Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for a free digital copy of Body Check by Elle Kennedy for an honest review. I think this was one of Elle Kennedy's first books. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as much as her newer ones. It was super cute though and I enjoyed Hayden and Brody's romance. The scandal part was a little farfetched, but overall, the book was very cute and an enjoyable read.

Elle Kennedy knows how to write a good romance book. Body Check was a great book filled with chemistry between Hayden and Brody. they both faced challenges but their relationship blossomed and allowed them to help each other work through them.

This was a wonderful quick and spicy hockey romance that also had meaningful character development and relationships.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for an arc copy of Body Check by Elle Kennedy!
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Elle Kennedy is a favourite author and I really enjoyed reading this book! I had read this book when it first published and I was happy to see the changes and additions that were made! This is definitely a book I reread and I recommend it!

Heat Factor: That whole “This means something because it’s the best I’ve ever had” thing

Character Chemistry: I personally think the quantity of sex detracted from building emotional chemistry, but some readers prefer sexual chemistry, so I guess this is for them

Plot: Hayden is in town to support her father through his divorce, and things keep spinning out of control, including the one night stand that turned into a fling that turned into…what happens when she’s gotta go home?

Overall: I think I wasn’t in the right mood for this one. Best guess is that it’s good for beginner romance readers who want a lot of spice.


I requested this book on NetGalley because I’ve liked Elle Kennedy’s college hockey books. Not all of them, but enough to feel like this was a solid choice. It wasn’t until later that I realized this is an edited and expanded edition of a Harlequin Blaze romance from 2009. Well, it lived up to its Harlequin Blaze roots, I can say that much for it.

Hayden is in Chicago for the summer to give her dad support during his divorce. When she was young, it was just the two of them, but after she went to college, they started to grow apart, and she wants some of that closeness back, but it doesn’t seem to be happening for her. On top of that, she’s on a break with her (extremely short term) boyfriend back in San Francisco, who she had only been dating because she wanted something serious and swore off bad boys.

So what does Hayden do? She has a one night stand with a guy at the bar. (Thanks, bestie, for suggesting that one.)

The guy Hayden picks up is hockey player Brody, who is currently in his mature hockey player phase and looking for a girlfriend, not a hookup. Given the sparks flying between himself and Hayden, he decides to go for it and see if it’ll keep going, but Hayden is extremely unconvinced.

Oh, and also, Hayden’s dad owns Brody’s team. And in addition to his divorce, his wife is alleging that he bribed players to throw a couple of games. So that’s fun.

It’s… pretty straightforward. There’s nothing in this book that’s going to throw a curveball, at least where the protagonists are concerned. I found the idea that Hayden’s dad might be a criminal (in a bad way, not in a hot romance way) to be an interesting thread. But in terms of their relationship, because it was so heavily focused on sex being the reason for their closeness, I didn’t fully connect to the characters or the growth of their romance. I have found some writers to be really good at this kind of sex writing that also builds emotional intimacy (Katee Robert, Angelina M. Lopez), but in general it’s not something I connect with, so that’s a bummer for me. Also, the way the black moment panned out (I guess I can grudgingly say) made sense, but also I was like, UGH eyeroll, here we are again.

ALSO part of Hayden’s hangup about a relationship is not that they live in different cities a thousand miles apart, it’s because Brody fits this “bad boy” mold she’s trying to avoid in favor of something more stable. Only thing is, there’s basically nothing bad boy about Brody. He drives a freaking bimmer. That’s not a bad boy car, I don’t care what model it is. He might have been a playboy in the past, but there is nothing about that on the page. He loves his momma and works on his career. What kind of bad boy is that? Essentially, the issue isn’t that he’s a bad boy, it’s that his job requires a lot of travel, which could be a dealbreaker for some people, but I was not into it.

In sum, I’m feeling rather shrug emoji about this book. It was fine, nothing earth shattering. Too much sex first feelings later for me, but I know some readers really want that, so hopefully this book can find its way into their hands. If that happens, my work here is done.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This was a first for me of Elle Kennedy's books and I was not disappointed. I love a steamy hockey ROM COM and this definitely delivered. I will have to check out more of this author in the Future.

