Royally Pucked: A Royal / Hockey / Accidental Pregnancy Romantic Comedy Kindle Edition

Gracie & Manning

Oh. My. Freakin'. Dog!! Get this book NOW! This has got to be the most side-splitting, gut-busting, laugh-so-hard-you-cry, spew-your-drink, my-side-hurts-make-it-stop, hilarious rom-com I’ve ever read! Somehow I found my way to this author's newsletters and that delightful entertainment prompted me to grab the chance to read an advance copy of this book. My only regret is my failure to highlight these laugh-out-loud gems as I read so I could quickly recall them the next time I need a laugh, which simply means a revisit to Gracie and Manning’s story in the near future. After I read the first book, of course, because there's no resisting catching up on Zeus and Joey's story, having had a small taste of them here.

So the basic premise is this: a spare heir to the throne of a small Nordic country wreaks so much havoc his father, the king, sends him to play hockey in the States while the messes get cleaned up in time for him to wed the woman he was betrothed to practically from birth. The naughty prince behaves just a little badly, resulting in an unfortunate future heir by way of Joey's sister, Gracie, a sweet bakery owner from Alabama. Royal mayhem and Southern shenanigans ensue. Throw in a monosyllabic gentle giant of a hockey player/roommate (Aries), a harridan shrew with a traitorous emotional support monkey (Manning's betrothed), and a woman with more attitude and testosterone than hockey players (Joey), then grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show.

Don’t let the above lull you into thinking it’s all fun and games. There’s plenty of heat with the slow burn, off the charts chemistry between Manning and Gracie, but most of all, a ton of heart as Gracie and Manning sort out the mess and find their happily ever after. And did I mention bonus epilogues? They take place between the last chapter and the book's epilogue and are a perfect addition that you won't want to miss, so don’t forget to grab them from the link at the back of the book. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve already grabbed The Pilot And The Puck Up and read Zeus and Joey's story last night. Trust me, once you get a taste of these characters you're going to want more and more of them! These characters are endlessly entertaining, sweetly endearing, unique, quirky and larger than life. They’ll bulldoze their way into your heart, making themselves right at home, and you’ll love every minute of it!

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

About as close to screwball comedy as you can get without resurrecting Cary Grant and Catherine Hepburn and the leopard in “Bringing Up Baby”.

Not going to go over the plot because that would take a lot more words describing than I have alphabet keys for (and time) and besides, others will have done that for the reader. Prince Manning has gotten Gracie and himself into a pickle; otherwise known as the Family Way with the added complication of an unwanted, pissy fiancée (him) and a glowering mastermind sister (her). Not to mention Ares, his roommate, the twin brother to Zeus, whom we got to know better in the previous book.

It’s all there, except instead of a leopard, there’s a monkey. And a bodyguard. Who deserves a medal just for keeping track of Manning and all his shenanigans. I’m sure he gets one, Star Wars style along with Ares/Yoda, in a hidden scene somewhere (tho not in one of the extra epilogues P.Grant graciously supplies you with after you’ve finished the book).

It’s fun, and had a couple of twists I did not quite expect. Manning sounded a tiny bit too awkwardly upper-crusty for me; he hangs around other hockey players for days and works with these crude dudes! But no matter, it’s fun, kept me amused, and now I look forward to Are’s story. What goes on in that mind?

Once again Pippa Grant brings back her signature humour and takes us on a royal ride with Gracie and Manning. I have been so excited to read this one since they met in Joey's book. Although this one is super funny, it's not as hilarious as the others. And that's ok. We got a lot more in this story. Manning is trying to do right by Gracie and his family and marry his betrothed, Gracie refuses to let that happen and makes it her mission to save Manning's happiness, even if it isn't with her.

At first, Gracie comes off as too nice. Too sweet. Too náive. She finds her steel with Manning and her baby and quickly sheds most of those. She'd make an awesome queen. Sweet and kind while also being tough. Too bad that's not in the cards for her. Manning is his incredibly irritating sexy self. We also see a lot more vulnerability in him than with the others. He's trying to do right but seems to only need things up more. He learns with help from Ares and Gracie.

I know I'm always in for a good time when I pick up a Pippa Grant book and Royally Pucked is no different. The humorous banter has you laughing out loud. The writing has you quickly turning pages. The characters have you laughing and rooting for them throughout the whole book! I'm so ready for Ares' book, he's been my favorite from book one!

Genre: Romance - Comedy, royalty, accidental pregnancy, friends-to-lovers
Stand-Alone: Yes but even better if you've read Pippa Grant's other books. Characters are interconnecting.
Part of a Series: No but all of Pippa Grant's books are set in the same world so have interconnecting characters.
POV: Manning and Gracie
Steam Level: Toasty Warm
4/5

I love Gracie and Manning!!! This book was cheeky funny but also had a great message of fighting for those you love. Royally Pucked was sweet and sexy and sometimes I wanted to beat Manning. I adore Viktor and hope he gets a book of this own as well. (The rockstar too - his name is escaping me at the moment, must be all the helium.) There's much I can say without giving away jokes or ruining this story so I'll just say that if you love romantic comedies then check out Pippa Grant's books. They're sweet, funny, and sexy with hilarious situations that have you laughing at inappropriate times. Royally Pucked was no exception.