This was a fun, steamy romance that checked all the boxes for me. I enjoyed the characters, the romance, the banter, and the pace immensely. Hayden, who's come home to deal with some family matters, unexpectedly adds fuel to the fire when the one night stand she meets turns out to be a member of the hockey club her father owns. I really enjoyed that, unlike other stories of this kind, it's Hayden who wants to keep it casual and Brody, the hunky hockey player, who's looking for something more permanent and, of course, this too adds to the drama they face. Add to that the backstory of a criminal investigation, bribery allegations, and family issues, and this book kept me engaged and turning the pages quickly to see what would happen next. I loved both Hayden and Brody and enjoyed watching them navigate feelings, family, other relationships, and careers on their way to finding common ground and accepting the inevitability of their romance. Ms. Kennedy has once again given us a wonderfully entertaining and spicy read that is a great addition to her other sports romances.

If you’re looking for a short and spicy sports romance then look no further!

I loved the main characters and the chemistry they had! The reason I’m rating this so low (for an Elle Kennedy book) is because there were so many sub-plot points weren’t really resolved or addressed. The alcoholism with Hayden’s dad was so unrealistic and I feel like if you’re going to address that then you should do it right or not include it at all.

If you like hockey romance, one night stand tropes, or just like Elle Kennedy’s writing then this might be for you!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I had fun with this one! It was super bingeable, the vibes were there and it was so spicy! Brody Croft is such a sweetheart, I love that man. We even got some drama, which was a little bit predictable. It felt a little repetitive at times, I started to skim towards the end but overall I had a great time reading it and devoured it in basically 2 days.

Tropes:
-hockey player (golden retriever)
-hockey owners daughter
-he falls first
-friends with benefits
-third person dual pov

3.5⭐️
3🌶️

Thank you NG for the ARC!

3.5 stars! this was a cute hockey romance and elle is an autobuy author for me. while i did like the unique story - it didn’t click for me because:
1) it was too short, if it was even 20 pages longer i would have been happy with the pacing - the last 20% felt too fast and the resolution could have been a BIT more thought out event wise
2) the resolution didn’t satisfy me!!! i feel like the betrayers was out of left wing and it was just random and even about shelia i could have used some more context to make it believable
i WILL say elle’s banter and spice NEVER falter!!!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elle Kennedy just knows how to write a good hockey romance. I don't know what kind of sports medicine gets put into these books but as per ususal, you will become addicted to this book and not be able to put it down until its over at which point you will just think about it for days. This book was very much on the spicy end so I needed to be in the right headspace to read it but once I started it was hard to stop. Overall, I found it to be a really quick and easy read because the story line and our MC's were just so enjoyable to read about.

Elle Kennedy is one of my favorites. I’ve genuinely loved every book I’ve read from her., this was no exception. I love that this book was spicy and heartwarming, but dealt with real life issues (divorce, death of a family member, gambling, and others.) It isn’t my favorite from her, but a quick spicy read!

I love Elle Kennedy, and it was so cool to be able to read her first hockey romance (with a little bit of added moments). Hayden and Brody’s story was super hot, and I loved getting to read all about their steamy ONS, followed by his falling hard and not wanting to give her up. It has all the tropes I love (owners daughter, hockey, he falls first), with added serious moments (the entire situation with her father). Overall, I thought this was such a great read!

I love Elle Kennedy's work and hockey romances, but this was missing something for me.

Body Check is Hayden and Brody's story. Hayden is the coach's daughter and Brody is an NHL player for his team. They realize there is a spark between them, and Hayden just wants a one-night stand. She thinks she meets just the perfect candidate in Brody, but later realizes it's a bit complicated when she learns he plays for her dad's team.

Overall, it was a fun read, but the plot was a tad predictable and did feel like something was missing. Body Check is a rerelease from the 2009 edition. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

thank you so much to netgalley and harlequin romance for the arc of elle kennedy’s rewrite of body check! i have always been a fan of kennedy’s works especially her sports romance novels, however this one fell very flat for me. i know it was a rewrite of her first ever sports romance novel, and i think a lot of evidence of her earlier writing days still remain in the new version. the pacing was all over the place- the romance felt very rushed and insta love but the investigation drama felt very dragged out despite everything being solved at the very end. also i did not believe our main characters relationship was as deep as they claimed it to be in the end, it all felt purely physical attraction. the entire time i read this book i really wanted hayden to go to a therapist, and to stop avoiding her problems. i also wasn’t super wild about brody either he felt very pushy and overly cocky which i didn’t love. i was sad that i didn’t enjoy this because normally reading kennedy’s books is always a good time.