I loved that one of Elle's very first books got a cover refresh! It was really fun reading this book, knowing it came BEFORE Briar University, and seeing the little elements, and how differently her writing as an autho has changed! This book was really enjoyable to read and a great standalone hockey romance (but why is it a standalone there were so many great side characters that deserved a book/ love story of their own!) 

🩷Hockey Romance 
🩵He Falls First 
🤍NHL Team Owner's Daughter
🩵One Night Stand turned Secret Relationship 
🩷Third POV 

Final Rating: 4⭐, 3.25🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was so entertaining, but there was no character I liked enough to root for. I typically love the characters in Elle’s books. Fell a little flat for me, but still a lot of fun.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & to NetGalley for the ARC!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A quick and sweet hockey romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Hockey romance
Spicy romantic comedies
Hockey player x history professor
Great chemistry
Forbidden romance (coach’s daughter)
Cinnamon roll MMC
Just a hookup
Cute and entertaining reads
Amazing banter

This title was originally released in March 2009 and has been re-released with new and enhanced scenes.

If you've ever read any hockey romance from Elle Kennedy, you know that she knows hockey and always gives the reader a good ride. In Body Check, Art History professor Hayden is looking for a distraction in her life, while Brody is looking for something that isn't a one-night-stand. There's a boatload of chemistry between these characters and I liked the dynamic of Hayden being the one who wanted no strings.

This is a quick, easy read with plenty of steamy moments. Things move along quickly which I like and while you probably won't find any surprises, it's a very satisfying and fun hockey romance.

If you're in the mood for a quick, spicy hockey romance, you've picked the right book! Hayden is a realtionship girly, never having done the one night stand thing, and Brody is a playboy hockey star who typically likes to keep things casual. But when Hayden decides what she needs is a quick no strings attached hookup and approaches Brody without having any idea of his fame, she's in for more than she expected since hockey's bachelor took one look at her and decided he wants more than one night. I love that this huge gorgeous famous hockey player who's used to getting whatever he wants is humbled by a young art history professor who has no clue who he is and doesn't want anything more than their one night together, to the point of turning down his number the next morning. It's cute and I love how hard he tries to prove to her they could have something real despite her dislike of hockey and the transient lifestyle she assumes he'd have. Their relationship is cute and I like how comfortable they are with each other even after a short period of time. There are some more serious elements to the plot: her father's alcoholism, bribes, betrayal, affairs, and the scandal surrounding the team Brody plays for since Hayden's dad is the team owner, which was a little heavy for such a short romance book but I still enjoyed it. If you like hockey romance or sports romance in general and are just look for a quick easy read then this fits the bill!

*hockey romance
*he falls first
*opposites attract
*one night stand
*secret relationship
*denial
*lots of spice

Thank you Harlequin - Romance | Harlequin Feature for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This republished work was really fun! It definitely shows that Elle Kennedy has grown as an author and honestly, her hockey romances are some of my favorites.

I did suspect the twist at the end, but that's ok because I do still think the addition of all of the drama involving the bribery investigation etc was really fun to throw into the romance plotline.

I am also always a sucker for "he falls first" and I love when it's the female main that has to gravel because she's messed up their relationship.

Overall, I'd recommend, but don't think its a fully must must read.

3.5 rounded up

🏒 Hockey romance
🏒 He falls first
🏒 Coach's daughter
🏒 Forbidden
🏒 Quick read (300pgs)
🏒 Third POV
🏒 Spice in the beginning 😉

First I want to start by saying this one was Elle's first and has been rereleased with changes made from the original.
I'm not sure what I was thinking but I thought this one was one of her YA reads. Boy was I wrong!! Quickly starts off with a bang.
Hayden (coach's daughter) is on a break with her boyfriend and on a mission for a one night stand. But she falls into something much more than that. Hayden didn't follow the path of her father and isn't a hockey fan whatsoever. So falling for a hockey player definitely wasn't in the cards.

