Scan barcode
liebesromanelesen's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
abbeysbookera's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bridget101's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
the_cover_contessa's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Thank you to Harlequin and Edelweiss for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I'm all about hockey romance. And I love how Elle Kennedy writes them. This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them morph and change and fall for each other. Throw in forbidden love and it makes it even more fun.
Hayden is a fun character who craves stability after growing up being dragged around by her hockey coach of a father. She never liked hockey, either. She throws herself into the one night stand without abandon and comes out on the other side more attached than she wanted to be. There's an immediate attraction to Brody, something she cannot deny, though she tries throughout the book.
Brody is known to be a guy who doesn't settle. He's had his share of bad boy ways. But when he meets Hayden, there's something about her that he wants all of. I love that he's not broody. I love that he tells her exactly how he feels and what he wants, even if she pushes him away.
Of course it's not all sex and spicy times for this book. The plot is interesting with the fixing of the games, people being bribed, and finding out who done it. I think the biggest plot line is that of betrayal for both Hayden and Brody and how this effects their relationship and potential commitment to each other. I did find things may have just been thrown in to try and pull more tension from the reader; like Hayden's father's alcoholism, which seems kind of unnecessary and wasn't treated how I would have liked it (coming from a family of addiction). I think more research was needed for this part of the plot line.
My only issue with the book was Hayden and her "ex". She doesn't exactly cheat, but it kind of feels like it with how she keeps things from him. I'm not ok with that sort of dishonesty. It seemed to me Hayden knew she didn't want to be with the ex, yet it felt like maybe she was dragging him along a bit, making him wait for her even though they were on a break.
The book definitely lived up to its label of spicy rom-com. I found myself laughing at many times and the spice had me squirming and wanting more. The chemistry between the main characters was enjoyable. And I found both characters relatable. Or at least as relatable as I can when it comes to famous hockey players.
Overall, this was a nice read. I'd read more hockey romance from this author because I do love Kennedy. I can tell this is one of her earlier works, having read more recent things and seen how much more easily her books progress with plot lines that a bit more deep than what was given here.
I'm all about hockey romance. And I love how Elle Kennedy writes them. This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them morph and change and fall for each other. Throw in forbidden love and it makes it even more fun.
Hayden is a fun character who craves stability after growing up being dragged around by her hockey coach of a father. She never liked hockey, either. She throws herself into the one night stand without abandon and comes out on the other side more attached than she wanted to be. There's an immediate attraction to Brody, something she cannot deny, though she tries throughout the book.
Brody is known to be a guy who doesn't settle. He's had his share of bad boy ways. But when he meets Hayden, there's something about her that he wants all of. I love that he's not broody. I love that he tells her exactly how he feels and what he wants, even if she pushes him away.
Of course it's not all sex and spicy times for this book. The plot is interesting with the fixing of the games, people being bribed, and finding out who done it. I think the biggest plot line is that of betrayal for both Hayden and Brody and how this effects their relationship and potential commitment to each other. I did find things may have just been thrown in to try and pull more tension from the reader; like Hayden's father's alcoholism, which seems kind of unnecessary and wasn't treated how I would have liked it (coming from a family of addiction). I think more research was needed for this part of the plot line.
My only issue with the book was Hayden and her "ex". She doesn't exactly cheat, but it kind of feels like it with how she keeps things from him. I'm not ok with that sort of dishonesty. It seemed to me Hayden knew she didn't want to be with the ex, yet it felt like maybe she was dragging him along a bit, making him wait for her even though they were on a break.
The book definitely lived up to its label of spicy rom-com. I found myself laughing at many times and the spice had me squirming and wanting more. The chemistry between the main characters was enjoyable. And I found both characters relatable. Or at least as relatable as I can when it comes to famous hockey players.
Overall, this was a nice read. I'd read more hockey romance from this author because I do love Kennedy. I can tell this is one of her earlier works, having read more recent things and seen how much more easily her books progress with plot lines that a bit more deep than what was given here.
dinoqueenreads's review against another edition
4.25
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 3rd person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: death of a parent (recounted), divorce, bribery, manipulation, cheating, illegal gambling, addiction (alcohol), getting involved while “on a break” but not officially broken up, mild slut shaming
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this one-night-stand turned fling turned love-of-my-life story was quick, entertaining, and now with added story and spice than the original publication!
Hayden and Brody were so great together and had good communication from day one (other than let’s not talk about our professions which… duh it’s a one-night-stand) and I loved how fast and hard Brody fell for the one woman who isn’t falling at his feet.
The banter was fun, the side characters were interesting, and the spice was spicy. It was so fun to read an update to an old Elle Kennedy story and see how far she’s come with her stories and female friendships within those stories!
read this book if you love
😬 angst
🤫 hidden secrets
🫡 big MMC
😳 forbidden lovers (player/coach’s daughter)
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
💘 instalust
😏 kinky (exhibitionism, light bondage)
🛏️ one night stand
😂 romcom
🏒 sports romance (hockey)
🧑🏫 teacher
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 3rd person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: death of a parent (recounted), divorce, bribery, manipulation, cheating, illegal gambling, addiction (alcohol), getting involved while “on a break” but not officially broken up, mild slut shaming
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this one-night-stand turned fling turned love-of-my-life story was quick, entertaining, and now with added story and spice than the original publication!
Hayden and Brody were so great together and had good communication from day one (other than let’s not talk about our professions which… duh it’s a one-night-stand) and I loved how fast and hard Brody fell for the one woman who isn’t falling at his feet.