Body Check is a dual POV one-night stand to more sports romance. Hayden, an art history professor, is on an extended vacation to help her father navigate a contentious divorce and decides to indulge in a one-night stand. Brody, a star hockey player on the team Hayden’s father owns is tired of flings and looking to settle down. He’s convinced that Hayden is the woman for him, now he needs to convince her that he’s the man for her!

This one was a lot of fun to read, it's definitely a change of pace from the slow burns I gravitate towards. Hayden and Brody had great chemistry! The story was enjoyable, with just the right balance of fun, spice, and drama. Definitely worth the read!

Read dates: 06/07/2024- 06/09/2024
Goodreads review: 06/09/2024
Instagram review: 06/10/2024
Blog review: 07/02/2024

NOT sure when I first read Body Check, but my OG version on kindle I have for years still looks vintage AF (next slide). I like the new version too but these old covers delivers all the memories, when I hit for the first time into romance alley land many, many yearssss ago hihi.

Body Check is 3rd person narration hockey romance but it's definetely Elle Kennedy we know today. The Hero is yummy af obviosuly. Heroine might be a good girl but is fierce too and doesn't give easy ride for the hero. It's steamy, funny and delivers all the feels. It was so good come back to this book after so many years. If You're Elle's fan - be sure to check this book once it will be republished in July this year.

4.5 stars
This is an entertaining, fun read. The characters are captivating from beginning to end and I love the hockey aspect of the story. Brody and Hayden are interesting, relatable, intriguing, complex, wounded, entertaining characters. Brody is my newest book boyfriend. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bodycheck is one of Ell Kennedy’s earlier books that is being republished. She has had so much growth as a writer, but it was still fun to go back to one of her earlier bucks. This was short and spicy and hot as hell!

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite EK book, but not bad either. This was a sweet and quick read. While edited you can still tell it's one of EKs first books (just highlights how far she's come and how much her writing has improved!) While I liked Hayden and Brody, the side characters didn't stand out much which is really unusual for an EK book. Overall though it's a nice story for someone looking into breaking into the hockey romance genre.

More like 3 1/2. It was good and worth the read. The spice was good and plentiful I just didn’t love the ending. I love a quick conclusion to a 3rd act breakup but I felt like Brody could have groveled.

Hayden is in town because her dad is going through a divorce and she wants to support him. While out with a friend she decides to pick up a guy at a bar and they agree to a one night stand. However the next morning Brody (the picked up dude) asks to see her again. She says no! Hilarious especially because Brody has never been rejected before. Being a professional hockey player the girls just fall all over him. Now Hayden isn’t falling and the fact that he plays hockey is a turn off.

Oh and by the way Brody plays for Hayden’s dad’s hockey team. But they had no idea until they run into each other at the stadium. Now Brody wants Hayden more and Hayden wants Brody less. Well, she wants him in a biblical way only 😬

Fun spicy hockey romance. Thank you so much for his ARC opportunity, I haven’t read any of Kennedys books before but have heard lots of her. I don’t typically gravitate towards romcom-y books but this was enjoyable and sexy.

Hayden got to visit Chicago where her father owns the Chicago Warriors hockey team. Hayden is a junior art history professor and hates hockey because it was always more important than her. While on a break from her boyfriend she picks up a guy from the bar and has a one night stand.
Brody wants more than one night with Hayden, but she is determined that one night is all he is getting. But Brody is used to getting his own way. What Hayden doesn't know is that Brody is one of the star players on her father's team, and a hockey player is the last person Hayden would want to get involved with.
With all the trouble surrounding the team, can Brody and Hayden really make things work between them.
A very good read recommended.

Another winner from the QUEEEEEN of hockey romance - Elle Kennedy! Brody and Hayden were amazing characters and I loved that she was his coach's daughter - slightly forbidden always wins me over!

I love Elle Kennedy and this was a delight to read! The ending seemed abrupt but in all honesty, I couldn't care less. Brody was swoonworthy and I just wanted to give Hayden a big hug! I love myself a good hockey romance and I was glad I was able to read this one! The Off-Campus series and this are my new favorite comfort reads!

Synopsis
Hayden is visiting her father, the owner of an NFL hockey team, and is looking for a hookup. Brody meets Hayden on her quest for a one night stand, never expecting to see Brody again, Hayden realizes he plays on her father's hockey team. Brody is insistent that he sees Hayden again, but Hayden is not looking for a relationship with Brody.

My Opinion
I loved this story and read it in one sitting. The writing from Elle Kennedy, as always, is great and makes for an easy read.

Rating
5 stars; Highly recommend and it's a favorite.
3 spicy pepper emojis; Two or more open door scenes. Explicit language and sexual scenes.