The Deal (Off-Campus Book 1)

Did not know what to expect going into this novel with the socially awkward girl with a tragic past and the star ice hockey player who needs an expert tutor. I expected a cliche novel with little emotional pull, and was happily disproven. Both characters are perfectly out of their element as they navigate the feelings they don’t want to have. I loved Elle’s writing, the character banter, and the way the story felt so real and natural. This is a must read and made me purchase book 2 immediately. Read through in one sitting.

From Lala’s Book ReviewsTW/CW: rape, being drugged at a party, and domestic abuseThis is the first book by Elle that I’ve read where it’s just her writing it. I had read The Royal Series about 6 years ago that she had cowritten with Jen Frederick, and I had also read to other books that they had published as Erin Watt.I’ll be honest, I’ve wanted to read some of Elle’s books since I found out that Erin Watt was a pseudonym for two authors, and recently on Booktok, Elle’s Off-Campus/Briar U series started to show up on my FYP all the time ranking the guys and showing mood boards, so I gave in (not that it took much) and bought an ecopy then I finished it today and ended up buying a physical copy because I love Garrett and Hannah’s story so much.Hannah is the girl on campus that kind of keeps to herself with her group of friends. She knows where she stands in the social world and is fine where she is at. It has been a year since her last relationship and finally has a crush on a new football transfer student.Justin has captivated Hannah’s attention with his smile and love for Hemingway. He seems intelligent and caring , but Hannah can’t get out more than a few words while being near him.After their midterm exam paper in ethics most of the class made a C or worse except for Hannah who made an A, and it’s because of that grade that has caught the attention of Garrett who needs tutoring to do better on the makeup exam that the teacher is giving to try to help the majority of the class.While many fruitless attempts in trying to get Hannah to be Garett’s tutor by trying to pay her, help her with her social status, and countless other bribes to help him get the grade he needs to keep his GPA up to standards to play on the hockey team where he’s the team captain.Garrett finally wears down Hannah’ refusal of tutoring by helping her try and get with Justin buy fake dating, but what happens when beneath all of the arguing and bantering between Hannah and Garrett are some real feelings that neither really know how to interpret since Garrett doesn’t want to date and Hannah thinks she doesn’t like him like that.Sometimes it’s easier to talk about things with a person that you don’t have any interest in talking long-term and over the course of spending time together while studying and a few impromptu hangout moments. They get to know the other’s mannerism and habits and end up talking a good bit turning this tutoring thing into dare they say a friendship.When it comes time for them to start the game plan for her to talk to Justin, Garrett isn’t ready to let Hannah go despite his rule on not wanting to date anyone and he knows that Hannah deserves someone that will treat her right and not smush her heart. Then when the time comes Hannah realizes that Garrett has some how managed to get his way into her heart, and she realizes that she has come to trust a guy in a way that she hasn’t been able to in forever.I probably managed to read The Deal in about 8 hours if I’m being honest (and could have stayed up all night to read it cover to cover). I wasn’t sure how this book was going to play out since we had a fake dating type situation or not, Garrett getting around campus with the women, they conflicting schedules with Garrett playing hockey and Hannah getting ready for the Winter Formal thing, and just them in general since there was so much going on between them.Not to make Garrett sound bad, but I though he was going to cheat on Hannah while they were in their in between stage of dating before it was exclusive, but he stayed loyal even when they started to move in that direction. I wanted to jus hug him because he is so thoughtful when it comes to Hannah and her trying to figure out her body when it comes to being in an intimate relationship with a guy after finding out her past leading to her not drinking and being so wary.Then we find out that Garrett has a past of his own that is a constant reminder with him being on the hockey team. When we get to that part of the book where he talks about his mom’s death and how his father treated them, my heart just broke for that 12 year old boy and the man that he became carrying around all of that. Because even though from the outside he has a picture perfect life with his father being a famous hockey player, his life has never been as simple.And, Hannah. All I can say that she is incredibly strong being able to work through her past. Even though she has learned to move forward, her parents are a reminder of the things that her family has been through because of what happened to her at a party and being in such a small town, they town all but outcasted them making life so much harder. Now that Hannah’s away at college, it has helped a good bit, but she can’t help but feel guilty for placing so much strain on her parents.She has kept herself towards the shadows of many aspects in her life, so when Garrett tries to get her help, it isn’t an easy task, and he somehow managed to get Hannah to live again and trust him.There’s also a playlist of songs on my blog!

