The Deal

College setting, they come from two different worlds on campus, but past pain and a certain deal lead to something more than a friendship. I love hockey romance and my favorite New Adult trope is a nerd and a jock. This was a variation on that and I already enjoy the author's adult romances so it was an easy choice when I needed just such a book for a pair of reading challenges. The Deal opens with pretty, but quiet music student, Hannah Wells, agreeing to tutor the popular captain of the hockey team, Garrett Graham, in their shared philosophy class so he can stay eligible to play in exchange, he agrees to help her make a Hannah's secret crush, a gorgeous football player, jealous. A surprise friendship forms and then a fake kiss sizzles into something potent and real. But, they both have pasts that can rear ugly heads and future plans that don't involve each other. Will they renegotiate for a new deal? I don't mean this disparagingly, but I've never gravitated toward the New Adult genre. We all have our druthers and this is one of mine. That said, I had no hesitation picking up an Elle Kennedy New Adult. After reading the Him series, I had no doubt this author could write this genre well and make me love the story I was getting. It didn't hurt that she put one of my few favorite college tropes into play and she didn't emo it up though the pair both had deep issues from their past, particularly Hannah who is an abuse survivor. She gave due attention to character background like her music and his hockey, their friend circles, their college lives, and their relationship all equally. It was even paced and evenly developing building from a little hostility to partners in their deal, to friendship, and finally something more. Hannah was raped at a high school party. I don't feel this is a spoiler since it's revealed in the opening chapter. She's getting her life back and has dreams and goals. She is in a place where she's ready to join in some social events and get back to dating with her roomie bud, Allie, as her wing gal. She's already got who she thinks is the perfect guy in her sights even if another guy is distracting her. I thought Hannah's character was fabulous. She's feisty, but also vulnerable. She puts herself out there, but she's still working through stuff. I was impressed that the author went the extra mile in that Hannah had sex with Garrett, but it didn't magically erase her rape and they have to take a step back together and give her time. It's not some dark shadow hovering, but it's there in a realistic way. By the way, Garrett turned out to be one amazing guy. He was finding his way and figuring stuff out, but he was right there for Hannah. He was way more than the persona he wore like armor and it was fun to watch Hannah figure this out and appreciate him. He, too, has demons, but like Hannah, he doesn't let it take over everything. They have their big crisis moment, but even then, the struggle was within bounds and didn't blow up into absurd angst. I was thoroughly entertained by the banter and college antics of their friend groups, engaging with the characters, and rooting hard for the romance. I flew through this book in two sittings. I want all their friends' stories now though I cringe at what Logan's story will be like after his big misstep. In summary, it was better than I was even hoping and I want more Off-Campus series. For those, like me who hesitate to pick up New Adult romance or want to take your first plunge into the genre, I can heartily recommend The Deal. It is still free last I checked if you want to test drive it.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was my first Elle Kennedy book, and I had so much fun with it! The Deal is the perfect mix of sexy, fun, and surprisingly deep, with an amazing slow-burn romance that had me hooked from the start. Music major Hannah has been through a traumatic experience that has made relationships difficult, but she refuses to let it define her. When she sets her sights on star football player Justin, she knows it’ll take something big to catch his attention. Enter Garrett, the cocky yet charming hockey star, who needs tutoring to pass his class. The two strike a deal—she helps him with school, and he helps her get noticed by Justin. But spoiler alert… Garrett and Hannah’s chemistry is undeniable, and soon, their fake friendship starts feeling very real. 💖 What I Loved: -The Banter & Chemistry – Garrett and Hannah’s back-and-forth was so much fun to read! Their connection felt genuine, and their relationship developed organically over time. - Garrett Graham – The perfect mix of cocky and sweet! He was persistent without being pushy and totally won me over. -Hannah’s Strength – I loved how she refused to be defined by her past. She was strong, witty, and felt real. -More Than Just Fluff – I went in expecting a light, fun romance but was pleasantly surprised by the emotional depth. It tackled some heavy topics in a meaningful way. ⌛What Fell Short: -The Handling of Trauma – While I appreciated the story addressing Hannah’s past, at times, it felt like it wasn’t given enough weight. It was important to her character arc, but I wished it had been explored with a bit more depth. If you’re looking for a fun, flirty, and heartfelt college romance with great banter and a swoony hockey player, The Deal is a must-read! The slow-burn romance and organic attraction between Hannah and Garrett made this book so addictive, and I’ll be picking up more from Elle Kennedy.

