Reviewed by Valerie 

TITLE:  Foolish Puckboy

SERIES:  Puckboys #4  

AUTHORS:  Eden Finley and Saxon James

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH: 271 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 13, 2023

BLURB:   

ALEKS

After my divorce, I’m ready to have fun, date around, and not get into anything serious. Then I meet Gabe Crosby, superhero firefighter and a disgrace to the Crosby name. He doesn’t even like hockey!

Yet, there’s a draw to him I can’t deny—something I haven’t felt since my teens. But that’s the problem. I have no idea what dating is like, let alone how to do it with another man. He makes me flakey and nervous, and I’ve never been that guy.

Gabe turns me inside out and upside down in the best possible ways. I only recently became single, but if I continue to chase after him, I might not stay that way for long.

GABE

When I meet Aleksander Emerson during an emergency call-out, there are three things that catch my attention: his sexy tattoos, his kind eyes, and his drunken offer to have my babies.

He’s new to Seattle and recently divorced, so I take him under my wing–and under my sheets. I’m showing him what the world of hookups is like, only those hookups turn into sleepovers and dates and public displays of jealousy.

Aleks is in his casual era, and I’m working my way toward settling down and starting a family. What the two of us have is fun, but not a good idea permanently.

Too bad Aleks has already set my life on fire.

REVIEW:   

The unbeatable duo of Eden Finley and Saxon James has created another sweet and hilarious hockey romance. Foolish Puckboy, with its opposites attract theme, might be my favorite so far in the Puckboys series. This time around it’s hockey player Aleks and firefighter Gabe who fall in love.

The first two chapters, filled with Queer Collective shenanigans, are outrageous. While getting blindly drunk, these crazy boys manage to start a fire at Aleks’ new house, and Gabe (whose last name is ironically Crosby) and his partner, Sanden, respond. It doesn’t take long for Aleks and Gabe to hit it off. But they’re in different phases of their lives: Gabe is ready to find his person and create a life together. He wants a home to foster children in. Aleks was just traded to Seattle with no desire to settle down.

Confident and sexy Aleks is recently divorced from his ex-wife and now out as pansexual. He’s ready to be another playboy hockey player enjoying frequent hook ups, but ultimately realizes he’s not that guy. He’s never been with a man, though. In fact, his only lover was his ex-wife. He and Gabe agree on an arrangement in which Gabe teaches Aleks all things gay sex. Gabe becomes his sex coach, more or less, going through a checklist of things to show and tell, letting Aleks experiment until he’s comfortable moving on.

Gabe is intimidated by the hockey players as a whole. He doesn’t measure up to their wealth, fame, and lifestyle. He feels inadequate as a nobody. Furthermore, he doesn’t think it’s feasible to have a relationship with Aleks because of the time apart when Author is on the road, and all the media attention. He wants a simple, quiet life. The attraction is strong, though, so Gabe keeps finding new sex acts to add to the list of firsts for Aleks so they don’t go their own ways yet.

I adore the found family trope and it’s in full swing here. The cast of characters – most of whom we already know with some new faces are sprinkled in – is wonderful. Ezra and Oskar, in particular, provide loads of entertainment. Gabe’s coworker and friend, Sanden, is a great new character who will soon be getting his own non-hockey themed novel.

Another aspect that provides humor is that Gabe knows virtually nothing about hockey. It’s up to Sanden to introduce him to hockey fandom.

This is a must read if you’re already addicted to the series. Gabe and Aleks’ romance is filled with fun, feels, and hilarity. Highly recommended.

RATING:

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