Tag: College Setting

Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Posted July 16, 2025 by jennreads55 in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Jenna
Series: Off Campus #1
Main Leads: Garrett Graham, Hannah Wells
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, Fake Dating, Tragic Pasts, Tutor Girl, Heavy Themes
Published On: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: Tradeback
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 360
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

The Deal is the first book in the Off-Campus series that follows Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham in their college era. Hannah is a driven student with a traumatic past that makes her extra careful when it comes to relationships. Garrett on the other hand is the star of the hockey team who despite the jock stereotype is passing all his classes except one, his ethics class who he just happens to have with Hannah. When he realizes he needs to get his grade up to be eligible to play he seeks her out for a tutor. After refusing multiple times they realized they could both benefit from this transaction. She helps tutor him and he helps make her crush Justin notices her by being seen with Garrett. But what starts out as a mutually beneficial agreement soon blooms into so much more than just friends!

I am a big hockey/sports romance girly so when Brenna asked if I had ever read the Off-Campus series I was so excited to have a new set of books to dive into and boy did the first not disappoint one bit! From the writing to the character development to the spicy scenes were amazing. The relationship Elle made between Hannah and Garrett was beautiful and so genuine. From their bickering to bantering to their intense chemistry in the bedroom was chef’s kiss! I loved it!! It was such an easy read and everything flowed so nicely. I was never confused on what was happening in scenes and honestly could not put the book down. It had me hooked from the very first chapter which I loved. The two POVs were so helpful and it was nice to see both of their thought processes and sides of the story!

Overall I was head over heels for this book and Garrett Graham! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of sports romance or wanting to get into it!

On to the next book in the series! Let’s see what Logan gets himself into!

Final Rating

5 out of 5

Off Campus Series

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Review: The Goal by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 21, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Goal by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #4
Also Reviewed in this Series: The Deal, The Mistake, The Score
Main Leads: John Tucker, Sabrina James
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, Surprise Pregnancy
Published On: September 26, 2016
Publisher: Self Published
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 350
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated…

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

John Tucker is the friend that we never saw throughout much of the other books in this series. He’s hardly ever around but we know all about him. We finally get to see him front and center and I was all about it. He’s graduating soon and should be focusing on making plans for after college. He should be making arrangements to move back home to be closer to his Mom but he can’t seem to stay away from Sabrina James. Even after she rejects him soundly, he can’t stay away. Lucky for him, she can’t seem to stay away either.

Sabrina James is smart and so strong willed that she knows exactly what she wants for her future and she’s not afraid to work hard for it. She grew up without money so she had to work really hard for the future she’s determined to have. She doesn’t have time for distractions and John Tucker is the biggest distraction. She isn’t the biggest fan of hockey players, one especially but before she knows what is what, she’s hooked up with Tucker and walking away from him gets a lot harder.

Tucker had me right from the jump. I loved that he knew what he wanted and didn’t waste time waffling over what he was feeling. He didn’t second guess himself or do stupid jock boy things. He was strong, he was charismatic, and he was honest. He said what he meant and meant what he said. I also loved how he handled the whole thing between Dean and Sabrina. He was sure of the choice he was going to make so he was very upfront and mature about it. The way that he told Dean to deal with his choice made me grin like a crazy person. That was so hot.

I was a lot more forgiving of Sabrina this time around. Even though she was never my favorite character in the series, I did like her a lot more this time around. I still wasn’t a fan of the way that she was so hung up on how easy everyone else had it but I understood where she was coming from and thought she was valid in feeling the way that she did. I couldn’t help but think that the system failed her the same way that its failed all of us that are struggling to get by and having to work so much harder than the rich just to get by. Sabrina was resilient in a way that is familiar to me and I respected the hell out of her in this one. This time around, I was glad that she let go of all the bitterness that followed her around but not because it was over, I was glad that she let it all go so that she could appreciate the blessings she had. Her hard work paid off and she was rich in blessings and had a supportive partner and a beautiful family. She won at life and I was glad for her.

