I'm an elle Kennedy fan, I found all the books at Briar U enjoyable, I liked her work with Sarina Bowen.

I was provided a copy of the re-release version with a new cover by the publisher. There's a disclaimer before this book where the author explains this book was one of the first she ever wrote and criticises her own writing in it.

Having also read the Avalon Bay series and her latest Girl, Abroad, I can say that the fictional Hockey world is where she belongs.

She may herself see some phrasing and wording in this one that she's grown from over the years (I know she hasn't grown in character development, I read Girl, Abroad afterall) but overall enjoyment as the reader, this book was what I'm looking for.

It's a tight story under 300 pages, the romance is fun, both characters are likable people, there's even sort of a mystery going on I cared about. The story moves quickly and is everything Briar U fans are looking for from the author.

*Characters are slightly older in their mid 20s but don't let that scare away anyone who's use to reading NA

This is my first Elle Kennedy book, but it won't be my last! This is a rewritten and updated version of one of her very first books. I really love sports romances, especially hockey, and I think Elle Kennedy is a master at this. I loved Brody and Hayden together, and the one night stand trope was really well done in this book. There was plenty of smut in this, but mixed with romance and a good plot. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy and Harlequin for the eARC of this book.

Elle Kennedy is one of my comfort authors and I always enjoy her writing style. I love that she’s updating her first hockey romance that started her down the path to the off campus series. However, this story line was not my favorite. I didn’t connect to the characters or the challenges they faced. The “break” with the ex didn’t sit well with me and ultimately contributed to the lack of character likability. I generally love Elle Kennedy’s books, but this one just wasn’t my favorite.

Hayden is a professor of art history, and her father owns a hockey team. Hayden has never liked hockey but wants a close relationship with her father. When there is an impending divorce, he asks her to come to Chicago and be with him. Once she gets there it appears he is not only going through a divorce from his wife of 4 years but is accused of bribing players to throw games. Hayden is frustrated with her boyfriend and her friend suggests she have a one-night stand. She invites him to her hotel suite and is surprised to learn the next day he is a star hockey player. I really enjoyed this book. Hayden spends time thinking about what love looks like for the rest of her life. I liked the dedication Brody had to his team and his own family as his hockey allowed his parents to rest comfortably at home.

I love elle kennedy and anything she writes ! However this is to similar to alot of her other ones. Ie offf campus series.

Thank you Harlequin and netgalley for the eARC!!!

This looks to be Elle Kennedy’s first hockey romance book being repackaged and republished 15 years later. (For point of reference, this book was first released in 2009 and the Off Campus series was first released in 2015.)

I’m an Elle fangirl. I look forward to each and every one of her new releases, hockey romance and otherwise. I’ve read and own over a dozen of her books. Some of them in multiple copies. But this book? This book should have stayed under the radar. The characters had no depth, the dialogue was cringey, and even the smut was uninspired. Hayden’s narrative went back and forth between referring to her dad as “her father” and his first name. This felt like mediocre fanfiction writing. To the author’s credit, her writing has gotten so much better in the past 15 years and I will continue to read everything new she releases.

I really enjoyed Elle Kennedy's Off Campus and Briar U series, so I was excited to see this book available on Net Galley. I recommend Kennedy's books, especially her hockey romances. I hope to see more from her in the future!

2.5 stars.
This was kind of a shock to me because I really enjoyed Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series. I ate up The Deal and when I saw this I expected to feel the same, which I guess is on me.

I feel like there was a lot of tell without show that made the relationship fall flat. Brody and Hayden’s sexual chemistry is obvious but everything else in their relationship happened behind closed doors or through texts. So when it came down to the HEA I was just like but is there really any subsistence to this relationship? I felt myself dragging through this book because I wanted to at least know how the plot ended. Which was very abrupt and not well explained. And that epilogue! A year later? The amount of stuff in that epilogue for it only to be a year had me trying to wrap my mind around how it was even possible but hey for the sake of fiction I will accept it.

