Gigi Graham, daughter of famous hockey player Garrett Graham, has her heart set on Olympic women’s hockey gold, but her challenges playing behind the net threaten to squash this dream. The Briar University men’s hockey team has just merged with a rival team, which is causing a lot of disputes amongst the new teammates including the co-captain Ryder, who is hoping to earn a summer coaching job with his idol Garrett Graham. When Gigi approaches Ryder with a proposition, Ryder will help Gigi improve her skills behind the net while Gigi talks Ryder up to her dad, it seems like a win-win. When their chemistry becomes too hot to ignore, Gigi and Ryder begin a secret relationship to avoid the wrath of Gigi’s ex, who is also Ryder’s co-captain. The Graham Effect is a spicy new adult hockey romance perfect for fans of books like Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, Iced Out by Veronica Eden, Shutout by Avery Keelan, the Playing for Keeps series by Becka Mack, the Red Zone Rivals series by Kandi Steiner, and the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese. Even though it could be read as a standalone, for the best reading experience, The Graham Effect is ideally suited for readers who are already fans of Kennedy’s Off-Campus and BriarU series as The Graham Effect takes place after these series and includes a lot of the characters from these series. Themes and topics present in The Graham Effect include secrets and lies, love and heartbreak, parenthood and family, trust and forgiveness, friendship, social media, criminal justice, fame, communication, and appearance versus reality. Some potential trigger warnings include domestic abuse, foster care, attempted assault, and cheating. I love the Briar University universe from Kennedy’s Off-Campus and BriarU series, so I was very excited to read The Graham Effect, which takes place in the same universe and contains the descendants of the Off-Campus and BriarU characters (namely Gigi Graham, daughter of Garrett and Hannah). I have to say that The Graham Effect definitely exceeded my expectations and I believe that fellow fans will also enjoy the newest instalment in the Briar University universe! I really enjoyed Gigi and Ryder’s spicy “friends with benefits” and “good girl with bad boy” relationship. “Bad boy” Ryder ended up being very swoon-worthy; he finds excuses to bring Gigi flowers and he plans a charming opera date! I also appreciated that there wasn’t really a miscommunication trope (even though Ryder is quiet, Gigi and Ryder learn to communicate with each other throughout the book) and I enjoyed the unanticipated twists and drama in Gigi and Ryder’s story. Lastly, being a huge lover of butterflies myself, I really connected to Gigi’s love of butterflies and very much enjoyed reading about her visits to “her happy place” a.k.a. the local butterfly gardens.
I cannot wait to read more of this series! I wonder if the next book will be about one of Gigi or Ryder’s teammates (like the Off-Campus and BriarU series) or if it will be about another descendant of the Off-Campus or BriarU characters – guess we’ll have to wait and see. Overall, I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to fellow fans of spicy sports romances!
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February 2024
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