User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Well, I think it’s time Elle and I take a break.
After wondering what was it that I didn’t like about this book, it came very clear the lack of friendship.
The lack of emotion.I don’t like comparing but there’s a vast difference between the Briar series and the Off-Campus. With the first series, Garrett, Logan, Tucker and Dean… they were friends. There was this warm feeling all over the books and while there are books within the series I like more than others, I felt the deep emotions in all four books. And that comes with both MCs having struggles that need to be worked on and flaws and insecurities and by the end of the book, they are the best versions of themselves.
That is what, I feel, is missing in this new series. The Chase was a bit better at that
but I ended up not liking Fitz that much. The Risk and The Play have static characters and maybe some people like that but I don’t. I’m always way more interested in what makes a character the way they are and ups and downs and the growth… that’s what I like the most in Contemporary and that’s what I got with the Off-Campus series and didn’t get from Briar U.
I used to laugh, cry and swoon over the characters and Hannah, Grace, Allie and Sabrina are so so amazing and while Summer, Brenna and Demi had potential, they were underdeveloped.
And just don’t get me started with Rupi. It’s just sad, okay? I will, of course, go back to Elle’s books. I’ll probably re-read The Deal before the year ends but I will take a break from her.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars 
The Play is the third book in Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series. These books keep getting better and better. I’ve liked each one more than the last and this is my favorite so far!
Hunter Davenport is now that captain of his college hockey team, and he’s taking that responsibility seriously. Last year, his sleeping around was a part in them losing their season, and he’s bound and determined not to let that happen again. So he’s been celibate. He’s set on keeping his hands to himself and even though it’s difficult, he’s keeping his promise to himself.
Then he meets Demi. Demi and Hunter become partners for a psych project and they click. Hunter and Demi become fast friends and Hunter is relieved to know that Demi has a boyfriend she’s devoted to. It makes keeping his hands off of her that much easier. Then the boyfriend screws up and they break up… and Demi wants a rebound. She wants Hunter. And she’s hard to resist.
I loved the push and pull between Demi and Hunter, as well as their fabulous banter. These two had such chemistry and such a great relationship, even before they were technically in one. I loved their friendship just as much as I loved the romance. I also really loved getting to see so many characters from Elle’s Off-Campus series. I love them so much!
Sports romance is my favorite (hockey especially) and I love a good friends to lovers read. This one was dang near perfect for me and it I was completely captivated while reading. Elle Kennedy’s writing is always great and this book was too much fun! I laughed more than once and loved it! I hope this isn’t the last Briar U book, I’m dying for Conor to get his own story!!
Rating: really liked it
I never thought I'd be sitting down and writing a two star review for this book. I absolutely love the Off-Campus series and those books hold a special place in my heart. The Briar U series has been a lot of fun so far and I really enjoyed Summer and Brenna's books, but I found myself really struggling to get through this one. Really struggling. Here's why:
-I felt no connection with Hunter and Demi. Unlike the previous books and the Off-Campus series, I didn't really feel like they were that connected to any of the other characters and I didn't really feel connected or care about their characters. There was nothing Hunter had going for his character except for that he played hockey and he was celibate for the year. That's it. And Demi's a whole other problem.
-DEMI. First, I wasn't a fan of the attempted representation here. She has a Black dad and a Cuban (I believe?) mom and it was stock-full of stereotypes. It felt so forced when she was shouting she had her mom's fiery Latina temper. Or her mom was cooking Cuban food. Or when she was mad people made assumptions about her because she's Latina, and then it turns out they were actually right but she was mad they would just assume, which felt just like another opportunity for her to just say she was Latina. It just didn't sit well with me. Then, I'm tired of these perfectly gorgeous and thin heroines it seems all new adult books have. Demi says multiple times how she just has a fast metabolism, so she's so in shape, and all guys are in love with her because she's just so gorgeous. PLEASE. Can we just have a normal girl? A girl who isn't stick thin or is always described as the prettiest girl in the room? Also, Demi talks about how she's only always friends with guys and they're her "lost boys" but I didn't feel like she was even that close of friends with ANYONE in this book. Sure there were TJ and Pax, but she was SUCH a bad friend to them and they only showed up when the plot needed it. Also, she was so pushy towards Hunter about having sex when he was celibate and I'm just like LET HIM HAVE HOCKEY. Hockey is so important to him and he didn't want sex distracting him and she wouldn't let it go. So I didn't like Demi. At all.
