Reviewed by Larissa

 

TITLE:  Egotistical Puckboy

SERIES:  Puckboys, Book 1

AUTHOR:  Eden Finley

NARRATOR: Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese

PUBLISHER:  Absolute Books

LENGTH:  7 hours and 36 minutes

RELEASE DATE:    February 15, 2022

BLURB:

Ezra

Partying, dudes, and hockey. What more could a gay NHL player want?

If it weren’t for Anton Hayes, my life would be perfect.

Not that he affects my life in any way. At all. That would imply I care what the winger from Philly thinks of me.

Which I don’t.

Not even a one-night stand with him can thaw his misplaced animosity toward me.

He says I’m the one with the ego, but he can talk. He rivals me for most egotistical puck boy in the league.

I hate him as much as he hates me. Even if I crave a repeat.

Anton

When it comes to hockey, I’m all about the game.

I’ve worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and I’ve done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids.

My hockey image is one I’ve carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all.

He’s cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever known.

We’ll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens.

That doesn’t stop us from falling into bed together over and over again.

REVIEW:

Egotistical Puckboy is Eden Finley and Saxon James gold.  This writing duo has produced some incredibly entertaining titles together, but this may be my favorite.  That is particularly so when listening to the audiobook for this sexy rom-com.  Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese deliver engrossing vocal performances that capture the essence of Ezra Palaszczuk and Anton Hayes while immersing us in a captivating enemies-to-lovers romance.

Ezra and Anton are rival NHL players, Ezra playing for Boston and Anton playing for Philadelphia.  They’ve been snarking and needling each other for so long that their rivalry is well known.  But they’ve developed a level of animosity towards each other that goes beyond competitors who trash talk. Finally, after Boston loses a hard-fought playoff game against Philly, it all comes to a head.  Anton and Ezra take out their frustrations on each other through hate sex that neither of them hates.  After that encounter, their enemies-to-lovers relationship progression follows a fairly typical trajectory, but Ms. Finley and Ms. James spin it out in a way that feels new.  

Ms. Finley and Ms. James excel in the character development of Ezra and Anton.  Both men are highly endearing with very different personalities, albeit with one noticeable common trait – ego.  Anton is semi-closeted and fiercely guards his privacy.  He’s grumpy, taciturn, and proud with a healthy ego that is justified by his fantastic skill on the ice.  He’s one of the best in the game, and he has no hesitation about reminding Ezra of that very fact.  

Ezra irritates Anton because he embraces everything Anton tries to avoid and is everything Anton wishes he had the confidence to be.  Ezra is an out and proud party boy goofball who engages in very noticeable and memorable off-ice antics.  On the ice, though, he’s determined and dedicated and is extremely good at what he does.  Ezra’s ego eclipses his hockey prowess, though, by design.  He’s the titular “egotistical puckboy”.  Yet he’s not really at heart.  Sure, he’s cocky, but his arrogance always stays in the realm of reason and is doled out in harmless ways.  His boasting, flamboyance, and outrageous antics provide armor that deflects attention from his vulnerabilities and his sensitive, loyal, kind nature.

Ezra and Anton are like fire together.  I loved everything about their relationship – the sarcasm and banter, the communication struggles, the swoon-worthy acts and declarations, the support they provide each other on and off the ice, the love they (eventually) share, and yes, all the sex. 

The plot includes plenty of riveting on-ice hockey action and off-ice locker room towel-clad players, as well as a great found family dynamic in Ezra’s “Queer Collective” – a group of LGBTQ players in the NHL.  We get to visit with past Finley and James’ characters as well, like Ollie Stromberg from Ms. Finley’s Fake Boyfriends series and Foster Grant from Ms. Finley and Ms. James’ CU Hockey series.  (Ezra initially appeared in the CU Hockey series, but you don’t need to have read those to enjoy Egotistical Puckboy).

On words alone, Egotistical Puckboy is an automatic reread; it’s so addictive and enjoyable you can’t get enough.  But Iggy Toma (as Anton) and Alexander Cendese (as Ezra) take it to the next level through their narration on the audiobook.  Both narrators are very experienced at MM romance, and they have narrated these authors’ books before.  There’s a synergy between the words on the page and the words they speak that’s not definable, but just feels right.  I can best describe it as “comfortable” – you can tell these narrators know what the authors intended in the words, phrasings, and overall storyline.

Mr. Toma’s voice faithfully channels Anton’s wry humor, annoyance, and complex changing feelings towards Ezra.  His voice has a natural undertone with depth and weight, complementing Anton’s grumpy personality.  Mr. Toma is fully engaged with Anton’s internal battle over his feelings for the man he’s supposed to hate but loves, and he translates those nuances through his intonations, emphasis, and pitch.  He also does a great job with Ezra’s voice and closely mirrors Mr. Cendese’s Ezra.  I adore Mr. Toma’s voice because of his effortless, authentic delivery of highly complex, deep content. 

Mr. Cendese’s portrayal of Ezra is absolute perfection.  I cannot think of another narrator that could have better captured the zany, irreverent, often goofy but always confident Ezra and his on and off the ice antics.  Mr. Cendese’s energetic delivery matches Ezra’s intentionally distracting behavior.  His upbeat delivery screams Ezra’s extroverted personality, especially when juxtaposed with Mr. Toma’s slower-paced, heavier tones that read Anton as an introvert.  Mr. Cendese also lays into his Boston accent here.  It’s a bit heavy-handed at times, but it made me laugh because even its OTT nature complements Ezra’s OTT style.

Overall, Mr. Toma and Mr. Cendese deliver well-paced, appropriately intuited, and expressive performances that elevate Ms. Finley and Ms. James’ already outstanding story.  I highly recommend you grab the Egotistical Puckboy audiobook.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

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