I have been a huge fan of Elle Kennedy’s writing for years. I loved her Out of Uniform series and Killer Instincts series. Her After Hours series is sizzling hot. She has a way of bringing her characters to life and making them demand your absolute attention. Her books have a combination of witty dialogue, dynamic characters, a well developed plot, and pacing that keeps the reader enthralled. Most of her books have either been erotic romance or romantic suspense. I was wondering how she would pull off a New Adult romance. New Adult romance is a generalized genre that can contain sweet & sexy, dark & intense, angsty & anxious, or exciting & erotic. The Deal has all of these elements and more. It is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining New Adult romances that I have read. I connected with the main characters as well as the secondary characters. They were all larger than life in their own way. The one thing that stood out besides the main characters romance was Elle’s portrayal of college life. She portrayed a very realistic look at life on the college campus and how it relates to their courses as well as social life. Garrett Graham is the bad boy of the college hockey team. He makes panties melt and owns his man whore reputation with relish. He has an overinflated ego that matches his cocky attitude. He is a star player and lives for playing hockey. He is diligent with his grades, practices, and performance. When he fails his philosophy mid term, it could not only ruin his GPA, it will affect his position on the team. He could lose the one thing he lives for. He is going to have to retake his philosophy mid term and ace it in order to remain on the team. He needs help. Who better to help him than one of the few students that managed not only to pass the mid term but ace it. He never really noticed Hannah Wells before until she accidentally dropped her exam and he saw her A. Now he is on a mission to get Hannah to tutor him. He will try to bribe her, entice her, and woo her. When he discovers the golden carrot that will make her give in, he will dangle it in every way he can. His life is counting on that golden carrot. Hannah Wells is a music major. She is a pretty confident and outgoing girl with her friends and peers. She is smart, personable, and resilient. She is dedicated to her craft. The one area she lacks in is her confidence with the opposite sex. She has finally found a guy that she is interested in and she has no clue how to deal with her attraction. Not only is he out of her league, he is also the star quarterback on the football team. Not the type of guy she would normally take an in interest in. She has had some very bad experiences with the opposite sex. Although she has mostly overcome her issues, she is still a bit leery and scared. If she can get past her fears, she may be able to approach him. When the ego maniac sex god, Garrett Grant, approaches her to tutor him in philosophy, she thinks he is out of his ever loving mind. There is no way she is going to tutor the self absorbed jock. That is until he finds out her ultimate weakness and offers her a guaranteed solution. His persistence and golden carrot are enough to make her cave. It’s time to make a deal with the Devil. Hannah and Garrett are in for some big surprises. They are both quite different than they appear on the surface. Hannah may have the upper hand when the tutoring begins but Garrett will quickly take control of the situation. Both will be in for a great learning experience. Both will come out winners in the end. Their Deal will seal both their fates. I loved the banter between Garrett and Hannah. The snarky sarcasm, witty comebacks, and dirty talking are beyond clever and entertaining. The heated bedroom scenes make your temperature burn out of control. The emotional and intimate moments will have you swooning. What I loved best is how they formed a deep respect and friendship with one another. They were able to honestly confide in one another and know that their trust was not misplaced. I loved everything about this book! Read The Deal by Elle Kennedy. I am looking forward to the next book in the Off-Campus series. The Mistake will release in June of 2015. It is a complete mystery of who this book will feature or what their story is about.

