[Review + Release Day] LOVE LESSONS (Brooklyn #7; Brooklyn Bruisers #10) by Sarina Bowen

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: July 12, 2022

Cover Design: Hang Le
Cover Photo: Wander Aguiar Photography

DESCRIPTION

He needs an image makeover, she needs a mojo upgrade. A new lessons-in-seduction hockey romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Sarina Bowen.

After I’m arrested for throwing a raucous party, my hockey team says I have an image problem. And I need to fix it, stat.

Charity work? Check. Haircut? Sure. But I draw the line at hiring my neighbor to style me. In the first place “style” shouldn’t be a verb. And I’m tired of people who’d judge me on appearances.

Vera and I don’t see eye to eye on anything. She wants me to try on clothes, while I just want to remove hers. She's distractingly pretty, with soulful eyes and a sinful mouth that likes to argue with me.

But when management threatens my summer vacation, I grudgingly agree to Vera’s unusual proposal: she’ll give me an image makeover. But in return, she wants lessons in the art of seduction.

It sounds a little nutty, but I know a good opening when I hear it. Besides, it’s not like I’ll ever fall for her…

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !

Amazon: https://geni.us/lovelessons-amazon
Apple Books: https://geni.us/lovelessons-apple
Kobo: https://geni.us/lovelessons-kobo
Nook: https://geni.us/lovelessons-nook
Google: https://geni.us/lovelessons-google
Audio: COMING SOON

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REVIEW

 I find myself loving the Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers more and more with each book, and I was so happy to see Vera and Ian in this one! Their chemistry was absolutely phenomenal and I loved seeing how they fit in with the couples that we already love! I also love that we really are getting so much of both the Bruisers and the Bombshells in these books!

In terms of story, I thought LOVE LESSONS was so much fun! I'm always a fan of romances that start out as flings or "lessons" and this one was so well done! Both Vera and Ian had some baggage that kept them from being open to love...but they really couldn't resist each other and I was so here for it! I also just loved them both as characters--Vera's passion for fashion and making people confident in themselves was really lovely, and I loved Ian's drive, his humour, and how determined he was to overcome obstacles and help others! As a couple, they were wonderful, too! Their banter, playful arguing, and the sheer tension between them was so palpable and I loved every single moment they were on the page together! I'm already excited to see them in future books...even if it's just in snippets!

Overall, I thought that LOVE LESSONS was absolutely wonderful and loved it so, so much! It was steamy, funny, and so enjoyable! I didn't want to put it down, and it was such a lovely addition to the Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers series! I love how these books work well as standalones, but are also enjoyable to read in order because you truly do get to know the character so well...and it's so fantastic to keep seeing them appear in future books! I really hope Sarina Bowen continues with this series for a very long time because I'm nowhere near done with these characters yet! I also love the balance of sports to romance that she adds--it's just enough to be sporty, but wouldn't deter anyone who doesn't actually like sports...perfectly well done! If you're looking for a sports romance or a lovely contemporary romance, I would highly recommend both LOVE LESSONS and the Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers series! 

Star Rating:

★★★★★

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 TEASERS

 

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What do you think?

Does LOVE LESSONS sound like a book you'd enjoy?

Have you read any of Sarina Bowen's books yet?

[Review + Release Day] SHENANIGANS (Brooklyn #6; Brooklyn Bruisers #9) by Sarina Bowen

 

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: March 15, 2022

Cover Design: Hang Le
Cover Photo: Wander Aguiar Photography

DESCRIPTION

What I meant to do in Vegas: Let my hair down for once and celebrate winning a medal at my first women’s hockey all-stars competition.

What I actually did: Got senior prom drunk and woke up married to Brooklyn’s star winger, the great Neil Drake.

He’s the heir to a billion dollars, and I barely survived my childhood. Our friendship is based strictly only on hockey, takeout food and smack talk.

And now holy matrimony. Although we both know it can’t last, especially once his evil family gets wind of our Vegas shenanigans…

Contains: Meddling teammates, meddling parents, ugly jewelry and a pretend-kiss that nearly sets the world on fire.

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !

Amazon: https://geni.us/AmazonShenanigans 
Apple: https://geni.us/AppleShenanigans 
Kobo: https://geni.us/KoboShenanigans
Nook: https://geni.us/NookShenanigans 
Google: https://geni.us/GoogleShenanigans
Audio: https://geni.us/AudibleShenanigans

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REVIEW

There are certain tropes that I just always love and find fun, and one of those happens to be accidental marriages, so even without this being one of my most-anticipated couples from the Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers universe, I was excited for this one...add in the fact that it was Charli and Neil and I was even more excited!

