Shenanigans (Brooklyn 6) by Sarina Bowen-Review Tour

Shenanigans (Brooklyn Bruisers 6) by Sarina Bowen-Review Tour

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Apple /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 15, 2022

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…

••••••

REVIEW:SHENANIGANS is the sixth full-length instalment in Sarina Bowen’s contemporary, adult BROOKLYN hockey, romance series (formerly known as the Brooklyn Bruisers)-a series that now includes the all women’s Brooklyn Bombshells hockey team. This is Brooklyn Bruisers hockey player Cornelius ‘Neil’ Drake, and Brooklyn Bombshells hockey player Charlotte ‘Charli’ Higgins’ story line. SHENANIGANS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Charli and Neil) SHENANIGANS follows the friends to lovers, Vegas marriage, fake relationship between Brooklyn Bruisers hockey player Cornelius ‘Neil’ Drake, and Brooklyn Bombshells hockey player Charlotte ‘Charli’ Higgins. An awards ceremony in Vegas ends with our couple, a very drunk couple, pretending to get married, only to wake up the next morning, married for real. Hoping for a quickie annulment, Neil and Charli discover that leaving Vegas was the worst thing they could do. When a paparazzi posts a picture of the couple entering a chapel, not only does the Brooklyn hockey organization begin to round up the troops, but Neil’s well-to-do family, begin to circle wagons in an attempt to protect their family holdings. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Neil and Charli, and the potential fall-out as both extended families take action, but action with varying degrees of threats and intimidation.

Neil Drake has lusted after Charli Higgins for as long as he can remember but never thought Charli saw him as boyfriend or marriage material. Charli always presented herself as not interested in the opposite $ex, disguising years of mistrust and threats at the hands of many men. When Charli draws a line in the proverbial sand with regards to their quickie marriage, Neil struggles with his growing attraction to a woman who believes she is unworthy of our hero’s love.

The relationship between Neil and Charli is a friends to lovers, fake relationship in which Charli is hoping for an immediate divorce. Targeted and threatened by both Neil’s family and her own, Charli is forced to walk away to protect the man with whom she is falling in love. Neil is quickly falling for the woman he married, a woman who stands up to protect our story line hero. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters cause most of the problems and issues in our couple’s lives-Silas (Superfan 3/Brooklyn Bruisers 7), Bess and Tank (Sureshot 4), the Bombshells’ coach Anton Bayer and his significant other Sylvie (Bombshells 5); Charli’s teammates Fiona, Angelica, and Samantha; her cousin Robert, and brother Dennis; Neil’s long-suffering mother Paloma Drake, his uncle Harmon, and his sister Paisley ; personal shopper Vera, and Neil’s ex Iris. The conflict resolution with Charli’s family ends rather abruptly-I was hoping for more.

SHENANIGANS is a story of family and dysfunction; secrets and lies; betrayal and vengeance, friendships, relationships, hockey and love. The character driven premise is emotional and intense ; the characters are animated, inspiring and energetic; the romance is spirited, edgy and tender.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Rookie Move
Hard Hitter
Pipe Dreams

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Sarina Bowen is the USA Today bestselling author of steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction. She lives in the wilds of Vermont.

She is the author of The Ivy Yearsan award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college. Also, the The Gravity series.

With Elle Kennedy, Sarina is the author of HIM and US.

Follow SarinaGoodreads / Website Twitter Facebook

Share

Pipe Dreams (Brooklyn Bruisers #3) by Sarina Bowen-Review, Interview & Giveaway

PIPE DREAMS (Brooklyn Bruisers #3) by Sarina Bowen-Review, Interview and Giveaway

Pipe Dreams Banner

PIPE DREAMS
Brooklyn Bruisers #3
by Sarina Bowen
Release Date : May 2, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, hockey, romance

Pipe Dreams

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

About the book: Release Date May 2, 2017

A goalie has to trust his instincts, even when taking a shot to the heart…

Mike Beacon is a champion at defending the net, but off the ice, he’s not so lucky. A widower and a single father, he’s never forgotten Lauren Williams, the ex who gave him the best year of his life. When Lauren reappears in the Bruisers office during the playoffs, Beacon sees his chance to make things right.

