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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I re-read the Brooklyn Bruisers series in prep for this because I couldn't remember who Eric and Alex were - it's not necessary since all these books are standalone but I like to know who everyone is in the universe, particularly when some of the storylines in the series happen in parallel and it feels like a richer reading experience when I do this. This book starts before Castro and Heidi (Overnight Sensation) and Silas and Delilah (Superfan) get together.
Alex and Eric knew each other as kids when they spent a summer together in Martha's Vineyard. They reconnect as adults but Alex doesn't remember him so it's awkward - fast forward a couple months and they're thrown together again when she needs a bodyguard at a tech conference and he's roped in by his brother who runs a super-secret security firm with his dad. The book kind of ends in a cliffhanger but this is the start of The Company series so the big bad will get his just desserts eventually.
On the characters and the romance - I really liked how the Alex and Eric's history as kids is revealed - she was confident and "bossy" as a child, and he willingly followed her lead, which, he does as an adult. She's a strong, powerful industrial leader and while he's no chump as a pro-hockey player, he certainly doesn't have her financial clout and when put in situations where she has to be the lead in business situations, he supports her and lets her shine.
My other favourite thing in the books is the little reveals we get into Bayer's family - specifically his relationship with his brother Max. The anecdote about how he took apart his Operation game when Max was 9 was hilarious and very sweet because it says so much about their personalities and their relationship as children and adults. There's a lot of respect and affection there.
Looking forward to how this series unfolds. Will Scout get together with Max? There seems to be som tension there. Will Duff, Pieter or Gunnar get their own HEAs?
Alex and Eric knew each other as kids when they spent a summer together in Martha's Vineyard. They reconnect as adults but Alex doesn't remember him so it's awkward - fast forward a couple months and they're thrown together again when she needs a bodyguard at a tech conference and he's roped in by his brother who runs a super-secret security firm with his dad. The book kind of ends in a cliffhanger but this is the start of The Company series so the big bad will get his just desserts eventually.
On the characters and the romance - I really liked how the Alex and Eric's history as kids is revealed - she was confident and "bossy" as a child, and he willingly followed her lead, which, he does as an adult. She's a strong, powerful industrial leader and while he's no chump as a pro-hockey player, he certainly doesn't have her financial clout and when put in situations where she has to be the lead in business situations, he supports her and lets her shine.
My other favourite thing in the books is the little reveals we get into Bayer's family - specifically his relationship with his brother Max. The anecdote about how he took apart his Operation game when Max was 9 was hilarious and very sweet because it says so much about their personalities and their relationship as children and adults. There's a lot of respect and affection there.
Looking forward to how this series unfolds. Will Scout get together with Max? There seems to be som tension there. Will Duff, Pieter or Gunnar get their own HEAs?
Wasn’t going to read this originally because I wasn’t super interested in the summary, but then Eric and Alex made an appearance in Sure Shot and I knew I needed to read their story. While I wish I read this in its correct spot in the Brooklyn Bruisers lineup, I still really enjoyed it!
This book just fell flat for me. It seemed to go on and on and on. So many different elements and there seemed to be more focus on the mystery of sabotage than the actual romance between the two MCs. Not sure about reading the next book in the series...
longer than i expected
NOT cringy - the author did her RESEARCH THANK GOD it was so in-depth and fascinating
wish we got to see more hockey games instead of practice
loved how they behaved like adults
wished they talked abt her pregnancy before hooking up
NOT cringy - the author did her RESEARCH THANK GOD it was so in-depth and fascinating
wish we got to see more hockey games instead of practice
loved how they behaved like adults
wished they talked abt her pregnancy before hooking up
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:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
TW/CW: detailed pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Shooting death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Four and a half stars, Sarina Bowen does it again!
This is the start of a new series and is a cross-over with Sarina's Brooklyn Bruisers series.
Eric Bayer is a successful hockey player for the Brooklyn Bruisers but he is considered the slacker in his family: his father and brother run a cyber security business so secretive he doesn't even know its name. He has six weeks holiday before the season starts but gets roped into acting as part bodyguard/part boyfriend for an old family friend, tech billionaire Alex Engels. Alex has to present to a tech conference in Hawaii and is three months pregnant by her abusive ex-boyfriend.
This isn't just a romance between a hot hockey player and a pregnant tech billionaire (who also happens to be a childhood friend), there's also industrial espionage to contend with. If I'm totally honest I thought this was a bit too obvious and I have my suspicions about Mr Smith, an unresolved point which will perhaps act as a segue into the next book which I suspect will involve Eric's brother Max and his beautiful second-in-command.
Anyhoo, as I repeatedly say I would read the back of a cereal box if Sarina Bowen wrote it, she has such a great way of creating memorable characters and I loved the way she defied my expectations about the romance between Eric and Alex after Hawaii.
Eagerly awaiting the next book in this exciting new series.
This is the start of a new series and is a cross-over with Sarina's Brooklyn Bruisers series.
Eric Bayer is a successful hockey player for the Brooklyn Bruisers but he is considered the slacker in his family: his father and brother run a cyber security business so secretive he doesn't even know its name. He has six weeks holiday before the season starts but gets roped into acting as part bodyguard/part boyfriend for an old family friend, tech billionaire Alex Engels. Alex has to present to a tech conference in Hawaii and is three months pregnant by her abusive ex-boyfriend.
This isn't just a romance between a hot hockey player and a pregnant tech billionaire (who also happens to be a childhood friend), there's also industrial espionage to contend with. If I'm totally honest I thought this was a bit too obvious and I have my suspicions about Mr Smith, an unresolved point which will perhaps act as a segue into the next book which I suspect will involve Eric's brother Max and his beautiful second-in-command.
Anyhoo, as I repeatedly say I would read the back of a cereal box if Sarina Bowen wrote it, she has such a great way of creating memorable characters and I loved the way she defied my expectations about the romance between Eric and Alex after Hawaii.
Eagerly awaiting the next book in this exciting new series.
The last time Alex and Eric met each other, she didn't even recognize him as her childhood playmate. To be fair, he's filled out a little bit and a professional hockey player doesn't often look like an eleven-year-old boy.
Now, he's been asked by his brother to provide some extra protection for her in the off-season, posing as her fake boyfriend. See, Alex is the head of this huge tech firm and she HAS to attend a conference to schmooze and find a provider for an important part but her ex is also going to be there. The ex that she is currently pregnant by.
Eric reluctantly agrees but finds himself attracted to Alex and reluctant to let her go. Even when matters get more complicated (i.e. a certain foreign power trying to make sure they are the ones providing her parts).
This was an interesting story but parts were just too much over the top for me.
Now, he's been asked by his brother to provide some extra protection for her in the off-season, posing as her fake boyfriend. See, Alex is the head of this huge tech firm and she HAS to attend a conference to schmooze and find a provider for an important part but her ex is also going to be there. The ex that she is currently pregnant by.
Eric reluctantly agrees but finds himself attracted to Alex and reluctant to let her go. Even when matters get more complicated (i.e. a certain foreign power trying to make sure they are the ones providing her parts).
This was an interesting story but parts were just too much over the top for me.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced