Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy ~ A MUST READ!

Posted February 20, 2015 by Yesi in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy ~ A MUST READ!The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Also by this author: The Mistake, Midnight Captive, Him, The Score, , The Goal, The Chase, The Dare (Briar U, #4)
Series: Off Campus #1
Also in this series: The Mistake
Published by Independently Published on February 24, 2015
Genres: New Adult
Format: eARC
ASIN: B00TG1CZFC
Goodreads
five-stars

THE DEAL

Off-Campus Book #1

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.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Buy on iTunes


Review by Yesi

Where do I even begin? This book took me by complete surprise and in the very, very best way. Take my favorite genre, New Adult, add college and sports to it, in this case hockey, continue with a HOT not so bad-boy, and a smart, sassy, girl…AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!! Seriously, new adult college sports romance stories are my absolute favorite! Yet, not all books that fall under that umbrella have me gushing because I have become a very picky reader. I may one-click like crazy, but very few have me wanting to shout from the rooftops like The Deal by Elle Kennedy did.

“Yes, Hannah and I are friends. In fact, she’s the only female friend I’ve ever had. And yes, I want to keep being Hannah’s friend. But…I also want to sleep with her.”

Garrett Graham the big man on campus. He is the star hockey player, he is popular, and has no shortage of girls vying of his attention. He exudes confidence and a bit of arrogance without being douchy. He has one problem though, a teacher from hell who seems to get a kick out of her students failing her class. Enter, the smart and artsy girl who happens to be one of the few who has earned an A on the latest test. Hannah Wells is independent, a music major, and living a good life despite her past. Long story short, Garrett is absolutely sure she can help him pass his make up test but she is absolutely sure she has no interest in helping him. This is where the fun begins… Garrett is persistent, Hannah, aka Wellsy, (cutest pet name ever btw) is resistant and quickly we start to see and feel the fun banter between the two. Garrett is so freaking lovable and Hannah is so sassy that the two combined make for of the best characters ever in this genre.

“For the love of God, I’m not tutoring you.”
“Sure you are.” I shrug. “I just need to figure out what you want in return.”
“I want to not tutor you. That’s what I want.”

I loved everything about this story. It was sweet, sexy, deliriously funny, and hot as hell. Garrett may have had a certain persona as the big man on campus but once he and Hannah really get to know each other we discover that both of them are haunted by the ghosts of the past and some that are still very present. Elle Kennedy has created a story that stands out far above the rest and as a super fan of this genre, I cannot recommend this book enough. It made me fall in love, it made me believe in fate, and it simply made feel smile. Not many books have claimed my heart the way The Deal did so if there is one book to get as soon as it releases, this is it.

“I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived with them. How you went about your day and hung out with your friends and f*cked other people without having this one important person in your life.”

 

 

What others are saying about The Deal

Elle Kennedy engages your senses from the very first sentence! Both deliciously steamy and heart-achingly tender, the Deal is an absolute winner!

​ NYT Best Selling author Katy Evans
Elle has masterfully captured the feelings, the romance and the unbridled sexiness of the New Adult genre with this book! You will swoon for Garrett! Alice Clayton, NYT Best Selling author of WALLBANGER
Excerpt

The second I walk into the room, six-foot-two and two hundred pounds of Garrett

Graham block my path.

“Wellsy,” he says cheerfully. “You’re the last person I expected to see here tonight.”

As usual, his presence causes my guard to snap into place. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

He shrugs. “I didn’t think frat parties were your scene.”

“Well, you don’t know me, remember? Maybe I’m partying it up on Greek Row every

night.”

“Liar. I would’ve seen you here before.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, a pose that causes his biceps to flex. I glimpse the

bottom of a tattoo peeking out from his sleeve, but I can’t tell what it is, only that it’s black and

looks intricate. Flames maybe?

“So, about this tutoring thing… I thought we should take a moment to set up a schedule.”

Aggravation shoots up my spine. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Never.”

“Then you need to start, because I’m not tutoring you.” I’m distracted now. Justin has

reentered the room, his long, lithe body moving through the crowd as he makes his way to the

pool table. He’s halfway there when a pretty brunette intercepts him. To my dismay, he stops to

talk to her.

“Come on, Wellsy, help a guy out,” Garrett begs.

Justin laughs at something the girl says. Same way he was laughing with me a minute

ago. And when she touches his arm and leans in close, he doesn’t back away.

“Look, if you don’t want to commit to the whole semester, at least help me pass this

midterm. I’ll owe you one.”

I’m no longer paying Garrett even a lick of attention. Justin leans in to whisper in the

girl’s ear. She giggles, her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink, and my heart plummets to the pit of

my stomach.

I was so sure we’d been, I don’t know, connecting, but now he’s flirting with someone

else?

“You’re not even listening to me,” Garrett accuses. “Who are you looking at, anyway?”

I tear my eyes off Justin and the brunette, but not fast enough.

Garrett grins when he notices where my gaze was. “Which one?” he demands.

“Which one what?”

He cocks his head at Justin, then shifts it five feet to the right, where I notice Jimmy

talking to one of his frat brothers. “Paulson or Kohl—which one do you want to bone?”

“Bone?” He has my attention again. “Ugh. Who says stuff like that?”

“Fine, should I rephrase? Which one do you want to fuck or screw or drill or make love

to, if that’s your thing.”

I set my jaw. This guy is such an asshole.

When I don’t answer, he answers for me. “Kohl,” he decides. “I saw you dancing with

Paulson earlier and you definitely weren’t making googly eyes at him.”

I don’t confirm or deny it. Instead I take a step away. “Have a good night, Garrett.”

“I hate to break it to you, but it ain’t gonna happen, Wellsy. You’re not his type.”

Anger and embarrassment flood my belly. Wow. Had he really just said that?

“Thanks for the tip,” I say coolly. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

He tries reaching for my arm but I bulldoze past him and leave him in my proverbial dust.

I do a quick search of the room for Allie, halting in my tracks when I spot her making out with

Sean on the couch. I don’t want to interrupt them, so I spin on my heel and head toward the front

door instead.

My fingers are shaky as I text Allie to let her know I’m taking off. Garrett’s blunt

assertion—you’re not his type—echoes in my mind like a depressing mantra.

Truth is, it’s exactly what I needed to hear. So what if Justin spoke to me in the hallway?

Obviously it meant nothing, because in the next breath he turned around and flirted with

someone else. It’s time for me to face reality. It’s not going to happen with me and Justin, no

matter how badly I want it to.

It was stupid of me to come here tonight.

five-stars

About Elle Kennedy

A RITA-award nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently publishes with Signet Eclipse, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Samhain Publishing and Entangled Brazen. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.