Ben and Ella.. What do I say

Ella is the party girl who likes to drink and sleep around, Ben is the pompous arrogant hockey player.. They really don't like each other or do they? When the walls come day and they get to know each other will there be something more there?

I really like Kelly Jamieson I have read some books from her other hockey series and was very excited to read this one but for some reason I just really didn't like Ella and Ben was really douchey in the beginning of the book

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
This was another great addition to the Bayard Hockey series. It was fun, flirty and witty while at the same time dealing with some pretty serious issues. I enjoy this enemies to lovers trope as Ella & Ben go from enemies to friends and lovers. Their chemistry was pretty undeniable. I feel like Ella redeemed herself in this book and I am happy for that as I do like her character. I like her more because of Ben though. I really feel like they bring the best out in each other and am so happy they got over the judgmental opinions they had of each other and were able so see what they have in common and how much they like each other and how wrong they were about the other before.
As always Kelly Jamieson gives us a wonderfully crafted story and it is a bonus that it is set around hockey and her knowledge of the hockey world seems to be pretty spot on!

A good start to what I hope will be a great series that will run alongside the Chicago Aces.
I found the writing to be a bit stilted at times, it didn't flow well, yet the storyline and the characters are great.
I look forward to seeing how it will develop.

This is more than a love story. The topics the author tackled were so well written; thought and discussion provoking that I actually went back to Skylar and Jacob's book (Shut out) to reread some passages that were also discussed in this book. There is tremendous growth in not just the two main characters but in the supporting characters as well.. The character development also helped to move the story forward and what they each found and took from the other was very also instrumental in their growth ( he gave her structure, she gave him support). And the end, Oh I cried. It was a wonderful story. I have gone back to amazon and added all the other books.....

I thought this was a good romance and enjoy the hate to like to love story, but I found some of the "lessons" a bit heavy handed. Did we need to have the lecture on sexual assault by athletes? Or the lesson that Ella wasn't being a slut, but feeling her power as a woman. It didn't add to the story and I found it distracting.

3.75 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

I love it when an author surprises me with a character!  We didn't really get that great of an impression of Ella in the first book, but I really enjoyed her in this one.  I thought she really redeemed herself and getting a look inside her head made me understand her more.  Plus we just got to see more of what she's about, you know?  I really appreciated her storyline of going off the rails after her friend's suicide, and then having to rein it in and settle down after going on academic probation.  I enjoyed how Ms. Jamieson took a hard look at slut-shaming, and while Ella regretted some choices she made in partying/sleeping around, it wasn't all "down with the promiscuous girls" as you often see in some books.  Ella really struggled with the labels she was given, and I thought we got an honest and refreshing look at the double standards between men and women, and how it's not the actions that she regretted so much as the reasons she was doing it, and how it made her feel.

I also really loved that the author took a good hard look at mental health, and that we got to see Ella's sessions with her therapist.  I will admit that while I LOVED that this was all looked at, occasionally it felt a little heavy-handed.  Which is funny, b/c this issue is really important to me.  Or maybe not heavy-handed so much as not as natural to the story...I don't know, I don't know how to explain it.

Ella was spunky, but also really vulnerable and insecure.  I really did feel for her, even if her penchant for pushing people away made me want to throttle her.  It made her growth more satisfying though.

And then we get Ben!!  We also got to see the slut-shaming from his perspective, and I loved that it really opened his eyes as well.  I honestly thought we were going to get more from his background and past, but that wasn't as prominent as I'd expected.  But I loved how we got an even deeper look at what it might be like for a hockey athlete looking to get drafted.  I loved how vulnerable and scared and overwhelmed he was, and I guess that's sort of where we see the effects of his past.  He felt so alone at times, and my heart broke for him.  But I also really admired his dedication and determination, and I loved how Ella really showed him parts of himself to be proud of.

Their romance was cuter than I expected.  I guess because I never really understood why they were enemies, since it was based on assumptions about the other person.  But Ben was so adorable in his pursuit of Ella.  He kind of made me swoon at times.  Maybe because he was kind of vulnerable, but he still put himself out there.  And I really loved their chemistry...holy heck could you feel it right from that dance scene!

I loved having more fun scenes with their group of friends!  They often made me laugh out loud at their strange conversations and antics.