-The ending. I did not like the ending the direction took and didn't think it was necessary at all. And then Demi is all, "I should have seen it coming since I want to be a therapist!" Girl, you've take one class on psychology and watch true crime shows. YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL. She just came off all holier-than-thou and I didn't like it. And I didn't like how she was all, oh, I had no idea! BECAUSE YOU WERE BARELY EVEN FRIENDS WITH HIM. I didn't like how everyone was revolved around her and she was really this manic-pixie-dream-girl, which is a trope I hate.
Okay, I think that's it. As you can tell, there was A LOT I was not a fan of in this book. I'm starting on The Dare next, so I really hope I enjoy that one more than this.
Rating: really liked it
'THE PLAY' is the third full length new adult, romance book in Elle Kennedy's 'Briar U' series. But can be read as a complete stand-alone. Spoken in Dual POV's.
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS 
4 SEMI YUP YUP STARS OMG I was so excited when this hit my kindle! Other than work, life went on hold!
After their last disastrous hockey season which all went up in smoke last year, which we read about in The Risk all Hunter wanted to do was put it behind him and vowed to just focus on the game, making it his top priority and thus proving that he's perfect captain material, and to do that entailed he'd go celibate until the end game. Meaning no girls and a never ending case of blue balls!!
The guys voted me captain. I take that responsibility seriously, and I know from personal experience that I have the tendency to let women mess with my head. Screwing around got me a broken wrist last year. ENTER DEMI..She's Hunters partner in a research project for the year. In Hunters eyes she won't be a distraction because for starters she's in a long term relationship and only has eyes for her boyfriend whom she's been dating since the eighth grade, making her off limits and all loved up. Which is perfect for Hunter because girls are completely off limits.
BUT...All bets are off when Demi's relationship ends and she's wanting a rebound..Nothing more..Nothing less. And who better to approach than Hunter.
She's the player he never saw coming. Hunter turns down all her advances, he enjoys their unique, easy going, friendship and doesn't want anything to get in the way of that.
SHE UPS THE ANTE...But how long can he stay a monk for when he's attracted to her?
I'm going to tease my friend and hopefully convince him to break his vow. I promised myself I wouldn't hook up this year, and the temptation to break that vow for Demi is overwhelming. These two were just perfect for each other, their banter, their sexual chemistry sizzled off the pages, Demi deserved to know how she really should be treated and Hunter was the right man for the job. Get ready for all those swoony feels because they are ready to be felt!!
Rating: really liked it
2.5 starsThis was entertaining and the dialogues were really fun, but I had many issues with this book. First of all, I couldn’t get over how good they were as friends!! I just couldn’t see them as anything more. There relationship should’ve stayed platonic because I really didn’t feel their romance.
I also didn’t enjoy the end. It literally came out of nowhere. Such an important subject shouldn’t have been used like that, as a way to end the book with and to show how perfect Demi was and how loving hunter was. It just made me feel so uneasy. Demi was an funny character but I was so uncomfortable with how pushy she was. I wanted her to just respect Hunter wishes and let him be instead of constantly pushing him like that. Also the lack of research was so clear even I noticed that, and I’m not a Latina.
Side note; Despacito is not salsa. Thank you!I still liked the characters as individuals tho. They were cute. But man Connor was the highlight of the book. I already love him and I’m trying not to because I don’t want to get my hopes up for the next book. He’s just so charming. The risk is still my favorite, so we will have to see if the next book will beat it. This book wasn’t bad, just disappointing.
Rating: really liked it
Oct 9, 2019:
I think I'm going to have to sit with this book for a bit before I rate it. On the one hand, I adore Hunter and Demi's friendship and their sloooooow slide to a relationship. On the other, some of the details of this book frustrated me and feel.... off, somehow.
Mar 14, 2019:
I WAS RIGHT. This is officially Hunter's book (announced on Elle's IG).
Feb 21, 2019:
It's definitely not about Rupi (or Hazel). Elle has said we've never met the girl in The Play. It's someone new.
