The Chase

Elle Kennedy is endlessly talented, and when I saw that she was going back to Briar University with a new sports romance series, I jumped ALL OVER the chance to read and review it for my blog. I mean, I freaking LOVE her writing anyway so I was totally not going to miss out whether I got an Early Release Copy or not. And can I just say that while I love everything she writes, her Briar Hockey boys have owned me since the release of The Deal in February 2015… and all cards on the table, that was my first Elle Kennedy book. Now she’s got a superfan, cause I one-click everything she writes even if I can’t read it right away. When I added The Chase to my TBR, she hadn’t even released the synopsis, but in my world as an avid reader and a blogger, that’s trivial at times. I have read awesome books that don’t have a blurb that sells me on the book, and books that have incredible blurbs and the book stinks. Also, in this review, I am not going to bore you with my rendition of the synopsis for The Chase, because Elle Kennedy nailed that one! But I will tell you why The Chase is such an incredible story.I have several subgenres and tropes that I am all about, and sports romance is definitely a huge one for me - especially if its Hockey or MMA. So, this frenemies-to-lovers Hockey Romance was undeniably appealing! In true Elle Kennedy Hockey Hotness fashion, The Chase is a combination of many essentials. The story is beautifully written, as is all of Elle Kennedy’s work. It’s told in duel perspectives which is my favorite way to read a romance. The Chase has a storyline that is fun and fresh while still following true to the previous Briar hockey books. I don’t think the pace of the story could have been any more perfect either! Another important distinction about this book is the direction Elle went with Summer’s character. As a heroine, Summer has several factors that make her more realistic and relatable. Elle Kennedy wrote a beautiful woman who is imperfect, but her “flaws” lay in learning delays and insecurities. As a woman, I definitely can appreciate many of Summer’s insecurities. But the addition of the ADHD to her character made her a terrific heroine; she’s stronger than she gave herself credit for and I really loved who she was! The banter between the characters is priceless and you’ll find yourself chuckling for sure! The dynamics that exists within the story is about more than just a love match, you’ll find yourself appreciating all the secondary characters in Fitzy and Summer’s social circle.Not everyone is a fan of series books, but I for one am a huge fan of standalones within a series. The Chase is a spin-off of a previous series that Elle Kennedy wrote and not only does the story offer cameos of characters that I previously loved, it introduced me to new ones that I can’t wait to see more of! If you have read the Off-Campus series, you have already met the hero, Fitzy. And the heroine, Summer is little sister to Dean from The Score (Off-Campus Book 3). This pair is complete opposites and I loved the sparks they set off with one another. Fitzy my kryptonite in almost every way – the tatted-up, geek that’s also an athlete! Summer is an heiress and ex-sorority sister, who’s got no filter and isn’t afraid of having a goodtime. Oh, and I loved her sass and spunk! Elle Kennedy writes some seriously hot books, anyone whose read her would agree and The Chase in no way disappoints. Sure, it’s a bit of a slow burn, but dang… the heat is amazing! Its also a bit of a love triangle. The angst is fairly light, but since it’s a YA romance, you can definitely expect some. Of course, since this is a standalone romance, you can expect the drama to iron itself out in the end and Fitzy and Summer get a beautiful HEA! Really, The Chase offers sooo much that I loved, and nothing that I would change. After it was over I immediately started plotting ways to reread the Off-Campus series when I have gaps in my blogs schedule. Oh yeah, and you can bet that Elle Kennedy definitely left me jonesing for the next book in the Briar U series, The Risk!

As someone with ADHD, I’m always excited to see ADHD rep in a book, and it felt authentic. The book was well written, there was no real third act breakup which was a big plus, and the situations the main characters were in were a breath of fresh air- it’s not every day you get a MMC in a hockey romance that isn’t planning on going to the pros.My only real complaint about the book was that it took nearly the entire book for Summer to become a character that I could sort of tolerate. Her unreflective worship of Coco Chanel, a woman who was at best a self involved antisemite and at worst a straight up Nazi collaborator nearly made me put the book down. If Summer was a real person, I’d probably be cordial to her but we would never be friends. (The author could have redeemed her with a throwaway line to the effect of “her wartime actions were complete garbage but her effect on fashion is undeniable” and I feel like the whole point of the book is that Summer *isn’t* vapid- so why did she get a pass on this? To me it kind of defeated the point the author was trying to make.Fitzy is my kind of guy- the nerd jock, who gets the worst of both worlds as a result. Their relationship felt authentic and I was cheering for them despite my dislike for Summer.Overall this book was decent. I wouldn’t read it again but I am a fan of the author and will continue to read her stuff in the future.

