Reviewer: Holly and Rowena
The Score (Off-Campus, #3) by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #3
Also in this series: The Deal (Off-Campus, #1), The Deal (Off-Campus, #1), The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2), The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2), The Score (Off-Campus, #3), The Goal (Off-Campus, #4), The Deal (Off-Campus, #1)
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: January 11, 2016
Point-of-View: First
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
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Series Rating:

He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

Warning: We included spoilers, but they’re hidden under the tag. Click at your own risk!!

Holly:  I really loved this story. Though he still isn’t my favorite character from the series, Dean really came to life for me over the course of the story. I loved how unapologetic he was about who and what he is. He grew up extremely rich, but there was no dysfunction in his family. They’re a tight-knit group who love and respect one another. He’s a playboy, sure, but it isn’t because he’s got some deep, dark secret lurking in his past. He just likes to go to the “bone zone”. He’s had a few heartaches and frustrations in his life, but only a few. He’s laid back in the extreme.

Rowena: ​I really loved this one too.

I was surprised by how much I loved this one because I thought Dean was a crackhead and I wasn’t prepared for how much I would come to love him. I mean, he wasn’t as on my radar as Logan was before I started The Mistake, but boy did Elle Kennedy make me sit up and take notice of Dean in this one. I may not have been a big Dean fan before this book but I just might be the President of the Dean fan club now.

Holly: Dean is a totally unapologetic man-whore. He likes sex and refuses to apologize for liking it with as many partners as possible. He knows Allie is off limits because she’s Hannah’s best friend, but when they both give in to temptation one night and she completely rocks his world, he can’t stop thinking about her.

Rowena: They were really good together. I liked that Dean was bothered by Allie and Sean. I was so used to him sleeping with different girls every night, with no repeats that seeing him imprint on Allie was cute at the same time that it was hilarious. When Beau calls Allie, Bella and Allie gets all pissy…haha!

Holly:  I loved that he was all about her at first because she kept refusing him.

Rowena: The romance in this one was good. I loved seeing both Dean and Allie come together. Dean really had his work cut out with this one and it was fun to see Mr. Playboy really work to get in Allie’s pants.

Normally, I’m not a fan of the whole secret romance plot but I think Kennedy did a good job with this one. When they finally came out out of the closet, I loved it. I loved that it was Dean that Allie turned to for comfort.

Holly: I thought it was hilarious how they kept their fling a secret so they wouldn’t get crap from their friends. OMG, the bathtub scene? I DIED. I was laughing so hard I almost fell out of bed.

Rowena: I loved that scene! Dean was so disgruntled and seeing Allie laugh at the same time feeling bad about it all had me cracking up.

Holly: I really liked that Allie knew she wasn’t cut out for casual sex and chose not to indulge. I found her desire to be in a caring relationship realistic and, honestly, kind of refreshing. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m all for sexual liberation however that comes. I think women should be able to be as sexually free as men, without the slut-shaming that often follows. But there are women out there who aren’t interested in casual sex, and I’m glad to see that portrayed here. Allie wasn’t repressed or a prude. She was more than willing to get freaky and try out new kinks, she just wasn’t interested in trying those out with casual partners.

Rowena: I understand what you mean. Allie wasn’t there judging other women if they wanted to be a part of the casual sex scene but she wasn’t interested in that. Sex was something she enjoyed but she was more comfortable enjoying sex with someone she cared about and not any Tom, Dick or Harry would do. I could respect that.

What did you think about the whole thing with Beau?

Holly: I’m not sure what I think about the thing with Beau. It was unexpected and kind of shocking. I’m still processing it.

I found the main conflict to be a bit disappointing. I saw it coming from the very beginning, but I’d hoped Kennedy would take the story in a different direction. Though I understand it was necessary for Dean’s growth as a character, I would have liked to see that happen in a different way.

Rowena: What kind of direction?

