{"id":46780,"date":"2019-10-09T16:30:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T20:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=46780"},"modified":"2019-10-10T07:51:46","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T11:51:46","slug":"new-release-arc-review-the-play-briar-u-3-by-elle-kennedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=46780","title":{"rendered":"New Release & ARC Review: The Play (Briar U, #3) by Elle Kennedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE PLAY<\/strong>
\n(Briar U, #3)<\/h4>\n

by Elle Kennedy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now Available!<\/strong>
\nAmazon<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

What I learned after last year\u2019s distractions cost my hockey team our entire season? No more screwing up. No more screwing, period. As the new team captain, I need a new philosophy: hockey and school now, women later. Which means that I, Hunter Davenport, am officially going celibate\u2026no matter how hard that makes things.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s nothing in the rulebook that says I can\u2019t be friends<\/i>with a woman. And I won\u2019t lie\u2014my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she\u2019s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.<\/p>\n

Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s making a play for me.<\/p>\n

Avoiding her is impossible. We\u2019re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I\u2019m confident I can resist her. We\u2019d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren\u2019t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.<\/p>\n

Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body\u2014and my heart.<\/p>\n

Find The Play\u00a0<\/em>on\u00a0GOODREADS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

5 \u201cyup yup\u201d stars!<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been desperate for Hunter Davenport\u2019s story ever since his heart was broken in The Chase<\/em><\/a>, the first book in the Briar U<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>series. Then, he had a rough time in the second book, The Risk<\/em><\/a>, when sleeping around cost the hockey team\u00a0a chance at the national championship. Now he is back with his own book and he has a new philosophy \u2013 \u201cHockey and school now, women later.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hunter has been abstaining from sex for several months when a psych project brings Demi into his life. Even though he is extremely attracted to her, he is determined to stick to his vow. The fact that Demi has a long-term boyfriend makes everything easier because she\u2019s unavailable and isn\u2019t interested.<\/p>\n

Demi is a breath of fresh air because unlike every other woman Hunter meets, she isn\u2019t throwing herself all over him, and it gives them a chance to form a solid friendship. I loved watching the fun they have when being friends is all that is on the table.\u00a0 It allows them to be real and honest without trying to impress each other.<\/p>\n

Then, Demi breaks up with her boyfriend. Having only ever been with him, she is in need of a rebound and she knows just who she wants.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m confident I wouldn\u2019t have much trouble finding someone to have sex with me. Half the men on Tinder would offer themselves up. But I don\u2019t want those men. I want Hunter Davenport.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hunter and Demi are a riot together. They are so much fun and the banter is phenomenal. Even when they are just friends, I found myself giddy and full of smiles every time these two are together. They are also wildly attracted to each other. The chemistry is undeniable and the sexual tension spikes when they want make a move but are still holding back. Not only did they not want to ruin their friendship but there is Hunter\u2019s vow too. That doesn’t stop Demi from pursuing him though.<\/p>\n

Since experiencing my \u201cmove,\u201d she\u2019s launched a campaign to end my celibacy, as evidenced by the text she just sent. <\/em><\/p>\n

DEMI: <\/em>Have a good game tonight! I hope you score! Speaking of scoring, have you considered breaking your vow?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It takes a bit to get Hunter on board but when he does, WHOA, talk about cranking up the heat. Demi and Hunter on fire and I loved that they couldn\u2019t keep their hands off each other. The spark isn\u2019t what keeps them together though. They understand and support each other, and they don\u2019t pretend things always works out. They are realistic but still go after what they want.<\/p>\n

The character development in this story is well written. Hunter has real fears and I liked that he takes action to control them. He learns who he is and who he isn\u2019t, and I loved him more when his confidence grows. I loved watching Demi fight for what she wants both personally and professionally. She has a huge heart and I knew she would reach her dreams and win the guy.<\/p>\n

Overall, The Play\u00a0<\/em>gave me so much more than I had hoped and I loved it! Hunter and Demi are wonderful characters and I couldn’t stop from being consumed by their hilarious, emotional, sweet, steamy story. The ending was so satisfying and I was extremely happy to see Hunter finally get his HEA. A fantastic addition to the\u00a0<\/em>series!!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I made you break your vow,\u201d I whisper sheepishly, as I hold him tightly against me.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d he whispers back.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have to add that I love when characters from other books make cameos and The Play\u00a0<\/em>has so many. From the other Briar U\u00a0<\/em><\/a>guys and gals to the Off-Campus <\/em><\/a>clan, I loved getting more of the characters I fell hard for and I always have a wonderful time with them!<\/p>\n

*ARC generously provided by the author in\u00a0exchange for an honest review*<\/i><\/p>\n

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Briar U<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An\u00a0Off-Campus<\/em><\/a> spinoff series<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Chase (#1) <\/strong>– (Fitzy & Summer)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Audiobook<\/a><\/p>\n

The Risk (#2)\u00a0<\/strong>– (Jake & Brenna)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audiobook<\/a><\/p>\n

The Play (#3)\u00a0<\/strong>– (Hunter & Demi)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dare (#4)<\/strong>\u00a0– (Connor)
\nBuy: Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Off-Campus<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"The\u00a0 \"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Deal (#1) <\/strong>(Garret & Hannah)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mistake (#2) <\/strong>(Logan & Grace)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Score (#3) <\/strong>(Dean & Allie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Goal (#4) <\/strong>(Tucker & Sabrina)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Legacy (#5)<\/strong> (A collection of four ‘where are they now?’ novellas)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE PLAY (Briar U, #3) by Elle Kennedy   Now Available! Amazon \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback     Blurb What I learned after last year\u2019s distractions cost my hockey team our entire season? No more screwing up. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290,49,25,65,9,29],"tags":[59,869,28,344,48],"class_list":["post-46780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-news","category-feeeeeeels","category-friends-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-briar-u","tag-elle-kennedy","tag-new-release","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/The-Play.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-caw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}