Maybe I wasn't in the right mood to read this book, but I do find that it is either hit or miss with Elle Kennedy for me. And while I did enjoy the story and the characters, it was just a little too predictable. There were no surprises. Hayden's insistence on a fling and her daddy issues kind of drove me nuts. Well, mainly the daddy issues. Yes, he put hockey first when she was younger which totally sucked. But at the age she is in the book, I don't think she should have expected her dad to drop everything to be with her either. And she did a lot to distance herself too, staying in a separate location from him and the like. I feel like Kennedy wanted her dad to be painted as a bad guy but couldn't really make him all the way bad, so it didn't work for me.

Brody was fine. More tolerant of Hayden than I think he should have been. And the insta love took me a beat to get over.

All in all, this wasn't a bad romance. More sex scenes than I needed because they kind of pulled away from the romance developing and the story. But that's me and perhaps also the mood I was in. I do think that there are better Elle Kennedy books to be read, and maybe republishing with updates is not the way to go for her previous books. I find the tendency of authors to republish a bit annoying to be frank. I do understand that the industry is hard and sometimes a book that was published under the radar deserves some attention. Just not sure that the romance genre necessarily lends itself to this, nor do I think that all books need to be rebranded to sell again.

I high-key hated this and should've DNF'd it after the first page. I think it got a rerelease with more spicy scenes and a "better" cover? I'm not sure, but I was not a fan of this book at all. Shallow and off-putting.

Body Check is a cute hockey romance with a little bit of conflict from outside sources. With the hockey team and main character’s dad under allegations of illegal rigging of games, Hayden and Brody should definitely not start a romance together. The story would be great alone without the side characters. It’s a quick and hard to put down romance. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC to review.

This was short, spicy and sweet! I will always read a hockey romance Elle Kennedy reads. I thought this was a new release but it must’ve been re-released recently? Nevertheless enjoyed.

📖 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘦𝘵.“

This was a fun quick read. I love reading 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 hockey romance books so I knew going into this I was probably going to love it!

Hayden and Brody both willing agree to have a spicy one night stand. Right off the bat, Brody fits the “he falls first and harder” trope. He was so drawn to her! Unfortunately for the both of them, they have a connection they didn’t see coming. 🤯

The chemistry and romance between them was palpable. They just couldn’t deny their attraction or stay away from each other! This is a hella spicy book and I LOVED IT.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦..." 𝘏𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘢𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵. "𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺."

There is quite a bit of drama surrounding her father and some of his actions. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed but overall everything was resolved.

The one sticking point for me in the plot was Hayden was on a ‘break’ with her boyfriend while she’s having this whirlwind romance with Brody. It’s up to you whether you consider that cheating or not. 😅 (It gave off Ross Geller vibes, but it was resolved with low drama.)

𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 releases on July 2nd! If you love spicy hockey romances with a swoon worthy MMC, you are definitely going to want to read this one! 💖

"𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵."

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💖 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥
⛸️ 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
🫶🏼 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘖𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳
✨ 𝘙𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘮
🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 (3🌶️)

Elle Kennedy's "Body Check" provides a steamy escape into the world of professional hockey, coupling the drama of the sport with the turbulence of romantic entanglements. The protagonist, Hayden Houston, has grown weary of hockey due to her childhood, yet she finds herself drawn into a passionate encounter with Brody Croft, a determined and charismatic hockey star. Kennedy effectively uses her expanded narrative to delve deeper into the characters' psyches, enhancing their story with both heat and heart. While the romance is undoubtedly fiery and the chemistry between Hayden and Brody is palpable, the subplot involving a game-fixing scandal adds a layer of intrigue and tests their burgeoning relationship. Despite some narrative predictability and a classic sports romance setup, Kennedy's skilled storytelling keeps the pages turning. "Body Check" is an enjoyable read for those who like their romances with a good dose of sports and spice. Overall, it's a solid four-star addition to the genre, recommended for fans looking for both excitement and emotional depth.

Body Check by Elle Kennedy is an absolute gem in the romance genre! From the moment I delved into the world of Hayden and Brody, I was hooked. The chemistry between the characters is electrifying, and their journey kept me turning pages late into the night.

