemistry/emotions between them (or for me to be interested lol). There wasn’t as much spice as Crea’s books usually have but who even cares when these characters are soooo perfect?! Demisexual rep is sooo hard to find and it was portrayed correctly!
The plot was amazing and hit close to my heart. It all felt authentic and beautiful. I loveee the positive outlook towards online relationships. Alllll you hear is the negatives or skepticism. It’s a fresh take. Also, can we talk about how important and seamless the secondary characters were involved without overshadowing the MCs story? AND it was handled with grace and respect, enough that I wanted to tear up.
I do think Noah’s prettiness got repetitive. By that, I mean just how much it was referenced lol. Bc it was A LOT. I really want that Second World game now! And I actually hope we get Roux’s (Kip’s bro) story soon! Or Max?! I need them both! This series has taken me by surprise. These def ain’t your average hockey romances. Hockey actually plays very little in it, besides connecting the characters together.
May 12, 2024
4.75🌟
INTRIGUE! Thats one of the major reasons why I picked up this book. The term “Dollification” is not something I ever seen before hell I was today years old when I realized it existed which shouldn’t have shocked me bc this series has definitely not been your everyday love story.
“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘶𝘱. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴. 𝘈 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭.”
Shiver (the first book) is the only one I see get talked about often but for me, I’ve just really enjoyed all these books. Hell i would’ve given this a 5 stars but the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking.
Everything else was a banger. I love the authors approach to writing her own stories because they’re just UNIQUE. I can’t say that I’ve read from another author who had the same approach to romance. Who wrote a story that made them STAND OUT like this.
Elixon and Noah are so freaking adorable. The co-dependency is so damn cute I’m on my knees. The way Noah was not afraid to show his emotions brought tears to my eyes. Honestly the story is just so freaking BEAUTIFUL.
I’m even obsessed with the side characters; what’s up with Loren van doren (yeah I know lol), Azure? I also dying to pick up wingman score. Also poor Max💀 (I’m fighting a cringe in anticipation for his story), will Roux fall in love with Gabe too? Sigh I wish Authors read this stuff because I need answers 😭
INTRIGUE! Thats one of the major reasons why I picked up this book. The term “Dollification” is not something I ever seen before hell I was today years old when I realized it existed which shouldn’t have shocked me bc this series has definitely not been your everyday love story.
“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘶𝘱. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴. 𝘈 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭.”
Shiver (the first book) is the only one I see get talked about often but for me, I’ve just really enjoyed all these books. Hell i would’ve given this a 5 stars but the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking.
Everything else was a banger. I love the authors approach to writing her own stories because they’re just UNIQUE. I can’t say that I’ve read from another author who had the same approach to romance. Who wrote a story that made them STAND OUT like this.
Elixon and Noah are so freaking adorable. The co-dependency is so damn cute I’m on my knees. The way Noah was not afraid to show his emotions brought tears to my eyes. Honestly the story is just so freaking BEAUTIFUL.
I’m even obsessed with the side characters; what’s up with Loren van doren (yeah I know lol), Azure? I also dying to pick up wingman score. Also poor Max💀 (I’m fighting a cringe in anticipation for his story), will Roux fall in love with Gabe too? Sigh I wish Authors read this stuff because I need answers 😭
December 14, 2023
Lucky Shot by Crea Reitan is book three in the For Puck’s Sake Series. I’ve read quite a number of books by this author at this point and I must say, each book just brings something new and flavor. This book is no different and I think this one may be my favorite out of this series. I read the whole thing in one sitting, this book was so good! It’s a slow burn written so incredibly right. I was all in with this story from the beginning. This took me on a journey with my emotions. The characters were fantastically done and the depths of their personalities was something I loved. Speaking of the way each was able to support each other whether it was insecurities or worries was beautiful to read. Oh my gosh they way they spoke to one another made my heart melt. Noah and Elixon were definitely one of my favorite couples that Crea Reitan has written, they were amazing. It was truly great to read a book about being seen and accepted for who you are. This author is incredible and I can’t recommend the books enough.
Final review:
5 out of 5 stars
Final review:
5 out of 5 stars
March 18, 2024
Didn’t like Noah as an MC. Okay, we get it everyone wants you. Ughh
December 19, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up because the writing is good grammatically and Noah and Lix are both very likable, but there was simultaneously so much going on here and not nearly enough.