Lauren hates that she’s forced to travel with the team she used to work for and the man who broke her heart. There’s still undeniable sexual tension running between her and Mike, but she won’t go down that road again. She’s focused on her plans for the future—she doesn’t need a man to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

Lauren plays her best defensive game, but she’s no match for the dark-eyed goalie. When the field of play moves to Florida, things heat up on the beach.

One of Mike’s biggest fans doesn’t approve—his teenage daughter. But a true competitor knows not to waste the perfect shot at love.

••••••••

REVIEW: PIPE DREAMS is the third installment in Sarina Bowen’s contemporary, adult BROOKLYN BRUISERS erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women of the Brooklyn Bruisers professional hockey team. This is Bruisers’ goalie Mike Beacon, and the team’s temporary office manager Lauren Williams second chance story line. PIPE DREAMS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Lauren and Mike) PIPE DREAMS focuses on the rekindling romance between Brooklyn Bruisers’ goalie and single father Mike Beacon, and office manager Lauren Williams, and the Bruisers run for the Stanley Cup. With the office manager Rebecca Rowley on sick leave, team owner Nate Kattenberger brought his former office manager, and current corporate employee Lauren Williams to fill in for the remainder of the season knowing Lauren’s history with team goalie Mike Beacon was icy and cool. Two years earlier Lauren and Mike were lovers; making plans for something more permanent when demons from the past forced Mike to walk away from the woman he loved. Fast forward to present day and Mike Beacon wants a second chance with Lauren Williams-a woman struggling with her attraction to the man that broke her heart. What ensues is the rekindling love between two people whose relationship was destroyed by secrets, miscommunication and Mike’s overwhelming need to care for someone from his past.

The relationship between Mike and Lauren is one of second chances. Lauren’s need to run from the man that she loves finds our hero begging for another chance to prove he is worthy of Lauren’s love. Lauren’s struggles with a broken heart that has to be mended; her trust in Mike Beacon is tempered when the truth is revealed. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive.

Most of the previous story line couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles including team owner Nate Kattenberger, and the woman he secretly loves Rebecca Rowley. I am hoping for Nate and Becca’s story line next. We are also introduced to Mike’s teenage daughter Elsa who struggles with the loss of her mother, and her father’s relationship with a woman she blames for her parent’s marriage demise.

The world building follows the Brooklyn Bruisers’ as they make a run for the Stanley Cup; a championship season that takes the team to the final round.

PIPE DREAMS is a story of second chances, forgiveness, falling in love and moving on from the past. There are moments of heartbreak, betrayal, romance and love. The conflict between our leading couple is easily resolved with little to no drama or anxious moments. The premise is engaging and realistic; the romance is sexy, seductive and spicy; the characters are spirited and passionate. PIPE DREAMS is a heartwarming and moving story about family, love, and second chances.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Rookie Move
Hard Hitter
Pipe Dreams

Copy supplied the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview beige

TRC:  Hi Sarina and welcome to The Reading Café.

Congratulations on the release of PIPE DREAMS, the third book in your Brooklyn Bruisers series.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Sarina BowenSarina: Sure! I live in northern New England and I love hockey. And coffee. And wine with bubbles.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Sarina:Every new book is a challenge. With the Brooklyn Bruisers I wanted to make my new hockey series have a terrific sense of place, using Brooklyn as a rich setting. Penguin loved the idea so the Brooklyn Bruisers was born!

Pipe DreamsTRC: Would you please tell us something about PIPE DREAMS and the Brooklyn Bruisers series?

Sarina:Pipe Dreams is a unique second chance love story. Lauren isn’t very nice in the first two novels in this series, but she has a terrific reason. It was really fun to unspool her back story and turn her into an empathetic character. And Mike Beacon is a swoony single dad. I’ve always wanted to write one of those.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Sarina:I’m really not sure, but each book stands alone on its own. No cliffhangers in sight.

