This was such a fun read. I really liked both characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Give me a hockey romance by Elle Kennedy and I’m happy!

Hayden is trying to get away from anything hockey, due to her father being a coach. Brody is trying to settle down and give up his bad boy image. When these two have a one night stand, they don’t know what’s coming for them.

The chemistry between these two is hot, hot, hot! 🥵 This book has the perfect amount of steam and plot! I felt that it was engaging and wonderfully written. This is definitely a book I’ll pick up and read again!


📘: Body Check by Ellen Kennedy
🗓️: July 2, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellen Kennedy, and Harlequin Romance for this ARC!

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

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

I had no idea this was Elle Kennedy's first book (ever!) that was being refreshed and rereleased!

Since we know Elle Kennedy is the queen of hockey romance, I knew I would enjoy this one (and I did!).

Quick hits:
* sports romance
* hockey team owner's daughter / hockey player MMC
* one night stand turned to more
* he falls first
* a little bit of an angsty subplot
* spicy spicy

Brody and Hayden meet at a bar and go home to have an incredible one night together. Afterwards, he's interested in more and she is definitely not... but when life throws them quickly back at each other, they can't resist one another. They have great chemistry and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow past the physical and the subplots around the hockey team added some needed drama.

I will say this felt like a lot more spice and not as much depth, but I still enjoyed it!

Rating: 3.75 stars

Elle Kennedy did a great job with this hockey romance. I loved the character and the plot. It was entertaining without it being too long. Perfect for a quick weekend read. I would def suggest this to anybody looking for a hockey romance.

This book was really good at what it was meant to be, a short and spicy enjoyable read. It was labeled as a spicy romcom and it delivered. It was definitely cute and spicy. There wasn't a lot of depth in the story, plot, or characters, and that's perfectly okay. I recommend.

everything elle kennedy writes is a must read for me! this one did not fail me either! it was so good and i’ve already been recommending it to customers that come in.

I am a sucker for hockey romances, and a sucker for Elle Kennedy. Elle is an automatic read for me ever since the off campus series, and she has not let me down. When it comes to romance, sports, and lovable characters she always hits the right spot.

I love that Elle is re-releasing a favorite. She just writes the best hockey books and I feel like everyone needs to read them. Body check is one of her first and I was great to dive back into it again and see it updated.

EK is the queen of hockey romances, and this one did. not. miss.

While I never read the original version, I don’t think that was to my detriment. It was easy to enjoy this one in its new form and fall in love with Hayden, Brody, and their love story.

I loved the push and pull, the will-they-won’t-they, the flipping of the script where Brody wanted more and Hayden was content with a fling. I loved the slow, simple way they fell in love—Hayden going to his games even though she didn’t particularly care for the game of hockey, and Brody letting Hayden drag him around to museums or talk about her art history passions.

The spice was perfect, and I loved the added mystery and stakes of the bribery/throwing games scandal brewing in the background.

All said, I loved this one and I highly recommend!

Did not enjoy this book or the story/plot that the lead chracters had to go through. Unfortunatley not for me.

This book was the first book that the author had published and it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a debut romance - hot and spicy, decent characters, pretty simple plot. Girl and boy meet at a bar, have a one night stand, she gives him the brushoff the next morning, then is pretty horrified to learn a few days later that he's one of the star players on the hockey team that her dad owns.

I enjoyed that Brody was the one who wanted to pursue a relationship, while Hayden was trying to maintain distance and felt she didn't have the bandwidth to get involved, not to mention that she had already had a boyfriend back in California (no cheating though, as they were technically "on a break"). All in all, a fun, fast read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I really do enjoy a good hockey romance; it must be the Canadian girl in me. I've been reading a lot of them lately, and I am proud to say that most of the hockey romances I have been reading are written by Canadian romance authors like Jenny Holiday, Becka Mack, and Odette Stone. Elle Kennedy has been on my radar for a while lately, so when I saw she had a new hockey romance coming out, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. Body Check is the perfect book for those bookworms looking for a quick, spicy hockey romance fix. This book is short and deliciously spicy. Things move pretty quickly in this book, which is expected since it's just under 200 pages. I enjoyed everything about this story. The banter is witty and sharp, the characters are fun and relatable, and the spice is really nice… or really naughty.

There are lots of great tropes woven into this short story. You have one one-night stand, insta lust, forced proximity, and workplace romance. If you like romances filled with dirty talk, sex in all sorts of places, and a hero that falls first and harder then you will devour this book. I loved the chemistry between Hayden and Brody. It was a lot of fun, and at times, even hilarious, watching these two interact with each other.

Body Check is a quick and spicy read that is sure to satisfy any romance bookworm.

Body Check was a refreshing addition to this series. It had all the elements of the previous book including the romance and spice, but I felt like it was lacking in the character development and overall story. I enjoy this series, but this one was not my favorite.

I’m a huge Elle Kennedy fan and really enjoy reading all her books. My favorite are her hockey romances! Elle never fails to deliver on spice. I didn’t realize this was a re release of a book she had previously written but I’m happy to read it. Very good and loved it like I have all her others! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Body Check by Elle Kennedy is a decent read. Relatively quick, but not much of a story, to be honest. Very spicy, but not something that I will really remember or talk about. The side characters are not well developed, and honestly, neither are the main characters. I really just wanted a little more.

Hayden's dad owns the Chicago Warriors hockey team. Hayden is taking a break from her time as a professor to help him get through his public scandalous divorce. She's back in Chicago just for the summer and is looking for a one night stand. She find the perfect candidate, Brody Croft, at a sports bar. Brody is hot, smart, and ready to go home with her. Everything goes perfectly until Hayden realizes that Brody is a hockey player on her dad's team.

This book is the perfect spicy quick read. I devoured this book in hours. It's sexy, funny, and sweet. This book is the definition of rom-com.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC of Body Check.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the #gifted eARC.

Body Check
by Elle Kennedy
(updated & extended edition published July 2, 2024)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public places & outdoor spaces.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Elle Kennedy’s very first hockey romance got an update and new cover—I couldn’t resist.
🤩 Secret (unknown) identities and a hot one-night-stand that Hayden Houston initiates.
🤩 Reversed roles, Brody Croft is used to initiating.
🤩 The meet-again cute & “I see you’ve met my daughter Hayden.”
🤩 He’s a hockey player for the Chicago Warriors, the team her dad owns.
🤩 A super-hot, fling-to-forever plot. My attention was captivated.
🤩 Take me to the gazebo.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 The timing of the love triangle.
💫 Some steamy fun at the end would have been lovely.
💫 I enjoyed the read, but the feels didn’t blow me away.
💫 I like more description so I feel like I’m there.

This fast-paced steam fest of Kennedy's was a delight! I always love a good hockey romance and Hayden and Brody did not disappoint.
There is a good bit of family drama, big acts of service and grand gestures, and a nice tied bow at the end....it does take a bit to get there though. Enjoy the ride!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts are entirely my own!

Elle Kennedy always writes great quick hockey reads! I will always pick up any of her books and give it a chance. This was a swoon worthy hockey romance that everyone should pick up! Highly recommend

Elle Kennedy has done it again! Her hockey romance can't be beat and Body Check is a perfect example. It kept me entertained and was a quick, great read. The back and forth and the chase between Hayden and Brody was oh so delicious and the tension and drama of Hayden wanting to distance herself from hockey kept me on my toes. Brody is romantic and sweet and hot, and Hayden is a solid, amazing female main character. All in all, this was a fun, fast read.