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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the blurb
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...
the review
So this is the second book in Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series and I enjoyed it as much as the first. It is about the team captain and enforcer Patrick O'Doul (or Doulie) and the massage therapist and yoga instructor Ari Bettini.
I like the contrasts between the two main characters but also how they both develop and grow. Doulie is not used to being touched - kind of hard to have a massage without that - so it is hard to see how two such different people could ever work, but once you understand the reasons and why it is easy to see how he came to be that way.
As before I like the ensembleish feel to the book, it is very hard to have a book about a team sport without mentioning the other players. You get to know them and see their relationships with each other (particularly with Doulie) and you can also see where the series is going to progess.
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...
the review
So this is the second book in Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series and I enjoyed it as much as the first. It is about the team captain and enforcer Patrick O'Doul (or Doulie) and the massage therapist and yoga instructor Ari Bettini.
I like the contrasts between the two main characters but also how they both develop and grow. Doulie is not used to being touched - kind of hard to have a massage without that - so it is hard to see how two such different people could ever work, but once you understand the reasons and why it is easy to see how he came to be that way.
As before I like the ensembleish feel to the book, it is very hard to have a book about a team sport without mentioning the other players. You get to know them and see their relationships with each other (particularly with Doulie) and you can also see where the series is going to progess.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you can get over the terrible dialogue the plot isn't bad, annoying she didn't tell us if the team made playoffs though.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a purely superficial read that was actually pretty enjoyable. I mainly read it because I want to read the 4th book the most so I thought I'd get familiar with the characters. I enjoyed Ari and Patrick's banter and lead up to them getting together. Her ex-boyfriend was crazy and was a bit cartoonishly evil but the climax was exciting.
emotional
hopeful
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
Pretty average and not well written. There's something about the third person pov that was irritating to me despite that not bothering me elsewhere (I'm looking at you ACOSF). The FMC is a yoga instructor, and the author decided that was her entire personality. Exhibit A is this line: "Ari did her own, but it was a pain in the gluteus maximus." Smh. Happily returning it to Libby.