Tag: 4 Stars

Review: The Chase by Elle Kennedy

Posted July 27, 2026 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Chase by Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U Series #1
Main Leads: Colin Fitzgerald, Summer DiLaurentis
Secondary Characters: Brenna Jensen, Mike Hollis, Hunter Davenport, Dean DiLaurentis, John Tucker
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tropes: Grumpy and Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Friends Sibling, She Fell First, He Fell Harder
Release Date: August 4, 2018
Publisher: Elle Kennedy
Format: Audio, e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 374
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

She’s the one girl he shouldn’t want . . .

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.

The Chase kicks off the Off-Campus spin-off series, Briar U and it features some familiar characters in Summer Hayward-Di Laurentis and Colin Fitzgerald. We first meet Summer in her brother’s book, The Score. Summer comes to visit her brother Dean at school and takes one look at Fitzy and she wants him. She’s carried a huge ol’ crush on Fitzy around with her ever since and when she transfers from Brown to Briar, things get really interesting for her.

Fitzy is attracted to Summer, of course he is but he can’t go there because 1) She’s Dean’s sister and 2) She’s the exact opposite of everything he is and everything he has no interest in being. She’s outgoing and social where he’s more reserved and more comfortable alone and at home. Sure, he’s a hockey player and he does go out from time to time, but he really loves the quiet that comes from being alone with his art and video games.

Things really get going for them when Summer moves in with Fitzy and the rest of his roommates at the Off-Campus house. She needs a place to stay and they need a roommate so win-win right? Hahaha, oh the drama that comes with Summer moving in. The shenanigans that these two get into was so much fun.

Elle Kennedy does what she does best with this book. She brings together two characters in a way that will have you itching to keep turning the pages. There’s a lot of charm, a lot of OMG that didn’t just happen moments along with characters that will make you laugh and cheer for as you keep reading.

Summer was probably my favorite part of the book even though I did come to love Fitzy but I really enjoyed getting to know Summer because she seemed to be a lot of fun in Dean’s book and that was brought to the front of the class in this one. I loved how strong she was despite being so insecure about her learning disability. Having a daughter who has a learning disability, it made me appreciate Summer’s drive and her willingness to do whatever it took to stay on top of her course studies. I also really enjoyed how she didn’t let Fitzy get away with the shit that he tried to pull with her. Her friendship with Brenna was another thing that I absolutely loved about her. She seriously rocked and even though I thought she led Hunter on for a little bit, I still really liked her.

This book had all of Elle Kennedy’s trademark humor and sexy story time that I enjoy but there were things that I didn’t care for (the whole thing with Hunter, the way that things were handled with the professor and assistant dean then all of the douche behavior from Fitzy). Still, it was a solid effort and I ended up enjoying the book so I’m planted firmly in the I can’t wait for the next book to come out camp. If you enjoy contemporary NA with compelling characters and a steamy romance then you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

Rating

4 out of 5

The Briar U Series

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Tags: 2018 Book Releases, 4 Stars, Audio, Brenna Jensen, Briar U Series, Colin Fitzgerald, Contemporary, Dean DiLaurentis, e-Book, Elle Kennedy, Forced Proximity, Friends Sibling, Grumpy and Sunshine, Hastings, He Fell Harder, Hunter Davenport, Jake Connelly, John Tucker, Massachusetts, Mike Hollis, New Adult, Purchased, Romance, She Fell First, Summer DiLaurentis, United States

Review: The Goal by Elle Kennedy

Posted July 9, 2026 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Goal by Elle Kennedy

Series: Off Campus Series #4
Also in this Series: The Goal, The Mistake, The Score
Main Leads: John Tucker, Sabrina James
Secondary Characters: Garrett Graham, Hannah Wells, John Logan, Grace Ivers, Dean DiLaurentis, Allie Hayes, Colin Fitzgerald, Summer DiLaurentis
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tropes: Accidental Pregnancy, He Fell First, Grumpy and Sunshine, Opposites Attract
Release Date: September 26, 2016
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: Audio, e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

The last of the Off Campus boys gets their happy ending in The Goal and it was another winner of a story for me. I have really enjoyed my time with these guys and this book has never been my favorite story of the bunch but I did enjoy Tuck and Sabrina a lot more this time around. Tucker is the guy that had a quiet shine to him in the other books. You can tell that he loved the guys and was loved in return.

I’ve always loved Tucker whenever I read his story but I wasn’t always a fan of Sabrina. Her beef with Dean was a bone of contention with me being a Dean girly but during this re-read, I wasn’t mad at Sabrina for what she thought, especially because their talk toward the end did a lot to clear their air between them but also with me. But also, I would have thought the same shit that Sabrina did if a guy got away with what Dean did in class.

What I really liked about this book was how sure Tucker was of his feelings for Sabrina. I loved how patient and supportive he was of her, her plans, and their future. He was one of those guys that quietly takes care of the people he loves and I ate that shit up. His confidence in himself, and his ability to roll with the punches made me a sucker for Tucker. I loved his quiet steadiness in the chaos that was Sabrina’s life. I loved how he accepted Sabrina exactly as she was and just wanted to be a support to her. She wasn’t an easy person to be with, something that Sabrina knew about herself, and yet she was it for him and I loved every minute of him showing up for Sabrina.

I really liked Sabrina’s character this time around. I didn’t appreciate her before this re-read and that sucked because she was so strong, so fiercely independent that just wanted to secure a more stable future. She was a great friend to her friends and though she didn’t trust Tucker to take care of her heart, seeing him win her over was a lot of fun. There was a lot of substance to Sabrina and seeing her efforts to succeed, no matter what was thrown her way made me happy when she finally gets it all.

This was a great ending to everyone’s college years and seeing the introduction of Fitz and knowing that his book is next made me excited to jump right in. There was a lot of heart, a lot of heat, and the charm that I’ve come to expect from this series in this book and I’m so glad that I re-read it because John Tucker and Sabrina James were a good time. I definitely recommend.