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There was something so desperately UNenjoyable about this book. I really wanted to like it. I love goalies. But no character was enjoyable, and I can't believe I paid $8 for such a short book.
3 stars. This was a lot better than I was expecting. I’m very on the fence with this series and I just wasn’t sure I would enjoy this one but I did. Despite the fact that the plot gets really weird later on the book but more on that in a bit.
I loved both of the characters here. Lauren was a bit standoffish and had a reputation of being an ice queen but I loved it. She had every right to be the way that she was after what she went through. Plus, she was smart and goal oriented. She wasn’t afraid to make a way for herself without help. She was also witty and caring and sharp.
Mike took me a lot longer to warm up to not gonna lie. How he did Lauren was so foul and made it hard for me to get in his corner. I understood why he did it but he went about it completely the wrong way and it bothered me. He is really lovable though. He’s a great father to his annoying as fuck daughter (we’ll get to her don’t you worry) and he’s just a big teddy bear. He’s very persistent in wanting to show Lauren how much he’s sorry for hurting her in the past which I can appreciate. Over time he grew on me and I ended up loving him just as much as I loved Lauren.
I really liked that this was a second chance romance seeing as how I’m a sucker for that trope and I think it was done fairly well here. They have great chemistry and banter and watching Lauren let her guard down to let Mike in again was wonderful to see. I also enjoyed that there was more time spent on the ice in this one. I don’t really remember the other two books spending much time on the ice and actually seeing the guys play hockey so that was awesome.
Where this failed was the whole baby plot line. I didn’t like it at all. That whole thing could’ve been taken out and this book wouldn’t have been changed that much. It was just so unnecessary and I didn’t think it was a good idea.
Mike’s daughter, Elisa or Eliza, whatever was an annoying, hateful brat and I despised her deeply. It’s hard to write kid characters and most of the time I don’t think author’s get it right. I was just waiting for Mike to ship her off to boarding school or something but alas, we were stuck with her being a pain in my neck the entire book unfortunately.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book but there’s still just something missing with me and this series and I don’t know what it is. I will continue on though because I love these characters and Bowen’s writing so much.
I loved both of the characters here. Lauren was a bit standoffish and had a reputation of being an ice queen but I loved it. She had every right to be the way that she was after what she went through. Plus, she was smart and goal oriented. She wasn’t afraid to make a way for herself without help. She was also witty and caring and sharp.
Mike took me a lot longer to warm up to not gonna lie. How he did Lauren was so foul and made it hard for me to get in his corner. I understood why he did it but he went about it completely the wrong way and it bothered me. He is really lovable though. He’s a great father to his annoying as fuck daughter (we’ll get to her don’t you worry) and he’s just a big teddy bear. He’s very persistent in wanting to show Lauren how much he’s sorry for hurting her in the past which I can appreciate. Over time he grew on me and I ended up loving him just as much as I loved Lauren.
I really liked that this was a second chance romance seeing as how I’m a sucker for that trope and I think it was done fairly well here. They have great chemistry and banter and watching Lauren let her guard down to let Mike in again was wonderful to see. I also enjoyed that there was more time spent on the ice in this one. I don’t really remember the other two books spending much time on the ice and actually seeing the guys play hockey so that was awesome.
Where this failed was the whole baby plot line. I didn’t like it at all. That whole thing could’ve been taken out and this book wouldn’t have been changed that much. It was just so unnecessary and I didn’t think it was a good idea
Spoiler
for Mike and Lauren to even entertain the idea because they had just gotten back together and it was entirely too soon for them to be thinking about babies againMike’s daughter, Elisa or Eliza, whatever was an annoying, hateful brat and I despised her deeply. It’s hard to write kid characters and most of the time I don’t think author’s get it right. I was just waiting for Mike to ship her off to boarding school or something but alas, we were stuck with her being a pain in my neck the entire book unfortunately.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book but there’s still just something missing with me and this series and I don’t know what it is. I will continue on though because I love these characters and Bowen’s writing so much.
Pipe Dreams is a beautiful second-chance-at love story.
Sarina Bowen is one of those authors who writes books I cannot put down once I start reading them. Pipe Dreams was no exception to this rule. Even though I know nothing about hockey I find myself fascinated by the story because it is so well written. The whole Brooklyn Bruisers series is a must read.
I am reviewing this book based on an ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
I am reviewing this book based on an ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for review
Pipe Dreams weaves hockey with heartbreak and hope, but can it deliver the hat-trick with a happily ever after?
