The Risk by Elle Kennedy Summary: A Lie That Changes Everything
Brenna Jensen’s Impossible Choice: The Risk Book Summary
Walking into a job interview should feel like an opportunity.
For Brenna Jensen, it feels like running into a brick wall.
The sports media industry doesn’t want a woman who knows hockey.
It wants a former player who looks the part.
But Brenna has spent her entire life around the rink.
Her father coaches the Briar University hockey team. She can break down a power play faster than most analysts.
That knowledge doesn’t matter when the man across the desk only cares about one thing—his obsession with Harvard’s star captain.
Elle Kennedy drops readers into a world where rivalries run deep, sexism remains the default, and one impulsive lie forces two enemies to see each other differently.
For more detailed breakdowns of her stories, browse Elle Kennedy’s book summaries on URSummary.
TL;DR: The Setup, The Lie, The Fallout
Brenna Jensen wants a sports internship.
A sexist executive named Ed Mulder interviews her but only perks up when he learns she knows Jake Connelly, Harvard’s hockey captain. Brenna blurts out that Jake is her boyfriend.
Jake agrees to play along—for a price. One real date. What starts as a transactional fake relationship turns into late-night conversations, bowling alley kisses, and a dangerous emotional connection.
Their fathers are rival coaches.
Their teams are on a collision course. When the truth surfaces, both must decide what matters more: loyalty or love.
Read Also: The Deal by Elle Kennedy Summary: A Steamy Hockey Romance That Redefines Trust
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Brenna Jensen | Briar University senior pursuing a sports broadcasting career while battling industry sexism. |
| Jake Connelly | Harvard hockey captain and top NHL prospect who agrees to a fake relationship with Brenna. |
| Coach Chad Jensen | Brenna’s father and Briar’s head coach, emotionally distant due to past family trauma. |
| Coach Daryl Pedersen | Harvard’s head coach and Chad Jensen’s longtime rival. |
| Summer Heyward-Di Laurentis | Brenna’s best friend and a fashion major at Briar. |
| Brooks Weston | Jake’s roommate and Harvard teammate who provides comic relief and loyalty. |
| Hazel Simonson | Jake’s childhood friend who harbors unspoken feelings for him. |
| Eric Royce | Brenna’s ex-boyfriend whose meth addiction ties directly to their shared teenage trauma. |
| Ed Mulder | HockeyNet executive whose sexism triggers Brenna’s impulsive lie. |
| Georgia Barnes | Respected sports analyst and Brenna’s professional idol. |
The Risk Summary: A Deep Dive Into the Story
SPOILERS BELOW. The full plot is revealed, including the ending.
Explore the Full Story Through Chapter Summaries
Brenna Jensen is a senior at Briar University.
She studies broadcasting and knows hockey better than most players. But the industry doors stay shut. Ed Mulder interviews her for a HockeyNet internship and dismisses her qualifications immediately.
Then he asks about Jake Connelly. Mulder is an Edmonton Oilers superfan. He views Jake, Harvard’s captain, as the franchise’s future savior.
Brenna sees an opening and takes it—she claims Jake is her boyfriend. Mulder invites them both to a dinner party in Boston.
Brenna panics and tracks Jake down. He doesn’t laugh at her. Instead, he negotiates. He will attend the dinner and act the part. In exchange, Brenna must go on a real date with him. She agrees.
The dinner at Mulder’s home is brutal. The executive’s sexism is on full display. Jake steps in, defending Brenna’s hockey knowledge and calling out the disrespect.
His support surprises her. Their subsequent date at a bowling alley reveals more than chemistry—they actually enjoy each other’s company.
Then the past intrudes. Brenna’s ex-boyfriend, Eric Royce, calls in a drug-induced crisis. Jake and his roommate Brooks drive Brenna to New Hampshire to find Eric strung out and dangerous. After getting him to a hospital, Brenna finally tells Jake the truth.
Years ago, she and Eric were teenagers in love. She got pregnant. She miscarried and nearly bled to death. Her father found her unconscious. The trauma shattered their family. Eric spiraled into meth addiction. Brenna buried the pain and built walls.
Jake doesn’t run. The intimacy deepens. But the pressure of the hockey season mounts. His childhood friend Hazel warns him about long-distance relationships ruining careers. His teammates question his focus. Jake panics and tells Brenna she is a distraction. He ends things.
Devastated, Brenna confronts her father. For years, Coach Jensen’s coldness felt like punishment. The truth spills out—he wasn’t angry. He was terrified. Finding his daughter nearly dead broke something in him. Father and daughter finally reconcile.
Harvard faces Briar in the conference championship. The game is violent, penalty-filled, and emotional. Harvard wins. Before heading to regionals, Jake finds Brenna in the locker room. He admits he was a coward. He loves her. He asks for another chance.
Brenna forgives him. Harvard goes on to win the Frozen Four. Brenna gets the call she’s been chasing—Georgia Barnes, her idol, offers her an interview at ESPN.
The risk paid off.
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What Drives the Story
| Theme | How the book presents it |
|---|---|
| Gender Inequality | Brenna faces constant dismissal and condescension from male executives who view sports knowledge as a male domain. |
| Forbidden Romance | The relationship between Brenna and Jake defies a decades-long coaching rivalry and team loyalties. |
| Teenage Trauma | A past pregnancy, miscarriage, and near-death experience shape Brenna’s guarded personality and her fractured relationship with her father. |
| Addiction | Eric Royce’s meth addiction serves as a direct consequence of unresolved grief and lost athletic potential. |
| Parent-Child Reconciliation | Coach Jensen’s emotional distance stems from fear, not anger, and the story follows their path back to each other. |
| Ambition Versus Love | Both Brenna and Jake wrestle with whether pursuing personal goals requires sacrificing their connection. |
Read Also: Knights Like These Summary: A Heartwarming Hockey Romance
How Does The Risk End?
Does Brenna get the internship? She receives a call from Georgia Barnes at ESPN for an interview, marking the launch of her dream career in sports broadcasting.
Do Harvard and Briar play each other? The two teams face off in a brutal, penalty-heavy conference championship game, which Harvard wins before advancing to regionals.
Does Brenna’s father find out about the fake dating scheme? The tension between Brenna and Coach Jensen finally erupts, leading to an honest conversation about the miscarriage and years of misunderstanding.
What happens to Jake and Brenna at the end of The Risk? Jake admits he was wrong to push Brenna away, confesses his love in the locker room after the championship, and they officially become a couple.
Does Jake win the national championship? Harvard wins the Frozen Four, securing the national title and solidifying Jake’s path toward the NHL.
What role does Eric play in the story? Eric is Brenna’s ex-boyfriend whose meth addiction forces Brenna to confront her past trauma and reveal her history to Jake.
Is The Risk part of a series? The book is the second installment in Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series, following The Chase and preceding The Play.
If You Enjoyed The Risk
- The Chase (Briar U #1) by Elle Kennedy — Focuses on Summer and Fitz’s opposites-attract romance within the same Briar U hockey world.
- The Play (Briar U #3) by Elle Kennedy — Follows Hunter Davenport’s season-long vow of celibacy after a painful breakup.
- The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy — The original series starter featuring Garrett Graham and a tutoring arrangement that becomes much more.
- Icebreaker by Hannah Grace — A figure skater and hockey captain share rink space and intense chemistry in this enemies-to-lovers romance.
- The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries #1) by Elle Kennedy — Focuses on the next generation of Briar hockey with Gigi Graham navigating legacy and love.
- Pucked by Helena Hunting — A humorous, high-heat romance centered on a professional hockey player and the woman who upends his world.
