Review: "Love, Pucks, and Other Stories" by Elise Faber

Love, Pucks, and Other Stories by Elise Faber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Love, Pucks, and Other Stories" by Elise Faber is book #4 of the Rush Hockey series, but it also begins a new trilogy featuring Billie Rose Donovan, mayor of the small town of River's Bend, and professional hockey player Joel Marshall. The timeline of this story overlaps with the ending of the previous trilogy, but readers can start here without feeling lost. The book does end in a cliffhanger, however; Billie Rose and Joel's story will be continued in "All's Fair in Pucks and War."

After their introduction in the earlier books of the series, I had a feeling Joel and Billie Rose's enemies-to-lovers romance was going to be epic, and that has certainly been the case so far. There has always been a ton of chemistry between them, and it was only a matter of time before it exploded. What I didn't expect (but quickly came to love) was how protective Joel was of Billie Rose. She rejected his care for a long time, but in truth, she needed someone to look out for her because she wasn't doing it herself. She gave everything she had to the town of River's Bend and was committed to rebuilding it after a devastating wildfire. She sacrificed food, sleep, and even a place to stay, secretly living out of her temporary office because she believed others needed housing more. Her one attempt at "self-care" was a nightly planning session, complete with colorful stickers and washi tape, which I personally found to be very endearing.

The cliffhanger was not at all what I was expecting, and I can't wait to find out how Joel is going to extricate himself from the situation he's in. The next book can't get here soon enough for me! In the meantime, I'd recommend this one for all contemporary/sports romance fans.

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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