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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Another amazing Hockey Novel by Sarina Bowen.
I came across this author in 2016 and have read every single book since. She is super talented whether it be writing about hockey, snow sports or farmers.
I was looking forward to this book as Sarina had built up the character of O’Doul in book one of the Brooklyn Bruisers series.
I am already excited for the next book. #top10author2016
I came across this author in 2016 and have read every single book since. She is super talented whether it be writing about hockey, snow sports or farmers.
I was looking forward to this book as Sarina had built up the character of O’Doul in book one of the Brooklyn Bruisers series.
I am already excited for the next book. #top10author2016
LOVED this one so much! Patrick and Ari are so good together, and I loved it when he wanted to romance her. This is becoming one of my favorite series, and the secrets revealed in this book about other characters (one obvious, one not) just have me wanting to read the next ones even more!
5 Hard Hitter Stars
Patrick & Ari
I loved this book, I had all the feels. I like the broken guys but he really wasn’t. It’s just the way he is. :)
Ari is the one that is kind of broken and she was the one that pushed and pushed and pushed. I don’t know why I liked that so much I just really enjoyed it.
I loved that Patrick opens up slowly and in him doing that it allowed Ari to open up too.
I just enjoyed this book, all the feels And the narration way better than the first book. ;)
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Patrick & Ari
I loved this book, I had all the feels. I like the broken guys but he really wasn’t. It’s just the way he is. :)
Ari is the one that is kind of broken and she was the one that pushed and pushed and pushed. I don’t know why I liked that so much I just really enjoyed it.
I loved that Patrick opens up slowly and in him doing that it allowed Ari to open up too.
I just enjoyed this book, all the feels And the narration way better than the first book. ;)
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
I'm really enjoying this hockey series! Ari and O'Doul were a great pairing! Their chemistry was on point and they always made me smile. The plotline of Ari's ex wasn't my fave but didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment. I really loved seeing the Bruisers as a team in off-ice moments that were so fun. Love this group of guys! Also, I get great enjoyment in seeing cameos from other series so I LOVED seeing some faces from the Ivy Years here!
Unrelated: I wanted a massage so damn badly during/after reading this book. I have chronically tight hip flexors and my back constantly hurts from work so this just made me miss my chiro and made me desperate for a massage!! Ha!
Unrelated: I wanted a massage so damn badly during/after reading this book. I have chronically tight hip flexors and my back constantly hurts from work so this just made me miss my chiro and made me desperate for a massage!! Ha!
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked Patrick O'Doul and his back story. I liked Ari. However, I felt like the story became more about the bad guy than it did the love story, and then when we finally got our HEA it seemed to wrap up way too quickly for me.
I'm not much of a hockey expert. I don't regularly watch NHL games. So I might be wrong about this, but ... Is it normal for there to be planned fights in hockey? You know ... where a designated guy on one team prepares and knows who he'll be fighting on the other team? I know that hockey has a reputation for its fights, but I'm fairly certain that they aren't regular events these days, and I'm also fairly certain that they aren't planned affairs. Am I wrong about this? Because a huge part of this story revolves around Patrick, team captain and "enforcer" who spends his time on the rink knocking the holy heck out of his opponents. And yet he doesn't ever get suspended. He hits his head fairly regularly, but he's never held out for concussion protocol. It just felt weird to me. I know that the "hockey" part of these books are not the most important thing, but it seems like there should be at least a hint of believable behavior when it comes to the sport. I felt like I was reading about a boxer, not a hockey player. Does it ruin the story? No. But it doesn't help the story either. It was strange.
Other than that, this was a nice enough story. I felt like I wasn't quite deep enough into the characters, though. Patrick's difficulty in being touched, his somewhat emotional distance from the other players on the team, his sad history ... all of that could have really been explored more deeply. I was especially interested in his aversion to being touched. Massage therapy can be an extremely intimate experience, requiring trust between the therapist and the patient. Patrick's struggles could have really affected his relationship with Ari. It would have been interesting to see how she helped him to trust her so that she could help him to heal, both physically and emotionally. But it seems like he got over things pretty quickly, and so an opportunity for depth in the story was lost. Ari's issues with her ex-boyfriend and how they affected her could have also been explored more deeply. It took a bit of time to have things fixed, but it seemed like it was there to create a danger for Ari instead of used as an opportunity to explore her character and see her grow. I felt throughout the story as if I should be more invested in these characters. I liked Ari. I liked Patrick. But I felt like I really didn't know either of them at all.
As for the audio version ... well, I don't know what to say. Nicol Zanzarella and Rock Engle did a nice enough job. I don't really have anything to complain about. I just wasn't a fan of the way they read this story. It is probably just my personal preference though.
So, it was a nice story, but I can't give it more than three stars. It's better than book one, but only a little bit better. I liked it.
Other than that, this was a nice enough story. I felt like I wasn't quite deep enough into the characters, though. Patrick's difficulty in being touched, his somewhat emotional distance from the other players on the team, his sad history ... all of that could have really been explored more deeply. I was especially interested in his aversion to being touched. Massage therapy can be an extremely intimate experience, requiring trust between the therapist and the patient. Patrick's struggles could have really affected his relationship with Ari. It would have been interesting to see how she helped him to trust her so that she could help him to heal, both physically and emotionally. But it seems like he got over things pretty quickly, and so an opportunity for depth in the story was lost. Ari's issues with her ex-boyfriend and how they affected her could have also been explored more deeply. It took a bit of time to have things fixed, but it seemed like it was there to create a danger for Ari instead of used as an opportunity to explore her character and see her grow. I felt throughout the story as if I should be more invested in these characters. I liked Ari. I liked Patrick. But I felt like I really didn't know either of them at all.
As for the audio version ... well, I don't know what to say. Nicol Zanzarella and Rock Engle did a nice enough job. I don't really have anything to complain about. I just wasn't a fan of the way they read this story. It is probably just my personal preference though.
So, it was a nice story, but I can't give it more than three stars. It's better than book one, but only a little bit better. I liked it.