Tag: Colin Fitzgerald

Review: The Dare by Elle Kennedy

Posted July 30, 2026 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Dare by Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U #4
Also in this Series: The Chase, The Risk, The Play
Main Leads: Conor Edwards, Taylor Marsh
Secondary Characters: Hunter Davenport, Mike Hollis, Summer DiLaurentis, Brenna Jensen, Sasha Lennox, Colin Fitzgerald, Demi Davis, Rupi Miller
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Fake Dating, Overcoming Trauma, Past Trauma, Miscommunication
Release Date: June 16, 2020
Publisher: Elle Kennedy
Format: Audio, e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 354
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

College was supposed to be my chance to get over my ugly-duckling complex and spread my wings. Instead, I wound up in a sorority full of mean girls. I already have a hard time fitting in, so when my Kappa Chi sisters issue the challenge, I can’t say no.

The dare: seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class.

Conor Edwards is a regular at Greek Row parties…and in Greek Row sorority beds. He’s the one you fall for before you learn that guys like him don’t give girls like me a second glance. Except Mr. Popular throws me for a loop—rather than laughing in my face, he does me a solid by letting me take him upstairs to pretend we’re getting busy.

Even crazier, now he wants to keep pretending. Turns out Conor loves games, and he thinks it’s fun to pull the wool over my frenemies’ eyes.

But resisting his easy charm and surfer-boy hotness is darn near impossible. Though I’m realizing there’s much more to Conor’s story than his fan club can see.

And the longer this silly ruse goes on, the greater the danger of it all blowing up in my face.

It’s been a few years since I read this book and I guess I’m not the same person I was back then because I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I did last time. As a big girl myself, I thought I would connect with Taylor and her issues more but I spent a good chunk of this book frustrated with her. With Conor. There was a lot of miscommunication, misunderstandings, and insecurities that bogged down my enjoyment of this book. I almost put it down twice and that’s a bummer because I was enjoying my re-read of the entire series. What’s funny is that while I didn’t drop this read, I did stop my re-read of the series.

I remembered Conor mostly from Hunter and Demi’s book but I didn’t remember much so going into this was like a re-introduction to Conor’s fine ass. I liked him. He wasn’t my favorite boy from this set of books, but I did like him. I liked that he was from So Cal but meh to him being from Huntington Beach. I liked how much Conor liked Taylor and how he tried hard to make sure she understood that she was beautiful to him. I also liked how much he respected and supported his teammates, especially Hunter. What I didn’t care for was his past and his ex-best friend. I thought that was the corniest part of the story. It was also a pretty shitty thing for him to do and then run from but at least he was ashamed about it and he made things right so that was something.

Taylor was a solid female lead and she had a lot of the same insecurities that I had growing up so I thought that I would connect with her character a lot more than I actually did this time around. The hot and cold attitude she had toward Conor whenever someone else triggered her insecurities got really annoying because it felt like Conor was paying for things that he had nothing to do with. I was glad that she made some real progress in getting over those insecurities though. I really enjoyed her scenes with not just Conor but with her best friend Sasha. Their friendship was pretty great and I loved how supportive Sasha was and even though Abigail came around in the end, I could have done without a redemption arc for her because she was an absolute shit for most of the book and I didn’t want to forgive her bitch ass.

Conor and Taylor’s romance was my favorite thing about this read. The way that Conor was down bad for Taylor was cute. The way that he wooed her, kept picking her up when her bully would try to bring her down had me soft for him. I loved the way that Taylor was with him, too. Right from the very beginning, they had great chemistry but the constant up and down made me roll my eyes more than once and don’t even get me started when they started to make decisions for the other because they knew best. Nothing pisses me off more than someone telling me how I’d feel in any moment…so when I see it happen in my books, I’m never a fan of it and there was a lot of that going on here.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book overall, it does have its moments of shine. Taylor and Conor were a lot of fun when they were together and when they were with people that make them feel safe. They also come into their own and grow for the better so I didn’t absolutely hate this read but I can’t deny that all of the miscommunication and misunderstandings took its toll on me. So it wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst read.

Rating

2.5 out of 5

The Briar U Series

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Review: The Risk by Elle Kennedy

Posted July 28, 2026 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Risk by Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U #2
Also in this Series: The Chase
Main Leads: Brenna Jensen, Jake Connelly
Secondary Characters: Summer DiLaurentis, Hazel Simonson, Colin Fitzgerald, Hunter Davenport, Mike Hollis, Chad Jensen
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tropes: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Romance, He Fell First
Release Date: February 18, 2019
Publisher: Elle Kennedy
Format: Audio, e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 402
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Everyone says I’m a bad girl. They’re only partly right—I don’t let fear rule me, and I certainly don’t care what people think. But I draw the line at sleeping with the enemy. As the daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, I’d be vilified if I hooked up with a player from a rival team.

And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, and too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a much-coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me.

I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend.

For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him.

That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.

The Risk is the second book in Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series and it features our favorite smart ass Brenna from The Chase and the enemy, Jake Connelly. I have been looking forward to reading Brenna’s story since we first met her in Summer and Fitz’ story. She has a sparkly personality that I wanted to know more and Jake was just as wonderfully charming as I hoped he would be.

Brenna’s Dad is the coach for the Briar University’s hockey team. Jake Connelly is the star player for the Harvard hockey team. They’re going to face each other in their conference finals so tempers are high and the very last thing that Brenna needs is to get involved with Jake, of all people…but when an internship is on the line, she needs Jake to help her land this and so she asks him to do her a solid by going on a fake date with her and he agrees but only if she’ll go on a real date with him for every fake date they go on.

The chemistry was pretty strong between these two in The Chase so I was not at all surprised when we found out that Jake was Brenna’s hero. I thought that they would be pretty good together but I was wrong because they were freaking perfect for each other. I really loved seeing them battle wits and grow close with each passing page. I’m telling you guys, Elle Kennedy does great dialogue. The dialogue between her characters always feels natural and that’s something that I appreciate because not everyone can do it well and it takes me out of the story every time that I read bad dialogue. I was wrapped up in Brenna and Jake’s bubble from beginning to end. They had me laughing, sighing and just feeling all of the feels. I loved seeing them go from strangers attracted to each other to confiding their secret confidences with each other. Brenna didn’t trust easy and seeing her open up to Jake was just so rewarding for me. I loved it.

There was a part of the story where I wanted to knee Jake in the nuts but man does he make up for pissing me off and I was low key mad at Brenna for forgiving him so quickly but like Bren, I got over it because he was so damn fine that I’m not even gonna lie, during the big Briar vs. Harvard game, I was low key Team Harvard…

I’m already over it, I promise because I’m a Briar girl again but Jake Connelly is that guy…

This book was everything I was hoping it would be. Elle Kennedy did her big one with this. I loved getting to know both Brenna and Jake. I loved seeing Brenna and her father work on their issues that they had with each other. I loved seeing Jake’s parents come out and support him, but also acknowledge that they should have supported him more. I wish we’d gotten more from Brenna’s other friends, Audrey and Elisa. I wanted to see more Hazel too until we got more Hazel and then I wanted her gone. LOL.

Overall, this book was the bomb. Elle Kennedy delivers a modern New Adult romance that will rock all of your socks, I just know it. Hell yes, you should read this one.

Rating

4.5 out of 5

The Briar U Series

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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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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.

Rating

4 out of 5

The Off Campus Series

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