The Risk (Briar U, #2)

by Elle Kennedy

A sexy standalone novel from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy.

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.

• ISBN10: 177529398X
• ISBN13: 9781775293989
• Publish Date: 18 February 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 31 October 2023
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Elle Kennedy
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

I haven’t enjoyed an Elle Kennedy book like this in a long time.  Jake and Bee’s relationship took me back to the Off-Campus books (which I loved) and reminded me why I love Elle Kennedy hockey books.

Jake, who’s the captain of the Harvard hockey team, and Bee, daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, should be enemies.  But the moment these two meet, the barbs and innuendos serve as foreplay for their relationship.  I couldn’t wait until these two were together again just to see what insanity came out of their mouths.  But what I loved most about this couple was how they weren’t selfish with each other.  Everywhere else, yes, that selfishness showed, but together it was obvious they were in a relationship and truly wanted what was best for the other…even if they didn’t want to recognize that right away.

If you love hockey, then this is a book you must pick up.  The author does a fantastic job of marrying a romance with realistic hockey (and as a huge hockey fan, I appreciate that).  And I promise, you’ll run the gamut of emotions with this one (although you will laugh more than anything else).

[thebookdisciple]

The Risk is part enemies to lovers part fake relationship all in a college hockey setting. I love Elle Kennedy and her Briar University guys. Now, I also love her Harvard guys!

Rain makes things wet. Somebody call the Nobel Prize judging committee.

Brenna is the daughter of the Briar hockey team's coach and therefore the sworn enemy of the Harvard hockey team. Brenna isn't close with her dad any more, but she still will always be his daughter; that means she will NOT be fooling around with the captain of the Harvard team. Brenna is a very free spirit kind of girl. She doesn't 'do' relationships. She has a solid amount of self confidence and knows she is gorgeous. This made her a little unrelateable to me. She is the type of gorgeous that guys literally drool over. She knows it, too. I don't know how to relate to a girl like that so she felt a little distant from me. However, when she realized that Jake might just be her 'in' to a coveted internship, she lies and tells the man in charge that Jake is her boyfriend.

Jake is an accomplished hockey player who is already signed with the NHL and isn't going to let this girl wreck his team his senior year! I liked Jake because he is smart and sassy (I know, not a word we usually use to describe guys, but it fits!). He enjoys messing with Brenna-its like a battle of wills. They have great banter. He is determined to not let this girl wreck his senior season by messing with his teammates. He didn't count on being attracted to her though. These two are hilarious! Both of them have quick humor and razor sharp comebacks. It made this such a fun read.

According to my father, Coach Pederson sacrifices babies to Satan and performs blood magic in his spare time.

Jake quickly became one of my favorite book boyfriends. He is smart enough for Harvard, respected by his teammates, humble about his future, and dedicated to his sport because he loves it. All of that makes him so hot in my book. Brenna wasn't my favorite heroine but that is kind of the theme of this series. These girls are a bit harder to like. Normally, its the guys who are doucebags and come around. In Briar U, its the girls who are tougher for me to like. Weird, right? But oddly, its a nice change of pace.  Also, the slight backstory of Brenna's ex was interesting. I think everyone knows a story like his from their hometown so it really was relevant and important. I also loved that she got out of that relationship!

 

•   POV: dual 1st


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: enemies to lovers, fake relationship, college, hockey


•   Triggers: none


•   Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series


•   Cliffhanger: no


•   HEA: yes

Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen, Elements of Chemistry by Penny Reid, The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan...then you will probably like The Risk!

 

The Risk

See full review on The Book Disciple

[leelu92]

4.5 stars

Elle Kennedy continues to be the one author whose NA reads I can read and thoroughly enjoy.
I truly loved Jake and Brenna, they were two characters who had their crap together and I also loved their adversarial relationship. It was pretty obvious that they were MFEO.

I have more to say... just need to put those thoughts together. :)

*Copy provided by author.

[stacey_is_sassy]

It’s Risky business falling in love…

I’ve been sitting looking at a blank word document for 45 minutes and I can’t think of a bloody word to write. I can’t believe I’m writing this review on Valentine’s Day and I’m not feeling the love. I’m feeling lots and lots of like but unfortunately not love. See, The Risk was a great read and I was left satisfied, but I just didn’t feel the love between Brenna and Jake. Maybe, it was because they didn’t really get to their happy place until right near the end. There wasn’t enough time for me to believe that these two could take it to the next level. No trust, commitment or connection had really developed by the end of the story. There was lust in their eyes and obvious attraction, just not enough connection between Jake and Brenna to convince me they were destined to be together forever.

I thought Brenna would have owned her love story and been the maker of her destiny. I pictured Brenna setting her expectations high, both in love and life, and refusing to settle for less. The confidence and self-assurance I expected, wasn’t there. So many times, I felt that the Brenna I expected, wouldn’t have put up with the rubbish she was facing and stayed quiet. What I thought was the real Brenna, ended up being something I imagined. I guess what I really hadn’t added to the equation was that Brenna had a past…and that past left her with scars. That confidence I thought she had, was just a mask and The Risk was going to be whether she was willing to let someone see behind the mask.

Jake Connelly is an egotistical, arrogant and selfish WINNER. I think he was one of the most realistic sports heroes I’ve ever met…read. It seems bloody obvious to me that anyone who wants to be at the top of their game must be egotistical and selfish. They must think of themselves constantly. It’s important that they look after their body and their mind by feeding it what it wants. Jake has no hesitation in telling you that he’s self-serving because he has ambition and drive, to be the best he can be. I admired Jake…but he doesn’t make a great hero when it comes to love.

Which brings me back to the beginning. Yes, I was a wee bit disappointed in Jake and Brenna’s love story, but I liked it anyway. Probably the first and last time I’ll ever say this, but I think I would have been happier without the *I LOVE YOU*. It would have been more realistic for me to see a *We should give this a go…* instead. They’re young and facing separation, busy schedules and social lives, don’t put pressure on their budding connection. I guess, not every romance story needs the big I LOVE YOU to satisfy me.

4 stars because Elle Kennedy is bloody brilliant. I love her writing and always feel a bond with the characters she creates. The storyline was interesting and kept me entertained from start to finish. There were plenty of highs and a few low too. The journey was hard but I can definitely see a bright future for Jake and Brenna. Maybe together…maybe not.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookworms
The Risk was delicious! Reluctant romance is just so sweet - because the buildup makes everything so good. I loved Brenna and Jake - they just kind of clicked. Even if Brenna didn't want to click with him. At all.



I can't even begin to say how happy I was when I learned that The Risk was going to be Brenna's and Jake's story! Especially because they were going to 'enemy' schools when it came to ice hockey. With Jake being Harvard's star player, and Brenna coach Jensen of Briar's daughter, I just knew there would be some secrecy and slight drama. And it was so delicious!

Brenna had this dream of being a sports commentator, and had applied for an internship with a web TV channel. And she soon realized she might not have what was needed to get the job. Because the big boss was not a fan of journalists and commentators with a vagina. I loved that Kennedy brought something so realistic into the action of The Risk, because it's true that women often have to fight much more to get the kind of job they want and deserve. Of course, the fact that the boss wanted to chat with Jake Connelly worked to Brenna's advantage. At least for a little while.

What started out as a fake relationship turned more real very soon. And Brenna was fighting her feelings with all she had. Only, Jake had everything going for him to make her swoon. And he did it so well! The secondary characters carried their weight for both the plot and the story, and sometimes, they were great comic relief, too.



Even though they're all the way upstairs, we can hear Rupi and Hollis yelling at each other. I really wish they'd come downstairs and do it in front of us. It's such good entertainment.