
Member Reviews

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 characterโs 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. Itโs 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 mustโve been re-released recently? Nevertheless enjoyed.

๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ฒ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ช๐จ, ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ง๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐บ, ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ด๐ช๐ป๐ป๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ด๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ด๐ฐ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ต.โ
This was a fun quick read. I love reading ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ฒ 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 โhe falls first and harderโ trope. He was so drawn to her! Unfortunately for the both of them, they have a connection they didnโt see coming. ๐คฏ
The chemistry and romance between them was palpable. They just couldnโt deny their attraction or stay away from each other! This is a hella spicy book and I LOVED IT.
"๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ..." ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ซ๐ข๐ธ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ต. "๐๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ธ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด. ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ."
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 โbreakโ with her boyfriend while sheโs having this whirlwind romance with Brody. Itโs up to you whether you consider that cheating or not. ๐
(It gave off Ross Geller vibes, but it was resolved with low drama.)
๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค 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! ๐
"๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฆ'๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต."
๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ด:
๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ
โธ๏ธ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ
๐ซถ๐ผ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ธ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณโ๐ด ๐๐ข๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ
โจ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
๐ฅ ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ค๐บ (3๐ถ๏ธ)

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 Iโm not mistaken this is a re-release? Anyways Haydenโs 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 doesnโt want all the traveling that comes with hockey. Overall I enjoyed the book I didnโt like the fact that I felt like she was trying to make him choose between hockey and her because to have her heโd have to give up the traveling because she canโt have a family that way, itโs also told in 3rd person which Iโm not a fan of which is why Iโm 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 โhockey romanceโ 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 โdramaโ 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. Iโm not usually a fan of love trianglesโฆ but it wasnโt much of one anyways since Hayden didnโt really /love/ one of them.
The HEA was almost a little too happy, but thatโs 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 didnโt 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 โค๏ธโ๐ฅ

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, itโs 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 books๐ค๐ซถ๐ผ

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- itโs a done deal.
From first sight, Brody is completely taken with Hayden. Sheโs 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 heโs looking for something more.
Throw in a criminal inquisition into Brodyโs 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 sheโs back home to see her father, who owns the pro-hockey team, she doesnโt expect that sheโll have much to do with the sport. Just whatโs 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 doesnโt 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. Iโd 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 โฆ well letโs say it was good. Better than good.
The issues with the team and Haydenโs father were frustrating. Not in the way you think. I just felt Haydenโs 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.