Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Irresponsible Puckboy
SERIES: Puckboys #2
AUTHOR: Eden Finley and Saxon James
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 280 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2022
BLURB:
TRIPP
The worst part of being in love with my straight best friend is the fact he’s too oblivious to see it.
Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately.
If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle. I can’t leave him in a time of need, even if my friends say it’s my biggest downfall.
They say Dexter Mitchale is my weakness, but if that’s true, I don’t want to be strong.
DEX
I’ve always been the dumb one. It’s what I’m known for, and usually I don’t let it get to me.
I have hockey, and I have my best friend, Tripp. What more do I need? To settle down? No thank you. Marriage? Hard pass. According to ex-girlfriends, that makes me “irresponsible.”
But the solution I come up with to get over my fear of commitment might be my dumbest idea yet. Not only does it have team management breathing down my neck, but it puts a strain on my friendship with Tripp.
This PR nightmare could lose me the only person I’ve ever loved. Losing girlfriends is nothing. Losing Tripp? It’s not an option.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him.
REVIEW:
Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and you really can’t find friends closer than Tripp and Dex in Irresponsible Puckboy. They have the ultimate bromance, ride or die, closer than brothers relationship and I love it. They simply belong to each other. I’ve been looking forward to this pair since they were introduced in Egotistical Puckboy. Tripp’s been in love with Dex for years but Dex is straight – and in a long-term relationship with a woman Tripp hates – and Dex isn’t self-aware enough to realize he has feelings for Tripp.
Both guys play on the Las Vegas NHL team and spend most of their time together. Dex’s girlfriend resents his all-consuming friendship with Tripp. She wants commitment, marriage. Dex wants nothing to do with that. He’s staunchly anti-marriage. He’s all about having fun without responsibility.
On the other side, we have Tripp who’s in a bit of a conundrum. His friends say he needs to distance himself from Dex but he’ll do anything to protect Dex and he knows putting space between then will hurt his best friend. But Dex is all about physical affection which is driving Tripp crazy. Deep down he knows no one will ever match the pedestal he’s put Dex on. He wants Dex badly but he knows he’ll be destroyed if they start something romantic and Dex rejects him or it harms their friendship. Tripp decides to pretend his feelings don’t exist.
There’s lots that happen in this plot that I won’t give away. Suffice it to say, what Tripp and Dex get up to becomes a PR nightmare for them and the hockey team.
I enjoyed the inclusion of some of the gay NHL players that form The Collective. Tripp and Dex vacation in Tahoe with Ezra, Anton, and Oskar. This trip provides lots of laughs and solidifies that Dex really is clueless. I also enjoyed their time on the ice, too.
My gripe with the book is the characterization of Dex. He’s a sweetie pie but also portrayed as oblivious and naïve. I quickly grew tired of everyone calling him an idiot or dumbass. There’s a big difference between being naïve and stupid, which is what’s implied. Dex is referred to this so much he internalizes it and puts himself down. I’ll never be okay with a character made to feel less about himself. Furthermore, I kept picturing him as a big doofus, which is not at all attractive or sexy.
Overall, Irresponsible Puckboy continues a long streak of entertaining hockey novels by the Eden Finley and Saxon James team. This is another fun, well-written book by the duo. Of course, you’ll want to read this if you’ve already started the series but it will appeal to any fan of M/M hockey books, as well.
RATING: 
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