Feb 10, 2019:
My best guess is that the guy in this book will be Hunter Davenport (the freshman Dean works with in The Score/Fitzy and Summer's roommate in The Chase) or Brooks Weston (Summer's friend from prep school mentioned in The Chase/Jake Connolly's roommate in The Risk). I am leaning toward Hunter based on nothing but a hunch and possibly the tagline. I could be wrong, and I'm cool with that.
Feb 6, 2019:
I'm only about 20% into The Risk, but I already know I want this one, and I am DYING to know who our main characters will be (I have some ideas...)!!
Rating: really liked it
The Play was the perfect NA college novel. A friends to lovers romance that was lighthearted, fun, cute and sweet.
Honestly, The Play was the perfect example for why I enjoy Elle Kennedy’s NA romances so much. Lots of jocks, good looking, smart, kind, and funny guys who enjoy college, parties and girls, but also work their asses off on the ice, and off – lol. And the women are feisty, sassy and smart, and know how to keep the hockey players/jocks on their toes.
Demi and Hunter were the ultimate couple for a friends to lovers story. They had chemistry and fun together. They understood and supported each other academically as well as in RL. All that stood in their way of MORE was Demi’s pesky ex-boyfriend and Hunter’s celibacy. And I must admit, he ROCKED it!!! Way to go Hunter!
I’m also incredibly happy that Hunter finally got his HEA, and even more so about his wonderful relationship with the three girls in his life, including Summer. There was no leftover friction or conflict about what happened in The Chase. One less cliche to worry about.
The story went its merry way, a bit predictable but I didn’t really care. All I cared about was Demi and Hunter, and how much I adored them. On top of it, the overall low-drama storyline was perfect for getting me out of my semi-book slump. Because even though I wasn’t WOWed by the story, I got exactly what I hoped for. An entertaining and light-hearted NA sports romance. A book I enjoyed reading from beginning to end. That kept me captivated, and engaged. I honestly couldn’t have asked for more.
ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
it was going well until the last fourth of the book.
can authors PLEASE stop using important and serious topics (i.e. suicide) to further a plot point and (in the case of this book) highlight the main characters achievements while completely ignoring the significance of the actual topic? it’s not cute.
the three stars are mainly for hunter, bucky, and pablo.
Rating: really liked it
*****FIVE STARS*****{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
The moment our mouths make contact, a hot shiver rolls through me and settles between my legs. My dick is thick, heavy against my thigh. Motherfucker. This kiss is everything.
”THE PLAY” is by far my favorite installment of the
Briar U series. Since the first book, I have been anxiously waiting to get my hands on Hunter Davenport’s story. I knew that it was not going to disappoint, and I’m happy to confirm it was well worth the wait! This book was everything I love in a good sports romantic comedy. It was funny, sexy, and had main characters who were lovable and had super hot chemistry.
Hunter has placed himself on hiatus from sex. He’s now the captain of Briar U’s hockey team and there is no way he wants his man whorish tendencies of the past to mess with the team’s chance at making it to the championship. It hasn’t been easy but he’s determined to make hockey his top priority. Hunter ends up becoming good friends with Demi Davis, his beautiful partner in his abnormal psych class. These two have easy and hilarious banter. While Hunter may be attracted to Demi, the fact that she has a boyfriend makes her easily off-limits to him. But once Demi’s relationship ends with her no-good cheating ex, the sexual tension that’s been building between them becomes nearly impossible to ignore.
To Demi’s utter frustration, Hunter is holding firm to his vow of celibacy. She’s tried to seduce him into becoming her sexy rebound but it seems she can’t break through his iron will, until one night Hunter is no longer able to control his need for Demi. As these two embark on a sexy friends with benefits relationship, old insecurities and fears start to weave their way up front and center. Is this only the best sex of their lives or could there be potential for something far greater?
Here are my overall ratings:
Hero:
5Heroine:
5Plot:
5Angst:
4.5Steam:
4.5Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine:
5”THE PLAY releases on October 7th! Those of you who love Elle Kennedy’s hysterically funny and off the charts steam hockey romances will not be disappointed.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2o5Wtqd
Rating: really liked it
Loved it! Hunter and Demi have great chemistry. And the Briar U crew was in rare form. (The coach was particularly funny in this one.) Oh, and Pablo was a great touch.
