Hockey, Banter, and Love—That’s The Deal

 A hockey player, a bet, and undeniable chemistry—The Deal proves friends-to-lovers can be explosive

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Author: Elle Kennedy

Genre: Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary

Trigger Warnings: 

• Graphic: Rape, Sexual Content, Domestic Abuse
• Moderate: Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Physical Abuse
• Limited: Death of a Parent

Tropes: Friends-to-Lovers, Fake Relationships, Bets, College Romance, College Campus, Sports, Hockey, Banter, Opposites Attract, Coming of Age, Slow-Burn, Sexual Tension, Humor

Recommended Age: 17+* 

(*Discretion is Advised)

Pace: Medium to Fast 

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4-5 peppers) 

Page Count: 342 pages-Kindle Edition

Format Consumed: Ebook through Libby App

When Hannah agrees to tutor bad-boy hockey player Garrett, she expects a simple arrangement. What she doesn’t expect is the sparks, teasing, and undeniable chemistry that turn their deal into something much more. Full of humor, tension, and steamy romance, The Deal is a friends-to-lovers story that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

This was my first time reading a novel by Elle Kennedy and a hockey romance. I was surprised by how enjoyable this book became after the beginning didn't pull me in right away. I love romance books, but I was extremely hesitant to read a sports romance as I am not a sports fan. 

The writing of this novel was well-written, so it did not feel like a cheesy romance novel. I also think the writing was well developed and did fit the flow of the story. The author used plenty of banter between Hannah and Garrett, which made the characters extremely funny. The author wrote the book and characters to have emotional depth, which really made the story relatable. 

The characters in this book were well-rounded. Each character had developed throughout the entire story, and you can see the history of each character. It can be felt that the characters have flaws, chemistry, and depth. I saw that each of the characters, from main characters to side characters, has emotional depth. Hannah was my favorite character in this book. She is a relatable protagonist who can be seen to grow throughout the book. Garrett was a bit annoying at first as he was highly involved in himself. It can be seen that he only cared about himself until he "fell in love" with Hannah. It can be seen that he was able to grow into a person who was not self-obsessed after he met Hannah and was actually a decent guy. 

The pacing of this book did start out at a medium pace, but as it progressed, it became fast-paced. Now I think this was caused as the romance between Hannah and Garrett increased, the banter increased. Also, it did flow nicely from medium to fast, but it did feel rushed towards the end. I did feel engaged throughout the whole story and was not bored. I feel like, since this was mostly driven by pace, the plot also kind of helped. I feel like there was way less plot and more character development. 

The spice in this book was amazing! It had more spice than I am usually reading, which was a new experience for me. I do feel like it was not overly explicit to where it was too much or too cringy. I do feel like this book was not mostly about the sexual tension or the steamy spice. I feel like Elle put enough to have the element of spicy romance, but not to where many readers would be uncomfortable. I also liked how the author included banter throughout the piece. It brought it to life and made the story feel more like a real-life romance story. The spice scenes were not explicit to where it was too much, but I do have to say that there was enough description to know what was going on. 

“I want to murder him in his sleep, A. No, I want to murder him when he’s awake so he can see the joy on my face when I do it.” 

20% Kindle Edition

"He’s cut like a diamond. Hard edges and gleaming skin and pure masculinity."

52% Kindle Edition

“Hey, come on, don’t cry,” he begs. “It breaks my fucking heart to hear you cry.”

53% Kindle Edition

I am really glad I have finally decided to pick up this book after hearing so much about it. I really couldn't put it down after I had gotten past the first 4ish chapters. I think the story became well-developed, and even the character growth. I would recommend this book to others who are okay with spicy romance, as this is not for people who prefer a 0-1 pepper spice rating. Another final thing I have to say is that I really enjoyed seeing Hannah and Garrett's romance bloom into such a banter/spicy relationship. 

Rating: 💫💫💫💫 (4/5 stars