This was SO cute! Besides being drawn to the romance, I was thoroughly enthralled with the subplot, and kind of wished for a little more of it, especially with the stepmom and her POV.
I wanted a hockey romance and I got one. Spicy scenes were well done, romantic scenes were also well done. 10/10 would read again.

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This is the spiciest romance I’ve read in a while. Great read! The only problem I had with it was how abruptly I felt like it ended. I wanted a little more!!

Hayden: Having that fling while she and her boyfriend were on a break… no. The way she drug out that relationship and that poor man, my god. She really needed to ger her head out of her ass about how good her and Brody were together and just accept her fate. Took her way too long.

Brody: The way he reacted to the news article and gossip about him and Hayden at the end there really pissed me off. The third act break up was really not my vibe because of it. Other than that fatal flaw, I loved how adamant Brody was about wanting Hayden from the moment they met.

Some of my favorite moments and quotes:

B: “For you, I’d wait forever. In fact, I’d do just about anything you asked.” His gaze softened. “I love you that much, Mrs. Croft.”

3.5 stars

Elle Kennedy is no doubt the queen of hockey romances. This one was exactly what it said it was. It was labeled as a spicy romcom and it delivered on that. It was super cute and there lots of spicy moments as well. The characters were likable and had a lot of chemistry. This was really there type of book where you get a story, plot, and characters with a lot of depth so don’t go into it expecting that. But it was really good at what it was meant to be. A short, spicy, enjoyable read.

When I requested this book from NetGalley, I had no idea it was a older book with a new cover release. Either way, this book sucked me in. It was spicy but it also had a plot. I loved the characters and found their chemistry to be great. I would definitely recommend this read especially if you like Elle's newer sports series.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

It was a quick read that checked all the sports rom com boxes: funny, sweet and spiiiicy!

The spice started pretty much from the start, which I LOVED! Brody was a hot hunky hockey player and Hayden was a good girl professor just looking for a one night stand, but despite trying her best to deny it, the two of them were undeniably perfect for each other!

Entertaining plot and side characters that kept me engaged the whole time. I’m thinking Darcy needs her own book, STAT!

I LOVE an EK hockey book, so I was so excited to get this arc! Body Check is technically Elle’s first hockey book, but it has been revamped and is getting re-released in July this year!

Hayden is back in town to help her dad, who is going through a nasty divorce. Due to her dad’s career of become a hockey coach and team owner, Hayden wants nothing to do with the sport— so when she sets her eyes on the attractive guy at the bar, she doesn’t realize that Brody Croft isn’t just a typical guy— he’s a professional hockey player, who just so happens to be on her dad’s team.

It was so fun to go back and see Elle’s first hockey book! I truly enjoyed it- he falls first, a secret relationship (or is it a relationship 👀👀), and again, hockey— some of my favorite tropes in a book!!

If you are a fan of any of Elle’s other books, or you love a good hockey romance, I highly recommend picking this on up when it comes out this summer!! Thank you to @netgalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC!!

Elle Kennedy has done it again and written an amazing book! You will not want to put this down! It has everything you need, hockey, romance, friendship, and spice!!!

This story is about Hayden and Brody’. Hayden is on a break and looking to hookup with someone fun for one night. That’s when she spots Brody at a bar and approaches him for a one night stand! The chemistry between them is off the charts and Brody’s insists they see each other again but Hayden is hesitant because of her relationship with Doug, who she hasn’t crossed the intimacy bridge with yet!

What happens next?? Read this hot, hours romance to find out!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book!!

Body Check by Elle Kennedy is a reworked version of the novel that was previously published (as mentioned in her Author’s Note). I have not read the original novel. And don’t need to, because this version was so much fun. Hayden is an art history professor in Chicago to support her father (who owns the local hockey team) through his divorce. She is also on a break from her very nice but not ready for intimacy boyfriend. She sees Brody in a bar and plays so pool and invites him back to her hotel. Wild smexy things happen. Brody wants to see her again, but she declines. And then the next day, they are introduced by her father, because of course Brody is a hockey player. There is all kinds of scandal to get through. But despite the rom com tone, the characters are pretty well rounded. Hayden’s stepmother (who is of course 2 years older than Hayden) could have been just a generic gold digger. But the author makes space in the story to let that character have human foibles. It adds so much to the story. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read an ARC. I obviously need to check out some of Elle Kennedy’s other work. 🌶️🌶️🌶️

It’s CRAZY to think that this is Elle Kennedys first contemporary && hockey romance she wrote: because it was SO good! But are we really surprised?? Because Off Campus is still to this day one of my FAVORITE hockey romance series - she’s the QUEEN of writing sports romance books!

I won’t lie, at first Hayden REALLY irked me - she was SO stubborn keeping Brody at arms length, but I get it. Not only did she want to play it safe, which she was so used to with Doug, but her relationship with her father clearly had closed her off to ANY feelings of love.

I truly enjoyed this book, because while it was spicy & romantic, which we LOVE, it also had a REALLY good plot with the scandal.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Elle Kennedy for allowing me to read an arc of this book before its rerelease with the adorable new cover in July! 🩵

The next move’s yours, Hayden. You want me, come and get me.

If she doesn’t I will! 🙋🏻‍♀️ this book was so fun and just a easy to read hockey romance. I am such a fan of the genre and such a fan of Elle that I knew I would love this book! I loved the relationship between Brody and Hayden, they were coming at it from two different directions. She wanted a one night stand even though she really wanted stability. He was done with one night stands but changed his mind to have her. Then she….yeah let’s just say she flips the script on him and he has to chase her. Which I love always.