I also wouldn’t classify this as a rom-com. There was no comedy in it for me, other than maybe the FMC’s best friend Darcy. Comedy is subjective so it may be funny to others.

This book didn’t entirely ruin Elle Kennedy for me, I just think I’ll stick to her more recent work.

I love a good Elle Kennedy book + hockey romance??? Count me in!

Although this has been rewritten, I have never read and this is my first time so I do not know what changes were made and if it impacted the story overall. What I do know after reading is that it’s:
•One Night Stand 💋
•Coach’s Daughter 🙊
•Sports Romance⛸️🏒
•He Falls First 💙
•Spicy 🌶️

On top of being romance and focusing on the relationship between Hayden and Brody, there’s a lot of drama. Luckily it’s mostly Hayden’s father and his ongoing divorce-which is pretty scandalous given that it relates to the team he formed and is in charge of. But is it as scandalous as one of his players seeing his daughter? Read and find out ;)

I quite liked Brody and Hayden, but there was not much aside from their sizzling chemistry and their slightly forbidden relationship. Hayden’s spent a lot of her life not really focusing on sports despite her dad being a major figurehead in the hockey world. Her main priority was seemingly to find a solid, stable relationship but then when her fling is offering just that she hesitates. Her break with Doug wasn’t bad, but her main reason for needing a break was bc of sex was a little…interesting. Not my favorite plot tool used, but not the worst.

Brody just seems to be very cool and wanting to settle down. Former F Boy turned Good Boy who was more like a golden retriever (never letting Hayden go). I did not enjoy very much the third act breakup. That was a lot and I felt like I should have seen it given the way the characters roles in each others lives were set up but it just annoyed me that they broke up to protect Brody’s image (which is fine but Like that made it even more sus for the scandal)

I enjoyed this book for its steamy spice and the drama brought on with Hayden’s dad.
Thank you Harlequin and netgalley for the eARC!!!

I love hockey romance... but I didn't love this. It was very insta-love ick. I felt no attachment towards the characters, and struggled to finish. Had I not been given this copy in exchange for my opinion, I probably would've DNF'd.

Elle Kennedy’s Body Check is one of the best books I’ve read with the one night stand trope. There’s that satisfying initial jolt of lust at first sight, plus a great trope inversion where readers see the male main character wanting more and the female main character wanting less.

Brody and Hayden light the pages on fire with their chemistry. And, even though I wanted to hit Hayden upside the head a few times, her reactions felt true to her character and didn’t feel manufactured for added conflict. As for Brody… well, let’s just say Kennedy understood the assignment when she created him. Yes, please.

This updated version of the text is more fully sketched and expanded, but maintains all of the steamy satisfaction of a Harlequin Blaze title. (But seriously, let’s bring those back, please and thank you.)

It’s evident that even from her earliest books Kennedy is a great world builder and knows how to set a scene. And hockey romance is definitely where she reigns supreme. I thoroughly enjoyed Body Check and think readers are going to love it even more this time around.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

On a much-needed break from her current love interest, Hayden finds herself drawn to the vibrant nightlife of the city, craving the kind of excitement that only a pulsating bar scene can offer. Little does she know that this night will be anything but ordinary, for it's here that she encounters Brody - a hockey star whose magnetic presence commands attention from across the room.

Brody Croft is no stranger to the adoration of women, but beneath the surface, he longs for something more than fleeting encounters and shallow connections. From the moment he lays eyes on Hayden, he senses a kindred spirit, a woman who ignites a fire within him that he thought long extinguished.

Their chemistry is undeniable, their attraction electric, and before they know it, they're swept up in a whirlwind romance that neither saw coming. But as their relationship deepens, they find themselves thrust into a world of unexpected complications - from one-night stands turned flings, to bribery scandals and criminal investigations.

Through it all, Hayden and Brody must navigate the choppy waters of love and loyalty, grappling with their own insecurities and fears. But amidst the chaos, they discover something beautiful - a love that defies all odds, that transcends the boundaries of time and space.