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Sarina:I don’t find that a problem because hockey is unpredictable! And the men and women who live the pro hockey lifestyle experience some pretty wild circumstances. There is a fun plot twist in this book provided by the hero’s teenage daughter.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Sarina:Probably! We take many cues from book covers. But that doesn’t mean a reader rejects a book just because she doesn’t love the image. She might, however, reject a book if its cover design doesn’t accurately depict the book’s contents.

TRC: Do you have any say in the cover selection?

Sarina:Sure. My editor at Penguin and I discussed the covers right away, before the first book was even finished. At that point my publisher went into a photo studio and shot unique images for all the books, so that they wouldn’t overlap imagery on other books in the market.

TRC: You have co-written several books with author Elle Kennedy. How do you determine the break down of the writing/ story line process?

Sarina:We brainstorm the story together ahead of time. And then we take shifts, trading off every half chapter or so. It’s a really fun way to write a book!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Sarina:The trick is to never cheat your story’s emotional touch point moments. When something big is happening emotionally, the scene should linger and take it all in. If a big moment feels rushed, that’s when the reader feels cheated.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the story line direction? Characters?

Sarina: Nope. I write in silence. Music sounds fun but I can never make it work for me.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Sarina:You mentioned co-writing before. The bouncing of ideas is what makes that so great. When I’m working alone I don’t really have anyone to help me. Actually, sometimes I call up Elle Kennedy and make her listen to my plot woes. She usually points out something incredibly obvious and then I slap myself on the head.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Sarina:I’m not sure there are any misconceptions left. Facebook has made all of us terribly accessible.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Sarina:For twelve years I traded derivatives on Wall Street. It was stressful but fun.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: tacos

Favorite Dessert: cherry pie

Favorite TV Show: I don’t have a TV!

Last Movie You Saw: Hidden Figures

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark, with nuts

Secret Celebrity Crush: Anna Kendrick

Last Vacation Destination: What is a vacation?

Do you have any pets? We have 11 chickens. I’m not sure that counts.

Last book you read: Outlander

TRC:  Thank you Sarina for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your PIPE DREAMS.

Giveaway beige

The Reading Cafe and SArina Bowen’s publisher are offering a finished copy of PIPE DREAMS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Follow Sarina Bowen on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from May 5-10, 2017

Share

Hard Hitter (Brooklyn Bruisers #2) by Sarina Bowen-Review & Giveaway

HARD HITTER (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen-Review and Giveaway

Hard Hitter Banner

Hard Hitter
Brooklyn Bruisers #2
by Sarina Bowen
Genre: adult, contemporary, hockey romance
Release Date: January 3, 2017

Hard Hitter

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

About the book: Release Date: January 3, 2017

He’s a fighter in the rink, but he’s about to learn that playing nice can help you score…

As team captain and enforcer, Patrick O’Doul puts the bruise in the Brooklyn Bruisers. But after years of hard hits, O’Doul is feeling the burn, both physically and mentally. He conceals his pain from his coach and trainers, but when his chronic hip injury becomes too obvious to ignore, they send him for sessions with the team’s massage therapist.

After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, Ari Bettini is in need of peace of mind. For now, she’s decided to focus on her work: rehabilitating the Bruisers’ MVP. O’Doul is easy on the eyes, but his reaction to her touch is ice cold. Ari is determined to help O’Doul heal, but as the tension between them turns red hot, they both learn that a little TLC does the body good.

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HARD HITTER is the second installment in Sarina Bowen’s contemporary, adult BROOKLYN BRUISERS erotic, hockey romance series focusing on the men and women of the Brooklyn Bruisers professional hockey team. This is team captain and enforcer Patrick O’Doul, and Bruisers’s massage therapist and yoga instructor Ariana (Ari) Bettini’s story line. HARD HITTER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Patrick and Ari) HARD HITTER follows the building relationship between the Brooklyn Bruisers’s hard-hitting captain Patrick O’Doul, and the team’s massage therapist Ari Bettini. Years of hard hits including his earlier life in the foster care system have caught up with Patrick O’Doul. Fight after fight our hero struggles with the pain and the emotional drain of the never-ending one on one of professional hockey. No longer able to hide the injuries and recurring hip injury Patrick is ordered to the team’s massage therapist Ari Bettini wherein our hero will fall in love with a woman who is unable to promise much more than the present. What ensues is the push and pull of attraction between Ari and Patrick, and the revelation of a secreted past that will catch up with our story line couple.

