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.
My Review:
4.5 – 5 Sexy/Sweet Stars!!
Hello, Elle Kennedy! Thank you for this perfect blend of sexy, sweet and funny! The Deal is a palate cleanser, the kind of book that is a refreshing change of pace from dark, angsty, over-emotional stories. Even if you are not usually a fan of college romances,take a chance on The Deal, you won’t be disappointed. Hannah is a smart, hard-working, self-sufficient music major, talented and unfortunately very closed off to any sort of interpersonal relationships. Garrett is a hockey player (Hello!! New favorite sport!), and a “player” in every other sense of the word. He is required to maintain a certain GPA to play on the team and for this, he needs a top-notch tutor for one of his classes. Enter Hannah. Excerpt that she absolutely refuses to have anything to do with Garrett.
There is so much more to Garrett than meets the eye. I loved how he slowly breaks down Hannah’s resistance and she discovers, to her total surprise, that he is actually an incredibly decent and yes, very irresistible guy. The Deal is a wonderfully layered story, with the characters getting to know one another and slowly developing a bond. There are no contrived situations here or over-the-top plot developments. The story is pure gold and I absolutely loved every single word of it!
There are also fabulous supporting characters here and I can’t wait for their stories. Elle Kennedy has become a new favorite of mine and I look forward to reading more from her. Here are some of my favorite quotes from The Deal:
I have to say, this is the first time a girl’s been worried about getting caught in my bedroom. Normally they strut out like they’ve just bagged Brad Pitt.
Hannah takes a breath. “We studied. We watched TV. I went home late. That’s what happened. Got it?”
I fight back laughter. “As you wish.”
“Did you really just Princess Bride me?”
“Did you really just use Princess Bride as a verb?”
She glowers.
I burst into the locker room and —
Penises!
Sweet Jesus.
Penises everywhere.
Horror slams into me as I register what I’m seeing. Oh God. I’ve stumbled onto a penis convention. Big penises and small penises and fat penises and penis-shaped penises. It doesn’t matter which direction I move my head because everywhere I look I see penises.
(ARC provided with thanks for an honest review.)
