Review: My Pucking Crush

My Pucking Crush by Tori Chase
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Pucking Crush by Tori Chase

Genre: MM Romance / Hockey Romance / Romantic Suspense
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars — intense, emotional, unforgettable)

Tagline:
When the bodyguard falls hardest, love becomes the deadliest risk.

🏒🖤🌈 Tropes & Story Elements

• MM Romance
• Hockey Romance
• Mafia / Bratva Vibes
• Bodyguard × Athlete
• Enemies-to-Lovers
• Forced Proximity / One Bed
• Hurt/Comfort & Trauma Healing
• “Touch Him and Die” Energy
• ‘Out for You’ Devotion
• Sacrificial Breakup & Epic Grovel
• Found Family / HEA
• Romantic Suspense & Action

⚠️ Content & Trigger Warnings

• Organized crime and violence
• Past trauma and flashbacks
• Threats, danger, and pursuit
• Emotional distress and fear
• Sexual content (consensual)
• High emotional intensity

This story blends romance with real danger and emotional weight.

🩸 Full Thoughts

My Pucking Crush is a gripping, high-stakes MM romance that seamlessly fuses the intensity of professional hockey with the lethal pull of the mafia underworld. From the opening chapter, Tori Chase delivers tension, emotion, and obsession in equal measure, crafting a story that hooks hard and never lets go.

This is not just a sports romance with a dark edge — it’s a story about survival, protection, and choosing love when danger has always felt safer than hope.

🖤 Luca — A Protector Forged by Trauma

Luca is a beautifully layered MMC: quiet, guarded, and haunted by a violent past he’s desperate to outrun. His role as Max Ryan’s bodyguard places him in constant proximity to everything he shouldn’t want — and everything he can’t stop himself from needing.

What makes Luca so compelling is his internal war. He’s conditioned to prioritize safety over connection, control over desire. Falling for Max isn’t just risky — it threatens the carefully constructed armor that’s kept him alive. His obsession is protective, restrained, and achingly human, making every crack in his defenses hit harder.

This is a protector hero who doesn’t just guard bodies — he guards hearts, even his own, at tremendous cost.

🏒 Max Ryan — Strength with a Soft Center

Max, the star defenseman, is charismatic, stubborn, and magnetic, carrying the confidence of an elite athlete alongside a vulnerability that deepens the romance. Beneath the swagger is a man who sees Luca — really sees him — and refuses to let him hide behind duty forever.

Max’s courage lies in his emotional openness. He doesn’t flinch from danger, but he also doesn’t shy away from loving someone broken and afraid. His willingness to fight for Luca, even when pushed away, gives the relationship its emotional backbone.

Together, they create a dynamic that’s equal parts combustible and tender.

🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers, Forced Proximity & Hurt/Comfort

The chemistry between Luca and Max crackles. Their enemies-to-lovers arc is driven by forced proximity, mutual distrust, and an ever-present threat that sharpens every interaction. Sharing space — and eventually a bed — becomes both sanctuary and temptation.

The hurt/comfort moments are where the story truly shines. These scenes aren’t just soft interludes; they’re emotional turning points. Trauma is handled with care, allowing intimacy to feel earned rather than rushed. Luca’s struggle between protecting Max and protecting his own heart is raw, painful, and deeply compelling.

This is romance forged under pressure — where vulnerability is the bravest act.

🩸 Mafia Stakes & Redemption Arc

What elevates My Pucking Crush beyond a standard sports romance is how meaningfully the mafia elements shape the story. The danger isn’t aesthetic — it’s structural. Organized crime influences decisions, limits options, and forces sacrifices.

Luca’s redemption arc is especially powerful. As he confronts the darkness he thought he’d buried, the story explores identity, forgiveness, and the courage required to believe in a future beyond survival. The sacrificial breakup hurts exactly the way it should — and the grovel that follows is deeply satisfying, rooted in growth rather than grand gestures alone.

Love here isn’t easy.

It’s chosen.

🖤 Pacing, Found Family & Emotional Payoff

The pacing is tight and intentional, balancing suspense with intimacy so neither overwhelms the other. Action scenes heighten emotional stakes, while quieter moments allow characters to breathe and heal.

Found-family vibes and familiar faces add warmth and grounding, reminding readers that even in violent worlds, connection matters. And when the HEA finally arrives, it feels hard-won and profoundly deserved.

🖤 Themes That Hit Hard

• Protection vs. Possession — Loving without controlling
• Trauma & Healing — Choosing vulnerability over armor
• Danger as Catalyst — Love sharpened by threat
• Redemption — Becoming more than your past
• Devotion — “Out for you” in action, not just words

🖤 Final Thoughts

My Pucking Crush is intense, emotional, and impossible to forget. It delivers everything fans of MM romance crave: protective heroes, dangerous devotion, deep emotional healing, and a love story that fights for every inch of happiness.

This is hockey romance with teeth.
This is mafia romance with heart.
And this is a bodyguard who falls harder than anyone expects — including himself.

View all my reviews