I'd been excited to see what would happen between these two since the first moment Charli and Neil showed up in BOMBSHELLS, and I wasn't disappointed! First, I absolutely LOVED their dynamics and banter...and second...their chemistry was off the charts! It was a bit of a slowburn, which totally worked for these two characters and was 100% worth the wait! I loved Charli from the first time we met her. She's fierce and I love that she's not one to back down when she thinks something isn't right! Finding out more about her was really interesting, and I liked that we got to see what she had been through to get to where she was--it made me even more impressed with her. And Neil...I loooooooved Neil! He was so sweet, and sexy...and just such a wonderful man! He was a bit of a mystery still in the last book, so I loved that we got to know him better...it was also pretty interesting to see the contrast between Charli and Neil based on the fact that he was raised a billionaire...and she very much was not. :P

Overall, I thought that SHENANIGANS was amazing and I absolutely loved it! It was funny, steamy, and I loved the story, the romance, and seeing how much the Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers world has grown! It's also just so neat to see how the female hockey team that was introduced in the previous book continues to grow, too!!! This is the first sports romance series that I've ever read where both the men and women are so involved in the sport part of the story and I love that! You definitely don't need to know much about hockey to read these books, so don't feel like that should keep you from picking it up. For the most part, the sport aspects of this series really just heighten the friendships between the characters, and gives them all a drive to excel at their sport. :) I'd highly recommend SHENANIGANS to fans of contemporary romance, especially if you like the accidental marriage trope and romances featuring athletes!

Star Rating:

★★★★★

 

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 TEASERS

 

 

 

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What do you think?

Does SHENANIGANS sound like a book you'd enjoy?

Have you read any of Sarina Bowen's books yet?

[Review] BOMBSHELLS (Brooklyn Bruisers #8) by Sarina Bowen

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: April 13, 2021

Photography by Wander Aguiar
Design by Hang Le

DESCRIPTION

The women's league is in the house! And Brooklyn will never be the same again for Anton Bayer and the team…

This is my last chance to ditch my playboy reputation and finally fulfill my potential. So I’ve made three rules for our biggest season yet: no boozing, no women, and no scandals.

Especially that last thing.

So who do I befriend on the very first day back at the rink? An amazing female hockey player. I want Sylvie in a way that’s more than just friendly. I crave her. But I have a championship to win, and so does she.

Then she gets her heart broken by my teammate, and I make the foolish mistake of comforting her in the best way I know how. Our night together sets off a string of sins.

Nobody can know about our affair, especially my overprotective teammate. I can’t let anyone see into my greedy little heart. Not even her.

The things I want from her, and the things we’ve already done? If anyone knew, there’d be bombshells.

Contains: a defenseman with dreamy blue eyes, a female goalie with bad ideas, a major battle of the sexes and a swimming pool scene...

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !

Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Nook |Google | Audio

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REVIEW

Whenever Sarina Bowen has a new Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers coming book out, I'm always on board, and I was definitely excited for Anton's story! We've seen a few other Bayers in various books already, and we've gotten to know a bit about Anton already...but in BOMBSHELLS we finally get to know him even better...and let me tell you, if you liked him even a little bit in the other books, you will absolutely ADORE him in BOMBSHELLS! 

Anton and Sylvie were both wonderful main characters! They were driven, generous, and just fantastic people...and together...WOW! Their chemistry was obvious from the very first moment that they saw each other...and I was super here for it! I loved how their friendship and relationship evolved, and I really loved that we now have Brooklyn's new women's hockey team in this series, the Bombshells! It was so wonderful to get to see these new characters, and I'm super excited to see more of them...and to get more of Anton and Sylvie in future books, too! The only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of with BOMBSHELLS was that the past love interest part (the heart break mentioned in the description) just dragged on a bit too much for me. I would've preferred more moments between the Bombshells players and/or some more romance-y bits rather than have more on that particular character...but I was still super satisfied with what was there, just saying. :P

 Overall, I thought that BOMBSHELLS was wonderful! I loved Sylvie and Anton, and their chemistry was phenomenal! I only bumped one star off because I wanted a little less dwelling on past crushes, and a little more of the romance, and the new Bombshells team! I'd recommend this one to anyone who loves steamy, flirty, contemporary romances--even if you're not a big sports fan, I think you'll love this one. :)

Star Rating:

★★★★

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What do you think?

Does BOMBSHELLS sound like a book you'd enjoy?

