Zero Pucks enters the world of sledge hockey in this married in Vegas rom com! A new style of writing from the talented EM Lindsey! I'm so excited to see where this new series goes next!
From the blurb:
Tucker:
Waking up alone in a strange hotel room, missing my prosthetic legs, and no memory of what happened the night before is not how I wanted to spend my estranged twin’s bachelor party trip.
Yet there I was, legless and zero idea how I got there. Or who I spent the night with. Which is…not great.
Though I suppose that trauma lies somewhere between losing my legs in a car accident which killed my career in the NHL, and my brother running off with my fiancée.
So, in the grand scheme of things, not the worst weekend I’ve had.
But while I’m no longer a bitter, angry man, I’m also maybe—kind of, sort of—not the most well-adjusted person on the planet. And that shows when an adorable, dimpled, wild-haired man shows up at my door to tell me that the hazy night in Vegas had a very specific ending:
At some point, after several chocolate cake shots and trauma dumping, Amedeo and I found Elvis and got married.
The easy thing to do would be to make sure the marriage isn’t valid. But when have I ever made anything in my life easy? Especially since the incentive is getting to keep this man in my orbit.
We might have had the weirdest beginning of any married couple, but now I’m feeling strangely determined to give us both the happily ever after we deserve.
Zero Pucks is the first book in a rom-com, strangers to lovers, MM romance sled hockey series. It features a ride or die hockey found family, snarky best friends, the Team Dad who refuses to approve of bad decisions, why sled hockey is way more terrifying than standing hockey, awkward first dates, steaming hot first kisses, and a Golden Retriever of an Alternate Captain determined to give them both the happiest of ever afters.
Molly Otto's review:
When EM Lindsey says they are doing a hockey rom com, you really do not know what you are going to get. What happens in Vegas changes everything. Tucker, since a stupid choice changed, everything has never quite recovered yet slowly is building a new life with his sled hockey team and all the unique friends he has acquired along the way. Deo in a bad place decides to go talk to Tucker to has out what happened, what he wasn't ready for was a bunch of rowdy hockey players who will protect anyone in their fold at all costs. This community has a dark humor that just works and allows humility and growth amongst them. Each and everyone is affected uniquely, yet all come together to form an unbreakable bond. It was a truly brilliant piece of writing that I cannot wait to see more from this universe.
Have you ever read about characters and have just wanted to hug them? That's what happened for me with Deo and Tucker, I just wanted to give them a big ol hug.
Both of these men have been through the ringer, both are dealing with and trying to to cope with past and present trauma, and they are trying their best to improve themselves. Tucker used to self sabotage himself whenever something got good, he'd get angry and make whatever the good thing was go away. He doesn't want to do that anymore though and he makes the steps to achieving that goal.
Deo has trauma due to his abusive ex, a part of him knows he has self worth but his ex's words and actions have made him quiet and unsure. When he takes the leap to go find the man he drunkenly married in Vegas, that was the start of his self discovery journey and what a beautiful one it was!
Can I just say that I absolutely LOVED how both of these men had issues but they weren't judging each other for them, or blaming each other, or trying to change one another. They were open, honest, supportive, encouraging and SO accepting of each other. Their relationship, while unusual, was so beautiful. If you've read EM's other stories then I'm sure like me, you were expecting something to go wrong, to have the angst pop up somewhere. But! There was no angst to be found and while it is something different from EM I still loved this story as much as their other ones.
The characters were fantastic, I want to get to know Tucker's true family better, and hopefully as this series goes on I'll be able to do that! The pacing of the story was great, the words flowed so smoothly, the dialogue between all the characters was engaging and at times entertaining. I thought the disability representation was done in a very respectful way, and there were a lot of details that made the characters, and the story, feel very realistic.
All in all a fantastic way to start a new series and I am SO excited to see the other guys get their happily ever afters!!
This book (and series) might be my new favorite from EM. I love all of their books, honestly, but something about Tucker and Deo just really connects with me, even though I share no experiences with them. Tucker was kind of an ah when the story starts and I wasn't sure I'd like him at first. But once I saw him interacting with his friends and eventually Deo when they reconnect, I loved him. He's hilarious, and so are all of his friends. Deo is so sweet. He and Tucker were the perfect mix of understanding and encouraging and accepting for each other. I love how they love one another and their found family.
Sled Hockey is so interesting and I don't know of any other author who is as conscientious and realistic in their portrayal of diverse characters with trauma backgrounds and disabilities. I feel like I learn a new appreciation for people and the human journey in general every time I read one of their stories.
I am looking forward to the next story in the series and low key feral for Jonah's story whenever it's his turn.
The only thing I was missing in this story was some serious Karmic justice for Tucker's twin brother and his ex. They're awful, but that's life sometimes. They'll get what's coming, and Tucker and Deo will be too busy living their authentic, enduring love to be bothered with them ever again.
Heather's Review:
Zero Pucks is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
I love it when E,M. Lindsey writes rom-coms... and anything with hockey is definitely my jam, so when you get a Wake Up Married scenario with two quirky and hurting characters, you know it's going to be an interesting ride..
I absolutely love that these characters come together and just click, while still having to navigate their traumas and fears... and they manage to do it without extraneous drama or angst! It was just such a beautiful and funny story that makes you smile and want to keep reading!
As with Lindsey's other stories, the disability rep is present, but not taken too seriously... think joy riding on a bell cart because you can't find your legs serious.
I can't wait to see where this series goes next!
Zero Pucks is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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