An impressive new adult romance that deals with some very current issues in a real, open and honest way. All that and you get a budding romance that weathers some storms and proves itself true.

I'm not even a hockey fan and genuinely enjoyed Cross Check. If you're a romance reader who also likes hockey, I doubt you could do better than diving into one of Ms. Jamison's stories.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is so not my normal read. I'm not a fan of college aged romance...at all. However, I love this series. First, it deals with two really big issues, sexual .consent and mental health. It also hits on another big topic, the double standards that exist between men and women. Having said that, Ms. Jamieson creates delightfully flawed characters that remain likeable and believable. The storyline is well conceived and pulls the reader in. I really hope that she will continue the story of these characters in another book. It will be interesting to see the people they become.

Cross Check A Bayard Hockey Novel

Last year Kelly Jamieson expanded her hockey novel oeuvre to include YA with the publication of “Shut Out,” set in fictional Bayard College. “Cross Check” is the follow up and features two characters introduced in that novel, Ben and Ella.

Cross Check picks up many of the themes present in the earlier work, specifically the stresses of college-level sports, academics, and the partying/hookup culture presently roiling higher education, most specifically institutions’ and students’ struggle to educate, illuminate and fairly adjudicate accusations of sexual assault.

That doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? It is true the themes are heavy, and toward the end veer into mental health issues as well. But Jamieson comes through with a satisfying plot and characters that evolve, from unlikeable in the case of Ella especially, to romance novel-worthy.

Jamieson treads a fine line between supporting exclusively the “girls’ side” of the campus rape controversy and understanding that not every incident may be what it seems at first glance. This also was explored in “Shut Out” with the hero falsely accused of assault.

To do that, however, there is an awful lot of psych talk and counseling for the characters. There is discussion of slut shaming, man-whoring and double standards in general that I am sure strike a chord with college students today. As for Ella and Ben both are running from their pasts and in this respect begin to find common ground. Ella’s transformation is particularly moving.

If I have a quarrel, much of the story is told through second-hand and third-hand discussion among the characters. There is a lot of eavesdropping, accidental overhearing and gossip. But to my mind (and it’s been a long time since I was a YA), it’s not a preachy book and contains a lot of accurate and useful information of benefit to young people and those that care for them. Plus a very satisfying romance. Highly recommend.

ARC received for an honest review.

Great story. I don't follow the game (maybe because I'm from a Caribbean Island) but love this Hokey series. Kelly Jamieson is great with stories and characters. Ella and Ben have difficulties in live that make them stronger.
You also see more of Jacob and Skylar.
And the final is Great. Aces rock!
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and Netgalley for the opportunity.

I LOVE these hockey books. It's nice to see the series continue

Kelly Jamieson does it again! I could not put this book down. From the beginning of the book, you are immediately drawn in to the two main characters, Ella and Ben. I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was going to happen next, except when the book was almost over - I didn't want it to end! It will make you laugh, cry and swoon. The perfect combination!

Another fun and fantastic one by Jamieson! I love this Bayard Hockey Series, and Cross Check was a great addition. It features wonderful characters Ella and Ben, and has familiar ones from the first book too. I enjoyed the storyline and the hockey team backdrop. It was a winner for me!

If you haven't read Shut Out, I think that it should be read before reading Cross Check. The two stories are strongly connected.
Ella got a party girl vibe going pretty strong in Shut Out. In the beginning of Cross Check, she's realized that she needs to clean her act up. No problem, right?
Ben needs to focus on his game, sparing with Ella is just an added bonus. They both believe the worst of each other, only to find out just how wrong they were.
Not only do we get to see how Ben and Ella's romance blooms, we get a continuation of Jacob and Skylar's.
The ending was a great surprise. Loved it!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I really enjoy Kelly Jamieson's books. They are easy and fun reads, predictable but with a journey to get to the end of the story. The characters are likeable and the heroes hot. Whilst I know nothing about hockey the amount of sport involved is just right to set the scene.
3.5***

Ella who once was a party goer is now on academic probation, so this semester she vows to get her act together and salvage her relationship with her best friend Skylar. Hockey player, Ben has mixed feelings about Ella but the two are thrown together many times because their best friends are dating each other. Therefore the two develop their feelings for each other and Ben helps Ella overcome some obstacles.

I have read the other books in this series and the author does a pretty good job carrying on the series. It did take a little while for me to remember what had happened in the previous book so a little more background might have been helpful. Otherwise a great read. I look forward to reading even more by this author.

When I first started reading this book, I didn't think I would like it much sadly because Ben came off as incredibly judgmental and Ella came off as a little too passive aggressive and I thought the whole book would be filled with internal monologues and scenes where the main characters were always separate. However, that wasn't the case at all and I was pleasantly surprised by this enemies-to-lovers story. I flat out really enjoyed it and read it all in one sitting. Once you get past the initial chapters, the story picks up and BAM! You're sucked in.

**Advanced reader copy received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

In this second book in the Bayard Hockey series, we get a little bit of everything - love, hate, emotion, empathy and of course hockey! While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone and your enjoyment will not be effected.

Ben Buckingham is a stud on the Bayard hockey team and his chances of being drafted into the NHL are very high. While Ben projects himself as a polished, well-dressed athlete, there are some things in his past that he would much rather leave there and solely focus on hockey and moving forward with his life.

