Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Egotistical Puckboy by Eden Finley &  Saxon James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well that was an absolute riot!

We all knew Ezra has an ego the size of a mountain but in Anton Hayes he finds his perfect match, someone who’s not only as confident as he is, but who has the skills to match on the rink.

From the off this book captured my attention, it’s both funny and also quietly exploratory of the pressures ice hockey – and any other top level athlete for that matter – find themselves under, not only the external ones, but those they put on themselves.

For Ezra, his reputation is something he might not have intended to have as a bit of a manwhore and, while he’s outrageously out and proud, it’s something he knows provides ammunition for others.

Anton is a bit more of a mystery. While it becomes very clear from the start that he’s not straight, he’s also not publically out, although his family and his teammates are aware.

Things come to a head pretty quickly and then what follows next is a rollercoaster of a ride through two men finding out that what they thought they hated most about the other, could actually be the one thing each has been missing from their lives.

This book is a mix of hilariously funny, bitingly harsh at times, and a scorching hot exploration of what starts of as hate sex and very rapidly moves into something pretty special.

I was so very glad to see there were no misunderstandings or lack of communication in this book. There is one point close to the end where it looked like it might have been heading that way but I should have had more faith in Eden and Saxon.

Throughout the previously interconnected series’ we’ve also had lovely guest appearances and this continues here with both Eden’s Fake Boyfriend characters and this writing duo’s CU Hockey stars turning up. Bonus points for more West and Jasper, as well as visits from Ollie, Soren, Foster and Tripp (who looks like he might be getting his book next).

I loved the camaraderie between all the out NHL players in this shared universe. We get to see there’s far more to Ezra than his puckboy reputation.

Egotistical Puckboy is a wonderful introduction to this new series and I can’t wait to dive in for more.

#ARC kindly received from the authors via ForewardPR in return for an honest and unbiased review

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