Have you read any of Sarina Bowen's books yet?

[Review] SUPERFAN (Brooklyn, #3) by Sarina Bowen

Source: Received an egalley for reviewing.
Release Date: June 25, 2019
Number of Pages: 312 (Paperback)

DESCRIPTION

Sometimes lady luck shakes your hand, and sometimes she smacks your face. Sometimes she does both on the same day.

Three years ago I met the most amazing girl in the world. We were both down on our luck. Then I got that call—the one that tells you to get your buns on a plane to go meet your destiny.

But the girl was left behind. I didn’t have her phone number, and she didn’t know my real name.

While I became a professional hockey player, she became a superstar, with platinum records and legions of fans. And a slick, music producer boyfriend who treated her badly.

But fate wasn’t done with us yet. When Delilah turns up at a hockey game, I can’t resist making contact. The internet swoons when I ask her out on a date.

She might not remember me. But her jerkface ex does. He’ll do anything to keep us apart.

Good thing athletes never give up. This time I’m playing for keeps.

More information at SarinaBowen.com

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

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REVIEW

First Impressions...

Oh boy!!!! I have been eagerly waiting for Silas and Delilah’s story ever since we discovered her was her superfan...and it was so worth the wait! Silas was sweet, spectacular, and just so wholeheartedly good and nice! I loved him so much, and I adored Delilah! She was guarded, and cynical, so it was amazing to see her open up throughout this story!!! I loved every single minute of it!

This Book In 5 Words:

Sexy. Spectacular. Sweet. Serendipitous. Scintillating.

What Did I Like: 

- Basically everything. ;)

- Silas and Delilah. I have loved Silas since the first time we met him in Sarina's earlier books, and each time we learned more about him, I grew to love him more and more! I especially loved seeing how much of a "superfan" he was of Delilah Sparks and I just knew there had to be more to their story than him just being a fan...getting to see the two of them together and learning their history was wonderful! I also loved Delilah! Both characters are so passionate and they were so supportive of each other and I really loved seeing how they fit together....soooooo good!!! :D

- The other characters! One of the things that I've loved about Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn and Brooklyn Bruisers books is seeing how all of the characters interact! The team/organization dynamics, and seeing how everyone fits together has been so fantastic! I loved getting to see so much of it in SUPERFAN--it was perfect! :D

- The romance!!!! Wooooowwwwzers! I adored Silas and Delilah together...so...freaking...much! They were sweet, worked well together, and the romance was also so intense and their chemistry was amazing! It was exactly what I'd hoped we would get when I was eagerly hoping for Silas and Delilah's story to be shared next!

What Didn't I Like:

- Nothing! I thought that this book was absolutely wonderful and I loved every minute of it. It had me feeling all the feels and I was 100% here for all of it. ;)

Star Rating:

★★★★★

Read If You Like:

Second-chance romances! Sports romances of any kind! Even if you don't like sports romances, but just love romances that will pull you in, leave you breathless and swoony...then totally pick this up!

Overall, I absolutely loved SUPERFAN! It was fun, sweet, sexy, and totally wonderful! It can be read as a standalone, but you can also read the full series if you want to get to know everyone who's a part of the Brooklyn Bruisers team and organization! ;) Highly recommend this one! It's been one of my favourite romances for the year!

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Anyone else a huge fan of Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn and Brooklyn Bruisers series?

[Cover Reveal] SUPERFAN (Brooklyn, #3; Brooklyn Bruisers, #6) by Sarina Bowen

Hello romance readers! 

Is anyone else a fan of Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers books? 

Well...Ive got something special for you today: a cover reveal for her next book in the series, SUPERFAN! It's coming out on June 25th! :)

I won't keep you waiting any longer, so here's the cover:

BLURB

Sometimes lady luck shakes your hand, and sometimes she smacks your face. Sometimes she does both on the same day.

Three years ago I met the most amazing woman. We were both down on our luck. Then I got that call—the one that tells you to get your buns on a plane to go meet your destiny.

But the girl was left behind. I didn’t have her phone number, and she didn’t know my real name.

While I became a professional hockey player, she became a superstar, with platinum records and legions of fans. And a slick, music producer boyfriend who treated her badly.

But fate wasn’t done with us yet. When Delilah turns up at a hockey game, I can’t resist making contact. The internet swoons when I ask her out on a date.

She might not remember me. But her jerkface ex does. He’ll do anything to keep us apart.

Good thing athletes never give up. This time I’m playing for keeps.

