*A STANDALONE novel*I’m NHL defenseman Lance Romero, AKA Lance “Romance.”I’m notorious for parties and excess. I have the most penalty minutes in the league. I get into the most fights. I take the most hits. I’m a player on and off the ice. I’m the one women with no inhibitions want.Not because I like the notoriety, but because I don’t know how to be any other way.I have secrets. Ones I shared … be any other way.
I have secrets. Ones I shared with the wrong person, and she used them against me. Sometimes she still does. I should cut ties. But she makes it difficult, because she’s the kind of bad I deserve.
At least that’s what I believed until someone from my past gets caught up in my present. She’s all the good things in this world. She lights up my dark.
I shouldn’t want her.
But I do.
I should leave her alone.
But I won’t.
more
Title: Pucked Off
Author: Helena Hunting
Format: Audio
Narrators: Jacob Morgan, Rose Dioro
Genre: Romance – Comedy, Sports (Hockey), Second Chance
Standalone: Yes
Part of Series: Yes Book 6 of the Pucked Series
POV: Poppy and Lance
Steam Level: Toasty
5/5
I’ve been listening to and devouring the Pucked series whenever I could. Pucked Off made me fall in love with Lance. I’m so glad that we got to know him, the story with Tosh and his self-destructive tendencies. Helena Hunting did a great job in keeping him a mystery in the previous book, only giving us glimpses into the man behind the rumors and parties, and letting him shine in Pucked Off. Part second-chance, part redemption this book was worth the wait. I can’t wait to see more of Poppy and Lance but am sad that this series is almost over.
I feel like Pucked Off was a little more serious than others in the series. Poor Lance reminds me of a broken boy, who deserves goodness and sweetness and a happy ever after. Poppy seems to save him in all the ways, and they will have to have a lot of trust in each other going forward. I love how only her touch soothes him, and I love how he calls her precious. I LOVE when he recreates their first memory together. Oh, and I’m happy to finally know why people are always talking about gummy bears in the Beaver Den!
I wasn’t sure I’d fall in love with Lance’s story when I was reading the previous books in this series. I wasn’t sure how a hothead manwhore could ever find his way into my heart. But Helena Hunting Write the most beautiful, broken man in Lance, and the perfect woman to pick up all his lost and missing pieces and put him back together. Lance wasn’t what he was made out to be. He wasn’t the rumors and the manwhore label that he’s earned. And him realizing that was a beautiful story that rugged at my heart.
I loved Poppy. She was so sweet and perfect for Lance, everything he needed with a fiery attitude to boot. This couple is definitely one of my favorites in this series, and my only wish is that there was more.
Omg, I have loved every one of the Pucked men but Lance is now my absolute favorite. He’s broken by his past and supposedly a notorious player. However, someone from his past has seen the real person inside the tough outer shell. She saw it then and she brings it out in him now. But his past and secrets seem bound to mess up his new chance at happiness. As she has throughout the series, Ms. Hunting keeps the reader abreast of the rest of the Pucked couples. Lord help the reader if Violet isn’t inappropriate at least once a book. This book tackles some emotional issues but the power of love, closets, and hockey are more than a match for Lance’s past. Ms. Hunting put a few red herrings in the last books and I was surprised by the twist they created in Lance’s story. Poppy is a great addition to the Puckosphere and I thoroughly loved her journey with Lance.
I liked this book. It’s different from the other installments in the Pucked series. It’s a little more emotionally charged (because of the darkness that Lance carries with him from his past) & it’s light on the classic Pucked comedic relief. Don’t worry, there are funny moments but they are more cute-funny than raunchy-funny this time around. It was a nice switch-up from the norm & it fit in perfectly with Lance & Poppy’s relationship.
I loved Lance & Poppy together. They were incredibly sweet, tender & loving with one another. I loved how patient Poppy was with Lance & adored how Lance cherished Poppy. You could feel his love for her through the kindle screen.
Unlike a lot of other readers, I felt like Pucked Off wasn’t that angsty. I’m not disappointed with that (because not all stories need that heavy angst factor) but I thought for sure there would be more drama where the bunnies & social media were concerned. I guess that had a lot to do with Poppy though. She wasn’t a runner, she didn’t push Lance away & she didn’t immediately jump to conclusions about stuff. She acted like an adult & thought things through, which was quite refreshing.
The biggest source of drama certainly came from Tash. It’s weird because other than the mention of it in (I think it was) the last book, I never realized how much of a b*tch she was to Lance. I actually had felt bad for her when she lost her job, so learning about her strange behavior threw me for a big loop. I (like so many of the other Pucked characters) just couldn’t believe Lance kept that garbage in his life for so long. I didn’t fully understand why he couldn’t let go; not answer that call or not go to that hotel room… I just didn’t get it. I mean, I get the guilt because of what happened with his brother but that developing into the toxic Tash encounters was weird, for me anyways.
Now that Lance & Poppy have their beautiful HEA, I hope to shout that Darren & Charlene are up next! The wait for their story is pure torture. Fingers crossed that Helena is thinking about them as much as I am! #ThosePearls
I actually got this back in March, but didn’t get around to reading it until this past October. As with every other book by this author, I loved it. So many fun terms for sexual things that then I need other people who have read these books so when we hear the words in other situations my snickering at them doesn’t make me feel weird. Like cookies, and beard conditioning. Read them, you’ll know what I mean. I do have a friend that works at the bookstore with me now that we were giggling over Area 51 today. But anyway, Lance is a sweetie, although man, he had some major issues. I loved him though, just like all the other hockey boys Hunting writes. This was a stay up all night reading story, unfortunately, I couldn’t stay up, work and stuff. While I did read it out of order, since I’d already read/listened to book 6, this series works okay to read out of order. I did like Poppy and getting those moments we’d had with her earlier in the series pulled back into context with this story.
I loved this book! Lance and Poppy were wonderful. I definitely recommend this book, this series and this author.
Look no further if you want to laugh your as$ off while falling in love. I swear i am related to a few of these characters (i also maybe one of them) that may seem crazy to most but normal to me. Very original and timeless
PUCKED OFF is a spinoff of the PUCKED series and is considered a standalone. I, personally have not completed the other books in the series and I felt like I didn’t have gaps in the story. I didn’t feel like I was missing important details because I didn’t finish the other novels in the series. Helena Hunting did a phenomenal job of filling in possible new readers and reminding previous readers of the events leading up to this novel. PUCKED OFF revolves around Lance “Romance” Romero, whom was introduced in a previous book in the series and a new female, whom is supposed to be kept a secret until you read the book.
Lance Romero is haunted by his past and he feels he has no way of escaping it. The one woman (Tash, whom we met in the previous novels) he entrusted his secrets to, has betrayed him in more ways than one and continues to manipulate and hurt him every chance she gets. “But I’m weak for Tash. I don’t know how to say no to her, even though she’s bad for me.” –Lance. Every time, she reels him, just to crush him and he’s dumb enough to keep coming back, but enough is enough. This is the last time. “I’m so done with being used.” –Lance. He’s trying to sever the tie to her, but he needs an outlet for all the chaos in his head because now more than ever, he can’t escape those demons lurking in his thoughts. He hits the ice harder, picks more fights, and ends up in the penalty box more and more. But all the injuries are taking a toll on his body and messing up his game. Now his coach demands he see a massage therapist to help fix him and bring him back to top playing condition. The only issue is he loathes being touched. He can handle taking the hits on the ice, but someone actually touching him, especially a female, makes him lose his mind. Growing up, he was conditioned to associate physical contact with pain and he avoids it all costs, but when he is given the ultimatum of “go get a massage or get benched”, he has no other choice. His expectations have him preparing for the worst, but when he arrives at his appointment he finds his ultimate “wet dream” as his massage therapist. ”…she’s a natural redhead, and I have a serious weakness for them.” –Lance. He finds his reaction to her bewildering, especially when she actually massages him. His conditioned response and usual sensation he associates with physical contact is absent when she puts her hands on him. “Instead of feeling like there are bugs crawling under and over my skin, all I feel is warm. Warm hands. Warm.” –Lance. For the first time in his adult life, he isn’t repelled by this kind of touch and because of that, he is determined to find a way to keep her as his massage therapist, but it proves harder and harder to keep it professional when he is also very physically attracted to her. But as things heat up between Lance and his massage therapist, his past comes back to haunt him. Tash is relentless in her mind games and is determined to have him back, even if that ruins his only chance at happiness. He has to figure out a way to completely dissolve whatever it is they had going on and remove Tash from his life, otherwise he has no chance with this new woman in his future. She helps ground him and calms the chaos in his mind and he NEEDS her, more than anything. But his own personal insecurities have him uncertain about their possible future and that limits his ability to fully let her in. Those self-doubts lead to insecurities in her as well, and this leads to mixed messages and hesitations, when all they need to do is trust each other and open up to one another.
This was a perfect combination of sexy and sweet, with the right amount of comical relief and just enough angst to keep me reading way past my bedtime. This story proves that your past does not dictate who you become in life…YOU do. Your CHOICES do. Lance proved that you can overcome your past. He is this broken boy in a man’s body and my heart absolutely melting and broke for him throughout PUCKED OFF. His efforts at “deserving” this new woman in his life were heartbreaking and #swoonworthy at the same time. The dark emptiness he felt was brightened by her light. “…she’s the light I needed to find my way out of the dark spaces in my head.” –Lance. She became the reasons for him to heal and cut out the toxic things in his life and to help him realize that your past will always be there, because it’s part of your story, but it doesn’t need to be your future.
“Loving this man isn’t going to be easy, but I still want to try.” –the new woman
I’ll be completely honest, I tried my hardest to savor this novel for as long as I could, but in the end, I completely devoured it! I LOVED every minute of it and I would highly recommend it! I believe if you’ve enjoyed any of Helena’s novels, then you’ll find pure bliss with this one. Lance is definitely up there with Randy (from PUCKED OVER and PUCKED UNDER) as a top fav of mine in the PUCKED series. I haven’t heard any specific details on more novels happening in this series, but there are still some teammates that could get novels. I’m holding out hope that Helena finds their voices and gives us their stories one day.
