The Dare by Elle Kennedy Series: Briar U #4
Published by Elle Kennedy Inc. on June 16, 2020
Pages: 354
Format: ARC
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Sports Romance
Amazon B&N Apple Kobo
College was supposed to be my chance to get over my ugly-duckling complex and spread my wings. Instead, I wound up in a sorority full of mean girls. I already have a hard time fitting in, so when my Kappa Chi sisters issue the challenge, I can’t say no.
The dare: seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class.
Conor Edwards is a regular at Greek Row parties…and in Greek Row sorority beds. He’s the one you fall for before you learn that guys like him don’t give girls like me a second glance. Except Mr. Popular throws me for a loop—rather than laughing in my face, he does me a solid by letting me take him upstairs to pretend we’re getting busy.
Even crazier, now he wants to keep pretending. Turns out Conor loves games, and he thinks it’s fun to pull the wool over my frenemies’ eyes.
But resisting his easy charm and surfer-boy hotness is darn near impossible. Though I’m realizing there’s much more to Conor’s story than his fan club can see.
And the longer this silly ruse goes on, the greater the danger of it all blowing up in my face.
Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series is filled with lovable goofball hockey players and the girls that put up with love them. The Dare is the fourth standalone set on the Ivy League campus and both the lady and the jock shine bright.
The heroines in most romances are drop dead gorgeous with perfect bodies, flawless skin, and seldom a bad hair day in sight. Taylor has some meat on her bones and it is so freakin’ refreshing! She has worked hard to accept her curvy figure. However, self consciousness keeps rearing its ugly head, and her spiteful sorority sisters and douchey frat boys don’t make it any easier for her. I admired her fortitude.
Conor is a popular hockey player who seems to have it all – California surfer good looks, money, a carefree attitude, and his pick of women. Appearances can be deceiving.
From the outside, Conor and Taylor seem like an unlikely pair, but in reality they are just two insecure people desperately trying to fit in. There is an ease and playfulness between them – and no shortage of chemistry – and yet they need repeated reassurances from each other that they are worthy of love. My main complaint is that the repetitiveness grows tiresome. The trust between them is there almost from the start, but more time could have been spent developing their relationship. Even so, I really enjoyed them as a couple.
Taylor’s strained relationships with her sorority sisters and Conor’s complicated family dynamics create added interest to the story. I loved Taylor’s ballsy best friend and Conor’s knuckleheaded teammates. The Dare is an endearing and enjoyable addition to the series.
Recommended for fans of:
Sports romance
College romance
Greek life
Mean Girls
* I received an early copy of this book to voluntarily read. *
Excerpt from The Dare:
“No problem. Mind if I make myself comfortable?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, no. I don’t mind. Sit if you want. Or—wow, okay, you’re lying down.”
I grin at her visible nervousness. It’s cute. While I stretch out my six-foot-two frame amid the stuffed animals and decorative pillows on the bed, she remains the startled rabbit plastered against the door and breathing heavily.
“Gotta be honest,” I tell her, entwining my hands behind my head, “I’ve never seen a girl so unhappy to be locked in a bedroom with me.”
This has the desired effect of loosening her shoulders and even eliciting a shy smile. “I have no doubt.”
“I’m Conor, by the way.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I know.”
“What’s the eyeroll for?” I ask, playing wounded.
“No, sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just, I know who you are. You’re, like, campus famous.”
The more I watch her, hands braced at her sides against the door, one knee bent, dirty-blonde hair a little messy and draped over one shoulder, I can’t help picturing myself holding her arms above her head while I explore her body with my mouth. She’s got very kissable skin.
“Taylor Marsh,” she blurts out, and I realize I don’t know how long we were silent until then.
I scoot to the far side of the bed and put a pillow beside me as a divider. “Come on. If we’re going to be in here awhile, let’s at least make friends.”
Taylor laughs out a breath and with it she releases a bit more tension. She’s got a nice smile. Bright, warm. It takes a bit more coaxing, however, to get her on the bed.
“This isn’t like a move,” she tells me, lining up stuffed animal guards to patrol the pillow wall between us. “I’m not some sort of weirdo who tricks men into getting in bed with her and then mauls them.”
“Sure.” I nod with mock seriousness. “But a little mauling would be okay.”
About Elle Kennedy
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling 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 writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
I get what you’re saying here about the repetitiveness. It didn’t bother me, but I would say that’s because their thoughts felt natural to me, like they would continue to come up.
Great review!
I so want to get back to that series!