Elle Kennedy's masterful storytelling weaves a tale of passion, intrigue, and undeniable desire. Brody's alpha charm and Hayden's feisty spirit make for a captivating duo, their journey filled with steamy encounters and tender moments of vulnerability.

For fans of contemporary romance, this book is a delicious treat for the senses - a rollercoaster ride of emotions that will leave you breathless and yearning for more. So grab a glass of wine, settle into your favorite reading nook, and prepare to be swept away on a whirlwind adventure of love, lust, and everything in between.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating :4/5 Stars

This was such a fun, easy read! (As is all of Elle Kennedy’s books!) It kept me entertained the whole time and very easy to binge.

I love Elle Kennedy and her hockey romance books! They really are the best combination of sports romance, drama, and spice fit together to make a great story! This book was no exception when Hayden meets Brody. She was only looking for a one night thing but it ends up being more. I couldn't put this book down! If you like hockey romances or the guy falls first this book is for you! Definitely recommend for a quick, easy spicy romance!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and Harlequin Romance for allowing me to review this ARC!

Beautiful art professor meets hot hockey player for a one night stand, little does she know that he has more than a one night stand in mind.

Hayden is visiting her dad, who is going through a divorce and some rumors of bribery going around. She needs to just have sex, since her boyfriend back home won't cross that line with her. He's just not ready, but that doesn't take away her needs. She decides to just have a hot one night stand. She spots her target and goes for it. Only things don't go as planned.

Super hot romance. Great story.

Elle Kennedy is the undisputed queen of hockey romance.

This was a bit different from what I am used to from Elle Kennedy but I really enjoyed that it's a quick and easy hockey romance to read over the weekend. Hayden has returned to Chicago and is an art history professor and hooks up with Brody, a professional hockey player for a one night stand that turns into something more but she doesn't like hockey players due to her father. This is a fast, light, and fun sports romance with opposites attract. It's steamy, sweet, fun, he's a total a[pha but he's sweet and caring and wants her more than just one night. I love the trope where the playboy reforms for a girl and does anything to deserve her. Overall, a quick, steamy hockey romance that Elle Kennedy fans will love and enjoy!

Once again Elle Kennedy doesn't disappoint and writes a really good hockey romance. I have heard of this book before but I never wanted to read it due to the fact that the original covers remind me of the Magic Mike movies. The cartoon cover is so much more tolerable and appealing.

This re-released book hits all the points. It is romantic, spicy, and who doesn't love a hockey romance. Elle Kennedy fans can rejoice with this book as she never fails to write a great romantic pairing. I breezed through this book and loved that it was outside of her normal university shell. Great read.

Body Check by Elle Kennedy is a spicy hockey romance. In Body Check we meet Hayden and Brody. Hayden is an art history professor at Berkeley and Brody is a hot NHL hockey star. Hayden’s intention is to have a one night stand with Brody, who she meets at a bar and has no idea he is a NHL star. Hayden thinks she will ever see Brody again until she runs into him while visiting her dad who is the owner of the NFL team that Brody plays on. Brody wants more than a one night stand or fling from Hayden but Hayden tries hard to keep Brody in the fling zone.

I felt their connection and really enjoyed the plot of the book. I was so curious about who was involved in the scandal on the team and if it was lies or not. I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the characters and was really rooting for Hayden and Brody. I wish the story was done in dual POV, but I still really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

I am a fan of Elle Kennedy and have read all of the Off campus series. If you are a hockey romance lover then Elle Kennedy should be one of your go to authors. I am forever in my hockey romance era, so I was so excited to be approved to read this book. This book will be published on July 2nd, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance for voluntarily letting me read this book and give my honest review! 4.5 stars!

I feel like, at this point in my life, Elle Kennedy is my fallback guy. She's an author that I can always rely on for a meaty romance that has a thorough plot, a heavy serving of spice, and so much feeling.
Body Check is a reprint, but it was one I hadn't read yet. I enjoyed the building relationship between Hadley and Brody, watching them overcome their own emotions while dealing with the chaos surrounding them.