Cover and Excerpt Reveal and Giveaway: FORBIDDEN PUCKBOY: Eden Finley and Saxon James

by - Thursday, August 22, 2024


FORBIDDEN PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book Seven
Eden Finley and Saxon James
Goodreads
Amazon
Release Date: September 19, 2024

Cover Design: Story Styling Cover Designs
Photographer: Wander Aguiar Photography
Model: Gustavo L.
Genre: M/M Sports Romance Standalone
Trope: Brother's best friend, forbidden relationship, ref/hockey player, conflict of interest, sibling drama, collective palooza


Easton

You know what’s the worst feeling in the world? Being in love with someone since you were twelve years old, knowing they only see you as a little brother type.

Not even becoming an NHL star has made him realize I’m all grown up now.

All of that changes when I ask my brother’s best friend to ref a charity match and we spend an entire week in each other’s pocket.

Being close to him is torture, but for the first time since my adolescent crush started, I begin to feel hope. I swear Knox looks at me the same way I look at him. Or so I think. When I throw myself at him and get utterly rejected, I never want to see him again.

Yet, shaking him is impossible, because he and Connor are always around, and my older brother is suffocatingly protective. Every time I look at Knox, I’m reminded of how he turned me down.

Can’t I just die of embarrassment in peace?

Knox

The Kiki brothers are legendary in the NHL world. Thick as thieves, unstoppable on the ice, and the kind of family nothing can come between. Or so I thought.

For the last ten years, I’ve successfully hidden my feelings for the middle Kiki brother. Easton is snarky, determined, and the prettiest guy I’ve met. Ever since we stumbled across each other on a gay dating app and shared our secrets, I’ve felt a connection to him that I haven’t had with anything else.

But Connor is my best friend and when it comes to his little brothers, “protective” doesn’t cover it. I’m determined to take my feelings for Easton to the grave, but after a week in close proximity to him, my willpower is ready to break.

All it takes is one charity hockey match, a drunken night out, and a forbidden kiss for me to know that Easton Kikishkin is it for me.

And unless I want to lose Connor, Easton will never be mine.




Connor is an amazing best friend, and then here’s me, monster crush on his little brother, and in his own words, Connor will kill anyone who touches him.

I’m not stupid enough to think that might exclude me.

It’s why I’ve never mentioned how cute I find Easton, and the few times it’s been him and me one-on-one, the thoughts that filled my head made me so guilty I didn’t mention us hanging out to Connor. It felt like I’d be handing him a reason to suspect my feelings.

Not that Connor knows for sure that I’m bi. It’s more the type of situation where I’m sure he heard that I hooked up with men in college, but he didn’t bring it up, so I never mentioned it, and we both get on with life not at all concerned about each other’s sexuality.

Does that make me a dishonest dick? Kinda, yeah. And it’s not even the omission; it’s the guilt that comes with it because I know that deep down, the reason I haven’t brought it up, the reason I haven’t told him I’m sort of friends with Easton outside of him, is because I’m worried he’s not a dumb jock after all and will put the pieces together. He’ll figure out I’ve had a crush on Easton since the first summer he came home from college. He’d had a growth spurt and somehow went from awkward teen to man in the blink of an eye.

I keep my shower short and fast, not giving myself time to think about Easton too much, and then head back out in only a towel.

“You packed yet?” Connor asks, not looking up from his phone.

“Yup, you?”

The expression he pulls reminds me I really should know the answer to that. “We’ve got time.”

“We leave in the morning.”

“Exactly. Plenty of time.”

“Not the way you pack.” All of my clothes have been shoved into the overnight bag sitting at the end of my bed, so I pull out an old pair of sweats before joining him. “You stress over every single thing.”

“I have nice clothes. I want them to stay nice. Sue me.”

“Even if you fold them, they’ll still end up in a crumpled mess by the time you arrive.”

“How would you know? You’ve never folded your clothes in your life.”

Eh, he’s got me there.

Connor suddenly snorts at his phone.

“What is it?”

“Easton being … Easton.”