Hayden and Brody are characters you can't help but fall in love with. Their banter, their vulnerabilities, and their undeniable attraction make for a captivating read. Kennedy has crafted characters with depth and complexity. I really liked both characters throughout the whole book, which is so rare in romance novels.

While the romance takes center stage, Kennedy doesn't skimp on the plot. The story is well-paced, with just the right balance of steamy scenes and emotional depth. I found myself rooting for Hayden and Brody every step of the way.

My only minor gripe is the plausibility of Hayden being a professor at Berkeley without completing her PhD, especially in a field like Art History. However, this didn't detract much from my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, Body Check is a five-star read that I would recommend to any romance lover. Elle Kennedy has once again delivered a captivating tale that will leave you swooning long after you've finished the last page.

Elle Kennedy Hockey Romance? YES PLEASE. I have read most of Elle Kennedy hockey romances so of course I had to check this one out to. If I’m not mistaken this is a re-release? Anyways Hayden’s dad is a hockey coach so of course she never intended to be in a relationship with one, and it was only ever intended to be a one night stand. But she soon starts to realize that not everyone is like what they may appear to be outside. This book has all the traditional funny banter and the spice that you see other Elle Kennedy romance books, he is so head over heels for her and wants something more meaningful but she wont have it because of how she grew up she doesn’t want all the traveling that comes with hockey. Overall I enjoyed the book I didn’t like the fact that I felt like she was trying to make him choose between hockey and her because to have her he’d have to give up the traveling because she can’t have a family that way, it’s also told in 3rd person which I’m not a fan of which is why I’m giving 4 stars thank you #netgalley

I will never be mad about a fast-paced, light hockey romance! While this doesn't top the Briar U series for me, I did enjoy this light read that off spicy from the START!! I was feet kicking and giggling my heart away at Hayden and Brody's relationship throughout the story (we love a man who knows what he wants!!!).

What lost some stars for me was Doug (a guy she was on a break with) and her dad's personal issues. They felt undeveloped and almost random.


Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin, for the earc in exchange for my honest review.

I know that I can always trust Elle Kennedy to write a spicy, entertaining hockey romance. While this is different from the off-campus series, this is an adult contemporary romance that is a really quick read. The fmc is a professor and the mmc is a member of the hockey team that the fmc's dad owns. There are alot of steamy scenes, nice banter and fun moments in this that make it intresting. If you love spicy books with hot hockey players that will get you out of a reading slump then you should read this. Thank you Avon for this arc for an honest review.

[Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy of this eARC re-release in exchange for an honest review.]

Body Check was Elle Kennedy's first hockey romance book (originally released in 2009) that's being re-released with some updates. I never read the original book so I can't comment on what's changed, so I'll be reviewing this as if it's a new book.

This book is a quick and spicy read but it wasn't as memorable as Kennedy's other books. It's still enjoyable but if you've read her other books, you can tell how much she's grown as a writer.

I appreciate that the secondary characters don't always fall into roles they're expected to and that parents' are people who aren't perfect. There are some heavier topics in this book (alcoholism, white collar crimes, and infidelity) but they occur with secondary characters.

I did figure out who the 'villain' was going to be early on, but up until the end I wasn't sure how things would go with Hayden's dad. Even though this is a romance book, there's a big focus on Hayden's relationship with her father. There unfortunately was a lack of closure between these two.

Perfect if you like:
Hockey romance
He falls first
Secret dating
Love triangle (sort of?)
One night stand
Dating the boss's daughter

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin - Romance, and Elle Kennedy for the opportunity to read and review Body Check with my honest thoughts and opinions.

I was looking forward to reading a quick, hot, and spicy 'sweatpants for the brain' sports romance and this delivered! There was more depth to the characters than I was expecting, which was pleasantly surprising. I also really liked that I actually felt for the 'evil stepmother,' when normally we as readers are expected to be pitted against them. It was nice to see the FMC have the smarts to realize for herself that not everyone in her life was as they seemed and that she needed to follow her heart and not her brain in order to be happy. I really enjoyed this and I'm happy that Harlequin is stepping back onto the Romance scene with these books!

