The Play by Elle Kennedy review: messy and flirty
A celibate hockey captain, a friendship that turns complicated, and a book that somehow made me love Hunter. My review of The Play by Elle Kennedy.
I had trust issues going into The Play by Elle Kennedy. Hunter had been on a bit of a downward spiral, the heroine started the book with someone else, and I was not fully convinced this situation was going to work for me. Joke’s on me, obviously, because Elle Kennedy knows exactly how to take a setup that should be messy and make it fun to read. This one is flirty, tense, and way more charming than I expected it to be.
Fun, flirty, steamy, packed full of sexual tension and great banter. ~ Under the Covers
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Play by Elle Kennedy
Briar U #3
October 7, 2019
Read this if you want:
- celibate hockey captain
- best friends to lovers
- forced proximity (project)
What is The Play by Elle Kennedy about?
The Play by Elle Kennedy follows Hunter Davenport, who is trying very hard to get his life together by swearing off hookups and focusing on hockey. Then Demi Davis walks in, they get paired on a long-term project, and the “just friends” plan starts looking very shaky very fast. She is smart, funny, newly single later on, and basically the exact kind of person to make his whole no-sex, no-distractions plan collapse in style.
The Play by Elle Kennedy Book Review
Content warnings: mental health, suicide, pressure to have sex (heroine on the hero)
I’ve been waiting for Hunter’s book FOREVER and it’s finally here. This was one of my most anticipated books in this series and I had no clue how I would end up feeling about it. First, Hunter’s attitude the past few books has been a downhill slope so, would I like him? And second, the fact that the heroine was dating someone else at the beginning of this book so, would it be too soon for me? Rest assured, Elle Kennedy knows just how to take a sticky situation and make you fall in love with it.
Would you like to save this?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send this post straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll join fellow readers and receive my book recommendations each week!
Hunter is starting off the season with a vow of celibacy because he needs to make sure he doesn’t let the team down and not having his hook-ups interfering with his game is important to him. So when he meets Demi and they have to work on a project together he knows it’ll be strictly friendly. Plus she has a boyfriend so she’s extremely off limits. I loved the time this takes to develop a friendship between them. The fact that Demi and Hunter’s personalities seemed to be just perfect for each other was also very important.
If I could complain about one thing is the fact that I didn’t like how much pressure Demi puts on Hunter to give up on his vow of celibacy just because she was now ready to have sex.
THE PLAY is everything I expect from Elle Kennedy. Fun, flirty, steamy, packed full of sexual tension and great banter. An entertaining read from start to finish. When can we have the next one?
About the Briar U series by Elle Kennedy
The Play is book 3 in the Briar U series by Elle Kennedy, which is a spin off of the Off Campus series. These are interconnected standalones that focus on a group of college hockey players, and friends, falling in love.
Final Thoughts
What really got me with The Play by Elle Kennedy is that it took a setup I was side-eyeing and somehow made me buy in completely. Hunter and Demi just make sense together, and the friendship foundation was perfect. While this isn’t a perfect book, overall this is exactly the kind of fun, sexy, easy to read and binge Elle Kennedy read I was hoping for. Basically, yes, she got me again.
Pin this for later
