For the Love of Hockey, Rom-Coms and Penis Cookies: Pippa Grant’s Copper Valley Thrusters Series

In Pippa Grant’s Copper Valley Thrusters book series, the ice is cold, the romance is hot, and the author’s unique brand of comedy is the icing on the penis cookies. This five book (with more to come) ice hockey romance series marries slapshots with slapstick laughs to give readers a hilarious and sexy experience they will come back to time and time again. The hockey players are delicious, the heroines are badass and even the side characters are amazing, so much so that you will be rooting for everyone to have their own book. Grab your rink-side tickets, your Thrusters jersey and block off your calendar. It’s time to meet the quirky couples of Copper Valley.

Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

Book 1: The Pilot and the Puck Up
Zeus and Joey

The first scene of The Pilot and the Puck Up introduces a hot-pink wigged Zeus which serves as a bright neon sign letting you know you are about to embark on a journey which is like no other romance novel you’ve read before. Zeus is dressed in drag and out of place at a swanky charity event at a country club, all on a dare from a fellow hockey player. The dares don’t stop there and soon we meet Joey, the badass military veteran who is at the event looking for investors in her flight adventure company. Zeus has an ego the size of a Greek god and Joey has an “I take no bullshit from anyone” attitude, with a soft and vulnerable side hidden for both of them, if they are only willing to open up and risk it all. 
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I’ve read plenty of romance novels where I think, “Oh, that would never happen in real life,” because it all seems too good to be true. Not for Zeus and Joey. Pippa puts them through the ringer and doesn’t make it easy for them, but with lots of laughs along the way, the journey is definitely worth it. If you want to read more about Zeus and his twin Ares, they were first introduced in Pippa’s book Mister McHottie and they are the larger than life characters which inspired her to start the hockey series and give them much needed additional page time.

Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

Book 2: Royally Pucked
Manning and Gracie

Readers will remember Manning and Gracie, the Prince and the baker, with a sweet smile from book one. Manning and Gracie also met at the charity event in the prior story but for a Prince with an arranged engagement and a girl with an overprotective, tough-as-nails sister (yup, that would be Joey), it would seem their spark is doomed from the start. 
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A blow up dinosaur suit, some cookies and a pregnancy later, Manning and Gracie find themselves thrown together in an unexpected way. Add Ares, Manning’s teammate and Zeus’ twin, and Manning’s nuisance of a fiance with a support monkey in tow, and you have yourself a story of comedic proportions with a cup of love and a dash of longing for good measure. My most adored scene is the Halloween party because it is my favorite holiday and I love how Pippa incorporated it into Manning and Gracie’s story. I will leave it at that; you will have to read it to find out (wink).

Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

Book 3: Beauty and the Beefcake
Ares and Felicity

By the time you reach Beauty and the Beefcake, you will be begging for Ares’ story. He is the epitome of the strong and silent type, and most people are lucky to get more than grunts, looks or t-shirts with odd sayings out of him. It makes you wonder what is going on inside that head, and heart, of his. Felicity is his complete opposite, a ventriloquist who talks enough for both of them and in multiple voices to boot. 

When Ares is injured in a game, Felicity’s brother Nick begs her to take on his injured teammate as a roommate. Felicity, currently studying physical therapy, can help nurse Ares back to health. In return, Ares can protect Felicity from her stalker ex-boyfriend, a situation which has escalated with Nick’s recent shipment of dick cookies to said ex (yes, you read that right!). It will all go according to plan, as long as they keep their hearts out of the fray.

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Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

Book 4: Charming as Puck
Nick and Kami

Nick and Kami’s story is by far my favorite. Maybe it’s because my husband plays the same hockey position as Nick or maybe it’s because their story starts with a cow in bed and a break up. Many romance stories follow a couple as they get to know each other and fall in love. Charming as Puck kicks off the story with the couple already together, but when Nick forgets Kami’s birthday it’s the straw that broke the camel’s, or cow’s, back. 

Kami is best friends with Nick's sister, Felicity (from Beauty and the Beefcake) and Kami has known and loved Nick a long time. Nick suffers the ole "you don't know what you got until it's gone" dilemma but once he realizes it, whoa, swoon! Nick and Kami's story is playful, fun and sweet, with lots of cute animals too (thanks Vet Kami!). The jersey scene will always have a special place in my heart. Take my word for it and just read it already! 

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Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

Book 5: I Pucking Love You
Tyler and Muffy

Poor Muffy. As the owner of Muff Matchers, she is busy finding love for everyone except herself. But you know what they say, it happens when you least expect it and when you aren't looking. Tyler joined the Copper Valley Thrusters as Ares' fill in when he was injured and has appeared as a minor character in the last few books. Muffy is Kami's cousin and has been entertaining us with her quirkiness for a few books now as well. She catches Tyler's attention during Nick and Kami's story by making a nerdy joke towards one of his teammates and appealing to his secret dork side. 
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I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where Tyler and Muffy are at the beginning of the book and watching their relationship grow, so raw and real, especially with the awkwardness and insecurities I think most readers will be able to relate to on some level. Between Tyler’s adoration and protectiveness of Muffy and Muffy's peculiar and clumsy ways which make her that much more adorable and endearing, this couple is a joy to read. Writing this review is making me want to read it all over again.

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Photo Credit: pippagrant.com

If you aren’t a huge sports fan, don’t fret, it’s not a prerequisite for reading the Copper Valley Thrusters series. I would much rather be reading than watching a sporting event any day of the week but I was just as easily sucked into this series as any sports fan would have been. The hockey aspect of the book is more about the camaraderie of the teammates, the pranks they play on each other, and of course, how being a professional athlete makes them next level hot. Plus, who can resist the hockey pun filled titles and a sports team whose mascot is a hot dog named Thrusty (with real life merch!). 

The real star of the show is Pippa Grant’s special brand of comedy. It will make you laugh out loud, causing everyone around you to wonder what you are reading, then proceed to reread the line because you can't believe she went there but are glad she did because it is absolute perfection. In addition to the gut busting laughs, readers will tune in for the jump off the page characters which are genuine, authentic, eccentric and impossible not to love. I am eagerly waiting for book six, which is hinted at during the epilogue of Tyler and Muffy’s story. What the puck are you waiting for? Check out Pippa Grant’s Copper Valley Thrusters series here.

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