I really enjoyed these two once they made the decision to be together. I loved that Kennedy didn’t let a set back change Sabrina’s course and I really loved how Tucker took to being a father. Their romance didn’t disappoint and seeing them both come into their feelings, become a strong team and really step up for each other made me love them together all the more.

Overall, this was a great story telling by Elle Kennedy and another solid story for this series. I always love seeing the other characters and seeing them in this one wasn’t any different. I loved seeing Graham and Logan compete to be the baby’s Godfather. I also really liked seeing the girls welcome Sabrina into the fold. Dean coming out and fixing things with Sabrina made me smile and when the book ended, I was one happy camper.

Off Campus Series

4 out of 5

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Review: The Score by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 20, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Score by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #3
Also Reviewed in this Series: The Deal, The Mistake
Main Leads: Dean Di Laurentis, Allie Hayes
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, He Fell First, Hate to Love, Friends with Benefits
Published On: January 11, 2016
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 384
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A New York Times bestseller! Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from international bestselling author Elle Kennedy.

He knows how to score, on and off the ice…

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over…

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

Re-reading this series has been a lot of fun and reacquainting myself with Dean Di Laurentis has been interesting. His antics in both Garrett and Logan’s books this time around were meh to me but I respect that my boy wanted what he wanted and wasn’t ashamed for wanting it. My love for this guy hasn’t dimmed though because reading this book this time around was just as much fun as it was the other times that I’ve read it. I think this is my most re-read book of the series. Yes, I love it that much. Horn ball Dean and no nonsense Allie were just as great this time around.

Dean is a rich boy that is used to getting whatever he wants whenever he wants so him wanting Hannah’s best friend Allie and Allie rejecting him at every turn made for such a fun read because when they finally hook up and Dean imprints on Allie, I knew that shenanigans were about to go down. Elle Kennedy doesn’t disappoint in the humbling of Dean through Allie Hayes. I wish I could say that Dean was fun through the entire book but he really pissed me off a lot in this re-read. The way that he handles the hard times annoyed the shit out of me. The way that he proved Allie’s Dad right annoyed the ever loving shit out of me and on that note, the whole thing with Beau…I wasn’t a fan of that. I didn’t feel like it was necessary to do that to Dean just so that he would grow up. But it is what it is. Oh and don’t even get me started about Dean not showing up to Allie’s show. Grrr.

This time around, Allie was the superstar for me. I loved her. She was so down to earth and a great person inside and out that it was hard to not root for her. Her inner strength was admirable too. She was a lot of fun to get to know and seeing her come into her feelings for Dean and then be the only person in his life that held him accountable for the stupid shit that he did made me love her all the more. She had a lot going on but she just handled her business and didn’t let her circumstances keep her down or make her do stupid shit. She was caring and she felt what she felt and I just really liked her.

The romance between Dean and Allie wasn’t perfect but I do love them together. The bathtub scene still cracks me up every time I read it and the humor was just as fun as the romance was steamy and after all is said and done, this book is just as compelling at the last two books in this series were and there’s a lot of really great things to recommend it so if you’re in the mood for a steamy romance with great characters that know how to keep the laughs coming, read this one. It’s good, I promise.

Off Campus Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 19, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #2
Also Reviewed in this Series: The Deal
Main Leads: John Logan, Grace Ivers
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: College Setting, Hockey Player, One Night Stand to More,
Published On: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 283
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from international bestselling author and TikTok sensation Elle Kennedy. He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance. Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

When I was re-reading The Deal, I had totally forgot about Logan’s crush on Hannah. That’s pretty much the set up for this story. Hannah was everything that Logan wanted in a girl but she’s off limits now that she’s in love with his best friend. He’s determined to get over his feelings but it’s hard when they’re around all the time so he goes out a lot and he does a lot of stupid boy things like go to parties and hook up with a different girl every night. But on this particular night, he’s at the wrong room for the party he thought he was going to and he forgot his phone at home so he’s stuck asking the girl that answered the door to the wrong room for her phone so that he can call and find out where he’s supposed to be. Things happen and then…mistakes were made.

