Shoot Your Shot

By Lexi Lafleur Brown

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Pub date: 3/11/2025

Blurb

 When Jaylen Jones doesn’t secure an NHL contract at the end of training camp, he worries his hockey career is over. But after an anonymous one-night stand on his last night in town, his luck turns around and a last-minute roster spot opens up on the Seattle Rainiers. Connecting his fortune to the girl he spent the night with, superstitious Jaylen is suddenly desperate to keep her around.

Aspiring tattoo artist Lucy isn’t so sure about the proposition to remain Jaylen’s lucky charm—she’s been called a lot of things in her life, but good luck has never been one of them. But stuck in a career slump, Lucy has everything to gain. Hoping for an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor hasn’t offered her much stability, and Jaylen is willing to pay any price to get Lucy to agree…so maybe sending him a routine text message before each game won’t be too hard.

What starts as an agreement to trade favors—a good luck text for an appearance at a charity event, or well wishes in exchange for prime game tickets—quickly turns into sizzling chemistry that’s too delicious not to give in to. But Lucy’s been in too many situationships to even think about getting attached again, and Jaylen is clearly only with Lucy as long as it’s helping his career…neither of them expecting getting lucky could be so complicated.

Category: Contemporary Romance

 

Read if you Like:

🏒 Hockey romance

🏒 One night stand

🏒 Mental health representation

🏒 Cinnamon roll hero

My Thoughts:

I was interested in Shoot Your Shot because of Lexi LaFleur Brown's unique position as a former NHL player's wife. I know I often see inaccuracies in my own profession so I thought she would have an interesting take. I think anyone who is a hockey fan will appreciate her detail in describing the sport. A lot went over my head someone who mainly reads hockey romance and does not watch the sport.

One difference I did notice was how Lexi wrote about the hockey community. Her version feels less idealized with our heroine Lucy feeling like she doesn't fit in and our hero feeling pressure given the lack of diversity. I did have some mixed feelings about a white woman writing an interracial romance but given that Lexi's husband is black I felt a bit more comfortable with it. I think each reader will have to decide for themselves how they feel about that.

I loved the inclusion of Jaylen's mental health struggles. I loved that Lucy was supportive but didn't solve the problem and encouraged Jaylen to get professional help. I will say Jaylen got better very quickly and hit less bumps in the road than many people struggling with similar issues. That can happen but I would say it's rare.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to see what Lexi writes next! Fans of hockey romance should definitely give this one a try! Particularly if you are a fan who wants as much accuracy as possible.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.