Patrick O’Doul is a fighter who struggles with the guilt and on-going grind of the team’s leading enforcer. Falling in love with Ariana Bettini was never in the cards. Patrick has always been a loaner whose recent battle with his demons has finally caught up and threatens his career and the team’s reputation. Ari Bettini’s long term relationship with her last boyfriend has ended and our heroine is in need of some time alone without worrying about a man in her life. But a threat from her past finds Patrick her guardian and protector, and the man with whom she will fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and steamy; provocative and seductive.

We are re-introduced to a number of the Brooklyn Bruisers’s players, as well as Georgia Worthington and Leo Trevi ( Rookie Move #1 ), and team owner Nate Kattenberger who may or may not have a thing for Georgia’s best friend Rebecca. Nate’s Manhattan assistant Lauren Williams and goalie Mike Beacon’s story will be told next in Pipe Dreams.

The world building continues to look at the game of hockey: on the ice and behind the scenes, and the battle for playoff positions. Patrick’s years as an enforcer have finally caught up as he struggles with the pain and guilt; and Ari’s past finds our heroine face to face with a dangerous outcome. Trust is an issue for our leading couple and Patrick’s secret will place a wedge between himself and the woman he loves.

HARD HITTER is an emotional storyline; a tale about romance and love; the struggles to stay on top; and leaving behind a past that shaped a future. The premise is moving; the characters are dynamic and colorful; the romance is dramatic, fun and sensual. HARD HITTER is a passionate look at hockey, romance and falling in love.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

giveaway

The Reading Cafe and Sarina Bowen’s publisher are offering a paper copy of HARD HITTER to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Sarina Bowen on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9.. Giveaway runs from January 3-6, 2017

Share

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

ROOKIE MOVE (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Rookie Move Banner

ROOKIE MOVE
Brooklyn Bruisers #1
by Sarina Bowen
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: adult, contemporary, hockey, romance

Rookie Move

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 6, 2016

In high school they were the perfect couple—until the day Georgia left Leo in the cold…

Hockey player Leo Trevi has spent the last six years trying to do two things: get over the girl who broke his heart, and succeed in the NHL. But on the first day he’s called up to the newly franchised Brooklyn Bruisers, Leo gets checked on both sides, first by the team’s coach—who has a long simmering grudge, and then by the Bruisers’ sexy, icy publicist—his former girlfriend Georgia Worthington.

Saying goodbye to Leo was one of the hardest things Georgia ever had to do—and saying hello again isn’t much easier. Georgia is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when a press conference microphone catches Leo declaring his feelings for her, things get really personal, really fast.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: ROOKIE MOVE is the first installment in Sarina Bowen’s contemporary, adult BROOKLYN BRUISERS hockey romance series focusing on the men and women of the professional hockey team of the same name. This is team publicist Georgia Worthington, and hockey player Leo Trevi’s story line. The Brooklyn Bruisers series is a spin off from Bowen’s The Ivy Years series but you do not have to have read the original series to follow. Some of the characters including Leo’s brother DJ cross over for cohesion and familiarity.

Told from dual third person perspectives ROOKIE MOVE is a story of second chances between NHL rookie Leo Trevi, and Brooklyn Bruisers’ interim director of public relations Georgia Worthington. Leo and Georgia were high school sweethearts making plans for the future when Georgia became the victim of a devastating assault just months before their graduation. Pushing the only man she would ever love out of her life was the most difficult decision she had ever made but fast forward six years, and she would have to face the man that she destroyed while trying to hold onto the career that is floundering out of control. What ensues is the rebuilding of the relationship between Leo and Georgia, and the destructive nature of misunderstanding when the team’s new coach is Georgia’s father-a man who doesn’t trust our story line hero with his only daughter.

