Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. Ive read (and loved) Elle Kennedy before so I thought I knew what I was getting into but I definitely didn’t. This book is ALL spice, no plot. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then this book is great for you!! For me personally, I need a little more of a storyline and more build up. That’s truly just personal preference. Anyone just wanting a short, fun, hockey spice book will love this.

I may be bias but I’ll always love hockey romance by Elle Kennedy. She is the queen of hockey romance!

When Hayden wants a one night stand, no strings attached, hookup, she thinks she hits gold when she finds Brody at a local bar. Well Hayden is in for a shock when she finds out Brody plays for her father’s hockey team. There is a lot of turmoil for Hayden as her father is going through a divorce, may be an alcoholic, and is under investigation for bribing his players. Brody is willing to take their relationship to the next level but Hayden wants to keep him at arms length. Over time, both come to realize the love they have for each other.

If you are a fan of sports romance, spice, and a little drama, this is the book for you!

OKAY. We’ve got the OG Queen of hockey romance (Off-Campus, BriarU, Campus Diaries) giving us an update on her OG standalone hockey rom-com.
… does he measure up to Fitz? (my favorite Briar hockey player).

ONS
Dual POV
He falls harder

FMC Hayden - art history professor out in SF who is pulled back to Chicago when her stepmom files for divorce from her father. A mess of a web begins to unravel and catch not just Hayden and her father, but also the Warriors hockey team he is an owner of.

MMC Brody - forward on the Warriors for 8 years, faced with exploring other contracts quietly when the Warriors begin to stall negotiations.

A ONS intertwines the lives of Brody and Hayden after she hoped to never see him again, and he tries to figure out every way he can see her again. Despite swearing off all things Hockey, Hayden is thrown back into the life she distanced herself from while teaching at Berkeley. Elle Kennedy takes us through a little bit of a who done it/did he really do it. Delivering a more adult drama than we’re used to, as these are working professionals and not the BriarU students we know and love.

Simmering that rubbed me the wrong way is how Hayden thinks negatively of her father’s social life and status, but she has directly benefited from it her entire life.

Don’t get me wrong, Brody is great, but Fitz is still my favorite MMC by Elle.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this re-release of an updated version of Elle Kennedy's "Body Check." I haven't read the original so I cannot compare new to old, but the new is definitely good. Hayden Houston returns to Chicago ostensibly to help her hockey team owning father through a nasty divorce and some even nastier allegations. She ends up having a super hot one-night stand with Brody Croft, who unbeknownst to her, is a player on her dad's team. The chemistry between them is sizzling and Brody wants to expand on their ONS pretty much immediately but Hayden wants to avoid complications. That becomes pretty hard to do once she realizes who Brody actually is.

"Body Check" is fun and super spicy. There is a brief third act breakup, but the circumstances in which it happens make it somewhat more palatable. Brody and Hayden are legit fire together both in and out of the sheets. Brody knows just how special Hayden is from the very beginning and is not afraid to tell her. I didn't love that Hayden had a sort of boyfriend back home (they are on a "break") but the situation did resolve fairly easily and with honest. I appreciated that the ex is not portrayed as mean-spirited or bad in any way. He simply isn't the guy for Hayden, something she thought might be the case, but knows 100% after she meets Brody. All of the negative circumstances wrapped up a little too prettily for me, but the book overall is great and recommended.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

Body Check by Elle Kennedy is a steamy romcom that follows the passionate relationship between art history professor Hayden Houston and hockey star Brody Croft. As Hayden seeks a fling to break free from her routine, she finds herself drawn to Brody's charm and sincerity, leading to a whirlwind romance filled with steamy encounters and emotional growth. Despite facing challenges such as family scandals and career aspirations, Hayden and Brody's love shines through, proving that sometimes the most unexpected matches are the perfect ones. With its sizzling chemistry, relatable characters, and satisfying epilogue, Body Check is a delightful read that will leave readers smiling.

Body Check is a steamy hockey romance, perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy's better known Briar U and Off Campus series. Hayden and Brody don't expect to fall for each other but they do, and they fall hard. The spicy scenes are excellent and the story is enjoyable. I read this in one sitting and can't wait for more by this author!

