Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Irresponsible Puckboy

SERIES:  Puckboys, Book 2

AUTHOR:  Eden Finley and Saxon James

NARRATOR: Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese

PUBLISHER:  Absolute Books

LENGTH:  7 hours and 5 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  June 10, 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:

Irresponsible Puckboy is book two in Eden Finley and Saxon James’  hockey-premised Puckboys series. Like its predecessor, Egotistical Puckboy, it’s funny, irreverent, and sexy with a solid found-family element that is, perhaps, the highlight of the series. The Queer Collective is a group of LGBTQ+ NHL hockey players that provide camaraderie and support for each other.  We get some welcome cameos from characters from Ms. Finley’s Fake Boyfriends series, like Ollie Stromberg.  Their interactions are humorous while resonating with an overwhelming sense of community and support.

Irresponsible Puckboy focuses on the best friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening romance of Las Vegas NHL team goalie Tripp and his ride-or-die and teammate Dex. Dex displays unparalleled levels of obliviousness about many things (and is the constant butt of jokes from teammates about his “stupidity”), but perhaps is most clueless about his relationship with Tripp.  

It is clear to everyone with eyes and ears that Tripp is head over heels in love with Dex, his straight BFF.  Dex, for his part, readily admits that Tripp is like his other half.  Tripp is indispensable to him, and if he isn’t around, Dex feels like a piece of him is missing. He has a complete lack of boundaries, invasively inserting himself into Tripp’s life at every turn, even going so far as to crawl into bed with Tripp and his hookup. It’s so clearly out of bounds of “normal” friends’ behavior that it’s stunning that Dex doesn’t see any problem with it at all.  It also never dawns on him that maybe he’s not as straight as he thinks he is, and that his feelings for Tripp are non-platonic. This, even in light of yet another failed relationship with a girlfriend who claims he’s “irresponsible” for not investing himself in their relationship, but devoting himself wholly and completely to his “friendship” with Tripp.  Dex continually proclaims that he doesn’t want commitment; he just wants to have no-strings fun. 

I enjoyed the interplay of Tripp and Dex and found them both endearing. However, their symbiotic dynamic and the often extreme interference of their friends felt implausible-bordering on the ridiculous at times. Dex’s character is so sweet you want to hug him, but simultaneously so completely oblivious you want to slap him. While funny, that humor only works for a while. I found his continued wide-eyed lack of perception to be frustrating, and the constant barrage of comments about him being stupid or an idiot began to grate on my nerves.  The confusion about Dex’s feelings and the misinterpretation of Tripp’s feelings about him ultimately resolve into a well-crafted plot involving the team and some PR “issues”, but the personal resolution of their relationship felt anticlimactic.

I enjoyed Irresponsible Puckboy, albeit not as much as book one, Egotistical Puckboy, but there’s no doubt it’s enjoyable fare and definitely an entry into the series you will want to read. The audiobook elevates the story as the narrators Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese deliver their vocal performances with aplomb, effectively conveying the humor and emotion of the story and the quirky characteristics of the characters.  Their ready familiarity with Finley and James’ work shows through here in the ease they display in understanding and inhabiting Tripp and Dex.

Overall, Toma and Cendese deliver skilled, expressive performances that make the story better.  Despite my nits with some story aspects, I unequivocally recommend the audiobook as a fun, heartwarming listen.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible 

Amazon