Pucking Strong

Jacksonville Rays, Book 4

De: Emily Rath

Narrado por: Diontae Black, Tor Thom

My name is Teddy O'Connor, and I just made a terrible mistake. It's been six years since I was an intern for the Jacksonville Rays NHL team. And it's been six long years since I first met him. Henrik Karlsson, star forward of the Rays...and king of my heart.

I'm a doctor now, a respected professional in my field. And Henrik doesn't even know I exist. So, you tell me why I'm risking everything to follow this man halfway around the world!

After receiving news of his sister's tragic death, Henrik must fly to Sweden to retrieve his young niece. She's injured and grieving, but a new hockey season is about to start. Henrik can't possibly care for her alone. In fact, the Swedish government won't let him. I'd be heartless not to help...right?

Well, that's what I told myself last week as I signed our Swedish marriage license. And it's what I'm telling myself now as the Rays PR Director stares us down. They want this marriage to look real. The team's public image, our jobs, and his niece's custody agreement all depend on it.

But my problem isn't that I don't love my new fake husband. God help me, my problem is that I do.

Contains mature themes.

©2025 Emily Rath Books (P)2025 Tantor Media

Mixed feelings about this one

Loved the story. Dr Emily has written another beautiful chapter in the Rays saga. The fake marriage to real lovers trope was so good. Teddy’s pining was delicious. The portrayal of Henrik’s demisexuality was so well done. No problems at all with the story.

My issue is, like several others, is with the narration. Specifically the creative choice to have Tor use a the Swedish accent for all of Henrik’s with the exception of the other characters dialogue. It was distracting and especially when we got to the “spicy” scenes, the cadence & tone took me out of the mood. I adore Tor’s natural voice and he usually hits it out of the park but I think was a miss.

I know it’s rare that an audiobook is re-recorded but I’d love to hear this one re-done with Tor using his natural voice for the narration of Henrik’s chapters and a softer accent for Henrik’s dialogue.

Dionte’s Teddy chapters were much more enjoyable and the accent he used to read Henrik’s dialogue was much easier on the ears.

Overall it’s not as bad as some narration but I think there is room for improvement.

Ms Rath does it again 🥹🫶🏻

I couldn’t wait for this book to come out! I started the series about a year and a half ago and immediately fell in love. When I finished the last book I was so sad I had to wait for this to come out. I had it saved and ready to go when it dropped a few days ago! I could have sat and listened to the whole thing quickly, but I stretched it out so it would last longer 😭 Teddy and Hendrik are so beautiful and I loved listening to their relationship evolve. This was definitely a slow burn, but definitely worth! Hendrik trusting Teddy 😩 I already want to re read it!

A Hard Hitting Slow Burn

Whenever Emily Rath writes hockey romance, it’s a guaranteed win and Pucking Strong proves it yet again. While the first book still holds the top spot in my heart, this one just might be my second favorite in the series.

This installment follows Teddy O’Connor, who returns years after his internship with the Jacksonville Rays as a doctor of physical therapy. What starts as a professional reconnection quickly spirals into a life-changing choice: joining Henrik Karlsson on an emergency trip back to Sweden after Henrik’s sister’s tragic death.

To protect Henrik’s young niece, Karro - grieving, injured, and facing the risk of being kept in Sweden - Teddy agrees to a marriage of convenience. Suddenly, these two men are bound not just by paperwork, but by shared responsibility, fierce loyalty, and the fragile beginnings of a deeper connection.

Normally, slow burn romances aren’t my favorite trope, but here? It worked beautifully. The tension and pacing gave their relationship the space to grow emotionally first, before the sparks ignited. And when they did, it wasn’t a tease, it was earned.

And can we talk about Henrik’s press conference? The way he stands up, claims Teddy as his own, and protects him so publicly… that was hot. Not just hot, but romantic in a way that screams devotion and vulnerability. One of my favorite moments in the whole book.

This story felt like one of the most beautiful love stories in the series so far. Themes of devotion, loyalty, and kindness create the foundation for Henrik to embrace his demisexuality, step out of his shadows, and allow himself to be vulnerable, not just as a partner, but as a father figure, teammate, and man.

As always, Rath balances the sports backdrop with heart, humor, and heat, but it’s the tenderness of Teddy and Henrik’s journey that truly stands out. This is a book about found family, healing, and love that feels as steady as it is passionate.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 — A big win, and another standout in one of my all-time favorite series.

queer/bipoc representation

Firstly, there are spoilers.



im not usually one for slow burns but this series has me by a choke hold. teddy is by far my character and narrator. Dionetae did a great representing the Black and queer community through his overall style, subtly sassiness, and his overall acting skills. The cultural pieces that were intentionally put into the writing was heartwarming and made sense for the plot. Calling out the racism and homophobia in the NHL was so needed.

Henriks struggle with demisexual was well thought out and gave a new perspective of the queer community hasnt given before. while I love Henrik's character,

Tor Thorn is not on my roster of audio narrator I wouldve recommended for the role. while the character's came as across as robotic and monotone in english, it felt like his internal narration should been comfortable and lilting. he may have ben Swedish but his heart was soft and gentle in his own mind. there really wasnt much difference in the two voices and was a struggle to listen to the Henrik chapters.

also this has been done as a dual duet, id might listen again.