There is plenty of history between Leo and Georgia that directly affects the relationship between Georgia’s father and his new rookie player. There is also plenty of misunderstanding, and a history of a lack of communication between the trio that plays havoc with the team and player morale. Georgia and Leo have never stopped loving one another and Leo intends to fight for Georgia even though our heroine continues to push Leo away fearing for both of their jobs. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense.

We are introduced to a number of the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey players, staff and owner. Georgia’s best friend and roommate Becca is also employed by the Brooklyn Bruisers; and Leo’s family, including his brother DJ, welcome our heroine back into the fold.

The world building takes the reader behind the scenes of a fictional profession hockey team: the players, the games, the competitive nature of the sport, and the friends and family who stand by their side. The locker room drama is limited; the puck-bunnies are few and far between.

ROOKIE MOVE is a story of second chances, romance and love. We are witness to the background dynamics of running a professional sports team, and the inherent quality of unconditional love. The premise is heartwarming and emotional; the characters are energetic and passionate; the romance is provocative and captivating. ROOKIE MOVE is a fantastic start to a new series.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Rookie_Move_hockey_card

excerpt

 

“Come right this way,” Georgia heard her coworker and roommate Becca say, the clomp of her Dr. Martens echoing through the grand old passageway. “Nate is excited to meet you.” Becca was the owner’s assistant, and Georgia lingered half a second to wave her down and offer her a donut, too.
But Becca didn’t happen to look in Georgia’s direction as she led a tall man down the corridor. Something about his gait snagged Georgia’s subconscious. So she took a second look.
And that’s when her heart took off like a manic bunny rabbit. Because she knew that man. She knew the chiseled shape of his masculine jaw, and the length of his coal-black eyelashes.
Oh my God.
Omigod, omigod, omigod.
“How was your flight?” Becca asked him, oblivious to the fact that Georgia was spying.
“Not too bad. I got in late last night.”
The sound of his voice fluttered right inside Georgia’s chest. It was the same smoky sweet timbre that used to whisper into her ear while they made love. She hadn’t let herself remember that sound in a long time.
Now it was giving her goosebumps. The good kind.
“Welcome to Brooklyn,” Becca said while Georgia trembled. “Are you familiar with the area?”
“Grew up about thirty miles from here,” he answered while chills broke out across her back.
Holding her breath, Georgia eased her office door further closed, until only a couple of inches remained. She could not be caught like this—freaked-out and speechless, hiding behind a door.
The movement caught Becca’s eye, though. Georgia saw her turn her head in her direction and then pick her out in the crack where the door was still open. Becca raised one eyebrow—the one with the barbell piercing in it.
All Georgia could do was close her eyes and pray that Becca wouldn’t call out a greeting.
There was a pause before Georgia heard Becca say, “Right this way, please.”
Quietly, Georgia stepped into her office and shut the door. After flipping on the light, she let her briefcase and pocketbook slide right to the floor. Only the folder that Nate had given her was still in her shaking hands. She flipped it open, her eyes searching for the new player’s name on the page.
But she didn’t even need the paperwork to confirm what her racing heart had already figured out. The newest player for the Brooklyn Bruisers was none other than Leonardo “Leo” Trevi, a six-foot-two, left-handed forward. Also known as her high school boyfriend, the boy she’d loved with all her heart until the day that she’d dumped him. And now he was here?
“Thanks, universe,” she whispered into the stillness of her office.

 

 

About the author

 

Sarina BowenSarina Bowen is the USA Today bestselling author of steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction. She lives in the wilds of Vermont.

She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college. Also, the The Gravity series.

With Elle Kennedy, Sarina is the author of HIM and US.

Follow Sarina: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

giveaway

Sarina’s publisher is offering a paper copy of ROOKIE MOVE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Follow Sarina Bowen on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from Sept 4-8, 2016

Berkley

Share