Book Review: Love Lessons by Sarina Bowen

I will never not be excited to return the Brooklyn and these characters. And as many of the (now) side characters have grown and evolved.

This has a trope I struggle to describe. IT’s the the “I’ll teach you about smexy times so you can impress someone else.” It isn’t my favorite, but Sarina Bowen has some sort of witchcraft that makes me enjoy a trope I normally don’t. 

Vera and Ian are neighbors who have some conflict-mainly on Vera’s end. He is an enforcer for the Brooklyn Bruisers and is dealing with a fight that went bad last season. Vera is a shylist who recently started her own business. She’s also friends with Charli and Neal from the previous book. While there is some animosity, Vera and Ian are very physically attracted to each other.

The bulk of this takes place in Italy. Vera, Ian, and other Bruisers/Bombshells go on a summer trip to Italy. Brooklyn’s great, but it’s nice to travel a bit.

This definitely felt a bit steamier than other Brooklyn books, but maybe it’s just been too long since I read those. I love the chemistry between Vera and Ian. It felt real and organic. It did occasionally feel like Vera was more important, but overall I was happy with them.

I listened to this on audio and I definitely recommend that version. Both Joe Arden and Rose Dioro brought these characters to life beautifully. 

As long as Sarina keeps writing these books, I’ll keep buying and reading them.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely

I definitely recommend reading the prequel novella. The audio is available for free on Sarina Bowen's YouTube channel. I think it sets up the story well and makes the beginning more clear.

This has a lot of tropes that I and many romance readers love. There's bickering, personality clashes, and some forced proximity. There's also "let's just bang...oops I fell in love." Mark is also a recently divorced dad with a daughter, Rosie.

The romance was fairly steamy. You could feel the chemistry jump off the page. Sometimes I would've liked Asher and Mark to talk a bit more, but I still buy their love story. They do have pretty good banter.

I've read a couple Lauren Blakely books so I don't really know her style. This definitely had a lot of the hallmarks of a Sarina Bowen book though. It was funny and I love when she includes bits of her financial background. I also work in that area so I'm sure that's why I like it. Although this was a lot lighter than most of her books. It kind of gave me Good Boy vibes.

Oh, I really liked the friendships here, too. They were mostly little short bits, but they were so good. I love a positive and supportive friendship. They also help make the story feel more flushed out.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author. This is my honest review.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Super Hot Wingman by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely

This was a surprise. It’s a little prequel novella before The Best Men and I didn’t know we were getting this. It made me even more excited for the full-length story. 

This mostly follows Mark who is a divorced father. His sister starts dating Asher’s best friend so they spend time together. There’s attraction between them, but they also have completely different personalities. This just sets up the tension and I’m here for it. I love a good personality story difference that pushes both characters. 

The ending was great and engaging. It definitely set me up to want to pick up the full-length story.

Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan did a great job with the narration. I mean would you expect anything else? Definitely check it out-Sarina Bowen posted the audio on her YouTube channel.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen’s writing college-aged characters again and she’s still great at it. This fits into the Moo U series with Weston being on the hockey team. And Abbi is a waitress at the Biscuit in the Basket. There’s some fake dating in this one, too. It was so close to five stars and I could see upgrading it on a re-read.

Weston has some soap opera style family drama so for Thanksgiving he seeks a fake girlfriend to spend time with instead of going home. Abbi has her own drama and a grabby sort of stepbrother. She’s also had a little crush on Weston so she takes him up on that offer.

They end up clicking: emotionally and physically. So, they continue a friendship and some more fake dating. Naturally, that turns into more. But Weston has commitment issues triggered by the family issues and Abbi wants out of Vermont.

I loved these characters. I often liked one part of a couple more than another, but Sarina Bowen makes it hard to pick one. It’s so easy to see their perspectives and to connect with them.

The romance was so well-paced. I’m not always a big fan of fake dating, but this one worked. There’s great physical chemistry. And they have a great mental connection. You can tell they care about each other beyond the physical. Now the sexytimes were very good too-don’t get me wrong.

This was a great addition to Moo U. It also felt like a Sarina Bowen book. She will write non-traditional families or weird drama, but make it perfectly believable. She also doesn’t just fall back on stereotypes. It’s why she’s a favorite.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

June & July 2019 Book Haul

These are the books I bought in June and July this year!