The way that I am an Elle Kennedy STAN is next level. If she writes it? I am going to read it. No question. This was about as steamy as I have ever read from Elle and I ATE IT UP. Deliciously short and sweet and I loved it. Anything Elle hockey is always an immediate yes for me. I am so happy to see this story rebranded. 5/5 spicy hot stars.

I enjoyed most of the story however this book is very spicy. I think fans of romance and sports romance will really enjoy this book but it was just too spicy for me.

Spicy and fun! This narrative is skillfully crafted and penned, deserving the highest recommendation. Its catchy title hints at a refreshing take on romance, and it delivers precisely that! The characters are intricately developed, feeling as familiar as your next-door neighbor.

A cute hockey romance. I’ve read another of Elle Kennedys books and really enjoy her writing style. This was a fast and enjoyable read Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this wonderful book

This was a pretty steamy read! This was about an Art History Professor that is looking for a fling to spice up her love life. She gives Brody (the formerly bad boy hockey star) a chance. This book is perfect for all the sports romance lovers out there who love spicy books. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the arc of this book.

A great fast-paced, shorter hockey romance!

With this being a re-release with some rewritten/additional parts from the original publishing in 2009, it's definitely clear that Elle Kennedy has grown as a sports romance writer -- especially holding this in comparison to her most recent hockey romance release, The Graham Effect.

That being said, this was an entertaining read and would recommend.

Elle Kennedy and Hockey, two things that just go together.

What’s starts as a ONS ends in something that both of them didn’t see coming. I love Elle Kennedy’s stories, characters and steam. She does it all and continues to knock it out of the park.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

It was quick spicy hockey romance with the Elle Kennedy spicy! I am not sure I love any of the characters. They were just ok to me.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This was a cute book, a perfect palette cleanser between some heavy non-fiction books.

This was a quick & easy read but it didn't have much else going on. I think the main characters were enjoyable enough, if lacking any real depth. The story was just okay, but this isn't the kind of book you go to for the plot 🤪 If you're looking for a short and spicy hockey romance, this is perfect for you.

Maybe I wasn't in the right mood to read this book, but I do find that it is either hit or miss with Elle Kennedy for me. And while I did enjoy the story and the characters, it was just a little too predictable. There were no surprises. Hayden's insistence on a fling and her daddy issues kind of drove me nuts. Well, mainly the daddy issues. Yes, he put hockey first when she was younger which totally sucked. But at the age she is in the book, I don't think she should have expected her dad to drop everything to be with her either. And she did a lot to distance herself too, staying in a separate location from him and the like. I feel like Kennedy wanted her dad to be painted as a bad guy but couldn't really make him all the way bad, so it didn't work for me.

Brody was fine. More tolerant of Hayden than I think he should have been. And the insta love took me a beat to get over.

All in all, this wasn't a bad romance. More sex scenes than I needed because they kind of pulled away from the romance developing and the story. But that's me and perhaps also the mood I was in. I do think that there are better Elle Kennedy books to be read, and maybe republishing with updates is not the way to go for her previous books. I find the tendency of authors to republish a bit annoying to be frank. I do understand that the industry is hard and sometimes a book that was published under the radar deserves some attention. Just not sure that the romance genre necessarily lends itself to this, nor do I think that all books need to be rebranded to sell again.

I high-key hated this and should've DNF'd it after the first page. I think it got a rerelease with more spicy scenes and a "better" cover? I'm not sure, but I was not a fan of this book at all. Shallow and off-putting.

Body Check is a cute hockey romance with a little bit of conflict from outside sources. With the hockey team and main character’s dad under allegations of illegal rigging of games, Hayden and Brody should definitely not start a romance together. The story would be great alone without the side characters. It’s a quick and hard to put down romance. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC to review.

This was short, spicy and sweet! I will always read a hockey romance Elle Kennedy reads. I thought this was a new release but it must’ve been re-released recently? Nevertheless enjoyed.