My interest immediately spikes. “Oh yeah? What, uh, did he say?”

“Told me to take the photo again with your shorts off.” Connor tosses his phone to the side, barely holding back from rolling his eyes.

Easton openly flirts with me, in front of Connor, but Connor plays it off like it’s a big joke. I wish I could find the humor in torturing me slowly with flirting and no follow-through. Not that I would ever allow the follow-through to happen, no matter how much I’d want it.

“Oh, damn. Should have told me that a few minutes ago.” I’m mostly joking to show how unfazed and totally unbothered I am by that, and maybe a tiny bit to see how he reacts to the idea of me sending his little brother dick pics.


EGOTISTICAL PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book One
Add to Goodreads
Amazon Kim's review
EZRA

Partying, dudes, and hockey. What more could a gay NHL player want?
If it weren't for Anton Hayes, my life would be perfect.
Not that he affects my life in any way. At all. That would imply I care what the winger from Philly thinks of me.
Which I don't.
Not even a one-night stand with him can thaw his misplaced animosity toward me.
He says I'm the one with the ego, but he can talk. He rivals me for most egotistical puck boy in the league.
I hate him as much as he hates me. Even if I crave a repeat.


ANTON

When it comes to hockey, I'm all about the game.
I've worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and l've done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids.
My hockey image is one I've carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all.
He's cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he's the sexiest man I've ever known.
We'll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens.
That doesn't stop us from falling into bed together over and over again. 
  IRRESPONSIBLE PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book Two
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Kim's review

TRIPP

The worst part of being in love with my straight best friend is the fact he’s too oblivious to see it.
Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately.
If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle. I can’t leave him in a time of need, even if my friends say it’s my biggest downfall.
They say Dexter Mitchale is my weakness, but if that’s true, I don’t want to be strong.

DEX

I’ve always been the dumb one. It’s what I’m known for, and usually I don’t let it get to me.
I have hockey, and I have my best friend, Tripp. What more do I need?
To settle down? No thank you. Marriage? Hard pass.
According to ex-girlfriends, that makes me “irresponsible.”
But the solution I come up with to get over my fear of commitment might be my dumbest idea yet. Not only does it have team management breathing down my neck, but it puts a strain on my friendship with Tripp.
This PR nightmare could lose me the only person I’ve ever loved.
Losing girlfriends is nothing. Losing Tripp? It’s not an option.

I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him.

 
SHAMELESS PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book Three
Kim's review
OSKAR

After a little mishap in an alleyway with CCTV, my public image needs fixing. Oops?

It might have been a stunt to get the attention of Lane Pierce, San Jose’s new PR manager, but I didn’t realize what the consequences would be when I did it. I’ve got Lane’s sole focus now in all the wrong ways.

He has designated himself as my babysitter, and while it’s fun messing with him, being bound by curfews and rules has never worked for me.

The more I push back, the more I realize what’s really on the line. My career, my future, and maybe even my heart.

LANE

Being appointed head of San Jose’s PR department was a dream come true … until I met Oskar Voyjik.

He may be San Jose royalty, but with the stunts Oskar’s been pulling, the team owner is down to his last thread of patience. Which puts me in the firing line. If I can’t turn Oskar’s entitled party boy image around, we’ll both be shown the door.

I have free rein to do whatever it takes, and it turns out whatever it takes is Oskar.

Only, the more entangled our lives become, the more I see the Oskar he’s buried deep down. The one who hurts, the one who’s sensitive and kind, the one … the one I think I’m falling for.

I can’t have him and my career, and if rumors of the professional lines I’ve crossed get out, it’s not only my dream job I can kiss goodbye; I’ll be disgraced from professional sports completely.
 
 FOOLISH PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book Four 
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Kim's review
ALEKS

After my divorce, I’m ready to have fun, date around, and not get into anything serious. Then I meet Gabe Crosby, superhero firefighter and a disgrace to the Crosby name. He doesn’t even like hockey!