One of my fav books, & fav series- so uplifting & hilarious- I had to hv the collectors edition as a trophy for my shelf. If you love sports romance books with an amazing friend group, laugh out loud shenanigans, swoon romance, actual plotting & hella spice- Read it!! BUT my hardcover collectors edition came damaged, they ended up replacing it, but the replacement was damaged too😭. I gave up at that point, who wants to ask for a replacement of their replacement? The weird thing about the damage tho, is that the two books shipped separately, in diff size boxes, and at diff times yet they were both damaged in a lot of the same spots. Making me think it's a logistics issue that's happening before it's shipped to the customers. An absolutely gorgeous collectors edition but it's not much of a collectors item when it's damaged sadly. Hoping the issue is resolved before the others in the series release bc I'm too scared to buy them as of right now (their list prices are over thirty bucks rn). I posted as many pictures of the books as it would let me- if you don't care about possible damage, it's now on sale for more than 50% off (around 12bucks at the time of this review, tho I paid way more than that for mine😭) I refuse to give the author a bad review for something that's not their fault. This series allowed me to escape reality, experience romance in this day and age, and cheese for a while- something I'll always be grateful for. Read what makes you happy.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy is a college romance that fully delivers on its reputation. With engaging characters, steady emotional growth, and a relationship that develops naturally, it’s easy to see why this book remains so popular. The story follows Hannah Wells, a focused and reserved music student, and Garrett Graham, the confident captain of the college hockey team whose academic struggles threaten his future. When their paths cross through an unexpected agreement, a friendship begins that gradually deepens into something more meaningful. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its pacing. The relationship doesn’t rush or rely on instant attraction alone. Instead, it builds through shared experiences, honest conversations, and growing trust. This approach makes the connection between the characters feel believable and emotionally grounded. Both Hannah and Garrett face personal challenges that shape their decisions and growth throughout the story. These elements add depth without overwhelming the romance, keeping the focus on character development and mutual support. The dialogue is lively, the humour is well-placed, and the emotional moments are balanced with lighter scenes that keep the story moving. While some plot elements may feel familiar to readers of the genre, the overall execution is strong. The conflicts fit naturally within the story, and the resolution is satisfying without feeling overextended. The Deal is an enjoyable, well-written romance that blends heart, humour, and character-driven storytelling. A solid choice for readers who enjoy college settings, slow-burn relationships, and emotionally engaging narratives.

MY RATING SYSTEM 5 stars--WOW 4 stars--would read again 3 stars--was good, won't read again 2 stars--read it, but didn't enjoy it 1 star--didn't finish, it was so awful Do I need to read books before this one: no Cliffhanger: no SUMMARY It's been 5 years since Hannah's rape. Her heart has only beat for 2 guys since; one dumped her last year and Justin is oblivious. Today Justin nodded and smiled at her. Baby steps. Garrett has to get his grade up in Ethics or he'll get suspended from the hockey team. He's the captain and wants to lead them to another national championship. He sees Hannah got an A on the midterm, asks her to tutor him. She's too busy with the winter showcase coming which could give her a scholarship. He hounds her, then figures out her button. He'll get Justin to notice her by being her fake boyfriend. Garrett certainly doesn't have time for girlfriends. Which makes him the perfect guy to help her with a problem before she goes on a date with Justin. EVALUATION A satisfying treatment of rape and abuse. Both main characters are survivors who have recognized life's not fair, put bad stuff in the past, and look forward with hope. The college setting is well done, the plot moves well, I just haven't connected to these characters though I'm a survivor, too. RECOMMENDATION I preferred Better With You by Gianna Gabriela. FAVORITE QUOTES Every girl at this college would cut her frickin’ arm off to help me out. But this one? Runs away like I just asked her to murder a cat so we could sacrifice it to Satan. Rape. It’s one of the few words in the English language that has a visceral effect when you hear it. Like a bone-jarring slap to the face or the chill of ice water being dumped over your head. It’s ugly and demoralizing, and I try so hard not to let it control my life. I know it wasn’t my fault. I know I didn’t ask for it or do something to invite it. It didn’t steal my ability to trust people or cause me to fear every man that crosses my path. Years of therapy helped me see that the burden of blame lies solely on him. There was something wrong with him. Not me. Never me. And the most important lesson I learned is that I’m not a victim—I’m a survivor. But that’s not to say the assault didn’t change me. “Look, there’s an easy fix for this bitch fest of yours. All you have to do is tell me why you’re mad, I’ll assure you you’re being ridiculous, and then we can study in peace.” “We studied. We watched TV. I went home late. That’s what happened. Got it?” “As you wish.” “Did you really just Princess Bride me?” “Did you really just use Princess Bride as a verb?” She’s gone from Disney Channel Miley Cyrus to Full-on Twerk Mode Miley, and it’s officially time for me to put a stop to [her drinking] before she moves straight to Let’s Make a Sex Tape Miley. Wait—has Miley ever made a sex tape? Who am I kidding? Of course she has. No matter what happened to her in the past, no matter how many scars she still bears from that ordeal, I know without a shred of doubt that Hannah Wells is not broken. She’s too strong to allow anyone—especially a piece of s*** high school rapist—to break her. “I’m going to ask you this one time, and one time only—Hannah Julie Wells, are you dating Garrett Graham?” “No.” She narrows her eyes. “Fine. I’m going to ask you twice. Are you dating—” Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them. How you went about your day and hung out with your friends…without having this one important person in your life. “Sexy ghost, sexy tree, sexy box of Kleenex.” Allie sighs. “Gee, let’s just throw the word sexy in front of any mundane noun and look! A costume! Because here’s the thing, if you want