It still doesn’t feel real that this is a real book! My favourite thing about this story was just how nostalgic the reading experience felt. But that nostalgia was balanced with an original story that all hockey romance fiends are going to love!

Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine–a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.

Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he’s still the enemy.

Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word
with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Gigi Graham and Luke Ryder are the main characters of The Graham Effect. Gigi is the daughter of Hannah and Garrett the main characters from The Deal, the first book in the Off-Campus series. Gigi is just a mini-Garrett Graham, and I loved her for it! She’s got his sass and I loved how she held her own in every situation this book threw at her. Her determination is commendable too, as throughout this book her quest for a spot on the Women’s Olympic Ice hockey team is unmatched! Ryder is her love interest, and you won’t be able to help it he’s so easy to fall for. Another hockey player which I loved as both characters could bond over their shared love. Now I must say the cameos are one of the best parts for the loyal Elle Kennedy readers out there! I loved seeing Hannah and Garrett as parents, along with meeting Gigi’s brother Wyatt and a few of the other characters at Briar U.
• Setting: It felt so nostalgic to return to Briar University! I have such a soft spot for hockey romances with college settings, they are probably some of my favourite college romances to read. There is an additional setting near the end of the book that takes the plot on a sharp left turn, I’d say you have to read it for yourself because Elle sure takes the entire Graham family on a journey.
• Pacing: Fans will be delighted that you will have a sizeable Elle Kennedy hockey romance to escape into. For being a slightly larger book, it is paced incredibly well, and the plot never slows so I was hooked into the story at all times. I found the ending a tad rushed, but that did not deter from the fact that I loved the pacing of the buildup just so much.
• Romance: Gigi and Ryder hate each other when our story starts, but their undeniable chemistry has them catapulted into a friends-with-benefits arrangement. From that FWB dynamic to them being unable to keep their feelings to themselves. Fear not this is not a situation where neither of them share their feelings for a while, rather they are so communicative, and I loved that! Now in the past, I would not have added Elle Kennedy to a list of best smutty scene writers, I always enjoyed her spice, but she did not write the kind of scenes you go read again and again. In this one though there are so many iconic scenes from the shower to the library that will live on in this fandom for infamy! Needless to say, if you like your college hockey romance with spicy heat but also heartwarming you will love this.

The Graham Effect receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Shop Local | Amazon | Indigo

Thank you again to Bloom and Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Elle Kennedy’s The Graham Effect ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

Avalon Bay is the perfect summer read! What a bittersweet goodbye to this sweet summer series. But now no matter if you are on a beach or by a lake or in a lush field The Summer Girl and the previous Avalon Bay books are your perfect summer binge-read.

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.

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

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Cassie Soul is said summer girl in The Summer Girl. I really liked Cassie as I found her so relatable. Her parents went through a nasty divorce, she is studious, and a bit of a late bloomer. Sounds a lot like me. Cassie’s grandparents ran the local hotel and are now selling it as they are too old to keep running it. Her love interest is Tate Bartlett, who gave big golden retriever vibes and started his story in not such a great spot. He’s getting broken up with and he has a bit of a player’s reputation. Once you get to know him better though you will grow to like him, all he needs is the right girl to settle down with.
• Setting: It’s bittersweet to leave Avalon Bay. This book had so many moments with many of our fave characters from the instalments. But it did feel much more solitary so you can definitely read it without reading the other books.
• Pacing: I will admit I did struggle a bit to start off this book, I just found I was not as hooked in the beginning. When I did get fully into the story I was super engaged and read the thing quickly. I did find some plot points were not as flushed out like the games near the end didn’t even feel that necessary to the story. Plus as this was the last Avalon Bay book I would have loved an extended epilogue of some kind that featured all the characters. Now I’ll give Elle full credit she surprised me in a very specific to me way. The stepmom, dad, and half-siblings dynamic first of all. Mine is nowhere near as dramatic as this shapes out to be. But I can really relate to your parents not getting along and feeling like you struggle to open up to your family in that situation.
• Romance: This book was pretty damn steamy. My fave scene in particular may have involved our two leads looking out at each other through their bedroom windows. For the emotional aspects, Elle made me shed a tear a bit over this couple (then I had a really good cry over the family dynamics).

The Summer Girl receives four out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

You can follow Elle here.

Thank you again to St. Martin’s and Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Elle Kennedy’s The Summer Girl ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I am a huge fan of Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus and Briar U series, so I was excited to see her diving into another school-based series. This time she takes us to a high school prep school of richer delinquents. If you are the type of person who loves to get attached to a huge cast of characters then the Prep series is for you. The first book was decent, but this second instalment was really damn good!

It’s been a long time since Casey Tresscott has felt like her life was her own. After the car accident that nearly cost her everything, she’s used to her family’s coddling and the relentless whispers at school, no matter how much they sting. After all, she’s found a safe harbor in her budding relationship with Sandover’s golden boy, Fenn Bishop…or so she thinks.

