The Risk

The Risk (2019) is a new-adult contemporary romance by Elle Kennedy. The author is well-known for her popular Off-Campus series, which explores the lives and romances of students at a fictional New England university with a powerhouse hockey program. The second in the follow-up Briar U series, The Risk centers on Brenna Jensen, the independent and sharp-tongued daughter of Briar University’s head hockey coach. To secure a coveted internship in sports broadcasting, Brenna finds herself needing a favor from Jake Connelly, the arrogant captain of Harvard’s rival hockey team. In a moment of desperation, she claims that Jake is her boyfriend, and he agrees to play along—but only if she gives him a real date in return, forcing them into a secret and complicated romance.

Set against the backdrop of an intense athletic rivalry, the novel explores The Devaluation of Women’s Expertise in Sports, as Brenna navigates a misogynistic professional environment where her extensive knowledge of hockey is dismissed by male gatekeepers. The central romance is driven by The Fear of Emotional Vulnerability, with both Brenna and Jake protecting themselves with emotional armor rooted in past trauma and a reluctance to commit. Their relationship also becomes a battleground for Divided Loyalties Amid Competition, as their growing affection forces them to contend with the anger of their friends, family, and teammates, who view their connection as a betrayal. Kennedy received the 2016 Romance Writers of America Award for Mid-Length Contemporary Romance for Him, co-authored with Sarina Bowen.

This guide refers to the 2022 Bloom Books edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, pregnancy loss, physical abuse, emotional abuse, gender discrimination, addiction, substance use, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Brenna Jensen, the fiercely independent daughter of Briar University’s head hockey coach, Chad Jensen, is stood up for a coffee date arranged by her best friend, Summer Heyward-Di Laurentis. As she’s about to leave, Jake Connelly, the arrogant captain of Harvard’s rival hockey team, arrives. Jake confronts Brenna about her casual fling with his teammate Josh McCarthy, claiming that the younger player is “lovesick” and distracted, which threatens Harvard’s performance in the upcoming conference tournament. He demands that she end it. Though Brenna defiantly refuses to be ordered around, she soon receives a text from Josh breaking things off, clearly at Jake’s instruction. 

Jake’s interference ignites Brenna’s desire for revenge, leading to a tense rivalry that extends beyond the ice. Brenna ambushes Jake and his teammates at their local dive bar, the Dime, wearing her trademark red lipstick and a revealing outfit. She proves a point by seductively sitting on his teammate Coby Chilton’s lap, demonstrating how easily she can distract his players. Soon afterward, Brenna and Jake have a sexually charged chance encounter at a club.

Brenna’s professional ambitions lead her to a disastrous interview for a coveted summer internship at HockeyNet, a TV channel devoted to hockey news and coverage. The interviewer, a chauvinistic executive named Ed Mulder, is dismissive until Brenna mentions Jake, who has been drafted as a rookie by Mulder’s favorite National Hockey League team, the Edmonton Oilers. In a moment of desperation, Brenna impulsively lies, claiming that Jake is her boyfriend. Mulder immediately invites the couple to a dinner party. Brenna enlists Jake’s help, asking him to pose as her boyfriend for Mulder’s party. Jake agrees, but only on the condition that in exchange for the fake date, he gets one real date with her. 

At the party, Mulder continues his sexist behavior, and Jake eventually abandons Brenna to network with an Oilers player, Theo “Nils” Nilsson. Furious, Brenna confronts Jake afterward, but their argument dissolves into a passionate make-out session, confirming their undeniable chemistry.

Brenna and Jake’s first real date at a bowling alley is surprisingly fun and ends with them getting intimate in the backseat of a car. The moment is cut short by a call from Brenna’s troubled ex-boyfriend Eric Royce. Eric was a rising hockey star when Brenna dated him in high school, but he spiraled into drug addiction after she broke up with him.

Brenna conceals her relationship with Jake from her friends and father due to the intense rivalry between their opposing teams. Her life is further complicated when her apartment floods, forcing her to move back in with her father, Chad. One night, Jake climbs a drainpipe to sneak into Brenna’s bedroom at her father’s house. Their rendezvous is interrupted when Chad hears them, leading to a tense confrontation that reveals his deep-seated overprotectiveness. Feeling like the situation is too complicated, Brenna ends things with Jake. 

After learning that she didn’t get the internship, Brenna impulsively calls Jake. They meet at the Harvard hockey arena where Coach Pederson catches them together half-naked. Afterward, Brenna returns to Jake’s condo. Their evening is interrupted when Eric calls Brenna, lost and desperate, in the throes of a meth binge. Brenna, Jake, and his roommate Brooks Weston drive to New Hampshire; find Eric in a drug-induced state of paranoia; and take him home. The traumatic event leaves Brenna shaken, and she asks to spend the night at Jake’s apartment. They have sex for the first time.

During the conference final, Harvard player Jonah Hemley attacks Briar’s forward, Hunter Davenport, for sleeping with his girlfriend. When Jonah breaks Hunter’s wrist, Briar’s captain, Nate Rhodes, punches Jonah. Harvard wins the game, but afterward, both teams’ coaches are angry with their players. Coach Pederson exposes Brenna and Jake’s relationship by accusing Coach Jensen of using his daughter as “a honey trap” to distract his star player (295). In the aftermath, Briar’s players ostracize Brenna for disloyalty, and her best friend, Summer, is hurt that she kept the relationship a secret. After an argument with her father, Brenna stays with Jake.

Emotionally vulnerable, Brenna confides in Jake about her traumatic past. She reveals that at 16, she became pregnant by Eric, suffered a miscarriage, and nearly hemorrhaged to death after he prioritized partying over taking her to the hospital. The event devastated her and fractured her relationship with her father, who she thinks has viewed her as a reckless disappointment ever since. Jake is supportive, and their emotional and sexual connection deepens.

The next morning, they oversleep, and Jake is an hour late for a critical practice. His concerns about Brenna’s potential to distract him grow when he talks with his childhood friend Hazel Simonson. Hazel expresses concern about Brenna’s influence on Jake, adding that when he begins his professional career with the Oilers, he will face the pressure of maintaining a long-distance relationship. Jake breaks up with Brenna, claiming that he needs to focus solely on hockey. Heartbroken, Brenna pretends not to care and moves back to her father’s house. There, she finally has a raw, emotional conversation with Chad, who confesses that his distance stemmed from the terror of almost losing her, which reminded him of his wife’s death. He also reveals that his bitter rivalry with Coach Pederson began when they were students and Pederson made a pass at Brenna’s mother. They reconcile, agreeing to a fresh start.

On the day of Harvard’s regional tournament game, Brenna realizes that she still has Jake’s good-luck bracelet. Knowing his game-day ritual is sacred, she and her father drive to Worcester to return it. She gives the bracelet to Hazel to pass along. Driven by jealousy, Hazel initially withholds it but eventually confesses her feelings for Jake and her attempt to sabotage his relationship with Brenna. She gives him the bracelet and reveals that Brenna is in the arena. Realizing the depth of his mistake, Jake summons Brenna to the locker room. He apologizes profusely, admits that he acted out of fear, and confesses that he loves her. Brenna admits that she loves him too, and they reconcile, committed to making their relationship work when he leaves for Edmonton. 

In the Epilogue, Brenna watches from a private box with Jake’s parents as Harvard wins the Frozen Four, the national championship. Her relationships with her father and friends are mended. During the celebration, she receives a call from Georgia Barnes, a journalist she idolizes, who has moved from HockeyNet to ESPN. Georgia offers Brenna an interview for a position as her personal assistant, fulfilling her career dream.