The Deal - Book Review

By Elle Kennedy

Synopsis

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

Review

As Captain of the hockey team, Garrett needs to maintain a C+ average to play hockey. After getting an F in his Philosophical Ethics class, he’s no longer making the cut. He discovers that Hannah has aced the class and if he could persuade her to help him, he’d be set. But she’s not interested in helping him at all, but she sure does enjoy watching him try.

Unbelievable. Every girl at this college would cut her frickin’ arm off to help me out. But this one? Runs away like I just asked her to murder a cat so we could sacrifice it to Satan.

After realising that he can help her with something she wants, he finds his way in.
THE DEAL: If Hannah agrees to tutor him, he will help her get Justin, the object of her desires. They’ll fake a relationship, they’ll attend parties together, they’ll be seen together so that Justin will take notice and hopefully take the bait. Because nothing makes a guy want a girl more than thinking he can’t have her. But as they spend more time together, Hannah realises that there’s more to Garrett than meets the eyes, and Garrett realises Hannah could be the person he didn’t even know he needed.

I’ve read several books from Elle Kennedy before, including the entire Out Of Uniform series which I LOVED. All of Elle’s books that I’ve read involve adults, but this is about college kids, so the sex is tamed down a bit. That being said, there are two very sensitive issues addressed in this book: rape and child abuse. This shocked me as I was not expecting to read of these topics in one of her books. I’ve been reading her books for years and I don’t recall her tackling these types of topics before. And I think she did a really good job with it. Her characters have issues stemming from their pasts (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t), but those issues are not in your face or over the top, nor are the characters all “woe is me” throughout the entire book. The characters still struggle with things like trust, but overall they’re strong and not letting the past dictate who they are today. They’re not victims. They’re survivors.

But what I liked most about this book is the humour. Garrett’s humour is very fun and cheeky, while Hannah’s humour is dry and snarky and I loved the interactions between them. I liked how they started out as strangers using each other to reach their goals, then became friends, then became lovers.

“You actually think I want to go out with you?”
“Everyone wants to go out with me.” She bursts out laughing. Maybe I should feel insulted by the response.

The supporting characters were also fun to read, especially Garrett’s friends and teammates and I wonder which one of them will get their own book next. THE MISTAKE is coming out this Spring, and considering it’s Spring now, I’m hoping I won’t have to wait much longer.

“Just out of curiosity, after you wake up in the morning, do you admire yourself in the mirror for one hour or two?”
“Two.”
“Do you high five yourself?”
“Of course not. I kiss each of my biceps and then point to the ceiling and thank the big man upstairs for creating such a perfect male specimen.”