I love a slow burn, but the mains don’t even talk until like…21%, which was fine cuz I loved getting to know them. But then all the relationship is via a game anonymously for another 40%ish before they figure out who each other is and even that falls flat. It’s very glossed over and there’s barely any discussion. I guess I just need more IRL scenes. They meet in person and I still felt like we were really lacking discussion between the mains. The chemistry between them was minimal at best. The sex scenes were almost fade to black…like they’d get things started and then the chapter would end. If I remember correctly we only saw one orgasm to completion lol. The side characters had so much going on. We get a random chapter with a sociopath friend. There’s a random nonconsensual kiss near the end that was glossed over. I think the plot was very disjointed. Something was definitely missing for me.
This is also one of those hockey romances where hockey just randomly is their career, they could’ve been finance bros on summer vacation and the story would barely be different.
I love a slow burn, but the mains don’t even talk until like…21%, which was fine cuz I loved getting to know them. But then all the relationship is via a game anonymously for another 40%ish before they figure out who each other is and even that falls flat. It’s very glossed over and there’s barely any discussion. I guess I just need more IRL scenes. They meet in person and I still felt like we were really lacking discussion between the mains. The chemistry between them was minimal at best. The sex scenes were almost fade to black…like they’d get things started and then the chapter would end. If I remember correctly we only saw one orgasm to completion lol. The side characters had so much going on. We get a random chapter with a sociopath friend. There’s a random nonconsensual kiss near the end that was glossed over. I think the plot was very disjointed. Something was definitely missing for me.
This is also one of those hockey romances where hockey just randomly is their career, they could’ve been finance bros on summer vacation and the story would barely be different.
December 18, 2023
4.6 stars
January 23, 2025
Loved it.
Read
December 15, 2023I just finished Shiver the first book in this series and absolutely loved it.
Open poly/established couple takes a third isnt for me so I skipped book 2.
The superior writing style in book 1 plus praise kink, men in lace and a couple other tropes in this book had me very excited to read this story.
But the slow burn, gaming storyline, cast of too many side characters surrounding them which felt like advertising for future books and just killed the couple to he’s momentum. I was skimming and finally just gave up really disappointed bc I was definitely game to read more MM by this amazing author.
DNF/ no stars
Just a note as mentioned in the review of Shiver - the overtly unusual first names of the character is distracting. Names & nicknames can be cute/sexy/stern to help introduce a character to the readers which of course helps get to know them. But consistently reading over and over unusual names kill the flow of thw read distracting from the storyline. I can see this author began writing fantasy/paranormal reads. These invented names belong in those books for sure. Here they are just stumbling blocks
Open poly/established couple takes a third isnt for me so I skipped book 2.
The superior writing style in book 1 plus praise kink, men in lace and a couple other tropes in this book had me very excited to read this story.
But the slow burn, gaming storyline, cast of too many side characters surrounding them which felt like advertising for future books and just killed the couple to he’s momentum. I was skimming and finally just gave up really disappointed bc I was definitely game to read more MM by this amazing author.
DNF/ no stars
Just a note as mentioned in the review of Shiver - the overtly unusual first names of the character is distracting. Names & nicknames can be cute/sexy/stern to help introduce a character to the readers which of course helps get to know them. But consistently reading over and over unusual names kill the flow of thw read distracting from the storyline. I can see this author began writing fantasy/paranormal reads. These invented names belong in those books for sure. Here they are just stumbling blocks
January 1, 2024
Dnfed at 75%
Im at a point with crea where I’m to 99% sure that shiver was a fluke and that she’s never gonna wirte a book nearly as good as that ever again. Starting line? A flop. For your heart? Terrible mess and flop. All those other for your whatever books? Actual human torture. And now this? A snoozefest with no sense or direction. You have a solid premise and basis -> cross dressing, online gaming and both mcs knowing each other irl. Sounds promising but why the hell was it so fucking boring then. There is no in real life chemistry between the mcs. The reveal was actually criminally boring and unlogical. The whole gaming aspect was ok actually but not well thought out AT ALL. Also why did some side characters have more depth than that lil twink mc? That guys only problem in life was that he was pretty and ppl wanted him😭 YAWN BORING WE DONT CARE! The abuse side plot was also extremely terribly executed.
0/5 stars actually
Still gonna read the crease since it has slight potential but if it isn’t able to move me I’m officially done w crea
Egonrakesg u guys will always be my pookies tho🩷🩷
Im at a point with crea where I’m to 99% sure that shiver was a fluke and that she’s never gonna wirte a book nearly as good as that ever again. Starting line? A flop. For your heart? Terrible mess and flop. All those other for your whatever books? Actual human torture. And now this? A snoozefest with no sense or direction. You have a solid premise and basis -> cross dressing, online gaming and both mcs knowing each other irl. Sounds promising but why the hell was it so fucking boring then. There is no in real life chemistry between the mcs. The reveal was actually criminally boring and unlogical. The whole gaming aspect was ok actually but not well thought out AT ALL. Also why did some side characters have more depth than that lil twink mc? That guys only problem in life was that he was pretty and ppl wanted him😭 YAWN BORING WE DONT CARE! The abuse side plot was also extremely terribly executed.
