REVIEW: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

 

OUR REVIEW:

I'm not gonna lie, I could've sworn we reviewed this for the blog a kazillion years ago when we were very active in our blogging? But I have yet to find it in our archives, and I just reread it, so now we'll have it for the future. This novel is the epitome of New Adult Romance. You have two hot college aged characters who not only find each other, but are beginning to figure out some things about themselves. It's sexy and fun and not too heartbreaking, with a fairly easy recovery (Kennedy does not make us wait too long for that make up). The banter and secondary characters are fun and you can breeze through this novel in no time at all. There are some serious issues that are broached throughout the novel, but they aren't necessarily the focus.

I'm absolutely certain that this series is exploding because of the TV series and having read it and watched it, I can see why. While they're not exactly the same, the changes work and I'm eager to see how they modify the rest of the books in the series.

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SYNOPSIS:

She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy... Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice...even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. ...and it's going to be oh so good!

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

REVIEW: Love Song by Elle Kennedy

OUR REVIEW:

Fans of the Off Campus series will love the next gen books, I'm certain. Having read some, but not all of the first gen characters, I found that I didn't have to have read them all, or remember much of them, to follow along and enjoy Love Song. 

I'll be honest and say that Wyatt was frustrating AF at first. I didn't have much sympathy for his plight because he seemed to assume a lot and then use those assumptions as a basis for action or inaction. Blake also gave me fits at times. She didn't do what I wanted her to do, when I wanted her to do it, dang it. I think what got me past all of this was when they capitulated to their feelings ...and when their family came in for the summer. The extra characters added a layer of tension and fun and conflict and the pages were flying. It was also amusing to have the dads all interact and be ridiculous.

Speaking of ridiculous, the group chats. Those were the best. Loved those.

All in all Love Song was an angsty, funny, sexy, and quick read.

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SYNOPSIS:

New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns with her signature heat and humor for a Briar universe standalone romance featuring the next generation Off-Campus characters―where one unforgettable summer changes everything.

After a brutal breakup, college junior Blake Logan escapes to her family’s lake house in Tahoe, determined to shut out the world. Her plan is simple: no men, no drama. Until Wyatt Graham shows up. Four years older and far too good at getting under her skin, Wyatt is the living embodiment of a “bad idea,” and the guy who shattered her pride when she confessed her crush at sixteen.

With his music career stalled, Wyatt has come to Tahoe for inspiration. The last thing he expects is to find it with Blake. He’s spent years keeping his distance, convinced he’s all wrong for her, but she’s no longer the innocent girl he once knew. She’s confident, captivating, and impossible to ignore. And the slow-burning tension between them? It’s catching fire fast.

They both know this can’t last, but one reckless kiss turns into another, and soon they’re tangled in something that feels dangerously like more. Just as they finally give in to the pull, tragedy tears them apart, leaving their hearts in pieces.

But forgetting that one, nearly perfect summer? Not a chance. And when fate brings them together again, Blake and Wyatt must decide if this is a second chance…or the final verse.
 

REVIEW: The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy

 

OUR REVIEW:

In this third Avalon Bay we get to know Tate and Cassie. The only thing I really remembered about Tate from the first two novels was that he was known as a player and seemed to be super friendly. In The Summer Girl, we get to see that while he does seem to be a player, he's not a jerk; he is really friendly and always up front about his not wanting a relationship so that no one gets hurt and it seems to have worked. So you can imagine Cassie's disappointment when she propositions him to be her summer fling--no strings--and he declines because he wants to be 'just friends', especially because he seems to be the perfect fling: he's hot, friendly, fun to be around, and doesn't do relationships. With no other choice but to accept his friends only offer, Cassie and Tate embark on a summer of friendly fun. 

These two are truly perfect together--they're both really good humans and seem to meld together well, which makes sense when you know that both of them are seriously attracted to the other, despite the friends only thing happening. The more time they spend together, the more you enjoy them both: Tate has such a wonderful relationship with his friends and family and everyone seems to adore him and Cassie has a crummy family life but a group of girls and a grandmother who all swoop in and fill in some of the empty spaces her parents have left. Poor Cassie has such a crummy situation and the more Tate learns, the more he wants to be there for her and help her find her voice and her happiness. I adore them both.

