Book Summary: 

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.

My Review:

Venturing back to Briar University campus, we move down the bromance roster and get to see the inner workings of one Dean Di Laurentis – a.k.a. Mr. Sunshine himself. This time, we have the added bonus of bringing back one of our favorite characters, Allie Hayes. When we first met her in The Deal, she was the supportive best friend of Hannah and making things work with Sean. Now in The Score, we get to find out who Allie really is and how life doesn’t always work on the way we plan. 

Life as Allie Hayes knows it, is about to change. For better or for the worst, that is still up for debate. After one fight too many, Allie finally decides to pull the plug on her long time boyfriend Sean. Granted, she has broken up with Sean countless times but it never sticks; however, this time will be different. She’s older, stronger, smarter, and has ever intention of hiding like a coward at her best friend’s boyfriend house where Sean wouldn’t think to look for her (or be greeted by overly protective hockey players if he did manage to track her down). All she needs to do is stay away from her phone – no calls, no texts, no meetups. Open heart surgery would be easier but Allie is determined to stick to her guns. So much so that she has enlisted Dean Di Laurentis to take possession of her phone to avoid any temptation. It’s the least he could do after his snide babysitting comments. Yes, she may have interrupted what looked like a “Dear Penthouse” moment for Dean but this was a crisis! Dean, on the other hand, knows the perfect way to keep Allie distracted but a one night stand girl she is not. Well she didn’t think she was until she woke up the next morning with a tequila fueled hangover and chest slamming recall of the night before. Desperate to right a horrendous (yet insanely enjoyable) wrong, Allie demands the night is forgotten, declares it won’t happen again, and puts as much distance between her and Dean as possible. Easier said than done as Allie just delivered the best night of Dean’s life and he isn’t quite ready to forget.

I always enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books and The Score is just as mind-blowing as the rest. The universe (or in this case – University) she has built has become a second home. We know these guys! There was one part when Garrett and Dean were having a moment and someone makes a comment. Without even reading I knew it was Logan! That is how engrossed you become with this group. I feel like I have been invited inside of this sacred family and get to see where life takes them. Having read the first two books, we know where Logan and Garrett go. Now we see how life is panning out for Dean and Allie. 

What I loved the MOST about this book was how Dean taught Allie to love who she was and not let anyone else make her feel less than. Sean was toxic, even if he was capable of being a nice guy. He had this idea of who Allie was and if she veered anywhere from it, she was trash, a loss cause, damaged goods. The names he called her and the way he treated her, a woman he supposedly loved! Dean showed Allie that labels are just words without meaning – we have to give them meaning to do any type of damage. The insults Sean threw at her were just his insecurities, not her qualities (or inefficiencies). The same man that Allie judged was the same man who helped her see beyond the exterior. She judged Dean so harshly but realized how much more there was to him, coming to his defense when the rest of the world only saw the outside layer.

While I am sure there are words to describe the intensity of spice in this book, none come to mind. Dean really brought it out of Allie or at least unlocked the door she had it hidden behind. These two together was like poor gasoline on an open flame. I think what got me the most though was the moment after Maxwell’s funeral. Limited on details, the emotional element of that connection just made me want to cry. There was so much love and sorrow between these two people. 

I loved how this book tackled the concept of grief. Theoretically, there is no wrong way to grief. In actuality, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to grieve. For Dean, drinking and drugs became his coping mechanism, remaining in a stupor instead of facing the pain and reality that his friend was gone. Allie, having loss her mother to cancer, tried to be understanding that everyone handles loss in their own way and tried her hardest to be supportive but when does being supportive and watching someone you love hurt themselves start to conflict? Her inner struggle was so painfully relatable. The mind and heart at conflict with what you should feel, what you should think, how you DO feel, what others are telling you – just anguish to watch.

There is no other way to say it but: OH MY GOD BEAU!! That one hurt my heart! We have known Maxwell through all three books and know the reason the hockey team and the football team are cool was because of the bond between Dean and Max. Even seeing their bromance in this book solidified their friendship. I can’t even begin to image the feeling of loss Dean experienced. For someone who never had a rain cloud in his sunshine existence, to endure anything less than was the ultimate slap in the face. What I did appreciate was that Kennedy didn’t make Maxwell’s death sordid. His death wasn’t something tragic and used to teach a lesson to the reader, it was untimely and no one’s fault – just an unfortunate accident. To see Dean spiral, to not know how to handle the realness that life can be sometimes did bring Allie’s father’s thoughts into fruition but I admired how quickly he snapped out of it when Allie finally walked away. He didn’t throw a pity party, he didn’t blame her and act like the victim, he owned up to the way he was trying to numb himself from pain – something he never experienced in his life. Not only that, but the 180 he did of owning up to everything and making amends – talk about a hidden redemption story! 

Each of these books draws you in, makes you laugh, make you cry, and reminds you that no matter what age – life always has something to teach you. This book gives us a peek at what’s to come in The Goal and I can’t wait to crack that one open!