This book had me at “hockey romance” and I was pretty excited to dive right in. Though this book had plenty of spice and chemistry, the body of the story lacked substance for me. The “drama” surrounding Hayden felt melodramatic rather than added to the book and I could have done without all of it.

I enjoyed Brody and Hayden and reading them grow, not only as individuals, but as a couple. I love to read when a female lead is the one who needs convincing and the male lead is already 100% in. Those kinds of stories make for the best tension filled scenes and this author did a good job with developing their relationship

Overall this was a good, but not amazing book for me. There were lots I enjoyed and some storylines I could do without. I think this author has better hockey romance stories, but this was a good read for those looking for a short book with lots of chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Feature for the ARC

Reviewing the re-release set for July 2, 2024!

This was a very spicy and amazing hockey romance. The spice was off the charts in every way and I love the one-night-stand turned love. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles… but it wasn’t much of one anyways since Hayden didn’t really /love/ one of them.

The HEA was almost a little too happy, but that’s why we read these romances right?

A part of me just wishes that it was a bit longer and we had more time with these characters.

Thank you Elle Kennedy and Harlequin for a copy of this eARC re-release in exchange for an honest review.

This book was delightful and exactly what one wants when they pick up a hockey romance. Spicy, sweet, and swoony.

This was cute and entertaining! I definitely didn’t realise this was a reprint of an early Elle Kennedy book until started reading and thought the vibe was a bit different to her most popular books. I loved the exploration of different family dynamics and scorching spicy scenes ❤️‍🔥

Elle Kennedy is the queen of hockey romance! If she writes a hockey romance, I WILL BE READING IT!!! I am so glad some of her first work is getting published, it’s always fun to go back and see where an author has started compared to their style now. I think Elle Kennedy fans will love this one just as much as her other books🤗🫶🏼

As a fan of the Off Campus series, I was really excited for this book. I can safely say that it did not disappoint.

'Body Check' was Elle Kennedy's first hockey romance book that is being rereleased with some updates. I haven't read the original text so I cannot comment on any of these updates, but I can talk about the book itself.

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like being back in the Off Campus world, so it was almost nostalgic in a way. 'BC' has the same vibes as 'The Dare' and the other books in the series so if you enjoyed those you'll enjoy this.

I recommend this book to fans of the Off Campus series and other hockey romances, "forbidden" romances, and one night stands to lovers.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy.

This is a fast paced steamy read- exactly what I was hoping for!

Hayden & Brody bring the heat in this hockey romance. When Hayden is out for drinks with her best friend, they discuss that she needs a change: a one night stand to shake things up. Hayden scans the room and when her eyes land on Brody- it’s a done deal.

From first sight, Brody is completely taken with Hayden. She’s beautiful, curvaceous and confident. As a pro hockey player in the NHL, Brody is used to get whatever (and whoever!) he wants- but his days of one night stands are past and he’s looking for something more.

Throw in a criminal inquisition into Brody’s hockey team, and the plot thickens!

This was a great read- fast paced, loveable characters and great chemistry!

Elle Kennedy does hockey romances so well! It was awesome to get to read the updated, expanded version of her very first hockey romance.

Hayden has always done her best to stay away from hockey, especially after getting a position as an art history teacher and finding herself in California. When she’s back home to see her father, who owns the pro-hockey team, she doesn’t expect that she’ll have much to do with the sport. Just what’s required of her as a dutiful daughter.

When she decided to go for a one-night stand, which is completely out of her norm, she doesn’t expect her world to be rocked (in more than one way) by her chosen bedmate.

What I absolutely loved about this, was how uninhibited Hayden became with Brody. There was something about him that made it okay for her to be herself and to try the things she would have never tried with other partners. When I say it was spicy? It was spicy. I’d give it a level three out of five on the spice.

Brody was so enchanted by Hayden it was kind of sweet at times, but then other times I just was … well let’s say it was good. Better than good.

The issues with the team and Hayden’s father were frustrating. Not in the way you think. I just felt Hayden’s fear and anger about the situation and how that could impact more than just her father.

This was a definite four star read for me and I loved every minute of it. I read it over the course of two nights in bed. Super fast, and easy to read.