0/5 stars actually
Still gonna read the crease since it has slight potential but if it isn’t able to move me I’m officially done w crea
Egonrakesg u guys will always be my pookies tho🩷🩷
December 16, 2023
Something about the writing, or something I don’t know 🤷🏼♀️ but it wasn’t that good, was I interested yeah, but a lot was meh and bla bla bla. And a lot of skimming in the end.
How many 5 stars this has gotten is baffling. The story and writing wasn’t on peak, it was disjointed and abrupt, not good
How many 5 stars this has gotten is baffling. The story and writing wasn’t on peak, it was disjointed and abrupt, not good
May 3, 2025
Enjoyable. Very sweet and intense.
April 15, 2024
interesting enough
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2024...
***Spoilers here and there***
It’s crazy to me that the author mentioned a real college- Longwood University. Which is actually in Farmville, Virginia. That’s a hour from me. But it’s mentioned that it’s in California < this hilarious to me because it’s actual real school. But the real one is in Virginia and not California.
I think she should’ve look up the school name first before using it.
But anyways it’s not much I would like to say about this book. But I did enjoy it. It was interesting enough. What I was more excited about was both Noah and Lix finally seeing that they’ve already met and known each other. I love how they ended up together. Especially not knowing how each other look until they FaceTime.
Not only that Sid… I knew he had a thing for Lix.. because of how he looked at Noah those couple times.
But one thing I want is a book about Gabe and a book about Roux because I am curious about them. Will they find their person …
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2024...
***Spoilers here and there***
It’s crazy to me that the author mentioned a real college- Longwood University. Which is actually in Farmville, Virginia. That’s a hour from me. But it’s mentioned that it’s in California < this hilarious to me because it’s actual real school. But the real one is in Virginia and not California.
I think she should’ve look up the school name first before using it.
But anyways it’s not much I would like to say about this book. But I did enjoy it. It was interesting enough. What I was more excited about was both Noah and Lix finally seeing that they’ve already met and known each other. I love how they ended up together. Especially not knowing how each other look until they FaceTime.
Not only that Sid… I knew he had a thing for Lix.. because of how he looked at Noah those couple times.
But one thing I want is a book about Gabe and a book about Roux because I am curious about them. Will they find their person …
dnf
December 29, 2023DNF @ 77%….. I really really tried to finish this book but it just dragged on. The two characters didn’t even “meet” until like 70% and it turned out they know each other in real life. I really like the premise of this book and the buildup seemed nice, but like another reviewer mentioned as soon as they got together, it just kind of fell flat for me. And then there’s everything going on with the side characters, and it all just felt like so much and not enough at the same time. Really wanted to like the book.
December 19, 2023
Crea Reitan is a wonderful storyteller. It doesn't matter the genre or romantic relationships, the characters are fantastically portrayed. This is a great MM hockey romance but it doesn't matter if you love MM or hockey, the real story here is about two people who finally find the other piece of themselves - their soulmate.
September 10, 2024
Three stars for the idea and some of the execution. It was a bit slow moving for my liking and too sweet. Also either in editing or the narrator made a mistake interpreting m for miles. but planes do not fly 30.000 miles above the earth. You need a rocket after about 6214 miles - you are entering "space" after that.
September 18, 2024
3.75
I really enjoyed how this was going even the fact that it was such a slow burn. I loved it even more because there is Demi representation in here through one of the MCS. My indifference came about after they finally meet everything kind of fell flat afterwards. Idk how to explain it but yeah was not 100% sold on how it ended. Loved the boys though
I really enjoyed how this was going even the fact that it was such a slow burn. I loved it even more because there is Demi representation in here through one of the MCS. My indifference came about after they finally meet everything kind of fell flat afterwards. Idk how to explain it but yeah was not 100% sold on how it ended. Loved the boys though
March 10, 2025
March 2025
Kindle edition
Read for a group challenge week 8. This one was the GR rec that had me start the series. An online meet cute sort of thing whilst knowing each other IRL. Curious about Azure and the brother. The Loren thing makes more sense now. I liked Noah and Elixon. Mostly sweet and playing dress up on the game and IRL.
Kindle edition
Read for a group challenge week 8. This one was the GR rec that had me start the series. An online meet cute sort of thing whilst knowing each other IRL. Curious about Azure and the brother. The Loren thing makes more sense now. I liked Noah and Elixon. Mostly sweet and playing dress up on the game and IRL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2024
not a bad book, but this slow burn was sooooo slow
September 14, 2024
This book made me cry and it made me smile. I only have a few moments so I hope to expand on this but prepare to feel protective.