“Let me hear that noise,” he said as he kissed her neck. She knew the noise he meant. His favorite noise, as he always maintained. The one she supposedly made when she came. And Brody Croft was stupidly skilled at drawing it out of her.

The spice was spicy. The banter was cute and funny. Darcy was hilarious and I loved her so much! While this was a romance there was a bit of other stuff going on and it kept the story moving at a good pace and the plot had me unable to put this book down! Oh and for those of you that know….Brody gives me Garrett Graham and Dean DiLaurentis vibes.

I appreciate the opportunity to read Elle Kennedy's rereleased and reworked Body Check, which I believe was her first contemporary romance in 2009. I would not have known this story was written 15 years ago, because the references and language have held up well.

Overall, this was a cute, very quick read which I finished in one sitting. Because it was so quick I struggled to really feel a deep connection to the characters and to their relationship. Other than mutual attraction and bedroom chemistry, I have to suspend a bit of disbelief about them falling in love over their personalities. Brody's monster peen and dirty mouth? Sure, I feel you. Personality? Where?

The plot was so farfetched, but you probably didn't come here for some realistic romance. Spoiler: I actually appreciated that the scorned ex-wife wasn't actually the bad guy.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I already read this book and it's one of my favourites by Elle so this was a perfect excuse to read a refreshed version and Iove it even more. Elle Kennedy is an auto buy author for me .Fun,entertaining and spicy reads always guaranteed. I will always recommend her books!

Body Check was originally published in 2009, but it’s being re-released in 2024 with some revisions and a new cover. And, let me tell you, it’s such a little cotton candy treat of a book! I love sports romance and Body Check checks most of the boxes for me.

I liked the relationship, but I wish there was a liiiiittle more development between the MCs that wasn’t just sex. Small gripe, but it’s just what I prefer!

Overall, this is a pretty solid romance. Highly recommend for romance readers, especially if you like sports romance. It gets a 4/5 for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Body Check. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Before writing this review, I want to note that I read the 2024 version that’s been updated and has additional story added to it.

This with another great hockey romance by Elle Kennedy! Since it’s a standalone you don’t get quite as wrapped up with the characters and the team, but it’s still really engaging and you fall into the world she’s built. As an added bonus, it’s a pro hockey player, and both characters are in their late 20’s.

This was definitely not a slow burn, and I think there’s more spice than most other Kennedy books I’ve read. The book also deals with some heavier topics (infidelity (not MCs), gambling, addiction), but still manages to overall feel like a light romance.

If you love Elle Kennedy and are looking for something super spicy, this is probably for you! I really fell for her "The Deal" series, but this book didn't catch me in the same way.

As a huge Elle Kennedy fan, of course I’ll read whatever she writes. The Briar series are my favorite of Kennedy’s, but since Body Check was also hockey related, I was excited to give it a shot. The HEA was heartwarming, and the family drama was a slow burn. I didn’t feel as attached to the characters, but the hockey action was central and engaging. A fun read, I’ll recommend if somebody is waiting for the next installment of Briar et al.

Body Check is a reprinting of Elle Kennedy’s first foray into the sports/hockey romance world, written several years ago. Her craft has come a long way since writing this book. That being said, it was enjoyable, if predictable. If found the plot to be kind of basic, while somehow throwing in a solid handful of romance book tropes. I’m still glad I read it, but I’m also glad I read a lot of the author’s other books first, so I know what her more refined stories are like.

This book didn’t really sweep me away like I thought it would. It was not a bad book, but rather a case of “not for me”, in the end. I have enjoyed other hockey romance books by Elle Kennedy before so this one was disappointing, although understandably so since it was written a long time ago already.
Everything felt too cliché and over the top, the feelings of the main characters for each other got too intense too fast for my taste and there was no banter to keep me interested through it all. The spice didn’t really move me either, probably because I was not invested emotionally in the characters, and finally, there was definitely too much drama for me. The classic trope in the epilogue confirmed my feelings for this book.
To be honest, I probably would have stopped reading around the 40% mark if it hadn’t been a short read, so I pushed to the end so I would have a complete picture to review it.

i love elle and this is a quick and enjoyable read
fall in love with the charcters at the first few pages
but felt a little isolated at the end
thank you netgalley and elle for the arc

This hockey romance packed tons of spice- but with Kennedy's trademark banter and a locker room scandal that had me hanging on with baited breath, Body Check was the whole package.

📚 Body Check
✍ Elle Kennedy
📖 Sports Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Romance and Elle Kennedy for the advanced copy of the re-released Body Check. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: I love ambitious female main characters in romances that know what they want and Elle Kennedy always gives me main characters I can root for. I loved that Hayden's background was in art history (although I'm not sure how she became a professor before she finished her PhD...) and that she was initially immune to Brody's hockey charms. Body Check was definitely spicy and not at all a slow burn, which was kind of fun. It felt like Brody and Hayden had an immediate physical connection but then spent the book building an emotional connection. I can absolutely see the origins of Kennedy's Briar U universe in this book but enjoyed that this took place in a more NHL world and that the characters had more mature challenges than many of the college-aged characters in her future books.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I knew going in that this was going to be spicy but felt like the plot was sufficient for me. If you want wayyy more plot than spice, this may not be your jam. But it's a fun one!
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Read if you love:
*one night stand to more
*immediate steam
*locker room scandal
*she's his team owner's daughter
*he falls first
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See also: Mile High, Flawless, Play Your Part