Book Review: The Risk by Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U Book #2

Format: eBook

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Hockey

Publisher: Self-published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Everyone says I’m a bad girl. They’re only partly right—I don’t let fear rule me, and I certainly don’t care what people think. But I draw the line at sleeping with the enemy. As the daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, I’d be vilified if I hooked up with a player from a rival team.

And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, and too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a much-coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me.

I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend.

For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him.

That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.

Review

Wahoo! I finally read this book! I really enjoyed this. Brenna and Jake were both great and I loved their relationship. And I really loved reading about Brenna's relationship with her dad.

Brenna and Jake were very well developed. They were interesting in the first book, but became more flushed out here. She is so much more complicated than she originally seemed. And I really loved how she felt about her red lipstick. Then, there's Jake. He is so nice. I thought he would be a douche bag hero, but he wasn't. And he is so passionate about hockey and his team.

The romance was really good and developed at a solid pace. It has a fake dating element but is also kind of a Romeo & Juliet story. Some may say enemies to lovers, but I lean more toward R&J. I particularly liked that they talked to each other and got to know each other. It's not just, going at it like bunnies. That doesn't mean there is a lack of sexy times.

The side characters and interactions were also really good. There are some solid friendships for both Brenna and Jake. Rupi was probably my new favorite. I feel like there won't be a book for her, but I would love one. And like I said before, I really enjoyed reading about Brenna and her dad. They have a complicated, but real and raw relationship.

The new book has a title and cover, but no synopsis. It comes out in October and I need to know who it's about. No matter what, I'm dying for it.

Thanks for reading!

Holly