Diving back into the stories of the college students of Briar U was something I was really looking forward to! I remember loving the original four books of the first series, instantly hooked on the hot hockey dudes and the beautiful girls they fell in love with.This story, though? It… kind of fell flat for me. But that’s not to say that it still wasn’t enjoyable as far as entertainment value is concerned.So let’s talk about the characters first:Summer is Dean’s sister (he’s the main lead in The Goal) and as such, she’s drop dead gorgeous like her brother and has just a big of a personality as he does. And as much of a sex drive as he does. Of course she’s more than just that, and it’s often revealed and talked about throughout the story how she wants to be seen as more than just her family’s money or more than just her looks: she may not be academically smart, but she’s got a lot of passion for fashion, which is what she’s studying; she believes in woman power and building other women up instead of tearing them down; and she had an orbit about her that draws people in.She’s also a lot of drama. Like. Holy crap, a lot of drama. I found myself often thinking that a lot of her reactions were over the top and that they didn’t really warrant to be as such for the situation. I get that’s supposed to be her personality, but a lot of the reactions seemed forced or even out of character.Colin Fitzgerald is one of the hockey players for Briar U and he’s a tattooed, video game designing man who wants to work for a big game company when he graduates. He’s even made his own video game and has others he knows beta test it, which is pretty cool. He’s also very sexually driven, I found throughout this story, which is fine but sometimes I thought it was a bit much. He also has a bit of social anxiety, which is understandable given his back story and the way he grew up.So, as far as plot goes: there was a lot of back and forth between Summer and Fitz (obviously, it’s not called “The Chase” for nothing) where they would often inner monologue how they’re very attracted toward the other and they want to get in each other’s pants, but never know what the other is thinking.My biggest issue with this was how it made the characters feel so shallow and kind of two dimensional. So much of the plot centered around the sexual aspects that I felt it took away from the characters and their growth, because I actually did find the stuff happening outside and around them interesting.I found that the anxiety was handled really well, though, and it was very believable how the characters tried to cope with their anxiety, either on their own or with help from another.Overall, I found this to be a book that focused highly on entertainment value than on character development, which is fine, but I still wish we could have seen more come out of the characters. Some of the situations felt forced or rushed or pretty unbelievable, but otherwise it was a fun story with steamy scenes and some laughs.★★★☆☆

The younger generation liked it he or she correlate this

De cover is niet zoals het besteld was.

I.COULDN’T.PUT.IT.DOWN! I put an all nighter to finish the book in one sitting. That’s how much I loved it!I was afraid I wasn’t gonna like the book so much as the ones in the Off-Campus series because I didn’t really care about Summer and Fitzy when reading about them in mentioned series. But, boy, did I fall in love with them in this book. Grumpy-meets-sunshine at its best. The angst was top-tier and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like too much angst in books (because it’s usually too dragged out).I love how Summer melted all of Fitzy’s defences and how she made him get out of his comfort zone and become more confident when in spotlight. While Fitzy helped Summer overcome her insecurities and he went from a coward to an alpha male in the process of falling for Summer. He did piss me off at times, but I understood where he was coming from.When they were fighting, boy, could I feel the heat through pages. They have amazing chemistry that no matter how much they tried couldn’t run away from.And all of the other side characters? Brenna, Jake, Hunter? Loved them! Can’t wait to read about their stories next.Elle’s writing style makes it so easy to read. I don’t remember when it was the last time I was able to read a book this fast.To conclude: A really good read!

Right after I finished "The Legacy", I immediately went on Amazon and bought the Briar U Series. As I learned about Summer and saw she gets her own story, I needed to read it! And also the new generation at Briar U had my heart the second they were introduced.I adored Summer and Fitzy and couldn’t wait to read their story. They made me swoon, had me smiling, and had me rooting for them throughout the book. My heart was aching for them and I desperately wanted them together.Summer Di Laurentis is new to Briar U – she was forced to leave her former Ivy League college due to difficulties. After being rejected at the Kappa Beta Nu sorority – despite her desire to start brand new, she soon discovers that her reputation has followed her to Briar U. Summer is familiar with Briar’s campus and Dean’s former hockey teammates – Especially Colin Fitzgerald.Colin Fitzgerald – or Fitzy, is not your typical jock. Yes, he is a mean hockey player – Tall, built, tattooed and gorgeous, but he is also considered a gaming nerd. Fitzy’s major is Fine Arts and Computer Gaming – when he is not practicing or playing, it takes up most of his time and energy.Even though both their characters are the opposite – Summer being feisty, extroverted and you never knew what comes out of her mouth whenever she spoke. Summer was absolutely hilarious and loved her sociable nature. Fitzy is more of an introverted, who prefers to stay out of the limelight and keep things to himself – I relate to him so much and I think that’s why I love him. I loved how Fitzy was the best boyfriend for her – even though he may be quiet but honestly, I think she needed someone that wasn’t as extroverted as she is.I loved discovering the depth of both characters and watching them grow – it made them for me more relatable characters and the development of these two felt so real.

Wow was binnen een dag klaar met lezen zo spannend was te nieuwsgierig hoe het zou aflopen. Love the story really really do 🥰