The Swedish accent was awful

I liked the book a lot but Henriks voice actor’s accent was unlistenable. I usually just read Henriks chapters because of it.

Love the story and characters, but the narration....

I really liked these characters and this book genuinely made me sad and happy cry. But who the heck approved the narrator for the Swedish character? Holy moly it's so cliche and I would assume borderline offensive to Swedes. It was hard getting through his chapters and especially the love scenes; sounding like everything was an overly mellow question. When the guy narrating Teddy speaks as Henrik, he sounds great, but I can't understand how the guy narrating Henrik made it through auditions.

The lingonberry accent.

Diontae Black did a wonderful job, and the overall story was what I expect from Emily.

That said the Swedish accent Tor used was somewhere between Oaken, the shop owner from Frozen and the Swedish Chef, you know, the muppet. I mean, I don't expect every Swedish hockey player to sound like Hendrik Lundqvist, but even the ones with strong accents like Elias Lindholm and Filip Gustavsson don't have the cartoonish sing song lilt Tor adopted. The first moment that Tor started narrating is an important scene and I had to pause it because I was so thrown off by the accent. I would have liked to hear an accent similar to Adrian Lindholm, or maybe Adam Larsson, something Swedish but not so distracting.

The story is well written though, the slow burn was nice, and I did really enjoy both Teddy and Henrik's inner monologs, especially as a chronically introverted ace person who is also a hopeless romantic I was able to relate to both. However, I didn’t love the initial conversation between Teddy and Henrik about Henrik's sexuality, but I don't know how to explain why it rubbed me the wrong way without spoiling it, just that it was a bit dismissive and ironic.

Also, the choice of the team the rival player who hit on Teddy was on was perfect. If you follow hockey you know why that was the perfect fit for that situation, and if that's your team, oof.

True love!

The story was great. The Henrik narrator not my favorite but worked ok teddy was very good I enjoyed the twists and turns it was awesome to hear about the characters from other Rays books

Absolutely perfect!

Pucking Strong
5⭐️ 4🌶️ 5🎧

I absolutely LOVED this book! L-O-V-E-D IT! I think it is my favorite thing Emily has written and everyone knows how much I love her backlist.

This book was so beautiful. It was so full of love and hope, with a healthy dose of chaos and the perfect amount of angst. Although there was entirely too much edging!! Kidding... mostly. Seriously, there were so many times when my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Oh Teddy. Poor sweet Teddy was such a chaotic mess at times but also so incredibly fierce and very capable of making himself heard. I loved that he didn’t have any trouble going toe to toe with Henrik or his mom when needed.

Losing his sister and welcoming a heart broken by child into his life would have been enough to shake up Henrik’s regimented life but adding a fake marriage was like turning his world upside down. As a fellow Capricorn I understood Henrik’s need to try and fix and manage everything on his own. So I loved how Henrik started to slowly open up and share his life and his mental load with Teddy.

I love the trust that Henrik and Teddy had in each other. The patience, care, and effort put into to understanding what they each needed was beautiful.

I had the privilege of beta reading Pucking Strong so this is now my second time reading it and I loved it just as much the second time around. I’m so looking forward to their HEA chapters and I’m already to fall in love with Hunter, Amy, and Roshni.

I just finished my third reread this time via audiobook and I loved it even more this time around. Diontae Black was absolute perfection as Teddy and Tor did such a fabulous job as Henrik. I’ll definitely be listening to this one again!

Fantastic listen!

I love going into a book blind and being completely taken in. Emily Rath has written a love story that tugs at the strings of the heart. Henrik and Teddy have a past. OK, it was a quick save, but even after meeting him and six years as a PT intern, Teddy still gets those butterflies when it comes to Henrik. Now a respected doctor, he takes on a whole new role. When Henrik gets the news his sister died, he is off to Sweden and Teddy accompanies him for support. No, they don't know each other, but Teddy works for the team and it seems like a good idea. When the government doesn't want to give custody to Henrik though, Teddy decides if they were married, Henrik would be looked upon more favorably. Married now, with a recovering niece Karro, the three return to America. Now they face the scrutiny of the public, figure out roles and living situations and still take care Karro. What do they find out? Rath writes a story of discovery and love, finding your true soulmate and understanding the needs of your partner. It's beautiful from start to finish. Henrik is a quiet man, keeps to himself and slowly he changes and comes out of his shell. Teddy is the total opposite, boisterous and affectionate, he is a person impossible not to love. And then Rath adds in relevance, not only with the LGBTQ community, but with dementia and how it effects a family. This is a fantastic story, and I am so glad I had the chance to listen.

Diontae Black is a new to me narrator and he finds the personality of Teddy immediately. His liveliness comes through with all the caring for people in an instant. He pulls out the Swedish Henrik at times with ease too. Then Tor Thom comes in with the deep baritone as Henrik. But this is not the Thom I normally hear. The Swedish accent comes through and he channels himself directly through as Henrik. Private to a fault, doesn't socialize and is socially awkward, the voice matches the man. But it changes as the story progresses and Henrik begins to melt that heart of his and find his happiness. I loved this collaboration and the chemistry they built to make Teddy and Henrik real. It's fantastic.