Ella Verran is going through her own trying time since she's just been put on academic probation and she's trying to repair her relationship with her best friend Skylar. Since Skylar is her best friend, she often finds herself hanging out with her and her boyfriend, Jacob, who also happens to be best friends with Ben. Ben and Ella have always had a love-hate relationship and for them, spending time together isn't exactly high on their list of things to do. Or is it?

As Ben and Ella get to know one another better and they see other sides of each other, they realize that maybe they have judged one another completely wrong. While neither of them is looking for a committed relationship, are they going to be able to smolder the sparks that are igniting between them?

While this book does center on college, hockey and relationships, I felt like it centered on so much more. It dealt with love, loss, forgiveness and mental illness and it shed some light on issues that sometimes are still difficult for people to address. Kudos to Kelly Jamieson for writing not only a great love story, but one that shed light on other important topics.

Totally different from what I'm used to from this author, but really worth it!

love this book

Last month I read my first Kelly Jamieson novel. It was one of her contemporary hockey romances and I was really impressed. I loved her writing style and couldn't believe how well she pulled off third person dual point of view narration. I was excited to get another chance to read one of her upcoming novels, this time a new adult hockey romance. If I was impressed with the first book I read by Kelly Jamieson, Cross Check completely blew me away.

Cross Check was told in first person dual narration, and it was so much fun to read! I couldn't get enough of this enemies to lovers romance. The sexual tension rolling off Ella and Ben was explosive. I loved every minute of their hate to love fest.

Ella was a good person who had made some poor choices recently. Those choices had given her a reputation she wanted to get away from. That was hard to do knowing people, like Ben, were judging her. I loved the strength she showed making changes and getting the help she needed. Ella was a great role model for young women out there. She proved there isn't anything that can stand in your way of changing yourself if you want it bad enough. Ben had issues of his own. He thought he had moved past them, but really he was just hiding from them. I enjoyed the way he learned that he might have been judging Ella the way he didn't want to be judged. The way they taught each other to move on from the past was very sweet. Oh, and that sexual tension I mentioned before? Well, it was HOT, HOT, HOT when they finally acted on it.

The only thing I wish I could have changed was not having read the first Bayard Hockey novel before reading Cross Check. I felt like I was missing was a little bit of both Ben and Ella's past. They obviously had some deeply negative feelings about each other from what took place in the first book. I also would have liked to have a better understanding of what happened to make Ella who she was in this book. But all this is on me, not the author's writing ability. I should have read the first book! I need to go back and read it now.

Cross Check was a fun college hockey romance with some intense issues built into it. I loved every moment of it. I respected the way Kelly Jamieson made a fiery romance educational as well. I highly recommend this book to new adult fans out there.

This is not your typical College Romance (or Hockey Romance)... it was SO MUCH MORE.
This wonderful romance follows mainly Ella and Ben and growing up.... rather more like learning to be what they think being an adult is. Ella is trying to deal with the loss of good friend and rebuilding her friendship with her best friend. Meanwhile she learns that Ben is not the stuck up guy always thought.
Ben has always thought he has to hide his past and where he came from, afraid that people will look down on him. He's only told his best friend (and teammate) Flash and now Ella. Together they learn to conquer their pasts. Ben is also one of the star hockey players for the college and is facing a possible NHL draft.
This book also covers serious social issues facing college students and college athletes. They characters are all very developed and relatable and the book keeps you glued. You want each character to succeed and root for them. She also is able to describe Hockey with enough description that you can easily picture the game in your head without it dragging.
The author keeps you entertained with the banter of the characters while you also experience their challenges. You cant help but feel like you have a new set of young friends. I look forward to reading other stories by this author.

I really like Kelly's stories but I have to be cautious when recommending. Language and sexual content is a little raw for some of my readers.

Cross Check by Kelly Jamieson is a great addition to her Bayard Hockey series. Cross Check is a great read that draws you in to the characters lives. Ben and Ella have a love-hate relationship that you just love. After spending some more time together, you start to see their true feelings coming out...along with some of their insecurities. I thoroughly enjoyed Cross Check and cannot wait until the next book the series.

I loved Ben, that man was so sweet in his own way, “we could drive somewhere and I could eff you in this car,” he continues, now back to nipping at my lips. “But I don’t want that for you either. Sex in a car can be hot, but I want better for you. I want to make it good for you.” Ben tries his hardest to make compelling arguements to his woman, “it makes sense to me. Also, sex apparently strengthens your immune system, and you wouldn’t want to get sick right before mid-terms.” I loved this book, Ben was so sweet to Ella, well not really at first but once things got going you saw a completely different side of both of them.

Cross Check instantly grabs you and drags back into the wonderful world of Bears hockey and their hot players. I was stoked to read Ella's story after getting glimpses into her in Jacob and Skylar's story. She was always intriguing and I was curious who would smooth out her edges and thaw our her heart. Ben could not have been more perfect and together they made a really fun and sexy couple. I really enjoyed the angst between them and the struggle that they had with their misconceptions of one another. The love scenes were super hot and had such a sexy intensity. As with Jacob and Skylar's story though, I felt that the one major draw back to this book was the over use of trying to push the depression/suicide issue to the point where it became unnatural sounding and started reading more like an informational brochure at times or like an after school special. I struggled with this in Jacob and Skylar's story as well even though this book seemed a bit more toned down than that one. I get that these are issues and the author is trying to touch on them but after a while it just takes me out of the story and started to ruin the mood a bit with the over top talking about it. Overall, I held my interest and I really enjoyed these two characters together.