For months now, I’ve been seeing The Deal recommended by Aestas, stating how much she loved it. I was always intrigued by the teasers she posted along with the buy link and when I saw it yesterday, I said “f*ck it, I’m buying this one”. So I bought and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.When I read the summary of The Deal, I expected something very different. I expected a fake relationship, a drunken night of sex and debauchery, then the guy to fight his way until she gets to girls. Instead, I got something way more complex and interesting and I was not disappointed in the least.Hannah is a music major in Briar College. In her junior year, a new guy, Justin moves to town and starts at the school, and Hannah immediately notices him. Which is weird, since he’s a footballer and Hannah is never into jocks. But she sees more in him than the typical frat guy. The problem is, she’s too shy to just ask him out, even though she has with him, Ethics. This is where out hero, Garrett comes into the picture.Garrett is the captain of the hockey team and a history major. He’s doing really good in all his classes – which is required to play – except Ethics. When he sees that Hannah aced the midterm, he immediately asks her to tutor him or else he’ll fail the make up test and lose his spot on the team. After much persuasion and various offers, Hannah takes the deal and their kind of messy but pretty adorable story begins.The first thing I fell in love in The Deal was the characters. Especially Hannah. She’s a rape survivor but she doesn’t let a past horrible experience affect her life and dictate her everydays. She gets out of it as someone stronger, determind, who knows she’s not a victim and doesn’t let others treat her like one. She has the balls to say no to anyone, while blushing in the next moment at a sexual innuendo. She’s literally the funniest character I’ve ever read. I’m not lying, I was laughing every time she says something sarcastic, witty or funny, which she tends to do a lot around Garrett. She’s a talented singer and a straight A student, all the while she’s working to try to make a living to not have to rely on her parents who are in neck deep in debts.Garrett is and isn’t your typical bad boy. His dad was a big hockey player back in the days, everyone knows him and envies Garrett for having him as a parent. But there’s a big secret about good, old Phil that nobody knows. Garrett lives off campus in a house that he rents with his three best friends. They are the typical frat boys/jocks; they’re the stars of the campus, they play, they party, they drink, they get the girls. Except Garrett rarely drinks and concentrate on school too, beside all his extracurricular activities. So while he is the team captain, he has another side too, a side that he rarely shows to anything. He’s relentless, funny, protective, loveable, sweet, charming and he would do everything for the people he loves.I loved both Garrett and Hannah’s friend. They were there everytime our main characters needed them, tried to protect them from everything and they were good companion to them. I loved how Garrett’s roommates were bickering with Hannah and accepted her from the first moment. I loved how Hannah’s friend were always trying to encourage her to not let her duet partner bully her.The book was told in a dual POV, which I loved. We got to know both Hannah’s and Garrett’s thoughts, situations and background. It balanced equally between the two characters. I loved the banter and bickering between them, they made the book a funny and quick read. It was so good to read about how they clicked from the first moment and how they experienced things with each other that they haven’t before with other people. It was also endearing to watch them fall in love with each other slowly. I loved that slow burn that was going on and how Hannah was trying to deny everything she felt for Garrett. It just made me wanting them together all the more.It was my first book from Elle but definitely not the last. I loved her style and her quotes are really perfect. She actually wrote a book about the only topic (rape) that I find hard to read and made it in a way that I didn’t cringe at every page it was mentioned. I also loved how easy and quick read it was, I literally consumed it in a few hours. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.

I’m always wary when a book has a stack of positive reviews and few negative reviews…but I loved this book! It was a cute, feel-good story with great interaction between the characters. Hannah is at college on a full scholarship after running out of her small town the first chance she got after being roofied and raped at school. This is brought up throughout the book, so if this is a trigger for you, you might want to steer clear but I thought it was done pretty tastefully. It’s mentioned almost immediately in the book so you’re well aware it’s going to be an issue with the female lead. Hannah aces a test in her ethics philosophy class that a majority of the class has completely bombed out on. As she’s making dreamy eyes at another student, Justin, who she has a major crush on, she drops her test in the presence of Garrett, a college hockey superstar who’s a big man on campus and going places. Garrett had received an F, bringing down his GPA and threatening to bench him if he can’t pull his grade up in the make-up test. Seeing Hannah’s ‘A’ on her midterm, he’s determined to pester her into tutoring him, thinking his popularity and charm will sell himself easily and therefore he’ll get what he wants. Hannah is just as determined to refuse to do it, resulting in a funny, sweet battle as Garrett tries to manipulate her into getting his way. Looking for a weakness he can exploit, he stumbles over the fact that Hannah has a major thing for Justin, who he runs in the same circle as. He uses this as bait to entice Hannah to tutor him, promising to help give her the social status that comes along with being on a date with Garrett, assuring her that football stars like Justin only have a history with ‘somebodies’.Hannah was great. Due to the rape, she obviously had a lot of anxiety. While she was pretty confident and comfortable with who she was after receiving therapy, she also found it difficult to go to parties and drink where the unknown could happen. She’s a self-confessed music nerd who is trying to win a college performance scholarship, insisting that she doesn’t have time to help Garrett. As for Garrett – I loved him. He came across as a hot, confident, funny, charming, arrogant and wildly popular jock without coming across as a total douche. The supporting characters were wonderful, adding to the book and the dialogue. Slight spoiler – Garrett does sleep with a couple of other women after meeting Hannah, but not after he starts to like her as more than a friend. I’m only mentioning it because I know some readers hate this and like to be warned of the ‘cheating factor’. I’ll point out again that he didn’t cheat when he started to dig Hannah.The writing was well done. Fluent as well as funny and witty when it needed to be. The inner monologues given by Hannah and Garrett were hilarious at times, with the writing and language choices being informal enough to sound realistic but not cheesy. The back and forth banter between Hannah and Garrett was great to read. There’s a tendency sometimes with friends to lovers books being repetitive, but this book had enough of a unique style to it that I didn’t feel like it was a story I’d read one hundred times before. There was enough hockey talk and references to let us know it was an ice hockey book, but not overwhelmingly so. The other thing I loved was that the writing wasn’t juvenile. Often when I read a college-based book there is a lot of back and forth or angst, making the book and characters seem childish and making me avoid the trope. I didn’t get this at all with this book.It was an entertaining read. There was additional drama thrown in with Hannah’s difficulty seeing her family due to their lack of money resulting from court cases, her issues with the music concert and the massive amounts of baggage Garrett has as a result of having a cold and abusive father who was a hockey legend. It didn’t bombard you at once, but was written in well enough that you went through events with the characters without it feeling over the top. The book is told from Hannah and Garrett’s point of view, which was a nice addition.The romance side of things had enough chemistry with a slow build up to the relationship. The book left me with a smile on my face and not wanting the book to end. I loved it and will definitely read more from this author in the future.

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.