Pucking Around by Emily Rath Summary

Pucking Around follows Rachel Price, a sports medicine practitioner who lands her dream job with the Jacksonville Rays NHL team after a steamy one-night stand in Seattle. She discovers her mystery man is actually Jake Compton, a player on the team. The story evolves into a polyamorous "why choose" romance as Rachel develops relationships with Jake, his best friend Caleb (the equipment manager), and Ilmari, the team's superstitious Finnish goalie.

Emily Rath is a USA Today and international bestselling author known for her sex-positive, queer-inclusive romance and fantasy novels. She holds PhDs in Political Science and Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame and is a former university professor. Raised in Northern Kentucky with Finnish heritage, Rath gained massive popularity on BookTok with her Jacksonville Rays Hockey Romance series, selling nearly 150,000 copies independently before partnering with Kensington Publishing.

Pucking Around is perfect for readers who enjoy spicy hockey romances, polyamorous relationship stories, and sex-positive narratives with strong consent and communication themes. Fans of sports romance, "why choose" tropes, and queer-inclusive fiction will appreciate the book's humor, explicit content, and emotional depth. The story appeals to readers seeking found family themes, workplace romance, and characters who challenge traditional relationship structures while maintaining professional boundaries.

Pucking Around became a BookTok sensation for good reason, offering an entertaining blend of steamy romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and genuine emotional connection. The book balances explicit content with meaningful character development and explores polyamory in a realistic, consent-focused way. While the "why choose" trope may not appeal to everyone, readers praise the natural chemistry between characters, witty banter, and the story's sex-positive approach to relationships.

A "why choose" romance means the main character doesn't have to pick between multiple love interests—she can have relationships with all of them simultaneously. In Pucking Around, Rachel Price develops a polyamorous relationship with three men: Jake, Caleb, and Ilmari. The book portrays this dynamic as consensual, communicative, and built on mutual respect, with all partners aware of and accepting the arrangement, creating what they call "one family, one unit, unbreakable".

The three male leads in Pucking Around are Jake Compton, a playboy grinder who shares a magical one-night stand with Rachel; Caleb Sanford, the surly equipment manager whose NHL career ended after a devastating injury; and Ilmari Kunnunen, a brooding Finnish goalie from a family of Olympic hockey players. Each man brings different qualities to the relationship—Jake offers passion and charm, Caleb provides grounded intensity, and Ilmari embodies protective loyalty and superstition.

Pucking Around stands out by featuring a polyamorous relationship structure rather than a traditional love triangle, with all partners equally valued. The book combines explicit, sex-positive content with genuine emotional depth and found family themes. Emily Rath's multi-POV narration allows readers intimate access to Rachel, Jake, and Caleb's perspectives, creating deeper understanding of their complex dynamics. The Jacksonville Rays setting as a brand-new NHL team adds freshness to the sports romance genre.

Pucking Around explores found family and belonging as Rachel and her three partners build an unconventional unit that protects and supports each other against external judgment. The book examines identity through Rachel's struggle with her famous rock star father's legacy and establishing her own professional reputation. Loyalty, consent, and communication form the foundation of the polyamorous relationship, while vulnerability and trust allow characters to overcome past traumas and embrace authentic connections.

Emily Rath employs alternating first-person perspectives from Rachel, Jake, and Caleb, offering intimate access to each character's thoughts and emotions. The tone is conversational and witty, blending laugh-out-loud humor with explicit, detailed intimate scenes characteristic of spicy romance. Rath uses recurring symbols like jerseys, rings, and specific locations to represent themes of identity, commitment, and vulnerability. The narrative balances banter-filled dialogue with emotional introspection, creating an engaging, easy-to-read experience.

Yes, Pucking Around is the first book in Emily Rath's Jacksonville Rays Hockey Romance series. A small prequel novella titled "That One Night" details Rachel and Jake's initial encounter, though it's not crucial to understanding the main story. The series continues with "Pucking Wild" (released August 2023) and "Pucking Sweet" (released September 2024), each following different characters within the Jacksonville Rays team while maintaining the interconnected world.

• "I don't melt for you, Jake Compton. I burn" captures Rachel's fierce passion and resistance, spoken during a heated moment in the van.
• Ilmari's possessive declaration "You're mine. My partner will call me by my name. Say it" reveals his emotional vulnerability and need for recognition within their relationship.
• The powerful promise "Place yourself in our care, and we will never stop fighting for you... One family. One unit. Unbreakable" defines the core commitment between Rachel and her three partners.

Pucking Around contains explicit sexual content, making it suitable only for adult readers comfortable with very spicy romance. The book features detailed intimate scenes between multiple partners, strong language, and mature themes including polyamory, kink-positive content, and past trauma. However, the story prioritizes consent, communication, and emotional safety throughout. Readers seeking clean or closed-door romance should look elsewhere, as the "spicy hockey romance" classification indicates substantial explicit content throughout the narrative.