There's drama and twists with the team, and her father. A third act breakup, that's quickly resolved. And of course a hea.

I normally don't enjoy third pov romance books but this one on audio 🎧 worked for me.

Thank you netgalley for this arc

Body Check was a quick, spicy, fun romcom type hockey romance and was exactly what I wanted it to be. It had enough story mixed with enough spice to keep me reading and interested. I enjoyed the characters. Hayden and Brody were great together. They had chemistry and were also interesting on their own. I can definitely say that Elle Kennedy does hockey romance very well. It is a lot of fun to read and I always enjoy those of hers that I pick up.

I thought the story of this was well done. Pulling in elements of family drama, scandal, as well as the team dynamics I thought gave it just enough complexity without requiring me to put a ton of brain power into figuring out what was going on and also without making me feel like I knew everything that was going to happen. While I did guess some plot points, it didn't bother me at all.

Overall, this was exactly what I wanted out of a quick summer read and I will always come back to Elle Kennedy for future romance reads.

✔️ One Night Stand
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Hockey Romance

I loved the meet-cute setup; sure it was an insta-lust in a bar setting but it's worth it for the morning after reveal - that Hayden is the daughter of the owner of the team Brody plays for. 😆

The chemistry between the two of them is terrific (look, I love a fictional hockey player who acts all cocky but is secretly a softy and who goes gaga over a hot brainy woman).

Extra snaps for Hayden's bff, Darcy - I wish she had a book of her own too.

If you love Elle's other hockey romances or pretty much any hockey romance, definitely pick this one up.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

Elle Kennedy will always be the queen of hockey romances. This one just like all the other did not disappoint. I enjoyed both of our main characters but their undeniable chemistry was what drove the story for me.

I was salty when I requested this and got approved just to find out that this book was already published a while back. Don't get me wrong I love some of her stuff but I like reviewing new books specifically. Which is my bad, I should have checked.

I loved some of her hockey stuff in the past, which some were spicy and others were a little lower on the spice. I would say this was definitely a spicy romcom. There wasn't much depth to the plot or characters, things were very surface level. That isn't a huge deal but I really do read for plot these days so that is just an issue for me. The main characters had a lot of chemistry and fit well together!

Overall, this was a quick read, with some spice sprinkled in!!

I've only read a few of Elle Kennedy's books, and I'm definitely a fan. I haven't read the Off Campus or Briar U series yet, but I think this was the perfect place to start since it's her first ever contemporary romance/hockey book!

I'm a huge fan of dual POVs because it makes me swoon getting to see behind both characters' feelings. BODY CHECK is about a pro hockey player who falls for the team owner's daughter. This definitely gave forbidden romance vibes -- Hayden and Brody know that being together would complicate things, but they can't stay away from each other.

I liked that there was depth to this story with complicated family dynamics. Hayden's relationship with her father is challenging, but I enjoyed seeing the growth that happened throughout the book.

Reading this one made me even more excited to read Kennedy's hockey romance series that everyone raves about!!

If Elle Kennedy writes it, I’m going to love it. This was no different. Loved to get the chance to read this oldie of hers and see where she started versus where she’s at now.

Brody & Hayden are *chef’s kiss* and I loved them so much.

Thank you to Harlequin-Romance & Netgalley for the chance to read this one in exchange for an honest review.

This was good based on what it was supposed to be: a spicy romcom.

I liked both main characters and it had a decent enough plot and great spice. It was a quick read and sometimes, that's all you need

This strangers to lovers hockey romance has a dirty talker, and a hockey player. Is it possible that this will be more than one night?

One will discover the connection between sex and love, the other will discover what happens when one night isn't enough.

In order to truly find love you need to be willing to confront the past. Will Hayden and Brody find a way to overcome their past and finally see what they've been missing?

A hot and spicy read and lots of good hockey fun!