Holly: I’m not sure. I guess I wanted Dean to prove Allie’s dad wrong. He said Dean wasn’t strong enough to handle any major crisis or curve-ball. I didn’t want him to be right. I wanted Dean to man-up and be there for her. To pull himself out of his funk without taking advantage of Allie. I just wanted him to be better than her dad expected him to be.

Rowena: Yeah, you’re right. I would have preferred for that to happen. For Dean to prove Allie’s Dad wrong but I’m glad that he eventually got it right.

View Spoiler »Rowena: I don’t know how I felt about Beau dying so that Dean can grow. As much as I loved the book, I really struggled with that. I was just really bummed about Beau because I wanted him to have a book. I guess it wouldn’t have made sense since the series follows everyone that lives in the Off-Campus house but still…I was pining away for a spin-off of the football guys.

Holly: I guess I wasn’t as invested in Beau as you were. I was sad when he died, and I felt for Dean, his family and his other friends, but it didn’t really hit me that hard.

Rowena: I think I was invested in Beau, mainly because I want more from this world from Kennedy.

Holly: I was more focused on Dean and his bad behavior.  I was really bothered by his reaction to being kicked off the hockey team. He was just like, “shrug. Okay.” Even if he didn’t want to stick it out for himself, what about the rest of the team? He didn’t care about them? WTAF?

Rowena: Yes! I forgot about that part but YES! I thought it was weird that he loved his teammates and he had their back until he was kicked off the team and then it was all shrug, shrug, moving on…that didn’t make sense to me. Especially since he was a big part of the team. He was one of the better defensemen and he was working with one of the younger guys, to help him get better. How was he not more pissed off or more emotional about being kicked off the team? Because they weren’t going to make the playoffs so it didn’t matter? That bothered me too.

Holly: See, exactly. Even if he didn’t care for himself, he should have cared for the team. And what about the consequences of his actions from the team? None of them were pissed at him for blowing it? I wish that had been better dealt with.

Rowena: I thought Allie was more pissed off about everything he did than anyone else in the book. Including Dean, and that was disappointing.

Rowena: I wanted to beat Dean over the head with a baseball bat when he didn’t show up for Allie’s show. Ugh.

Holly: I wanted to beat him when he didn’t make her show, too. He deserved to get smacked around for that.  « Hide Spoiler

Holly: That aside, I didn’t have much to complain about. There was a lot of humor and I loved the banter and wit.

Rowena: Elle Kennedy wrote another strong character driven romance with lovable characters and I can’t help but want more from this world and from Elle Kennedy period. She’s like one of my favorite authors ever. I’m following so many of her series but this series is my favorite. This book was another winner for me.

Holly: I really loved Allie’s inner strength. I felt like she really help up well with all the stuff she had to deal with.

Rowena: I really liked Allie’s character. She was true to who she was throughout the entire story. She was strong and she liked herself and cared about those around her. I loved when people would talk about Dean and inwardly, she’d get all defensive.

Rowena: It would be nice to have a spin off since we’re running out of people in the Off-Campus house to read books about.

Holly: I’m not ready to leave this world, either, but I don’t know that I’m interested in an offshoot featuring the football team. Maybe…

Rowena: Speaking of, Tuck? Holy shit, Tuck!!

Holly: I knew what Tuck was doing that whole time. I can’t wait to see how that plays out.

Rowena: ​Did you know his whole story line or you just knew that he was working toward that announcement at the end? LOL.​ And his heroine? How do you feel about her? I’m not sure yet.

Holly: I suspected he was going to announce what he did, but I flat knew who his heroine was going to be. I’m on the fence about her, too. I’m sure Kennedy will write a fab story, though. I have faith.

Rowena: But overall? I loved this book. Gah, I just loved it all. 4.5 out of 5

Holly: I was disappointed in Dean at the end, but Allie’s inner strength impressed me, and Dean’s slow slide into commitment was very satisfying indeed. Definitely another winner from Kennedy.  4 out of 5

Final Grades

Rowena: 4.5 out of 5
Holly: 4 out of 4

Off-Campus