Beneath Fenn’s pretty, party-boy surface is a dangerous truth about the night Casey almost died. He thought lying to her was the right thing to do, but when the secret shakes loose, he just might lose her for good.

Because Casey is done being taken advantage of.

Grasping for the control she’s been missing, Casey finally snaps―telling off her bullies, gallivanting with rebels and playboys, and shirking her headmaster father’s strict curfews, despite the consequences. A desperate Fenn must ally with his stepbrother RJ and the other Sandover delinquents to uncover the full story of Casey’s accident and the ones responsible if he hopes to win her back.

But what happens if Casey is no longer the same girl he first fell for? Is there any hope for their future if she’s gone rogue for good?

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Casey is the good girl in this world of morally grey characters. I highly recommended reading Misfit before diving into Rogue as the first book well establishes who Casey is. She is incredibly kind and sweet, a stark contrast to every other character in this story. Casey has not had it easy and she is just trying to do the best she can. If you read Misfit, then you would be wary of Fenn. His character is super complex, with a decent smattering of daddy issues and issues with his own self-worth. I could not help but love him while he was on a quest for Casey’s forgiveness, he also won mine.
• Setting: The story is set at Sandover Prep. Casey and Sloane’s father is the headmaster and the boys attend the school. I love this world’s dynamic as we get to sneak out under the eyes of the headmaster and the RAs. We got more fights and more parties in this instalment. Interesting to see a high school experience that was very different than my own.
• Pacing: This series is how you do multi-points of views. I will be honest I doubted it at the start of the first book but now I am so attached to everyone. This type of narrative structure allows us to check on Sloan and RJ, to see how their relationship is fairing after their happily ever after. Along with chapters looking into what Lawson and Silas are getting up to, which makes me so excited for future instalments. Once I finished Misfit I wanted to jump into Rogue right away, and I was so happy I could. Once I was into the story I never wanted to leave it, but I could not help myself and I zoomed through it.
• Romance: I loved this relationship! I started cheering them on back in the last instalment. After just how adorable the first few chapters were I wanted Fenn and Casey to figure things out. Talk about some hot and heavy kisses. Fenn was very respectful of Casey’s inexperience. So do not go into this book imagining lots of sex, instead, expect some emotional devastation. This book is emotionally heavy and if you were anything like me you will spend a decent chunk of time crying.

Rogue receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below here.

Thank you again to Elle Kennedy and the team at Sourcebooks for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Elle Kennedy’s Rogue ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I was astounded to be accepted for this review, as I have been a huge fan Elle Kennedy’s for years. I first read her most famous book, The Deal back in 2016. The Deal established Elle Kennedy as a go-to author for the Hockey Romance trope. I am also biased in my love for her, because she is a fellow Canadian, and I love supporting Canadian authors.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis: “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.”

Here are my more detailed thoughts…

• Characters: Breanna and Jake are the protagonists. Breanna is someone I would not want to mess with, she is an incredibly strong character. Jake has his own strength, which complements Breanna’s. Breanna does have these events of her past, that have shaped her into using her strength as a wall to keep others out. When revelations came to light, it only enriched Breanna’s character.
• Setting: I am a sucker for romance novels set in University. This story provides you with a snapshot of college towns in New England, and what it is like to be seeing someone from a college a few towns over.
• Pacing: Elle Kennedy has a great sense of pacing. Her novels run longer than the average contemporary romance, and she uses this to her advantage. The characters are given time to really develop, and to grow.
• Romance: This was such a wonderful love story to read. Breanna began with such a reluctance to fall for Jake, that once she began to fall for him it was so satisfying. Jake, on the other hand, has always prioritized his hockey career, so to read about him allowing himself to fall in love, it was just super sweet.

The Risk receives five out of five stars. 

Pick up your own copy here…

Amazon (*affiliate link*): https://amzn.to/2IfAbeR

Thank you again to Elle Kennedy and Nina Bocci PR for the opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Elle Kennedy’s The Risk ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

First of all, you need to understand that I am not a fan of hockey, not of sports in general. Why then do I enjoy the trope?!

Hockey Romance is the best way to convey a story on the premise that the guy has a reputation and the girl judges him for it. But as they fall in love as she realizes that he is more than just the rumours, that she never really understood who he truly was at the beginning of the story. This premise is such a beautiful way to read about two people falling in love. I have yet to pick up a Hockey Romance that I have not enjoyed.

I have detailed the first books in the best Hockey Romance series below, the text on the cover highlights how the perceptions of the characters change over the course of the story.

Check out the entire Pucked Series here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/155737-pucked

Check out the Him duology here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/166433-him

Check out the entire Brooklyn Bruisers series here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/164506-brooklyn-bruisers

Check out the entire Ivy Years series here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/123211-the-ivy-years

Check out the entire Off-Campus series here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/144827-off-campus

Thank you for supporting my blog, I hope you pick up one of these amazing reads!

The post Are You New to NA… These Are the Hockey Romance Novels You Must Read (and Mini Assignment #4) appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.