Rating: really liked it
Title: ➳ ❤The Play
Series ➳ Briar U 3#
Author: ➳ Elle Kennedy
Published October 7th 2019
💖💖💖💖
👄What a wild & crazy ride! I fell head over heal for Hunter Davenport when we were introduced to in The Chase.
I hope & 🙏🙏 for Hunter to get his own book & thankfully Elle Kennedy heard those 🙏🙏
💎Hunter Davenport is now that captain of his college hockey team, He feels guilty for his hand in Briar not making it to the national championship last year! So, Hunter Makes a vowel to his self that he is going to maintain his celibacy until the end of the season
💖when Hunter meets Demi Davis. he is already something like 7 months in his celibacy… Honestly after last years, hit it & move on action, I truly didn’t think that Hunter could keep his self-imposed abstinence up
💖Hunter & Demi are partners on the class project, so Hunter thinks that he is safe with Demi, due to the fact that she in long term relationship, so he feels it will be easy to keep things platonic. So there’s no temptation on his end.
😈😈What Hunter to do when Demi suddenly finds herself single, & she sets her sights on Him?
💎Oh, how great was catching up with characters you met in other series in this novella…
Lord Hollis & Rupi, that’s story in it’s self 🔪 I truly can’t tell if they’re madly in love or hate each other’s guts. Maybe a mixture of both? Either way, they’re highly entertaining.
😘Elle Kennedy is an amazing writer &, but I feel like she somewhat failed me on this final book in the Briar U series . I only say this cuz I feel like she didn’t give us enough in the Epilogue. I got super excited about downloading & reading the EXTENDED Epilogue, only to be let down even more…. I believe that Elle Kennedy purposely left us wanting more ! So that she might write another spin off series… only cuz of that fact am I giving this book 4 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Briar U Series & reading order
The Chase (Summer & Fitz’s book)
The Risk (Brenna & Jake’s book)
The Play (Hunter & Demi’s book)
📚 Hope you enjoy this read & also always keep in mind this is just my opinion+ Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book, This is my honest, voluntary review.
Happy Reading & Enjoy --------Paulette thoughts
I highly recommend it to everyone. ♥️
Rating: really liked it
I love Elle Kennedy's writing style and I adore her sports series. The "Off Campus" series, is definitely one of my favorites and this spin-off is turning out to be one as well ;) I had a blast finally reading Hunter's story and I happy to say that Elle found the perfect girl for him !!
Those of you, who have read the previous book, know all about the "fuck up" that was last season. Hunter, being the team captain of "Briar U", is taking things very seriously and personally... So he vowed that there would be no more distractions, and his solution...
celibacy !!
I must say, that Hunter really did do his best, his balls were as blue as a smurf, yet he persevered. Things were pretty much going his way....until he met Demi that is.
Demi is Hunter's new partner in a class project. She is absolutely awesome. She beautiful, smart and funny ...but most importantly, she has a boyfriend. She is perfectly "safe" for Hunter to be friends with, and so they do. They become very good friends. But what happens when the boyfriend is no longer around and Demi starts opening her eyes to all that is Hunter !!!
All bets are off !! And so the chase begins. It was awesome seeing things from a different view for once. Usually, we have a man chasing the woman, but this time it was the woman doing the chasing and I must say...she really did give it her all ;)
I has a wonderful time reading this book, though I do advice to read the others in this series, before starting this one. I really can't wait to read Connor's story. I have a feeling his book is gonna top all the others for me. He is already a personal favorite
I highly recommend this series !!
An ARC was provided to 
in exchange for an honest review 
Rating: really liked it
Okay, it's official. I'm tapping out of this series. I've clearly outgrown it or maybe it's just the genre itself. I don't know. I love hockey romances, enjoy ensemble casts that lean heavily on hijinks as the comic relief, but while I did recently reread (and love, again) the series that spawned this one, nothing since THE CHASE has worked. So I guess that was the fluke.
This is everything that you would expect it to be, both as a fan and from what it says on the box. It's got a reformed playboy who meets a girl he has to remain platonic with both because of her boyfriend and his vow of celibacy — a vow he's taken in order to do right by his team, to succeed and lead sans distractions, and atone for his previous mistakes. But then the boyfriend goes buh-bye, girl wants a rebound, so, you see where this is going.
