I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of hockey romance lately – not because it’s something I gravitate to; rather it’s because a lot of my favourite authors and narrators are producing a lot of it! – but E.M. Lindsey’s new Punk as Puck series is hockey romance with a difference in that the protagonists are all differently abled, and the hockey – in this book at least – is sled hockey, designed for players with a lower body impairment. Zero Pucks, the first book, is a great series opener and introduces readers to the members of the ride-or-die hockey found family and snarky best friends whose love stories will no doubt follow. This one is an “oops! I got drunk-married” story featuring a tender, heartfelt romance between a most unlikely couple, lots of adult communication, humour I can only call bawdy, and a hurt/comfort vibe.

At nineteen, Tucker Banks had it all. He was on the brink of a career in the NHL and was engaged to his high-school sweetheart – but one stupid mistake changed everything. He got drunk and high, then got behind the wheel of a car and had a horrific accident that cost him both his legs, one eye, and most of the vision in the other. He spent months in hospital in a medically induced coma after getting an infection, then months in rehab learning how to use prosthetics to walk, during which time, his fiancée and twin brother, Killian, both regular visitors, became close and fell in love. Tucker lost everything that year and clawing back his life has been tough going. Now twenty-five, he has good spells and bad spells but… he’s doing okay. He ekes out a living coaching peewee blind hockey and giving private lessons, and he has a fantastic group of friends who are more like brothers than his actual brother, who all play for the community sled or blind hockey teams. Tucker is loud and brash with no verbal filter and is, honestly, kind of an arsehole, but he’s loveable one with a softer side not many people get to see.

Tucker is surprised when Killian invites him to go to his bachelor party in Vegas. Not only is Killian marrying Tucker’s ex-fiancée, the two of them have been estranged for years, and his first inclination is to refuse the invitation. But he misses his twin and decides to try to build some bridges. Yet as soon as he arrives, it’s pretty clear Killian didn’t really expect him to come and doesn’t want him there; when he and his buddies head off to a strip joint, Tucker calls it a night and heads back to the bar at his hotel, gets smashed and wakes up the next morning in a strange room, alone and hungover with no pants – and no legs. Had he picked up a hooker who robbed him and stole his – very expensive – prosthetics to sell on the black market? His wallet is still in his jacket, but his legs are definitely missing. He calls the front desk to arrange a (very undignified) ride back to his room on a luggage cart – where he finds his legs propped up against the door with a post-it attached; “Thought you might need these. Had to make my flight so I couldn’t bring them up. Sorry.”

He returns home to a lot of good-natured ribbing from his best buds, still none the wiser as to the events of that night. He vaguely remembers talking to a few people at the hotel bar, and thinks maybe the guy he was with had black hair… an adorable smile… and maybe a baby face? But that’s it. That night is clearly destined to be one of life’s great mysteries. Until it isn’t. His friend, Ford, who has called in at Tucker’s apartment to borrow something, phones to tell him a guy has just shown up at the door asking to speak to his husband. Tucker obviously did more than get blind drunk and pass out that night in Vegas.

Tucker’s new not-quite husband (they have a license, but would need to file it to make the marriage legal) is self-confessed IT nerd Amadeo de Luca, who was in Vegas on a work trip. Like Tucker, he has few memories of that night – but he does have the marriage license, and decides he should go to see Tucker so they can straighten everything out. He also has another reason for making the trip; Amadeo has finally broken up with the abusive partner who wrecked his self-esteem and made him feel unworthy of love or happiness (he’s already beating himself up for not having done so before), and getting away to a small town in the middle of nowhere where no-one knows him will give him the breathing space he needs – and maybe give him the chance to find himself again.

The romance between Tucker and Amadeo does progress quite quickly, but somehow, it doesn’t feel that way; we’ve been in their heads for a few chapters before they meet, and once they do, their mutual attraction and chemistry are so well written that it’s easy to believe they could fall for each other in such a short space of time. They’re very different people, but they just click; they communicate beautifully and I loved how they take such care to make the other feel safe and accepted. They want to have someone love and appreciate them for who they truly are, and they give each other exactly that.

Despite the heavy themes in the book, it’s upbeat and satisfying and full of hope and joy. E.M. Lindsey writes some of the best disability rep I’ve read, their books often including characters with physical disabilities or mental health issues which they always write about knowledgeably and respectfully. They don’t shy away from the difficulties or ‘unsexy’ aspects of the characters’ lives (Tucker is very pragmatic about his prosthetics but can’t help wondering how Amadeo will react to seeing him without them, for example) and I appreciated that Tucker’s emotional baggage stems more from his family’s crappy treatment of him and the self-destructive behaviour he indulged in in the early stages of his recovery than from the physical changes caused by the accident which, by comparison, seem to have been easier (if that’s the right word) to deal with.

One of the best things about the book is the crazy but incredibly close friendship between Tucker and his friends; there’s absolutely no question they’d do anything for each other, and I loved how they so quickly accept Amadeo as one of their own. These guys face life head-on and I absolutely adored seeing them being so brutally honest, making crude sex jokes and giving each other shit about their disabilities and limitations without a second thought while being clearly and determinedly in charge of their lives. It’s so real and honest – and I was struck by how rare it is to see something like this in fiction.

Zero Pucks is a funny, sweet and sexy romance that balances some difficult themes with light-hearted banter, a terrific found-family and a central couple who are perfect for each other despite their differences. I came away from it with a smile and a happy sigh and am really looking forward to the next in the series.