Book Review | *The Goal* by Elle Kennedy

The Goal
By: Elle Kennedy

Series: Off-Campus
Book #: 4
Genre: New Adult/College Romance
Trope: Accidental Pregnancy, Opposites Attract, Athlete
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: September 26th, 2016

My Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

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Never in my wildest book reading dreams would I have ever guessed I would like a character more than Dean… but Elle Kennedy has this mysterious air that surrounds her novels. You think you have your heart set on a character and then *BAM* that character is knocked down a peg by an even dreamer character with a southern drawl and a soft heart. Make room ladies and gents, John Tucker is making his way to the top of the list!

In My Own Words:

The Goal is the fourth and final book in Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series. And if you read the first three books in the series, or the entirety of this series, it’s safe to assume she saved the best for last!!

John Tucker loves hockey, but given a bum knee, he doesn’t see it as being a career choice for him. So instead, he’s working on securing and purchasing a business as soon as he graduates from college…. All roads lead back home to Texas.

Sabrina has always had one path in mind and the Harvard acceptance letter shows a picture of her dreams finally coming true. After having every obstacle thrown in her path, she’s finally made it and nothing will stand in her way.

Until fate throws a wrench in the equation and a one night stand has the potential to screw both Tucker and Sabrina’s plans out of the water….

My Thoughts:

Let’s start off by saying, I loved Tucker’s southern charm… This man is the epitome of everything I love about a good down home southern boy. He’s sweet, swoony, and sexy as sin. He knows how to treat a lady, but he also knows how to sweet talk a lady. He’s not disrespectful and he’s honest as hell. I honestly feel head over heels for this character. We need more fictional boyfriends like Tucker!! Where Tucker was sweet as sugar, Sabrina was sassy as spice. These two are complete opposites when it comes to personalities. But I felt they flawlessly leveled one another out. I loved the vibes their mixed personalities gave to the novel.

I was curious how everything was going to evolve throughout this novel, given the fact that Sabrina and one of Tucker’s best friends *Dean* have a history together. That had the potential to bring a high dose of drama to these chapters. However, I liked the way Elle Kennedy maneuvered around the topic of these two. I liked that there wasn’t that overwhelmingly high dose of drama mixed in. I was worried it would turn into the Sabrina and Dean history hour but she kept true to the story and true to the romance of Sabrina and Tucker.

After reading the ending of The Score I have to be honest and say, I couldn’t wait to pick this book up and binge the hell out of it. I’m a sucker for one night stands evolving in accidental pregnancy romances. It’s my weakness where tropes are concerned. Why do I love this trope so much,… I honestly think it’s the element of surprise that is often weaved within these tales. You never know what the outcome is going to be. You never know what the drama will entail. It’s all a surprise wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. With Tucker and Sabrina’s story, I honestly didn’t know if these two would ride off into the sunset with their baby or if they would continue on the co parenting route. Trust me when I say, I assumed it would be riding off into the sunset, but some moments made me think it would end the other way.

After the baby was born, I felt the novel took a small dip and felt a bit rushed. I wanted more moments with the three as a family. I wanted to see Tucker and Sabrina’s relationship grow after the baby was born. I needed a bit more in order for me to rate this one a five star read.

I’m still sitting over here, shaking my head and mentally slapping myself in the back of the head for not picking up this series sooner! I heard and read all the hype that surrounded these four books and these set of characters, and although I’m pretty sure I read the first book when all that hype was going on, I’m shocked I didn’t continue on with it. I loved everything about these four books, from the romance, to the friendships, and ending with the storylines…. There is no denying Elle Kennedy blew me away with this series!

I can’t wait to pick up the Briar U series next!!

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Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KBn49r
Amazon World: http://viewbook.at/TheGoalEK
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Peace Love and Happy Reading,

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