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Book Review: The Dare by Elle Kennedy

Jul 8, 2020

The Dare (Briar U #4) by Elle Kennedy

Pages: 354
Publish date: June 16, 2020
Publisher: –
ISBN: 9781777112134
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

College was supposed to be my chance to get over my ugly-duckling complex and spread my wings. Instead, I wound up in a sorority full of mean girls. I already have a hard time fitting in, so when my Kappa Chi sisters issue the challenge, I can’t say no.

The dare: seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class.

Conor Edwards is a regular at Greek Row parties…and in Greek Row sorority beds. He’s the one you fall for before you learn that guys like him don’t give girls like me a second glance. Except Mr Popular throws me for a loop—rather than laughing in my face, he does me a solid by letting me take him upstairs to pretend we’re getting busy.

Even crazier, now he wants to keep pretending. Turns out Conor loves games, and he thinks it’s fun to pull the wool over my frenemies’ eyes.

But resisting his easy charm and surfer-boy hotness is darn near impossible. Though I’m realizing there’s much more to Conor’s story than his fan club can see.

And the longer this silly ruse goes on, the greater the danger of it all blowing up in my face.

The Dare:

I’ve been reading Elle Kennedy for some time now. She is one of my most read authors and while this series hasn’t been my favourite, I did want to finish it. It’s been nearly two weeks since I finished The Dare and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. There are parts that I loved and others that didn’t sit well with me.

The Dare follows protagonist Taylor as she tries to navigate her life in college. But Taylor feels like she doesn’t fit in. When she’s challenged by her sorority to seduce the hottest hockey player, she has no choice she accepts. But Taylor has a trick up her sleeve. When Conor Edwards becomes Taylor’s dare he doesn’t know what to expect. And he can’t help but want to help her. But what starts as a game, turns into something more the longer they play.

Photo by Arthur Edelman on Unsplash

Taylor was an interesting protagonist. At first, it was hard for me to connect with her. I’m not sure what it was that held me back, but as the novel went on I began to enjoy reading about her. I felt that her voice was really strong and I liked getting to know her more. Taylor’s character arc was really interesting and the reader can see her grow throughout the book. I will talk more about this later, but I felt that there was a big focus on her insecurities. And that took away from getting to know Taylor as Taylor.

If you have read any books previous in the Briar U series you would have met Conor. And while I wasn’t his biggest fan, I did want to know more about him. At first, Conor is your typical New Adult college boy and male protagonist. But like Taylor, as the novel went on the reader gets to see him grow. It’s always strange when your perspective changes on a character. Maybe it’s because the reader can see Conor in a different light. And instead of seeing him from the perspective of others, we get to see the real him.

The romance in The Dare was really enjoyable. I liked that Taylor and Conor were friends before anything. It added something more to their romance and I loved that. They were adorable together, it just made me smile. I love the fake dating trope and this was a fun way to look at it. The chemistry is very clear from the start and the reader gets to see both Taylor and Conor fall for one another.

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Like I said I love the fake dating trope, so I loved that side of the novel. It was fun, engaging and just made me smile. Elle Kennedy is great at writing fantastic chemistry both romanticly and friendship wise and that is evident here. At times I did feel that the plot lack something, but I can’t figure out what it was. It was just missing some -. I don’t even know the word. I’m not a massive fan of the miscommunication or not talking trope and there was some of that here.

There were a few problems that arose for me while reading The Dare. I wasn’t a massive fan of how body image was presented throughout the novel. At first, I enjoyed that Taylor was curvy. But then it became all about that. I felt that her insecurities too over the novel, but not in a good way. I just want a novel where there is a curvy/plus size protagonist and it doesn’t come down to her weight or how she looks. That would be nice. I also felt that there were a few moments throughout the novel that made me cringe and second guess what I was reading. They were just some side remarks that didn’t sit well with me.

Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash

Overall I enjoyed reading The Dare by Elle Kennedy. It was a great conclusion to the end of a series. While I didn’t fall in love with everything in this series, it was still fun to read. I’m interested in what Elle Kennedy brings out next. I enjoyed the romance between Taylor and Conor and loved seeing them fall in love. And while I did have some problems with the book, it didn’t take too much away from me. If you are looking for a fun new adult romance series, this is a great one to pick up.

Have you read The Dare by Elle Kennedy yet? What did you think of it? Have you read any books in this series? Let’s Chat!

Authors I’ve Read the Most Books By

Jul 7, 2020

This week I’m sharing my most read authors. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

There is a real mix of authors here, from middle grade to YA and romance. I actually really like this. It shows how wide I read and I find that really cool. Anyway, let’s go.

Cassandra Clare: I don’t think it’s a surprise that Cassie is on my list. She is by far one of my favourite authors. As of today, I have read 20 books from Cassandra Clare. This includes The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices, Chain of Gold as well as all the side books in the Shadowhunter chronicles as well as a few Magisterium books.

Sarina Bowen: One of the first New Adult/Romance authors that I feel in love with, I’ve read most of Sarina Bowen’s books. There is only a couple that I haven’t picked up yet. I’ve currently read 35 books by Sarina. I knew I had read a lot from her, didn’t think it was that much.

Elle Kennedy: As Sarina Bowen’s writing partner, I’ve read most of Elle’s work, both under her name and books written under a pen. At the moment I’ve read 32 of Elle Kennedy books. I like the range of genres that Elle Kennedy writes in. From NA to romantic suspense. It’s great.

