The Hook Up (Game on, #1)

by Kristen Callihan

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy, right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on

• ISBN10: 1505690900
• ISBN13: 9781505690903
• Publish Date: 16 January 2015 (first published 8 September 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 354
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Stayed up past my bedtime to finish The Hook Up which is always a sign of a good book.

[stacey_is_sassy]

These bloody good NA books are making a liar out of me.

I'm pretty sure my profile on Goodreads says something along the lines of - NA are not for me. The Hook Up proved me wrong. I AM into books that suck me in, make me laugh, blush, cry and grumble, teach me something (how's that headache Sparkles?) and leaves me with a big smile on my face. New Adult books seem to have turned a corner. We are not bombarded with chicks who lose their mental capacity because they want a certain blokes attention. It's not just assumed that a guy ONLY thinks with his bits and pieces. This book grabbed my attention with characters that have goals and work bloody hard to reach them and feel satisfaction when their hard work pays off.

Big Red...what was Drew thinking? I cringed as soon as I read the words. He certainly picked the wrong girl to say it to. Anna, is not afraid to put Drew in his place when he assumes she'd jump at the chance to be with him. After all he is the star quarterback and practically famous. Neither of them can deny their overwhelming attraction to each other, but while Drew is keen, Anna is friggin petrified. Both Anna and Drew have reasons for their eagerness and hesitations. We see their relationship stutter and start from the beginning to the end. Both of them are not as confident as they would have everyone believe.

I loved the characters in this story, especially with Anna and Drew's friends playing pivotal roles. There were some deeper issues dealt with that made it seem more realistic. I also liked the way the author showed Drew's reaction, to someone else's reaction, to being on the receiving end of a 6 ft 4 muscle bound man who's angry. More times than not he cools his jets to make sure they don't feel threatened. Nice to see a football player portrayed with intelligence, control and sensitivity.

I'm still not ready to call myself a NA fan, but with this caliber of work, I can't help but be a little keen to try some more. This was my first book by Kristen Callihan and with that much talent, it will definitely not be my last.

To buy The Hook Up from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1Q6M1E0

[Sam@WLABB]

This is my first Kristen Callihan books, and will not be my last. I loved the humor and the tenderness and the angst. She created these two characters, who were slightly damaged, and needed to mend together. Drew, he loved so fiercely and wore his heart on his sleeve. I couldn't help but fall in love with him. I am really looking forward to reading more of this series.

[thebookdisciple]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Anna was probably the most realistic MC I have read in a long time. A girl with insecurity issues and stuff-yeah thats pretty real. However, I couldn't really like Drew. Maybe because of the insta-love thing? I'm not sure. I liked him and I am happy with the way the story ended, but he just wasn't a great hero in my opinion. But, overall, the book was great! I thought the issues Anna and Drew dealt with were realistic and honest. I like how they both screwed up once in awhile. Its nice to see a relationship that wasn't perfect! This was probably a 4.5 star read for me! Check out my full review here: http://www.thebookdisciple.com

[Cocktails and Books]

There was so much more to this story than what I originally thought. I loved how Drew fell and fell hard for Anna. And as much as Anna drove me nuts with her fighting her feelings for Drew, you couldn't help but have some sympathy for the girl who wasn't used to being an "everything" to someone like Drew.

Full review to come.

[EBookObsessed]

Just like the spark that hits Anna and Drew the first time they lock gazes, I was immediately drawn into their passion.

Drew Baylor is the star quarterback in his last year of college, being scouted by NFL teams. He is the shining star of the school and every eye turns to him when he walks into the room. But it is sassy, red-headed Anna Jones that catches his eye and leaves him tongue-tied.

Drew grew up with parents who were college sweethearts and their love was still strong when they were taken from him in a tragic accident. His mother always told him “You’ll see, Drew. One day, love will creep up and smack you upside the head. Then you’ll understand.” And he did. From the moment he met Anna he started losing his heart. He is completely frustrated because no matter how hard he tries, Anna treats him like a leper and it’s making him crazy.