Grace was a fantastic female lead. I completely saw what Logan saw in her. When we first meet her, she’s young and hopeful. She was also very straightforward but once mistakes were made, Grace went away for the summer and came back stronger than ever. She was not messing around and I loved that she stood on business and didn’t forgive those that wronged her. Logan included. She made him work for her love again and I thought that was pretty awesome for someone as young as she was.

Logan was such a jackass. A lovable jackass but a jackass nonetheless. Seeing him really come into his own and come into his feelings for Grace and then having to work his ass off on winning her back made me love him all the more. My was determined. He was determined to get over Hannah. He was determined to get Grace back and seeing him work diligently on checking things off Grace’s list was just great. He was such an imperfect yet lovable guy and even though he made mistakes, I never once not loved him. He’s one of the good guys and I’m glad that he was able to make things with Grace because I could really see how much they were meant to be so Elle Kennedy did her thing with their romance because this second chance romance worked.

I really loved this book from beginning to end. Elle Kennedy’s writing is compelling as hell and she does a really good job of locking the readers in because Logan and Grace were another fun couple to get to know and their story was entertaining as hell. It’s great to be back in this world and the humor, the romance, and the friendships make for a good time so this is another book that I absolutely recommend.

Off Campus Series

4 out of 5

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Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 15, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #1
Main Leads: Garrett Graham, Hannah Wells
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, Fake Dating, Tragic Pasts, Tutor Girl, Heavy Themes
Published On: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 360
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

I read this book so long ago and wondered if it would hold up if read in 2025 and while there are some things that have aged the book, my enjoyment didn’t change. It took me no time at all to finish a re-read of this book and I’m thrilled that my enjoyment held up because I really do adore these characters.

Garrett plays hockey for Briar U and is one of the popular guys on campus. Hannah is a musician that studies hard and gets good grades. She has a huge crush on Justin but is too shy to talk to him so when she’s the only person in class that aces a test, Garrett offers to exchange talents with her so that they can both get what they want. Garrett wants a better grade in the class and Hannah wants Justin. So they agree to help each other out and of course they fall for each other.

Elle Kennedy does a great job of writing fun stories with steamy romances and characters that really leap off the pages. Garrett and Hannah were both such complex but charming characters that it wasn’t hard at all to root for them. There’s a great balance of all the emotions in this one. There’s humor, there’s sweet moments, and there’s depth. I remember when I first read this one, I wasn’t expecting the depth but I was glad that we got it. My heart softened so much seeing Garrett, the man who is used to getting whatever he wants, struggle with the changes in his life that came with Hannah. I loved that those struggles didn’t last long and I also really loved seeing Garrett go soft for Hannah at every turn. He had such a fun personality that the arrogance wasn’t off-putting.

Hannah was a huge highlight in the story for me. I loved that she didn’t let Garrett get away with anything. I loved that she kept him on his toes and that she was such an introvert. She was the complete opposite of Garrett and I really enjoyed seeing her blossom under his care. The difference in the way that she was with Garrett and then with Justin made me happy because I was rooting for her and Garrett.

Their romance was both fun and emotional for me. I cried a lot (again) when they first started sleeping together because the care that Garrett showed her was so sweet and seeing Hannah come into her own, seeing her become more and more confident made me so damn happy. Seeing the both of them become sure of their feelings for each other is what romance is all about. There was a lot to love about this book and all these years later, I still recommend this to everyone that I know. I still love the heck out of this book, these characters, and I always love being in this world. I loved both of the main leads on their own but I loved them all the more together. They completed each other and reading this story was like being a part of their story so do I recommend? Absolutely.

Off Campus Series

4.5 out of 5

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