NEW ADULT MONDAYS: The Mistake (Off-Campus #2)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

The Mistake (Off-Campus #2), by Elle Kennedy
Publish Date: May 6, 2015
Publisher: Self-published
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

And the awesomeness continues...

Before I was even finished reading The Deal (Off-Campus #1), I had already bought The Mistake. It was really a pretty easy decision. These Briar University hockey players have completely stolen my heart. 

The Mistake follows John Logan - or, just Logan to most everyone who knows him - who is struggling to beat down his feelings for his BFF Garrett's new girlfriend Hannah Wells (the couple from The Deal). Like any good friend, he feels incredibly guilty for wanting her for himself. Since Logan is a viral young male, he tries to screw away his feelings. Ha. 

The Mistake is your classic jock meets wallflower trope. Although at first glance, Grace doesn't seem like the type to be able to bring Logan to his knees and make him forget about Hannah, she does just that. For a few hours. Aaaaaanddddd then Logan screws it up. Of course. 

They spend the summer apart, and while Logan spends that time trying not to think about how he won't be able to do what he wants after graduation, as well as the mousy girl who sort of blew his mind for a night. Grace spends that time shoring up her walls so that when she gets back to school, she can resist the charms of the hot hockey player who seriously hurt her feelings. 

I loved Grace. Like, A LOT. She's shy and a little off the wall. But, she is determined. I felt so badly for her when Logan hurt her feelings, and I have to give her credit for making strides to ensure that it didn't happen again. She makes Logan work for her affections, and as it turns out, that was exactly what he needed in order to prove to both Grace and himself that this was for real. 

For Logan's part, this is a kid who is being pulled in more directions than he should. He's trying to deal with his feelings for Hannah, plus the fact that, even if he's drafted by the NHL, he can't play for them. Grace is the one bright spot in his life. And I loved that about them. 

Elle Kennedy is a master at creating characters who seem to be one thing on the surface, but once you dig a little deeper, you discover they are something completely different. Her characters and her stories have many layers, and while you're peeling away those layers, you don't want to stop reading. You know there's more there than what you think, and that when you get there, it's going to be good. Oh, and did I mention that her books are sexy as hell? Because they are. And that's just the icing on top. 

So, this is now two out of the four roommates' stories told - two more to go.