As alluded to in the synopsis something terrible and unexpected happens and it really shifts everything for everyone and it's heartbreaking and maddening and so frustrating...and there's really nothing Cassie or Tate can do but live with it and through it (I had a major case of the sads at this point). But Elle Kennedy doesn't do us dirty and gives Cassie and Tate the HEA that I really wanted for them and now I'm super excited for the next book in this series (there are some characters I'm super curious about!).

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SYNOPSIS:

Elle Kennedy's next spicy and emotional romance in the blockbuster Avalon Bay series.

College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday…and maybe find herself a summer fling.

On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy.

Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone…only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time.

And maybe even something more.

As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light.

REVIEW: Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy

 

OUR REVIEW: 

Bad Girl Reputation is the second novel in the Avalon Bay series focusing on the love story of Evan (Cooper's twin) and Genevieve. Admittedly I wasn't too fond of Evan when I met him in Cooper's book. He seemed to be immune to growing up, more than a little naïve, and so very impulsive. While he still has some of those characteristics in Bad Girl Reputation, we get to understand him and watch him make choices that show his willingness to grow and learn and be better. So how does he get there? Genevieve. 

Genevieve left town after a particularly terrible incident and used the year away to make some changes that would keep her out of trouble and give her a better life. She only comes home for the funeral of her mother and to temporarily help out her dad's business. While home she had many opportunities to test out her new self and that first opportunity starts with Evan. These two seem to bring out the worst decision making in each other because as soon as they're together, they forget the rest of the world exists and that anything else matters...at least in the beginning. 

After a series of conversations, both Gen and Evan set out on a path to continue to make better decisions for themselves and to create a future that would give them a healthier relationship with each other and the community. I liked how both of them really fought to develop and keep their better selves, despite the skepticism of the people who seemed to know them best. They didn't let doubts deter them, didn't backslide all that much, and supported each other in trying to be better humans. Even though I even had doubts at how good they could possibly be for each other at first, because of how destructive they seemed, their insistence on staying on their paths of responsibility and showing that they weren't putting on a show was convincing and made me actually question my own bias when it comes to giving people room to change. 

I'm hoping, since there are several secondary characters who seem to be hiding some things, that this book doesn't mark the end of the series but is just getting us started on what's happening in this friend group in Avalon Bay.

BUY IT: Amazon

BLURB:

Bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay in this sexy second chance story about two exes who can't stay away from each other, Bad Girl Reputation.

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion...which she’s trying desperately to forget.

But it’s impossible not to run into Evan in the small coastal town where they once ran wild. And the moment she sees her gorgeous ex again, it’s clear to Gen that Evan is still as unruly, sexy, and irresistible as ever. This time around, however, she’s resolved to walk a new path. No more partying. No more foolish mistakes. Her plan is to temporarily remain in town to help her father run his business, but the second he finds somebody else, she’s out of there.

Evan has other ideas. He knows they can be good together, but he just has to convince Genevieve of that, even if it means turning over a new leaf himself. But can a bad reputation ever truly be shed? Do second chances really work? Genevieve and Evan are about to find out.

REVIEW: The Risk by Elle Kennedy

OUR REVIEW:

It's been a while since we've read an Elle Kennedy novel so when we had a chance to read it, I thought what the heck, let's do this. I'll be honest and admit that it took me a few chapters to remember how these characters were all connected but once I connected the dots, I settled in for a fun read. The characters were young, sassy, smart, and entertaining--all of them, the complete ensemble. The friends were hilarious and caring and the two main characters, Jake and Brenna, were wonderfully sarcastic, snarky, and even sweet. 

I enjoyed the forbidden aspect of this love story--the constant wondering when they were going to get caught, and how had me flipping pages in anticipation for that moment.  The hockey aspect had me definitely wanting to watch more hockey than I've ever watched, and I absolutely loved Brenna's drive and ambition and her internal clapbacks at her perspective douchebag boss. 

This couple was such a nice blend of humor and sexiness and pure romance--throw in their fun friends, secrecy, and the intensity of some hockey finals and you have the makings of a weekend of fun reading.

SYNOPSIS:

A sexy standalone novel from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy.

Everyone says I’m a bad girl. They’re only partly right—I don’t let fear rule me, and I certainly don’t care what people think. But I draw the line at sleeping with the enemy. As the daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, I’d be vilified if I hooked up with a player from a rival team. 

And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, and too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a much-coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me.

I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend. 

For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him.

That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.

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