While Drew shines in the spotlight, surrounded by lots and lots of female fans, we learn that Anna spent most of her life in the shadows. She was slightly overweight in high school, an awkward introvert that no one paid attention to or befriended. She doesn’t like the attention being drawn to her, and the catty comments being made by the co-eds who want to take her place. She also can’t let herself believe in Happily Ever After for someone like her, not with someone like Drew. Unlike Drew’s happy home life, Anna’s father abandoned them when Anna was just a child, and her mother’s endless string of loser boyfriends doesn’t encourage Anna to put faith in forever love.

When their passion for each other can’t be denied, Anna agrees to a Hook Up with Drew but won’t acknowledge the word “relationship” at all. In fact, to protect herself from heartache which she is certain will come when Drew comes to his senses and returns to his Barbie blonde cheerleader types, she refuses to allow kissing, sleeping over, and she barely allows touching after the sex is over.

pretty woman - kissing

Yet is it not the kissing, or lack thereof, that cements their relationship. No matter how hard Anna tries to fight it. It is the fact that Drew opens up his heart and his pain and fear to only Anna. Their heartfelt conversations where Drew shares his pain over the loss of his parents and his fears for the future and simply opens up to her encourages Anna to share some of her secrets as well. But she does not tell him her deepest fear, which is falling in love with him and having him toss her aside.

Drew realizes that Anna is always ready to flee and every time he pushes to hard at her walls, he knows he has to pull back or lose her completely. Whether it will be her fear or his frustration that will put too much pressure on the relationship, we have to wait and see. Thank God this was a romance or I don’t think I would have survived. After the “break up” (because you know it’s gonna happen) every page I turned I grew more frustrated at friends, teachers, Anna’s mother, waiting for someone to shake the sense back into them or to be the voice of reason to do something, ANYTHING, to get them back together. Idiots!

And just like in Pretty Woman you are just waiting for that first kiss with as much anticipation as Drew and it didn’t disappoint at all. *fanning hot cheeks*

THOUGHTS:
I freaking love Drew and Anna and I was so drawn in by them and their passion that I was anxious and nervous for them. I went into work to my books friends and grumbled “Someone’s going to screw it up!! I know it! I can’t breathe.” Then I told them I was passing my Nook around when I was done because they all have to read it.

Must read! Must read! Must read! Did I mention that YOU MUST GO READ THIS!

Received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

See more at http://ebookobsessed.com

[Angie]

The Hook Up is my favorite New Adult novel, without a doubt, and I hadn't even known it existed until it showed up in my inbox. I love the author's Paranormal Romances, but her first NA? Simply amazing! And it almost made me care about football. Almost! Drew is the big football star at his college. All the girls want him, and all the guys want to be him. But he only has eyes for Anna once he sits down next to her on the first day of classes. It may have been lust at first sight for him, but Anna wants nothing to do with him, especially after he calls her Big Red. She's had to deal with being not good enough all through high school, so she doesn't dare let herself believe that the quarterback wants her, curves and all. There's no denying their attraction though, so maybe casual sex won't be a problem if she doesn't get attached.

I had a very good feeling about The Hook Up as soon as Drew makes that terrible fumble with Anna's nickname and tries desperately to take it back and get her attention. He was trying to be funny and charming, since she has lots of curly red hair (and big boobs), but he had no idea he'd hit a nerve. Then they run into each other later at a party, and holy hell! Their chemistry is through the freaking roof! It's not forced. It is there and I believed it, and OMG I have never read a scene that hott. And it's not the only one! Drew and Anna cannot keep their hands to themselves and can't even wait to get behind closed doors! My goodness! Have a fan handy! Or take a break for a cold shower.

Of course, The Hook Up isn't only about hooking up. Sure, it starts out that way, especially for Anna. But soon feelings develop, and it's not out of the blue "I love her/him!" type stuff. They hang out, and talk, and things develop to the point where just sex isn't enough for either of them. And it's scary, and they screw up, but they fix it! Their break up fight was totally believable, because Anna was treating Drew pretty crappy in public and wasn't telling him why. He didn't need to put up with that! But their reunion was amazing! It's not all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, there's even more fighting, and it is intense, and woah! I was very much invested in this relationship.

I could probably go on and on about all of the little things that made The Hook Up stand out to me, but I think you all need to discover it for yourselves!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.