Yet, there’s a draw to him I can’t deny—something I haven’t felt since my teens. But that’s the problem. I have no idea what dating is like, let alone how to do it with another man. He makes me flakey and nervous, and I’ve never been that guy.

Gabe turns me inside out and upside down in the best possible ways. I only recently became single, but if I continue to chase after him, I might not stay that way for long.


GABE

When I meet Aleksander Emerson during an emergency call-out, there are three things that catch my attention: his sexy tattoos, his kind eyes, and his drunken offer to have my babies.

He’s new to Seattle and recently divorced, so I take him under my wing–and under my sheets. I’m showing him what the world of hookups is like, only those hookups turn into sleepovers and dates and public displays of jealousy.

Aleks is in his casual era, and I’m working my way toward settling down and starting a family. What the two of us have is fun, but not a good idea permanently.

Too bad Aleks has already set my life on fire.

 CLUELESS PUCKBOY
Puckboys - Book Five
 Amazon
Kim's review
Genre: M/M Sports Romance
Trope: Workplace romance, player/trainer, close proximity, hockey
QUINN

Straining my groin is bad enough. It puts my hockey career, my future, but even worse, my dignity on the line.

Having to get massages in that area from Vance Landon, one of the team trainers, is mortifying.
It’s impossible to hide my feelings toward him. If my constant blushing and bumbling doesn’t give it away, my body does.

It’s getting to the point where I wonder if hockey is even worth the embarrassment.

Trying to avoid him only makes him seek me out more. He’s determined to rehab my injury, but all I want is for him to leave me alone.

Or fall for me.

One or the other.


VANCE

Ayri Quinn isn’t your typical jock … except for the fact he refuses to admit when he’s injured.

I’ve seen more than enough professional sportsmen lose the career they love due to injury, and I’m not having it happen again.

Especially not when the guy in question happens to be the sweetest, most awkward, innocent jock I’ve ever met.
When a night out leads to Quinn reinjuring himself, I create a care plan that keeps me hands on, literally. Unfortunately, working with him in close proximity brings all those feelings I’ve been trying to ignore to the surface.

I just need to get him better so he can be back on the ice and out of my bed.
Ah, my massage bed.

Because if this goes on any longer, I might mean my actual bed.

Ayri Quinn is impossible to resist.

 BROMANTIC PUCKBOY 

Genre: M/M Sports Romance Standalone
Trope: Double bi-awakening, idiots to lovers, eccentric hockey players, anti-wingman, PR headache, secret relationship

Bilson

The idea of moving away from Seattle was a joke at first.

I have too many failed relationships here. Too much baggage.

So when I find myself signing with Nashville and leaving everything behind, I’m hopeful a new start will cure me of my attachment problems.

I fall fast and hard, and I’m quickly realizing it’s not so easy to escape my emotional damage. That follows no matter where I go.

When my new teammate, rookie goalie Miles Olsen, attaches himself to my side, the media are excited to exploit our bromance. Little do they know, he’s doing me a favor by keeping me away from making mistakes with women.

That’s the deal we made at the beginning of the season, but as time goes on, and we’re both going through a dry spell, Miles suggests a different arrangement. One I’ve never contemplated. One I shouldn’t consider.

One I can’t stop thinking about.

Miles

My first day as starting goalie for Tennessee is made mildly more terrifying by coming face to face with NHL veteran Cody Bilson. Hero worship? Me? Never!

He reminds me of my old frat buddies; loyal, kind, easy to trade banter with. But my dude is lost and trying to find himself again--without getting married this time.

I want to help him, and while my suggestion might not be conventional, it sure as hell is effective. The only way to make sure he doesn't marry a woman again? Blow off steam with a man instead.

We're both straight, we're both single, and we're both down for a good time.

After all, what are teammates for?

Eden Finley

Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.

She doesn't take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart.

With a short attention span that rivals her son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF.

She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.



Saxon James unapologetically writes happy endings for LGBT+ characters.

While not writing, SM is a readaholic and Netflix addict who regularly lives on a sustainable diet of chocolate and coffee.

Member of SCBWI.

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