REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

In the New Adult genre, college romances are the norm, and all of them seem to fit a certain mold – popular, attractive, and athletic hero needs the assistance of the “nerdy” girl in order to remain eligible to compete and ends up wanting more than her academic help. As cliché as the situation sounds, most of the stories told in this format do a good job of conveying the collegiate atmosphere, its pressures and judgmental peers, and developing the characters in a way that allows for an easy and enjoyable read. But sometimes, there’s a diamond in the rough, so to speak, that regardless of how formulaic the story may seem, it stands out because of the seamless flow of story line and the creation of characters who are so well developed that they become extremely lifelike to readers, leaving readers a bit out of sorts at the end of the text, almost like a close relationship had been destroyed. Elle Kennedy’s newest release, The Deal, is one such story; Garrett Graham and Hannah Wells are truly dynamic characters and the humor, wit, honesty, and steam flows effortlessly from the pages of the text, offering readers an incredibly worthwhile and entertaining read.

On the surface, Garrett Graham is the quintessential college hockey star – the ultimate man on campus – manwhore extraordinaire. But if anyone was to look beyond his status, beyond his skill on the ice, they would see a man who works his ass off to live up to a father whose only use for Garrett is living up to his own hockey persona and not disappointing him. But no one wants to see beyond what Garrett’s status can do for their own popularity, and while he may use girls for his needs, they use him right back, perhaps causing more damage than him. Right from the start, I didn’t see Garrett as I normally see the cocky hero. There was a depth to him that was established early on because Kenned gives readers Garrett’s perspective, which makes it easier to see the layers of his personality and the struggles he endures that are way darker than dealing with a game or a grade.

Hannah Wells’ past has prompted her to become invisible, only allowing a few close friends to truly “see” her, but if someone actually took the time to do so, they would see a quirky, witty, extremely intelligent young woman who longs to feel safe for the first time since her life was upended by someone else’s actions. But as cautious as Hannah is, she also doesn’t allow herself to succumb to the fear or be manipulated or overrun by anyone. She’s passionate and talented, and she doesn’t try to be anything that she’s not.

I loved how Garrett and Hannah’s “deal” turns to friendship and then it transitions to something beyond – the gradual buildup of their relationship was extremely well written, and it helped to illustrate the characters’ personal transformations as well. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions due to Garrett and Hannah’s bantering; their one liners to each other and the way Hannah handles herself around Garrett’s teammates definitely add humorous undertones to the story.

The Deal is a fantastic New Adult read; Elle Kennedy takes the typical college romance story and turns it into a text that examines self-worth, social and family pressures, and a few other hot topic issues that aren’t sugar coated or treated indifferently. I believe I read that this is Kennedy’s first foray into this genre, and I, for one, think she’s found another niche for her writing style!

A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

5 poison apples

Thirty minutes before my shift ends, I find Garrett Graham in one of my booths.Seriously.

Does this guy ever give up?

I have no desire to go over there and serve him, but I don’t have much of a choice. Lisa, the other waitress on duty, is busy tending to a group of faculty members at a table across the room, and my boss Della is behind the baby-blue Formica counter dishing out slices of pecan pie to three freshman girls sitting on the tall swivel stools.

I set my jaw and march up to Garrett, making my displeasure obvious as I meet his twinkling gray eyes. He runs a hand through his cropped dark hair and flashes a lopsided grin.

“Hey there, Hannah. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah, fancy,” I mutter, yanking my order pad out of my apron pocket. “What can I get

“A tutor.”

“Sorry, that’s not on the menu.” I smile sweetly. “We serve really good pecan pie, though.”

“You know what I did last night?” he says without acknowledging the sarcasm.

“Yep. You were text stalking me.”

He rolls his eyes. “Before that, I mean.”

I pretend to think it over. “Um…you hooked up with a cheerleader? No, you hooked up with the girls’ hockey team. No, wait, they’re probably not ditzy enough for you. I stick with my original guess—cheerleader.”

“Sorority sister, actually,” he says smugly. “But I’m talking about what I did before that.”