to dress like a ho-bag, why not just go as a ho-bag? You know what? I hate Halloween.” Wariness circles my insides like a turkey vulture. “I’m not going to drag you out of here over my shoulder, or call the cops and tell them there’s domestic abuse going on in this house. It’s not my place, and I won’t interfere. But I need you to know a couple things. One—it’s not your fault. Don’t you ever blame yourself, because it’s all on him. You did nothing to invite his criticism and his verbal attacks, and you didn’t fail to meet his expectations because his expectations are f**king impossible to meet. And two, if you ever need anything, anything at all, I want you to call me, okay? If you need to talk, or if you want to leave him and need someone to help you pack or move or whatever, call me. Or if he…does something and you need help, call me. Can you promise to do that?” POSSIBLE TRIGGERS (SPOILERS) Sex: multiple scenes, masturbating, petting Language: 208 F words, 124 Lord's name in vain, 152 S words Violence: report of drugging and rape, report of domestic abuse, fist fight, youth drinking

She manages to create such realistic characters that readers can’t help fall in love with. The Deal is no. exception to that. This book is actually our first introduction to her amazing world of obscenely attractive and crazy talented hockey players at Briar University. Wasting no time, we get straight to the wonderful and hot captain, Garrett Graham. Garrett is a history major in his third year at Briar. Here is where Ms. Kennedy does something different, in shows, movies, and books we often see teachers and professors cutting slack for athletes especially ones that are currently in season. Yeah no, that’s not the case at Briar. Enter: Hannah Wells. If I am being technical, we start of in her perspective however I’m in love with Garrett, so we ignore that. The two of them are taking some sort of philosophical ethics course and when the story kicks off, they are getting their midterms back. You ever have that teacher that literally has either way two high of standards, can’t teach or both? I don’t know what the case is in this situation, but the majority of the class bombs that midterm, except for Hannah (and a few other students). Garrett is among those who failed however he is majorly screwed because if he doesn’t ace this makeup, he is no longer academically eligible for sports. After literally bumping into Hannah on his way out of the lecture hall, he sees her grade and decides that this girl will be his tutor and he won’t take no for an answer. He is relentless in his pursuit of her tutoring him that he goes so far as showing up at her work to beg. Finally, he finds the one thing he can offer to make her say yes: a fake date to catch another guy’s attention. Yeah, that fun cliché. She agrees to tutor him only through the retake because she is too focused on her winter showcase for the music department to tutor him all semester. Predictably speaking, that whole fake dating thing, yeah that backfires. I wonder sometimes if it ever works in any way other than making one of the two people realize they have feelings for each other. Believe it or not though my favorite part of the book wasn’t the romance aspects of it. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed that don’t get me wrong. It was the way that Hannah and Garrett actually became friends and spent time together as friends outside of studying and trying to get her crush’s attention. They binged Breaking bad, watched stupid documentaries and she hung out with the rest of the team celebrating one of their birthdays. This is something that in my opinion gets missed a lot in romance is that if two people are friends and fake dating, we want to see them actually being friends and not just a couple. Her characters are also so real. Like yes there’s no way this many perfect men exist for her to write 9 books about the hockey players that come through Briar. But that’s not what I mean, I mean her characters have substance to them, they have this wonderful thing that we all as real people have: past traumas. That being said, if you are a person that gets triggered by characters having been abused or sexually assaulted in the past, please consider this your trigger warning. This did all happen prior to the books first page so what we see is the aftermath of the traumas and not the actual events taking place if that makes any difference. If that is you, I would urge you to reconsider reading the story and the rest of this review because I do intend on discussing a little bit of what happens with those situations and how Garrett and Hannah chose to respond to them. Consider this also your spoiler alert as well. When Hannah was 15, she went to a party with friends. At this party she was drugged and raped. Now, roughly 6 years later, we see how this has affected her. She refuses to drink if she is not alone and has some problems with intimacy. The cool thing though is that she uses her friendship with Garrett to help her slowly work through these problems. Once he relatively knows what her hang ups are Garrett never once pressures her or belittles her for them only helping her to slowly move past them in any way he can even if it means he plays the “bodyguard” for a night out with their friends so she can drink and not feel scared. And of course, because this is a romance novel and those two are clearly meant to be he also helps her work through her problems with sex in such a slow and patient way that, in combination with everything else we’ve seen from him, makes all the sense in the world why he is loved not only by her (though she is too dumb to admit it till later) and by all of us as readers. Garrett’s past is not all sunshine and roses either. Son of a former NHL superstar, he had to watch his mother slowly die of cancer and watch as his father’s anger was directed in the form of physical violence at his mother, and later at him. Garrett was routinely abused by his father for years until he learned to hit back, no one saw any warning signs or stepped in ever. All they saw was a retired famous athlete and his equally athletically gifted son. Hannah is the first person he ever felt comfortable opening up to about this and is there for him as a place of support when he is essentially forced to spend thanksgiving with his father and his new girlfriend. She does whatever she can to support him and to remind him that no matter who your parents are, it doesn’t determine who you will be when you are older. This is such an important message that honestly everyone needs to hear as do many of the other men in this series just for different reasons than Garrett. This book is honestly in my opinion perfect, and I don’t think I’ve stopped recommending it to people since the first time I finished it.