I didn't love Hunter or Demi, but neither of them annoyed me the way Hollis and Rupi annoyed me in the background of THE RISK. Even though they were both present in this one. Again. Sigh.
The conflicts were fairly predictable, the speed bumps, too, and honestly everything was pretty standard. No surprises, no real joy, no real laughs, either. Definitely sucks to have to tap out but it's not worth reading on when it's doing both the author and me as both a reader and longtime fan a disservice.
So, yes, I think this will satisfy and entertain many. But just like in book two, I'm not one of them. In which case, please take this feedback with the tiniest grain of salt. As always.
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 STARS 
You’re a fun date.” “This isn’t a date.” She tips her head in challenge.
“Then why are you giving me the Penis Eyes?”
“I’m not.”
“I know Penis Eyes when I see ’em.”
Elle Kennedy knows how to hit the spot just right when it comes to her addictive NA Sports romance. She's able to combine quirky humor with deliciously steamy romance and create page-turning books that seems to get better with each new one in this series. I know I said this when I finished the The Risk, but I really mean it now when I say that this was my favorite in the series!
Hunter has been a character that's been on my radar since The Chase. My heart went out for the guy after he lost the girl he was interested in to his buddy who swore up and down that he wasn't interested in her. We got to see Hunter spiral from that let down and turn into a quite an indiscriminate manwhore. The guy went through a stage where any woman that looked his way was game, and it almost cost him more than he bargained for. Now he's determined to rid himself of temptation by saying no to sex. Sex is what got him in trouble so sex is what he'll cut out. The answer? Celibacy. The problem? It's easier said than done.
When Demi and Hunter first meet in class, Demi thinks he's just like every other hot jock; vapid and vain. But when an assignment together forces them together, she soon discovers that there's many more layers to Hunter than meet the eye. He's sweet, funny, and soon becomes a friend and confidant. So who better to turn to when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and needs a rebound to move on? Her new buddy, of course. Unfortunately Hunter is a lot more stubborn when it comes to his celibacy that she thought.
This guy is funny. And he’s much cooler than I’d thought, definitely not the arrogant asshole I expected him to be. I’m not gonna lie—Hunter Davenport is growing on me.
This was such a fun story. I love a strong and confident heroine, and Demi was definitely that. She's sassy, with a fiery temper, and a super sharp mind. I couldn't help but like her immediately. This is not a girl that plays game or doesn't speak her mind. She says what she means and she means what she says. You can't help but appreciate that. Hunter was wonderfully multi-layered. You get to peel back the layers and truly see what makes him tick, and when you begin to get to the true depths of him, you can't help but love the guy. There's just something so wonderfully endearing about him. I think I loved the friendship between him and Demi almost as much as their budding romance. I loved that Demi wasn't afraid to push his buttons to get what she wanted but she didn't play games with him either. She's extremely straight forward in what she wants.
The romance was a perfectly paced slow burn. These two start off as friends with fiery chemistry and it soon turns into something neither of them saw coming. I loved seeing the gang from the previous books and catching up with Garrett, Dean and Logan. Then there's my favorite crazy duo, Hollis and Rupi, and all of the other wonderful secondary characters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we get Connor's book next. I seriously can't get enough of this series!
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest reviewFind me on:
Rating: really liked it
[2.5⭐️]
I’ve wanted to read Hunter’s book since I read the chase, you can imagine how excited I was when this book came out.
This book was a disappointment to me. I was excited when I read that Demi was Cuban, then I read this book and what a disappointment.
The Cuban/Latino culture in this book was just.....
First of all, Despacito IS NOT salsa. It is Pop/Reggaeton and second of all, mothers don’t call their daughters “mami” that’s creepy af.
It was nice to see the off-campus gang in this book but I don’t know what’s the point of bringing them all back if Sabrina and Tucker (from the goal) aren’t gonna be in the book too, or even mentioned. Yes, I know their book wasn’t one of the best book on the series but I think they at least deserved to be mentioned.
Although the book disappointed me, I laughed a lot and I enjoyed some parts of it.
Anyway, I love Hunter Davenport and I’m really glad he got his happy ending.
