Release Date: January 11, 2016
Summary
Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.
It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over
Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to befriends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-score-elle-kennedy/1122824500?ean=2940152679663
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-score-10
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1050857569
Review
Allie Hayes and Dean Di Laurentis thought they knew the score with what they wanted out of life, and based on their opposite expectations and experiences, neither thought that the attraction between them would be anything more than a lack of judgment one night stand because how can a woman who can’t seem to separate sex and having feelings for her bedmate and the manwhore who fucks anyone with a pulse have a relationship of any significance? How can the Life of Alli and the Life of Dean ever sync together enough to create something worthwhile?
But what happens when the score changes? What happens when Dean Sebastian Kendrick Heyward Di Laurentis shows Alli that he’s way more than the flirty, superficial douche canoe that everyone else sees him as? Does allow want to be a part of the Life of Dean or will her reality and her goals leave Dean on the bench?
I absolutely adore Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series, and while the stories do seem to be cut from the same cloth, which can make them seem a bit repetitive, Kennedy does a fantastic job of creating individual character nuances that allow each hero and heroine to stand out in a few different ways.
A lot of readers will relate to Allie’s back story and her views on relationships and one night stands. Allie’s definitely a relationship kind of girl, regardless of how much she wishes she wasn’t some times. Her life is a bit of a struggle and her love for her father keeps her pushing forward, aiming to take care of him and herself by reaching her dream of becoming an actress. Allie definitely has preconceived notions of who Dean is, which on the surface is exactly what it seems. But once they start spending time again, Allie realizes there’s a whole different side to Dean – an intelligent, self-reliant, and caring side that forces Allie to look at Dean in a different light – one that scares the absolute crap out of her.
Dean’s life has always been easy; he’s the first to admit it, and while having everything handed to you because of rich parents, looks, and social status seems like the way to live, it also skews people’s understanding of reality and doesn’t offer the required coping skills to endure situations, and even though Dean would disagree to some extent, he can’t deny that he’s less than stellar in heavy situations.
Life is about more than scoring, regardless if it’s on or off the ice, and Dean grows to learn that concept with Allie’s help, and while their relationship has multiple obstacles and mistakes are made on both sides, both Dean and Allie change and grow and realize things about themselves and what they want out of life by looking at the big picture instead of what’s right in front of them.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Poison Apples
Other Books in the Off-Campus Series…
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 andmake 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.
He’s a player in more ways than one…
College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.
Now he’s going to need to up his game…
After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.
They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.
Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions–
can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.
Warning: contains sexual situations, hotties on hockey skates, skinny-dipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.
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