I'm going to quickly start with this cover since its what attracted me to grab this book in the first place. Truthfully NA-SPORTS themes aren't really my jam but come on now, this is 🔥🔥🔥 and so was this story! Not sure what I had gotten myself in for because I hate to admit but this was my first Elle Kennedy read... hey, you have to start somewhere though right? Totally up my alley, great writing, plot, characters, plus it tactfully covered some serious topics, giving awareness without being over-the-top in your face. So well done to Kennedy for not going off on some tangent i have had to endure many times (by other authors)👊 Garrett - captain of Briar's Ice Hockey team, player extraordinaire, flunking his grades... Hannah - A-grade student, has a crush on the football star, made a deal with the hockey star... They met by chance or perhaps things happen for a reason? Either way Hannah was the one who could help him pass his ethics test because if he didn't, his failing grade was going to have him cut from the team and that just wasn't an option... now he just had to find a way to get her to agree? Driving Hannah insane with his persistence to tutor him, she was starting to hate him more and more by the minute. Hannah's main focus was rehearsing and winning the upcoming winter singing contest, and the five thousand dollar prize that would pay for next semesters board and meal fees. Then Garrett found something Hannah couldn't refuse? THE DEAL was done and so the start of their story begins... Garrett and Hannah couldn't be more different but throughout their tutoring sessions an unlikely friendship forms without them even realising it. As much as Garett's cocky attitude and playboy ways irk the hell out of her, she finds herself wanting to spend time with him, plus, he is her way in to the "cool kids" crowd and finally getting her crush to notice her. Garrett does PUCK BUNNIES not relationships, yet he finds himself wanting to be with Hannah, even if it is just hanging out and bonding over Breaking Bad. He made a deal with her in exchange to help him pass his test, yet why all of a sudden does he regret it? Hannah left her hometown after she was raped. Although her few years of counselling has helped her get through it and in no way is she a victim, there are still some things she struggles with... e.g. drinking at parties, actually, drinking anything she didn't get herself is an issue and do is orgasming unless done solo. Garrett has his own internal struggles. His father is/was a famous Hockey star and expects nothing less when it comes to his son and family, no matter what means he resorts to? Garrett and Hannah's friendship goes from strength to strength until Garrett offers to help Hannah with her "issue" and hey, it's not for his own selfish reasons either! We watch Hannah grow in her confidence but still remain true to her kind nature. Garrett although he will always be his cocky self, does start to show a more mature and softer side. Although totally opposite they live up to the saying "opposites attract" in true form. The story continues revolving around hockey, singing, personal issues, friends, jealous puck-bunnies (Love that!) crushes and even enemies. We see two of the main issues at hand get some main focus for a minute - and this is where I applaud Kennedy - she was able to highlight such issues but in such a way it was woven into the story naturally but still making a point. Great work! I really, really enjoyed this story. I also liked Hannah and Garrett's characters and together they still had that younger persons fun and innocence, great banter...but still had that good ole hot chemistry, attraction and sex that I demand from my reads! All the supporting characters were just as likable and I see some go on to get their own story. I would really like to know more about what was going on in Logan's head re Hannah and hope this is highlighted in his book? Overall, as a reader who doesn't really do sports themes, I may have just been swayed slightly? I will go on to read the next installment from this series and as a new reader to Elle Kennedy, I can say her writing style and competencies are just what makes a reader a fan! The ONLY negative (and some may call me crazy, I can't believe I'm saying this myself) is the length, a little too long. Highly recommend 😍