Confessions of a Former Puck Bunny

When Wren swore off hockey players after a bad breakup, her plan was simple: pass her college math class and graduate without looking back. That plan unravels the moment her new tutor turns out to be Ryder "Ox" Maddox, a charming, disarmingly funny hockey player who seems determined to make her forget every rule she set for herself. The fourth entry in Cindi Madsen's Taking Shots series is a breezy college romance that mines real tension from the gap between what a person knows is bad for them and what they can't stop wanting.

Dual narrators C.J. Bloom and Adam Verner give the story an energetic back-and-forth that suits the format well. Bloom handles the heroine's confessional inner voice with sharp comedic timing, while Verner makes Ryder feel grounded and genuinely warm rather than a generic love interest. At just over eight hours, the pacing stays light without glossing over the emotional beats that give the romance its payoff.