The banter was fun, the side characters were interesting, and the spice was spicy. It was so fun to read an update to an old Elle Kennedy story and see how far she’s come with her stories and female friendships within those stories!
read this book if you love
😬 angst
🤫 hidden secrets
🫡 big MMC
😳 forbidden lovers (player/coach’s daughter)
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
💘 instalust
😏 kinky (exhibitionism, light bondage)
🛏️ one night stand
😂 romcom
🏒 sports romance (hockey)
🧑🏫 teacher
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
3.0
Elle Kennedy est une auteur que j'ai beaucoup apprécié dans sa série Off Campus ainsi que dans la série Him, qu'elle co-écrit avec Sarina Bowen. L'univers du hockey semble décidément lui plaire et je n'ai donc pas réfléchi à deux fois avant de ma lancer dans ce livre que je ne connaissais pas.
Body check est une romance très sexy, une aventure d'un soir qui se transforme en une vraie relation, le tout sur fond de hockey, l'univers sportif étant assez présent, en tout cas plus en toile de fond qu'en terme de scènes à proprement parler (très peu de descriptions de matchs, et pas de séances d'entraînement). Hayden revient à Chicago quelques mois durant pour aider son père pris dans la tourmente du divorce ; cette jeune prof enseignant à Berkeley s'ennuie à mourir côté vie sentimentale et un soir, elle se lance pour défi de séduire un inconnu dans un bar et de passer une nuit débridée avec lui. Et l'heureux élu sera ... Brody, hockeyeur pour l'équipe de Warriors, dont le père de Hayden est propriétaire. Il faut savoir que la demoiselle n'aime pas du tout ce sport et n'est pas en très bons termes avec son père, elle n'est donc pas une puck bunny, bien au contraire.
Bref ... Après une folle nuit de passion, Brody en veut plus, il est lassé de toutes ces conquêtes d'un soir, il veut une femme qui le veut lui tout entier, et pas accrocher son numéro de joueur à un quelconque tableau de chasse. Seulement, Hayden ne l'entend pas de cette oreille ; Brody devra donc jouer finement pour la convaincre de poursuivre une vraie relation.
Outre les péripéties de couple, un scandale financier impliquant des matchs truqués occupe une partie de l'intrigue, donnant lieu à quelques rebondissements qui étoffent le récit. La romance est sexy, les scènes érotiques sont nombreuses, variées, et honnêtement je ne m'attendais pas à ça.
En résumé, voilà donc un contempo sexy et sympa, qui ne révolutionne certes pas le monde de la romance, mais qui fait passer un bon moment.
Body check est une romance très sexy, une aventure d'un soir qui se transforme en une vraie relation, le tout sur fond de hockey, l'univers sportif étant assez présent, en tout cas plus en toile de fond qu'en terme de scènes à proprement parler (très peu de descriptions de matchs, et pas de séances d'entraînement). Hayden revient à Chicago quelques mois durant pour aider son père pris dans la tourmente du divorce ; cette jeune prof enseignant à Berkeley s'ennuie à mourir côté vie sentimentale et un soir, elle se lance pour défi de séduire un inconnu dans un bar et de passer une nuit débridée avec lui. Et l'heureux élu sera ... Brody, hockeyeur pour l'équipe de Warriors, dont le père de Hayden est propriétaire. Il faut savoir que la demoiselle n'aime pas du tout ce sport et n'est pas en très bons termes avec son père, elle n'est donc pas une puck bunny, bien au contraire.
Bref ... Après une folle nuit de passion, Brody en veut plus, il est lassé de toutes ces conquêtes d'un soir, il veut une femme qui le veut lui tout entier, et pas accrocher son numéro de joueur à un quelconque tableau de chasse. Seulement, Hayden ne l'entend pas de cette oreille ; Brody devra donc jouer finement pour la convaincre de poursuivre une vraie relation.
Outre les péripéties de couple, un scandale financier impliquant des matchs truqués occupe une partie de l'intrigue, donnant lieu à quelques rebondissements qui étoffent le récit. La romance est sexy, les scènes érotiques sont nombreuses, variées, et honnêtement je ne m'attendais pas à ça.
En résumé, voilà donc un contempo sexy et sympa, qui ne révolutionne certes pas le monde de la romance, mais qui fait passer un bon moment.
jehntooch's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
OKAY. We’ve got the OG Queen of hockey romance (Off-Campus, BriarU, Campus Diaries) giving us an update on her OG standalone hockey rom-com.
… does he measure up to Fitz? (my favorite Briar hockey player).
ONS
Dual POV
He falls harder
FMC Hayden - art history professor out in SF who is pulled back to Chicago when her stepmom files for divorce from her father. A mess of a web begins to unravel and catch not just Hayden and her father, but also the Warriors hockey team he is an owner of.
MMC Brody - forward on the Warriors for 8 years, faced with exploring other contracts quietly when the Warriors begin to stall negotiations.
A ONS intertwines the lives of Brody and Hayden after she hoped to never see him again, and he tries to figure out every way he can see her again. Despite swearing off all things Hockey, Hayden is thrown back into the life she distanced herself from while teaching at Berkeley. Elle Kennedy takes us through a little bit of a who done it/did he really do it. Delivering a more adult drama than we’re used to, as these are working professionals and not the BriarU students we know and love.
Simmering that rubbed me the wrong way is how Hayden thinks negatively of her father’s social life and status, but she has directly benefited from it her entire life.
Don’t get me wrong, Brody is great, but Fitz is still my favorite MMC by Elle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
jessicabeel's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
skyeandrade's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaitbailer's review against another edition
Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. Ive read (and loved) Elle Kennedy before so I thought I knew what I was getting into but I definitely didn’t. This book is ALL spice, no plot. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then this book is great for you!! For me personally, I need a little more of a storyline and more build up. That’s truly just personal preference. Anyone just wanting a short, fun, hockey spice book will love this.