I will admit that occasionally certain transitions didn't feel smooth to me...but that could be in my head too.  (Like those strange conversations with their friends didn't always flow as naturally for me)

So yeah, I was surprised that I enjoyed this one even more than the previous book!  And again, if you love hockey, or love sports romances that actually showcase the sport, I think Ms. Jamieson is one of the best I've ever read for that!  And now she's made me want to check out her Aces series!!

4 1/2 Stars! I really like that Ella and Ben did not fall instantly in love ... they actually hated each other when they first met. Because their best friends (Jacob & Skylar from Shut Out) are dating, they end up as the 3rd and 4th wheels and somewhere along the way, their feelings start to change. They discover that what they hated about each other really wasn't who that other person was at all. Ella thought Ben was prim and proper, not realizing he comes from the wrong side of the tracks and has fought hard to get to the other side and not become another statistic. Ben thought Ella was a party girl and slut, but finds out that she has a heart of gold and was just trying to cope with a horrendous incident from her past. It was great to watch the budding relationship turn into so much more!

This book checked all the boxes for me ... romance, laughter, tender moments and lots of steam! This is a great read that shouldn't be missed. I would recommend reading Shut Out first because it sounds like it is very intertwined with Cross Check ... I will have to go back and read Shut Out!

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through Net Galley in exchange for a honest review.

I love when an author can turn a character around when they get their own book in the series. Ella came off as the "girl gone wild" in the first book. Even going so far as fighting with Skyler, who she has been best friends with forever.

In Shut Out, the first book, we learn what both Skyler and Ella were dealing with as they try to tackle college life. At the end of that book, it looked like Ella was on the road to disaster.

Ella and Ben start out as an enemies to friends to lovers. While they may have started out as enemies, it wasn't so bad that it was annoying to read about before they got their act together.

Ella has always felt judged by Ben and assumes he's mister perfect. Ben assumes Ella is just out to have fun. They soon learn that the other is not what they seem as they are forced to spend time together.

While this book is still dealing with the heavy subjects from book one, I felt it had a lighter tone to it and ended up really liking this couple. I also really liked that the author shut down the slut shaming. It was handled very well.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Ms Jamieson is one of my go to author's for hockey romance. She understands the sport and does an amazing job balancing love, laughter, and drama. Ella and Ben are friends by association. Their opinions of each other as based on past actions and assumptions. They are attracted to each other but letting go of the past proves to be difficult. Ben and Ella's story is one of letting your guard down to take a chance at love and happiness!!!

I just love this author. This series just keep getting more brilliant by each new book. I totally love this series too as they all pull you in and don't let you out again till the end and then leaves you wanting more and more. What a fantastic author Kelly Jamieson is and needs a gold star for this book and series as its just fantastic, brilliant, fabulous and more. So please bring on the next book as I'm dying to read it and anything else by this author. . I really can't wait for more from Kelly I'm so excited I can't sit still lol totally recommend

Ella’s life has become a soap opera and she has made a mess of her life. Now she needs to get it in order before she is forced to move back home. Ben has watched Ella from a distance and is not impressed. When they are thrown together several times, they realize there is a chemistry between them they can’t deny. This book will tug at your heart strings, make you laugh, and swoon at the sex scenes. I couldn’t put it down which is the biggest compliment I can give to any book! Don’t miss this one!

Ella and Ben are coming at life from two different directions. Ella has gotten off track and is on academic probation due to her lack of focus, partying too much and general lack of discipline her freshman year in high school. Ben is striving to make it into the NHL and is focused on both his game and his studies. They each feel disdain for each other in the beginning. Ella thinks Ben is a snob and he thinks Ella is a party girl. Both of them hide behind their personas for different reasons.

Ella and Skylar are both still struggling with the suicide of their friend the previous year and both have taken different paths in dealing with that grief. Ella knows she needs to be a better friend to Skylar and sets about trying to do that. Ella also makes a vow to focus on her schoolwork, less partying and more focusing on being a better student. She knew she went off the rails and is paying the price with academic probation. The bar she sets for herself is pretty high and does not include a relationship of any sort with a male, let alone Ben.

Ben does not want distractions from his pursuit of being drafted. He thinks a girlfriend would hold him back and is adamant that he wants to just focus on his career and school. Ben realizes that he may have judged Ella harshly but also gets her to see that his life is far from perfect. He had a rough childhood and does not want anyone to know how bad it was. Ben does do a great job of focusing and accomplishing what he needs to both with school and hockey. I liked how he would prioritize and still find time to have fun.