March 20, 2025
Not as good as the other one. I liked getting to see two sides to the boys
September 20, 2025
Rating is for audiobook
April 10, 2024
All the stars
This was such a good book! A different book. A different formula, a different type of writing. I love that they met and played and fell for each other anonymously in a game. I love the reveals that came after.
Then I loved the protective love and intimacy. Just beautiful.
The surrounding characters
give us hints for their own books and I'm here for it!
*Favorites
*To read again
This was such a good book! A different book. A different formula, a different type of writing. I love that they met and played and fell for each other anonymously in a game. I love the reveals that came after.
Then I loved the protective love and intimacy. Just beautiful.
The surrounding characters
give us hints for their own books and I'm here for it!
*Favorites
*To read again
December 22, 2023
I'm still swooning over Lix and Noah
Dee's Grade: A+
Kink:🚦🚦🚦.5/5
Spice: 🥵🥵.5/5
Angst: 🥹🥹🥹/5
Humor: 🤣🤣🤣/5
Toxicity: ☣️/5
Bullying: 💔/5
Intimacy: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥/5
Chemistry: 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋/5
Dirty Talking: 🤬🤬🤬.5/5
Hurt/Comfort: ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹/5
Codependency: 🫂🫂🫂🫂/5
Protectiveness: 🪦🪦🪦🪦/5
Possessiveness: ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
Communication: 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣/5
The Dark Matter: 🌒/5
The Swoon Factor: 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠/5
Growth and Healing: 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳/5
Comfort Readability: 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗/5
** If the score is ONE EMOJI that means little to none of whatever category/trope was present in the book.
Noah and Elixon's story is one of the swooniest romances I've read recently. Be warned, this book is slllloooooowww burn and not smut filled at all. The communication makes up for it in my mind though. One of my favorite tropes is online romance with a mystery person. This book knocks it out of the park...it fit the needs of the story perfectly.
Elixon is demisexual and needs a deep emotional connection to find his dream guy. Noah is pretty and people only see him as that. No one want to get to know him beneath the surface. They onlybwant him for his looks or fame and fortune. This book is about two men who just want to be seen as the person they are without all the trappings and loved for being that person. It's much more focused on developing their emotional connection than a physical one. Most of the book is them learning about the other without revealing their identities. They get to know each other soul deep and form a strong bond in a short time. Which is exactly what's needed given one of the characters is demi. Their communication is sexy. While we eventually do get some smut, it is definitely not the focus of this book.
Also, there are so many interesting characters in this book, and I want the author to give us a book for all of them.
If you're looking for an excellent slow burn, hidden identities, finding love online, athletes in love swoony romance, then you will devour this book. I know I did.
Dee's Grade: A+
Kink:🚦🚦🚦.5/5
Spice: 🥵🥵.5/5
Angst: 🥹🥹🥹/5
Humor: 🤣🤣🤣/5
Toxicity: ☣️/5
Bullying: 💔/5
Intimacy: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥/5
Chemistry: 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋/5
Dirty Talking: 🤬🤬🤬.5/5
Hurt/Comfort: ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹/5
Codependency: 🫂🫂🫂🫂/5
Protectiveness: 🪦🪦🪦🪦/5
Possessiveness: ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
Communication: 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣/5
The Dark Matter: 🌒/5
The Swoon Factor: 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠/5
Growth and Healing: 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳/5
Comfort Readability: 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗/5
** If the score is ONE EMOJI that means little to none of whatever category/trope was present in the book.
Noah and Elixon's story is one of the swooniest romances I've read recently. Be warned, this book is slllloooooowww burn and not smut filled at all. The communication makes up for it in my mind though. One of my favorite tropes is online romance with a mystery person. This book knocks it out of the park...it fit the needs of the story perfectly.
Elixon is demisexual and needs a deep emotional connection to find his dream guy. Noah is pretty and people only see him as that. No one want to get to know him beneath the surface. They onlybwant him for his looks or fame and fortune. This book is about two men who just want to be seen as the person they are without all the trappings and loved for being that person. It's much more focused on developing their emotional connection than a physical one. Most of the book is them learning about the other without revealing their identities. They get to know each other soul deep and form a strong bond in a short time. Which is exactly what's needed given one of the characters is demi. Their communication is sexy. While we eventually do get some smut, it is definitely not the focus of this book.
Also, there are so many interesting characters in this book, and I want the author to give us a book for all of them.
If you're looking for an excellent slow burn, hidden identities, finding love online, athletes in love swoony romance, then you will devour this book. I know I did.
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