5+ “Deserving” Stars
Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/vgrey14/pucked-off-by-helena-hunting/
I love Helena Hunting books. I loved this series and wish there were more!
What a great read, goes to show you that you never really know someone until you start interacting with them and if they feel safe enough, they’ll let you into their lives and heart.
I loved this book.
I have to start by saying that I was just not expecting these type of emotions in Pucked Off. Most of the Pucked Series is light hearted, sassy, fun loving with a little bit of drama thrown in for good measure. But this…THIS…ALL THE FEELS!
Lance Romero is one HELL of a damaged soul. Family issues, guilt over a death, and a beyond crazy ex-girlfriend are enough to send anyone over the edge. It messes with you and at a very deep level. The first chapter alone, HOLY HELL! It broke me. TEARS people, honest to goodness tears for Lance and the damaged man he had become. He literally trapped me and I just was sucked into the world of Lance. His distorted view on things and the destruction that is coming his way just make you completely feel for him.
Poppy is a blast from Lance’s past. Working as a massage therapist who takes Lance on as a favor, Lance is immediately smitten with the one woman who can touch him and not make his skin crawl. What Lance doesn’t know is that he has a past with Poppy. They met when they were teens and she’s always held a special place for him in her heart. A chance meeting at a bar got the two of the reconnected but not in the way Poppy had hoped. Poppy’s friend took her “Puck Bunny” opportunity to the limit and Poppy just decided it wasn’t meant to be with Lance.
“Because now I’m not sure what’s going to be worse: him finally remembering who I am and how we know each other, or me realizing I never left enough of an impact to warrant being remembered at all.”
Poppy was such a breath of fresh air in this story. The way she dealt with Lance even when he was trying to get to know her but yet had no recollection of who she was, I was overwhelmed with her generous, kind and forgiving attitude. And when he did start to remember her…. I fell in love with the both of them a little more.
The thing I liked most about Lance, he was not the typical alpha male. His struggles in life made him so tangible and so very relatable. Lance is loveable because he is so REAL and utterly broken. You just want him to be fixed, to be happy.
“I have the real him right here with me now, too. I have a broken boy who’s become a broken man, and as stupid and naïve as it may be, I want to be part of what heals him.”
I completely accept that this book made me shut down. The story line, the angst, the love between them? Phenomenal. Amazing. Overwhelming. This book was EVERYTHING. Everything I never knew I wanted in a story but one I completely fell in love with. Both Lance and Poppy drew me in like very few characters have before. Honestly, I will not be getting over Lance and Poppy anytime soon! This book can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend every single one of the books in the Pucked Series.
Hell. I honestly don’t know that I will ever recover from this book.
I read quite a bit. Some are good, some not so much, some confuse me. But Pucked Off was BEYOND my expectations. Period. This book….THIS is why I will forever be a fan of Helena Hunting!
This is going to be the most vague review I will ever write for a book I love so much. You will find no spoilers here!!!
To start, take everything you think you know about Lance “Romance” Romero and throw it all right out the window. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
I knew there had to be more to Lance than just the crazy parties, the hook-ups with bunnies, and the unfortunate situation with Tash.
But never in my wildest dreams did I expect what was to come in Pucked Off. I never expected the tears, the heartache, the anguish. I never expected to hate a character as much as I hated her. And I never, ever expected to fall so hard and so deeply for Lance Romero. Lance completely, utterly, and absolutely owned me, even as he destroyed me. He has more depth to him than you can even begin to imagine. Helena has seriously outdone herself with this book. It’s everything you’ve come to love about the Pucked series, but so, so much more.
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon
I feel like Sir Francis Bacon wrote this quote specifically for Pucked Off, without even knowing it. There are some books that deserves to be savored, and this for sure is one of them. I have so many quotes highlighted that I’d love to share but I honestly don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience.
Pucked Off, Lance, and the wonderful heroine, will stay in my heart for a long, long time.
“You’re all the good things I didn’t know I was missing.”
***Audible Review
“My favorite of the Pucked series!”
Would you listen to Pucked Off again? Why?
Yes, yes, yes! Not only do I love this story, but listening to it just brought it all to life.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Lance, always Lance. My heart just broke for him. There is so much more to this man than meets the eye and it made me sad that no one, until Poppy, really took the time to get to know him. He’s a tortured, broken, sweetheart of a man.
Which character – as performed by Rose Dioro and Jacob Morgan – was your favorite?
Lance. Although at first the Scottish accent didn’t come through too much, by the end of the book, especially in scenes when Lance was angry, you could really hear it and it was fantastic.
Rose did a great job when she portrayed Lance’s character as well.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Definitely!
Any additional comments?
Pucked Off is such a great book and listening to the audio version just made it all that more special.