Ella and Ben basically collide one night and the sparks shoot off. Neither one of them handles it all that great in the beginning. They each are full of insecurities that causes some problems. Ella questions her reputation and whether she is good enough for Ben. She also questions what others will say about him when they find out they are together. Ben feels he does not measure up and it is compounded when he meets Ella's parents. They both agree to work it out together. You will have to read the book to see how it all unfolds. It was a quick, easy read and, although it did deal with some sensitive topics (rape, sexual assault, suicide, mental illness) it was done in such a way that it just wove through the book. I am grateful to have received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Ella can't take a chance on messing up this semester at college. She partied hard which resulted in her being put on academic probation. Slip up and she's not only out of school, but will have disappointed her parents.
Ben is an up and coming college hockey star heading for the NHL. He and Ella find themselves thrown into each others company even though they don't like each other very much. Time spent together gives them a new understanding of each other's circumstances and a whole new appreciation for their positive points.
Will they fall in love, be successful in their chosen paths?
Kelly Jamieson writes a mean romance! You won't be able to leave this one behind!

4.5 stars
Loved this hockey romance book!
Ella Verran is getting her life back on track. Her first semester in college was a doozy. She lost a friend to suicide. Drank too much. Slept with too many guys. Now, she is on academic probation and needs to get her life back on track. She doesn't have time for much of anything but getting her grades up and winning back her friendship with Skylar.

Ben Buckingham is on the hockey team and best friends with Skylar's boyfriend. Now, Ben and Ella are spending a lot more time together, even thought they hate each other. But, do they REALLY hate each other or just the idea they have of each other??


I really liked this book. I love hockey and college romance and this was the perfection combination for a winning romance!

An impressive new adult romance that deals with some very current issues in a real, open and honest way. All that and you get a budding romance that weathers some storms and proves itself true.

I'm not even a hockey fan and genuinely enjoyed Cross Check. If you're a romance reader who also likes hockey, I doubt you could do better than diving into one of Ms. Jamison's stories.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is so not my normal read. I'm not a fan of college aged romance...at all. However, I love this series. First, it deals with two really big issues, sexual .consent and mental health. It also hits on another big topic, the double standards that exist between men and women. Having said that, Ms. Jamieson creates delightfully flawed characters that remain likeable and believable. The storyline is well conceived and pulls the reader in. I really hope that she will continue the story of these characters in another book. It will be interesting to see the people they become.

Cross Check A Bayard Hockey Novel

Last year Kelly Jamieson expanded her hockey novel oeuvre to include YA with the publication of “Shut Out,” set in fictional Bayard College. “Cross Check” is the follow up and features two characters introduced in that novel, Ben and Ella.

Cross Check picks up many of the themes present in the earlier work, specifically the stresses of college-level sports, academics, and the partying/hookup culture presently roiling higher education, most specifically institutions’ and students’ struggle to educate, illuminate and fairly adjudicate accusations of sexual assault.

That doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? It is true the themes are heavy, and toward the end veer into mental health issues as well. But Jamieson comes through with a satisfying plot and characters that evolve, from unlikeable in the case of Ella especially, to romance novel-worthy.

Jamieson treads a fine line between supporting exclusively the “girls’ side” of the campus rape controversy and understanding that not every incident may be what it seems at first glance. This also was explored in “Shut Out” with the hero falsely accused of assault.

To do that, however, there is an awful lot of psych talk and counseling for the characters. There is discussion of slut shaming, man-whoring and double standards in general that I am sure strike a chord with college students today. As for Ella and Ben both are running from their pasts and in this respect begin to find common ground. Ella’s transformation is particularly moving.

If I have a quarrel, much of the story is told through second-hand and third-hand discussion among the characters. There is a lot of eavesdropping, accidental overhearing and gossip. But to my mind (and it’s been a long time since I was a YA), it’s not a preachy book and contains a lot of accurate and useful information of benefit to young people and those that care for them. Plus a very satisfying romance. Highly recommend.

ARC received for an honest review.

Great story. I don't follow the game (maybe because I'm from a Caribbean Island) but love this Hokey series. Kelly Jamieson is great with stories and characters. Ella and Ben have difficulties in live that make them stronger.
You also see more of Jacob and Skylar.
And the final is Great. Aces rock!
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and Netgalley for the opportunity.

I LOVE these hockey books. It's nice to see the series continue