Lisa Kleypas: I only started reading Lisa Kleypas last year but I’ve already read 17 of her books. This is the combination of 3 series. I think she has to be my favourite Historical Romance author at the moment. I just love her writing, her characters, her story – just everything.

Rick Riordan: The only male author on this list and the only one that matters. I have read 19 books from Rick Riordan. I just love his books so much. They are fantastic. They are written with such humour and they just make me laugh all the time. It’s one that I recommend to anyone and everyone.

Chantal Fernando: I’ve been reading Chantal Fernando’s books over the last couple of years and now I’ve read 18 books. There is still a couple of her series that I want to read but haven’t read yet. They are just fun to read. I like the romances and the MC style.

Terri Anne Browning: I did not realise until I started writing this post that I’ve read so many books from this author. I don’t even love these books they are just fun to read. I’m currently read 32 books from Terri Anne Browning. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these books, but it’s okay.

J.R. Ward: In nearly forgot about J.R Ward, but I’ve currently read 14 books from her. 11 of those from the Black Dagger Brotherhood and then the few from her firefighters series. I plan to continue the Black Brotherhood series for sure! But I do need to take it slow, I read the first 11 nearly one after each other and got burnt out. But I can’t wait to read more.

Carrie Ann Ryan: I started reading Carrie Ann Ryan a few ago now, and as it stands I’ve read 26 of her books and plan to read more. I’m mostly reading her Montgomery Ink World. I’ve tried to read her supernatural books and didn’t enjoy it. But I do love her Montgomery Ink books for sure.

Laura Kaye: Is another author that I have read a good amount from. At the moment I’ve read 22 books from her. Across multiple series and I really enjoy her books. They are different from each other, but you still see characters worlds cross.

And that is it for this week! Whoo, that was so much fun. There were some authors that I expected to be on this list and some I’m surprised at how much I have read from them. Who are your most read authors? Do we share any that is the same? Let’s Chat!

Book Tag | Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Jul 5, 2020

Today I thought it would be fun to do another book tag. Tags are a fun way to really think about things. From the way, I read my favourite and least favourite books. So today I thought I would do the unpopular opinions book tag.

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag was created by The Book Archer, you can check out the original video now. Now let’s get into it.

1. A Popular Book or series that you didn’t like.

I did a whole post about this recently. But one of the series that I don’t have on this list. It’s Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I liked the first book, I enjoyed it quite a bit. But then it all went downhill for me. I’ve spoken about this before but quickly. I just don’t like what Maas does with her characters. I wanted to love her stuff, but I just can’t.

2. A Popular Book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love.

I have no idea how to answer this one. I’ve been thinking about it for the last two days and can’t think of anything. I don’t think there is anything that I love that everyone hates.

3. A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warn ppl for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don’t like.

I’m an OTP kind of girl most of the time. But there is a bunch of romance couples that I couldn’t see connect the way I would have liked them too. Recently I tried reading the first two books in Lauren Rowe’s Morgan Brothers series and didn’t love the couples in both. In Hero, the OTP was decent. I didn’t have a massive problem with it. But I really didn’t like the couple in Captain.

4. A popular book genre that you hardly reach for.

Science-Fiction. I’ve spoken about this a few times, but I really struggle reading sci-fi. I don’t know what it is because I love watching shows and films that are science fiction. But reading it has a different vibe for me. I’ve read a few books that are both YA and Adult sci-fi. And some I’ve loved and some I haven’t. It’s kind of a mix bad. But I really have to be in the mood for me. I have to be in the right headspace to read and take it all in.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

I think this one has to go to Lissa from Vampire Academy. I love this series, but I just couldn’t love Lissa. I didn’t think she was a great friend to Rose and even a great person at times. Later on, in the series, I grew to like her more. But it did take me a while. I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion per se, but I do see more people liking her more than I do.

6. A popular author that you can’t seem to get into.

I’ve tried reading a few books from Becky Albertalli, but I cannot get into them. I’m not entirely sure what it is. I’ve tried reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda twice now and wasn’t able to get into it at all. But I adore the movie, I’ve watched it countless times. I’ve also tried to pick up The Upside of Unrequited and could not connect with it either.

7. A popular book trope that you’re tired of seeing.

Love Triangle. It’s something that I have always disliked and I really wish that more YA didn’t have it. I just don’t get the appeal. I hate the unnecessary tension that it creates. There have only been two books where a love triangle has worked for me, and they are both from the same author. The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare. And it’s worked because in reality it wasn’t really a love triangle and it all worked out in the end.

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

This has to the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin. I never really had an interest when it first came out. While this isn’t as popular now when all I was reading YA, this was one of the most popular series and I just had no interest. I think I might have liked it if I picked it up when it first came out, but I don’t think I will now.

9. The saying goes “The book is always better than the movie”, but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

I don’t think I prefer the movie to the book, but I think that the Catching Fire movie is hands down one of the best book to movie adaptations ever! And sometimes I do prefer it to the book. It just depends on what mood I’m in. The whole movie series is seriously some of the best book to movie adaptions that I have seen. I love them and don’t have much to say in terms of criticism.

And that is it for this post! What are some of your unpopular opinions? What is a book that everyone loves, but you hate? Do we share any of the same answers? Let’s talk about our unpopular opinions!