He raises one dark eyebrow. “But I’m very intrigued by your interest in my sex life. I can give you details about that another time if you want.”

“I don’t.”

“Another time,” he echoes in a dismissive tone, folding his hands on the blue-and-white-checkered tablecloth.

He’s got big hands with long fingers, short nails, and knuckles that are slightly red and cracked. I wonder if he’s been in a fight recently, but then I realize the busted-up knuckles are probably a hockey player thing.

“I was at study group yesterday,” he informs me. “There were eight other people there, and you know what the highest mark in the group was?” He blurts out the answer before I can hazard a guess. “C-plus. And our combined average was a D. How am I supposed to pass this makeup if I’m studying with people who are as dumb as I am? I need you, Wellsy.”

Wellsy? Is that a nickname? And how on earth does he know that my last name is Wells?

I never told—argh. Damn sign-up sheet.

Garrett notices my surprised look and cocks his brows again. “I learned a lot about you in study group. Got your number, your full name, even found out where you work.”

“Congratulations, you really are a stalker.”

“Nope, just thorough. I like to know what I’m up against.”

“Jesus Harold Christ! I’m not tutoring you, okay? Go bug somebody else.” I point at the menu in front of him. “Are you ordering? Because if not, then please go away and let me do my job in peace.”

“Jesus Harold Christ?” Garrett snickers before picking up the laminated menu and giving it a cursory glance. “I’ll have a turkey club.” He sets the menu down, then reaches for it again.

“And a bacon double cheeseburger. Just the burger, no fries. Actually, I changed my mind—yes to the fries. Oh, and a side order of onion rings.”

My jaw almost hits the floor. “You’re seriously going to eat all that?”

He grins. “Of course. I’m a growing boy.”

Boy? Nuh-uh. I’m only noticing it now—probably because I’ve been too distracted by how insufferable he is—but Garrett Graham is all man. There’s nothing boyish about him, not his chiseled good looks or his tall frame or that ripped chest of his, which suddenly flashes to mind as I remember the picture he sent me.

“I’ll also take a slice of that pecan pie and a Dr. Pepper to drink. Oh, and some tutoring.”

“Not on the menu,” I say cheerfully. “But the rest is coming right up.”

Before he can argue, I abandon his booth and head to the back counter to place his order with Julio, our night cook. A nanosecond later, Lisa rushes over and addresses me in a hushed

“Oh my God. You know who that is, right?”

“Yep.”

“It’s Garrett Graham.”

“I know,” I answer dryly. “That’s why I said yep.”

Lisa looks outraged. “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you freaking out right now?

Garrett Graham is sitting in your booth. He talked to you.”

“Holy shit, he did? I mean, his lips were moving, but I didn’t realize he was talking.”

I roll my eyes and walk over to the drink station to pour Garrett’s drink. I don’t look his way, but I can feel those smoky gray eyes following my every movement. He’s probably sending ​t​elepathic orders for me to tutor him. Well, too bad for him. There’s no way I’m wasting the little spare time I have on a college hockey player who thinks he’s a rock star.

Lisa trails after me, oblivious to my sarcasm and still gushing about Graham. “He’s so gorgeous. Like unbelievably gorgeous.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. “And I hear he’s amazing in bed.”

I snort. “He probably started that rumor himself.”

“No, Samantha Richardson told me. She hooked up with him last year at the Theta kegger. Said it was the best sex of her life.”

I have no response, because I couldn’t care less about the sex life of some girl I don’t even know. Instead, I shrug and hold out the Dr. Pepper. “You know what? Why don’t you take his booth?”

The way Lisa gasps, you’d think I just handed her a check for five million dollars. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. He’s all yours.”

“Oh my God.” She takes a step forward as if she’s going to hug me, but then her gaze darts to Garrett and she appears to have second thoughts about broadcasting her terribly unwarranted joy. “I owe you so big for this, Han.”

I want to tell her that she’s actually doing me the favor, but she’s already dashing toward the booth to wait on her prince. I watch in amusement as Garrett’s expression clouds over at Lisa’s approach. He picks up the glass she sets in front of him, then meets my gaze and slants his

As if to say, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.