The Deal by Elle Kennedy

The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #1
Publisher: Elle Kennedy
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
Source: Bought

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.

Brittany recommended The Deal to me basically the second after she finished it, and I was scrolling through amazon and saw that it was only 99p and I couldn't resist grabbing it. The Deal was an enjoyable read, not my favourite NA, but I liked it.

The Deal follows Hannah and Garrett. Hannah is shy and hasn't been out on a date since her ex-boyfriend broke up with her a year ago. A new guy in her class has caught her eye, but Hannah can't work up the courage to talk to him. Enter Garrett. Garrett and Hannah literally run into each other and he convinces Hannah to tutor him to stop his GPA from dropping and getting kicked off the hockey team. Playing professional hockey after school is what he's always wanted to do, so he'll do anything to convince Hannah to tutor him. They make a deal: Hannah will help Garrett up his grade and in return, Garrett will help Hannah get the attention of the guy she likes. But the longer they spend time together, their relationship begins to develop into something more. 

Hannah is a very shy character. Something happened to her when she was younger that drove her out of her home town and has left her unable to return without the memories haunting her and the whole town treating her like a pariah. But, Hannah has dealt with what happened and has come out the other end a stronger person. She doesn't let what happened rule her life, and I admired her for that.  

Garrett is a charming asshole - sometimes - but he's also really sweet. Garrett has problems with his family life and he tries not to let them interfere with his life, but he can't escape. He's a cocky, charming and sweet character with a very dirty mouth. The one thing that did annoy me about Garrett's character was how blunt he was when it came to exactly what he wanted from Hannah. He didn't need to be so crude.

I really liked Hannah and Garrett's relationship. Garrett is persistent and finally convinces Hannah to tutor him, and their relationship goes from there. The begin their relationship as friends, and I really enjoyed seeing that develop. And then when the chemistry started to spark between them, it just got even better. They were just so perfect together, and they both helped each other. Garrett helped Hannah overcome something she wasn't able to do in years, and Hannah helped Garrett deal with his father. They came into each others lives at the perfect moment, and they changed each others lives for the better.

Overall, The Deal was an enjoyable read. It followed the usual NA storyline which made it predictable, but I still enjoyed and I'll definitely be continuing with the rest of the series.