Clueless Puckboy by Eden Finley & Saxon James: My Review
Clueless Puckboy is the fifth book in the M/M hockey romance Puckboys series by Eden Finley and Saxon James.
This book features an injured player and the team trainer. Read on to see what I thought of the latest book in the series!
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Clueless Puckboy – Summary
Quinn
Straining my groin is bad enough. It puts my hockey career, my future, but even worse, my dignity on the line. Having to get massages in that area from Vance Landon, one of the team trainers, is mortifying. It’s impossible to hide my feelings toward him. If my constant blushing and bumbling doesn’t give it away, my body does. It’s getting to the point where I wonder if hockey is even worth the embarrassment.
Trying to avoid him only makes him seek me out more. He’s determined to rehab my injury, but all I want is for him to leave me alone. Or fall for me. One or the other.
Vance
Ayri Quinn isn’t your typical jock … except for the fact he refuses to admit when he’s injured. I’ve seen more than enough professional sportsmen lose the career they love due to injury, and I’m not having it happen again. Especially not when the guy in question happens to be the sweetest, most awkward, innocent jock I’ve ever met.
When a night out leads to Quinn re-injuring himself, I create a care plan that keeps me hands on, literally. Unfortunately, working with him in close proximity brings all those feelings I’ve been trying to ignore to the surface. I just need to get him better so he can be back on the ice and out of my bed. Ah, my massage bed. Because if this goes on any longer, I might mean my actual bed. Ayri Quinn is impossible to resist.
Clueless Puckboy – My Review
Overall, Clueless Puckboy was a funny and cute read, but it didn’t knock my socks off. The entire Puckboys series has lacked the gusto that I got from the CU Hockey series and from these authors’ previous works.
Don’t get me wrong, some of this really worked for me! Unfortunately, a lot of it also didn’t. Let’s start with the guys.
Ayri Quinn is the mustached hockey player from the cover with a groin injury. Quinn is awkward and naive and obsessed with Vance Landon. Quinn needs help with his groin injury, but going to Vance isn’t an option. Both his body and his bumbling make it clear that Quinn has feelings for him.
I liked Ayri! He was hilarious around Vance. Here is an excerpt from Quinn’s POV:
"How's the injury?" Vance asks, but I'm too stuck in his blue eyes to answer.
So I just make random sounds instead. "Uh. Eee. Om. Oh."
Vance leans forward, glancing around me at Asher. "Are you able to translate?"
Yes, that is the same Asher from Line Mates & Study Dates of the CU Hocky series. He was such a bright spot as a side character throughout this book.
I did find Ayri to be a little childish, and, occasionally, I struggled to understand his motivation for his actions.
The other main character is Vance Landon. The guy with two first names.
Vance was not the most memorable to me. To be completely honest, it was very hard for me to tell whose POV I was in. They were not super distinguishable despite the fact that one of the MCs is an immature hockey player and the other is a put together medical professional.
I feel like telling these two apart should have been easier.
That being said, the banter between the two was hilarious and I found myself cracking up on more than one occasion.
While the banter was great, the romance was a little lacking for me. The chemistry just wasn’t there. I’m not sure why the two of them are together.
I think maybe I needed more conflict. Clueless Puckboy didn’t have a lot of angst. Quinn and Vance got together pretty quickly and without much fuss.
So, you might be wondering how this book earns three stars. Well, the Collective really saved this one.
Between Asher and every scene that the Collective is in, I couldn’t bear to give this book two stars, but I really hope that the next book in the Puckboys series steps it up a little.
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Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
