From
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting
comes a new story in her Pucked series. The untold story of Skye and Sidney,
and the origin story where Vi and Miller are teens when their parents start
dating and fall in love…
I accidentally grabbed the wrong drink at the coffee shop. On the upside, the
hot guy it belonged to chased me down to kindly swap with me. On the down side,
the reason I grabbed the wrong drink in the first place is because the hot guy
had just caught me checking out his ass…sets.
In my defense, his rear view is rather magnificent.
In true, humiliating form, I word-vomited a bunch of horrible nonsense.
Including an unnecessary explanation of the trauma I’d evaded thanks to his
chasing me down. Nothing could ruin my lactose-intolerant day faster than my
one true nemesis: dairy.
I did not expect him to ask me out on a date after that.
I also didn’t expect the date to go well since my tendency to truth-vomit is
high, and not everyone finds that quality endearing.
But apparently he does. Because he asks me out again.
And again.
Sidney Butterson (yes, it’s a weird last name) ticks all my boxes.
He's smart, he's funny, he's employed and he's ridiculously hot.
There’s one catch.
We’re both single parents. With teens.
And if our kids don’t like each other?
Well, we’re doomed.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s
an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the
author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Pucked series!
For book two, Pucked Up, click HERE.
For book two, Pucked Over, click HERE.
For book four, Forever Pucked, click HERE.
Book
0.5
Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US) ~ Paperback (US)
Hubert, the barista, calls out, “Skye and Sidney! Your lattes are ready!”
I rush forward and grab mine, muttering a hasty, “Thanks!” Then beeline for the exit. Of course, that’s the moment a hoard of teens barrel through the door, forcing me to hold it open until the entire gaggle has stormed the café.
Once outside, I hustle to the crosswalk. I punch the button and glare as the sign counts down from thirty.
And then I hear my name being called.
I glance toward the café and, much to my horror, the attractive man whose butt I was admiring is rushing toward me, coffee in hand.
“Hey! You’re Skye, right?” he asks.
“Yes. That’s me.” Maybe he didn’t mind my checking out his butt.
“You took the wrong coffee.” He taps the side of the cup with the name SKYE written in Larissa’s lovely cursive.
“Oh.” I turn mine around and see Sidney scrawled on the side. And it’s a pumpkin spice latte. Half sweet, skim milk. “Wow. I would have spent the rest of the afternoon working from a bathroom stall if you hadn’t caught me.” At his questioning expression, I continue with the embarrassing word vomit. “I’m lactose intolerant and this much dairy would mean stomach cramps for days.” I bite my lips together and close my eyes. “Sorry. You didn’t need to know that. I haven’t taken a sip. See. No lipstick prints.” I thrust the cup toward him and reluctantly crack a lid.
He’s smiling. Widely. “I’m very glad I caught you when I did then. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for an afternoon of prolonged discomfort.”
We exchange takeout cups. “It would’ve been my fault for not checking more than the S, but I was trying to escape my embarrassment. Seems like it’s following me around and making things worse.” I step away from this exceptionally hot man who inspires an unprecedented amount of word vomit. “Thank you for stopping me. You, uh...you didn’t drink out of mine, did you?”
“I didn’t.” His eyes are blue. So vibrant and pretty and his teeth are straight. I glance at his hand. His ring finger is bare. Then I realize he’s giving my hand the same inspection. “Do you work around here?”
“Just across the street.” I thumb over my shoulder. “You?”
“No, but I’m in the area often.” He tucks a hand in his pocket. “Maybe you’d like to grab a coffee later this week?”
I blink at him. Then open my mouth and ask a stupid question. “Are you asking me out?”
“Unless you’re already seeing someone. I didn’t see a ring, so I was hopeful.” His bottom lip slides through his teeth and for a moment, he looks boyishly handsome.
“But… you don’t know anything about me.” I don’t know why I haven’t said yes yet. He’s attractive and thoughtful enough to stop me from drinking the wrong coffee. His kindness saved me from ending up curled in the fetal position on a bathroom floor.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve seen you here before. I’ve been working up the nerve to introduce myself. Looks like the universe gave me a push in the right direction.” He holds up a hand and gives his head a little shake. “I’m probably making this awkward. I’ll be here Wednesday at eleven-thirty. Hopefully, I’ll see you then.” And with that, he turns and disappears into the crowd.
Ruthie
– ☆☆☆☆☆
I love the 1001 Dark Nights books because they give newbies a glimpse of the goodness of a series, and for series fans, it is a bonus episode which brings back all the feels. This particular story was just the icing on the cake – and I just know that I am going to be going back to my Kindle and going back to book one as I had forgotten just how funny Vi was!
I have one piece of advice when you read this book – try and be somewhere where you will not be embarrassed when you laugh out loud! I was sat in a coffee shop reading with friends, and of course my friends wanted to know what I was laughing at... and I really couldn't explain... but let's just say, I will never look at calamari the same way again!
Skye and her word vomits are just so, so funny, and in a professional woman whose daughter is in high school, is clearly something she is not likely to grow out of – lucky Sidney!!
I plan on saying no more, as really you need to read it to get the impact of it all, but I promise it is absolutely lovely from the very first page. Skye is a total hero as a mother, and as passionate a woman that any man could wish for. Sidney is a dreamboat of a man too – and I loved his reactions to her honesty, perfect!
Just thinking about this book makes me smile – I am sure you will be laughing too!
New
York Times and USA Today bestselling author HELENA HUNTING lives
outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think
the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance –
contemporary, romantic comedy, sports, and angsty new adult. Some of her books
include Meet Cute, Pucked, and Shacking Up. Helena loves
to bake cupcakes and has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times
while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, she prefers to
be in warm weather with her friends.
Connect with Helena
Hunting!
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Facebook Group: Helena Hunting's Beaver Den
For more information about the 1,001 Dark Nights releases,
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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Where It Begins (Pucked #0.5) by Helena Hunting to read and
review.
