The Deal by Elle Kennedy
(Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)
on February 24th, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Pages: 358
She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...
Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.
...and it’s going to be oh so good.
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.
Stacia Says…
I love a good college romance. Add in a nerdy girl and a jock and to me you have the makings of a great book. I think that’s why the synopsis of this book grabbed my attention. But, this book is so much more than just your typical college romance and Elle Kennedy’s writing is funny, sexy, and very relatable.
In the past five years, since she was attacked and raped, Hannah has only found herself attracted to two men. One didn’t work out and the other is an oblivious jock. So when she finally sees a chance of getting this “beautiful” guy’s attention, because there is no other way to describe Justin Kohl, she takes it. Even if that means tutoring the bad boy on campus Garrett Graham in exchange; she is willing to risk it.
“He’s so beautiful it makes my throat close up.”
Garrett is what most would consider the dumb sexist jock on campus. But he’s actually so much more than that. Hannah seems like his only hope of bringing up his GPA to the schools standards so he can continue to play hockey this year. So helping to make Hannah’s crush jealous, in exchange for help with his grades seems like an even trade. Until feelings get involved…
I think I loved Garrett from the very first words out of his mouth! He is funny and sarcastic as hell- my kind of guy! I also loved his roommates and I’m hoping they all get books in this series, especially his best friend Logan.
“I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived with them. How you went about your day and hung out with your friends and fucked other people without having this one important person in your life.”
The banter back and forth and the sexual tension between Hannah and Garrett was through the roof and hot damn when they finally gave in to their feelings… Skokie time! This book had just the right amount of angst and drama combined with a great storyline to keep me interested from start to finish!
Excerpt
Thirty minutes before my shift ends, I find Garrett Graham in one of my booths.
Seriously.
Does this guy ever give up?
I have no desire to go over there and serve him, but I don’t have much of a choice. Lisa,
the other waitress on duty, is busy tending to a group of faculty members at a table across the room, and my boss Della is behind the baby-blue Formica counter dishing out slices of pecan pie to three freshman girls sitting on the tall swivel stools.
I set my jaw and march up to Garrett, making my displeasure obvious as I meet his
twinkling gray eyes. He runs a hand through his cropped dark hair and flashes a lopsided grin.
“Hey there, Hannah. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Yeah, fancy,” I mutter, yanking my order pad out of my apron pocket. “What can I get
“A tutor.”
“Sorry, that’s not on the menu.” I smile sweetly. “We serve really good pecan pie,
though.”
“You know what I did last night?” he says without acknowledging the sarcasm.
“Yep. You were text stalking me.”
He rolls his eyes. “Before that, I mean.”
I pretend to think it over. “Um…you hooked up with a cheerleader? No, you hooked up
with the girls’ hockey team. No, wait, they’re probably not ditzy enough for you. I stick with my original guess—cheerleader.”
“Sorority sister, actually,” he says smugly. “But I’m talking about what I did before that.”
He raises one dark eyebrow. “But I’m very intrigued by your interest in my sex life. I can give you details about that another time if you want.”
“I don’t.”
“Another time,” he echoes in a dismissive tone, folding his hands on the blue-and-white-
checkered tablecloth.
He’s got big hands with long fingers, short nails, and knuckles that are slightly red and
cracked. I wonder if he’s been in a fight recently, but then I realize the busted-up knuckles are probably a hockey player thing.
“I was at study group yesterday,” he informs me. “There were eight other people there,
and you know what the highest mark in the group was?” He blurts out the answer before I can hazard a guess. “C-plus. And our combined average was a D. How am I supposed to pass this makeup if I’m studying with people who are as dumb as I am? I need you, Wellsy.”
Wellsy? Is that a nickname? And how on earth does he know that my last name is Wells?
I never told—argh. Damn sign-up sheet.
Garrett notices my surprised look and cocks his brows again. “I learned a lot about you in study group. Got your number, your full name, even found out where you work.”
“Congratulations, you really are a stalker.”
“Nope, just thorough. I like to know what I’m up against.”
“Jesus Harold Christ! I’m not tutoring you, okay? Go bug somebody else.” I point at the
menu in front of him. “Are you ordering? Because if not, then please go away and let me do my job in peace.”
“Jesus Harold Christ?” Garrett snickers before picking up the laminated menu and giving it a cursory glance. “I’ll have a turkey club.” He sets the menu down, then reaches for it again.
“And a bacon double cheeseburger. Just the burger, no fries. Actually, I changed my mind—yes to the fries. Oh, and a side order of onion rings.”
My jaw almost hits the floor. “You’re seriously going to eat all that?”
He grins. “Of course. I’m a growing boy.”
Boy? Nuh-uh. I’m only noticing it now—probably because I’ve been too distracted by
how insufferable he is—but Garrett Graham is all man. There’s nothing boyish about him, not his chiseled good looks or his tall frame or that ripped chest of his, which suddenly flashes to mind as I remember the picture he sent me.
“I’ll also take a slice of that pecan pie and a Dr. Pepper to drink. Oh, and some tutoring.”
“Not on the menu,” I say cheerfully. “But the rest is coming right up.”
Before he can argue, I abandon his booth and head to the back counter to place his order with Julio, our night cook. A nanosecond later, Lisa rushes over and addresses me in a hushed
“Oh my God. You know who that is, right?”
“Yep.”
“It’s Garrett Graham.”
“I know,” I answer dryly. “That’s why I said yep.”
Lisa looks outraged. “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you freaking out right now?
Garrett Graham is sitting in your booth. He talked to you.”
“Holy shit, he did? I mean, his lips were moving, but I didn’t realize he was talking.”
I roll my eyes and walk over to the drink station to pour Garrett’s drink. I don’t look his
way, but I can feel those smoky gray eyes following my every movement. He’s probably sending
t
elepathic orders for me to tutor him. Well, too bad for him. There’s no way I’m wasting the little spare time I have on a college hockey player who thinks he’s a rock star.
Lisa trails after me, oblivious to my sarcasm and still gushing about Graham. “He’s so
gorgeous. Like unbelievably gorgeous.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. “And I hear he’s
amazing in bed.”
I snort. “He probably started that rumor himself.”
“No, Samantha Richardson told me. She hooked up with him last year at the Theta
kegger. Said it was the best sex of her life.”
I have no response, because I couldn’t care less about the sex life of some girl I don’t
even know. Instead, I shrug and hold out the Dr. Pepper. “You know what? Why don’t you take his booth?”
The way Lisa gasps, you’d think I just handed her a check for five million dollars. “Are
you sure?”
“Yep. He’s all yours.”
“Oh my God.” She takes a step forward as if she’s going to hug me, but then her gaze
darts to Garrett and she appears to have second thoughts about broadcasting her terribly unwarranted joy. “I owe you so big for this, Han.”
I want to tell her that she’s actually doing me the favor, but she’s already dashing toward
the booth to wait on her prince. I watch in amusement as Garrett’s expression clouds over at
Lisa’s approach. He picks up the glass she sets in front of him, then meets my gaze and slants his
As if to say, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.
About Elle Kennedy
A RITA-award nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle currently publishes with Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Harlequin Blaze, Samhain Publishing, and NAL. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
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