Puck Me, Valentine (Seasonal Firsts #3)

Here's Evan Barnes's "Puck Me, Valentine." It's the third novella in the Seasonal Firsts series, which are all novellas surrounded around seasonal celebrations.

["As the star of the hockey team, Devlin Bower has spent years treating me like an annoying shadow. I’m the "sunshine nerd" who would rather save a turtle than go to a party. And he’s the "ice king" with a heart of stone and eyes only for the pro leagues.

I’m used to being overlooked.

I’m not used to being targeted by a sick Valentine’s Day prank that paints me in the most graphic, humiliating light.

And I’m definitely not prepared for Devlin to pin me against my dorm room door in the middle of a thunderstorm, his dark eyes burning as he demands to know why I sent him a note detailing every filthy thing I want to do to him.

The problem? I didn’t send it.

The bigger problem? Now that Devlin has a taste of me, he isn’t letting go.

He claims he’s "taking responsibility" for my safety.

But behind closed doors, his protection feels a lot like possession.

Between the heated confrontations and the rainy nights that changed everything, I’m discovering that this "barbarian" athlete isn’t just guarding my skin—he’s starving for it.

As the shadow on campus closes in and the mystery of the letters deepens, I’m caught in a different kind of trap.

The threat in the shadows is terrifying, but there’s a god in my bed who is far more dangerous. One wants to ruin my reputation, but the other wants to consume me whole."]

Hurt/comfort should also be called fluff/confusion. They're both a whiplashing of sweetness and being utterly lost. Being possessive and overly protective and utterly precious one moment and then being cold and cruel and cryptic the next. Poor Val. Then again, he got a bold love declaration, a grand gesture, and barbarian willing to face literal storms for him (and his turtle).

I like how these books aren't to drawn out. They're short and could be longer, but there's no lingering around the HEA. Though, I do wish there was a bit more on the mysterious letter senders and Sasha finding out about these two. 

Trigger Warnings: violence, threats, stalking, bullying, and more.

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