 

LINKS:

Amazon: https://geni.us/SFamazon

Apple: https://geni.us/SFapple

Kobo: https://geni.us/SFKobo

Nook: https://geni.us/SFnook

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GIVEAWAY

Be the first to read! 

Three winners (US or Canada) will win early signed paperback copies of Superfan! 

Enter here: https://geni.us/SuperfanGiveaway

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EXCERPT

      “Would you like a beer?” the cute bartender asks me.

      I glance at the pile of mint leaves on his cutting board and hesitate. “Sure,” I say. But the mint looks so fresh and pretty.

      “I could make you something different.”

      “Beer is great. A cold…”

      “—lager,” he finishes. “No glass, no opener.”

      When I look up to flash him a smile, my heart does a little somersault. Those kind eyes are smiling at me, too. “Thank you,” I whisper.

      “It’s really no problem.” He turns toward the beer cooler. “You’re an easy customer, trust me.”

      But I really meant—thank you for remembering. As he leans down to grab a bottle for me, I find myself admiring the strong muscles in his back. Stop it, I admonish myself. It only gets worse when he turns around and places the bottle in front of me. I’ve never seen hands like his. I didn’t even know wrists could look muscular.

      Even so. Ogling him is not why I came here. I pull out my keychain opener and remove the cap from my beer.

      He discards it, gives me another pleasant smile and then picks up his paring knife again.

      I take a sip, wondering when he’s going to mention my show at the Coconut Club. He was there. I saw him.

      He separates some mint leaves from their stems and says nothing.

      I last about seventeen seconds. “Well?”

      “Well?” He looks up. “Sorry?”

      “Jesus lord.” I close my eyes and then open them again. This is not going how I’d hoped it would. “What did you think?”

      “Of…?” His amazing eyes are studying me.

      “Forget I asked.” I take a swig of beer.

      “Think about what?” He pushes the cutting board aside, and his smile turns knowing.

      “My set at the Coconut Club! I saw you holding up that wall in the back. Don’t lie.”

      He tips his head back and lets out a sudden laugh. “I’m so busted. I loved your show, but I didn’t expect you to spot me.”

      “You loved it so much you weren’t going to say anything?” The sentence sounds crazy to my own ears. I put down the beer. “You know what? Never mind. I’m just being psycho right now. This town is getting into my head.”

      “Listen, girly.” He braces both (muscular!) hands on the bar and looks me right in the eye. “I loved it so much that I don’t even know what to say about it. From that moment at the beginning—when you shut that asshole’s maw? To the part where you made a lady cry.” He shakes his head. “I couldn’t look away. And I never wanted it to end.”

      I give him a slow blink, just trying to take that in. It’s so much more than I was even hoping to hear.

      “Shit, Delilah. If that set doesn’t win you whatever contract you’re looking for, they don’t even deserve you.”

      Something warm and unfamiliar settles into the center of my belly. “That might be the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. Which only means you’re still trying to get my phone number.”

      He laughs immediately. “Can’t both things be true? Both my musical assessment and my interest in your evening plans?”

      “Because you know so much about music.” I flip my hair and take another sip of beer.

      “Look. I don’t know shit about music. But I know plenty about talent.” He leans down on a set of forearms I shouldn’t be noticing. “I know that talent sometimes takes a nap at just the wrong moment, but it never stays asleep for long. I also know that luck matters, too. If they don’t give you what you want, it won’t be your fucking fault.”

      “Thank you,” I say quietly.

      But he’s not done. “I saw something else valuable the other night. You’re good in the clinch. And that counts for double, I swear to God.”

      “The clinch?”

      “Yeah. You’re not just good at practice.” He pauses, wrinkling up his interesting nose. “What word would a musician use? Okay—you’re not a rehearsal musician. That stage was like your home. Either that or you fake it really well. That’s going to pay your rent someday, I promise.”

      “Wow.” It’s like he looked right into my terrified little soul and found the very thing I needed to hear. Those beautiful eyes of his are practically burning me right now, so I have to look away. “Thank you. Really. I really needed that pep talk.”

      I make the mistake of looking up at him again, and, for a split second, I see pure yearning. It’s like our souls vibrate at exactly the same frequency. And I have no idea what to do with that.

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Gah! 

That cover! 

That excerpt....I am soooo ridiculously excited for SUPERFAN! I've been excited for Silas's story ever since we met him! I loved how his teammates teased him about his love of Delilah's music...and then we got a hint that there was something in his past involving her and I was chomping at the bit for this story even more...and now it's almost here! Wooot!

What do you think? 

Do you like the cover, and did you enjoy the excerpt for SUPERFAN?