Stubborn Puckboy (Puckboys Book 9)

I will refrain from rating this for now, because the romance was fine (even if the most stressful one in this series for sure), but I cannot rate this while feeling staggeringly BETRAYED by all the couples that got MARRIED off the page between this one and the last one?!?! Helloooo?!? I personally am here because of the series as a whole (Ezra. I am here because of Ezra) and I am NOT a happy camper for having been... completely left out of this :D CNs for internalised homophobia, homophobic behaviour, questionable sexual politics at the workplace, BIG thematic focus on coming out (linked to questions of safety, persecution (by god, I would like to know how queer Russians feel about this representation) and public scrutiny)

This is another great example why Eden & Saxon are my absolute comfort authors. Stubborn Puckboy matches the vibe of the rest of the Puckboys series and the Sadenverse. It's lighthearted, super funny (like literally laughing out loud funny), good hockey rep (like you know they know what they're talking about) and so many great cameos that just feel like coming home.Regarding the story itself: Novi and Colby first met in their first AHL season, after which Colby's pro hockey career tanked and Novi moved on to the big leagues. Colby worked hard for his coaching career afterwards - and seventeen years later, he's called up to be the video coach for Novi's team. But Colby can't forget about a ✨moment✨ they shared, before it all went to shit and Novi started to be closed off towards him and finally broke off any contact. Novi has his own struggles keeping him from having the life he wants, but he has to ask himself if it all is worth it sooner rather than later.It's about struggling to come out in pro sports, especially if you have to think of the consequences your actions might have for others. The Puckboys series is already a kinda queer-normative series, because it happens after the Fake Boyfriend series by Eden Finley, which feature the first out gay players in the NHL in this universe. So the outing struggle is a bit different than one might think, but I really liked that approach. Colby and Novi pine for each other, and really complement each other - and their journey was beautiful (and super funny) to witness. Also, that first kiss? I don't think I've ever read a better first kiss scene that gave me that much of a fluttery stomach.The side characters are great again, and I honestly think we've reached the point where it's not that enjoyable to read the book as a standalone - because so much of this humour is transported through cameos and references to the other books, which honestly elevated the story for me as a huge Sadenverse nerd.It was a quick read, super flowy writing style as usual, charming characters and I just had a great time!Something else I don't want to leave out: I see the ick some people addressed with the specific video coach x player pairing after what happened with the Chicago Blackhawks organisation in 2010 and video coach Brad Aldrich, and I think storywise it wasn't necessary to make Colby a video coach - he could have been any other kind of assistant coach. I want to say nothing here happens in any kind of morally grey area and the history these characters have is what the story is based on rather than the forced proximity through the coach/player interaction. But they still could have changed Colby's position, I see that.