Let me say upfront that I don’t usually go for the single dad, second chance at love trope. But damn it, Sarina Bowen did it again, she made me love this story anyway! She’s got a knack for developing relatable, true-to-life characters who deal with real-world problems.
Mike Beacon is a stand-up guy balancing being on the road with the Brooklyn Bruisers and being a single dad to a teenage daughter (god, help him). He’s handling things with refreshing maturity and doing his best raising his daughter. He botched it once with Lauren and is determined to win her back. Beacon is charming as all get out, but he’s not relying on his good looks and charm to get this one done. This dude is actually emotionally intelligent. He wants to talk it out, admit his mistakes. He’s the second hero I’ve read like this in the last month, the other being Max Riley in [b:Mister Romance|34452618|Mister Romance (Masters of Love, #1)|Leisa Rayven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492536886s/34452618.jpg|55394727]. Please, please let this be the beginning of a trend.
Lauren, on the other hand, has a chip on her shoulder the size of a zamboni. We first meet her earlier in the series and I’ve been dying to know what made her such a piece of work. From the first pages of Pipe Dreams her annoyance with the team, the win, with everyone, is on simmer. And it’s not gonna take much for her to boil over.
Lauren worked for the Bruisers before Nate Kattenberg bought the team and moved her over to his corporate operation. In Pipe Dreams, she gets pulled back in to helping out the team during the playoffs, which means dealing with Beacon. We finally get the lowdown on why she’s so bitter and angry. Ohhh, and when you find out the reason, it’s an eyebrow-raising whoa moment. “It’s complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe it. You run the gamut of emotions right along with Lauren — shocked, hurt, angry, bitter, conflicted.
So let’s get to the good stuff:
Yay for confident single women! I love to read a character who went through a bad breakup, see her get on her feet and put her own priorities first: getting her degree, focusing on her career and looking at having a baby on her own. (See, real!!) So when Lauren folds like a house of cards, it’s a little disappointing. In a flash, bitter, angry Lauren is gone. Lauren, what happened to you? So much for benefitting from being a confident single person.
Even still, I can’t be mad at it because of the way everything finally gets aired out (more realness!). It’s the emotional rollercoaster you might go through in real life. I’d just be the friend in the stands going, “This is crazy, but if it’s the right thing for you, what can I say?”
Yay for friendship and women bonding! Although in the past Lauren was barely civil to the women in the Bruisers organization, we get some surprising bonding among Lauren and Georgia, who runs Bruisers PR; Becca, who runs the office; and Ari, who handles the team’s physio. These women aren’t in competition mode and I liked seeing them support each other. There’s no girl $h!t here, they’re adults. (Double yay).
In the keeping it real column, there’s also some tense, interaction between Lauren and Beacon’s daughter Elsa, too. She’s a teenager who lost her mom and now her dad is spending a lot of time with Lauren. You can imagine how that goes over.
Yay for the next book! I hope?! Although you can read Pipe Dreams (and the rest of the series for that matter) as standalones, we are well set up for the Nate and Becca chronicles. That can happen, right? Bring. It. On.
Sarina Bowen’s got another winner in the Brooklyn Bruisers series: it’s got heart, heat and hope. Most readers will find something to relate to, and it’ll even win over those of us who don’t usually go for the single dad, second chance at love trope.
Pipe Dreams weaves hockey with heartbreak and hope, but can it deliver the hat-trick with a happily ever after?
Let me say upfront that I don’t usually go for the single dad, second chance at love trope. But damn it, Sarina Bowen did it again, she made me love this story anyway! She’s got a knack for developing relatable, true-to-life characters who deal with real-world problems.
Mike Beacon is a stand-up guy balancing being on the road with the Brooklyn Bruisers and being a single dad to a teenage daughter (god, help him). He’s handling things with refreshing maturity and doing his best raising his daughter. He botched it once with Lauren and is determined to win her back. Beacon is charming as all get out, but he’s not relying on his good looks and charm to get this one done. This dude is actually emotionally intelligent. He wants to talk it out, admit his mistakes. He’s the second hero I’ve read like this in the last month, the other being Max Riley in [b:Mister Romance|34452618|Mister Romance (Masters of Love, #1)|Leisa Rayven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492536886s/34452618.jpg|55394727]. Please, please let this be the beginning of a trend.
Lauren, on the other hand, has a chip on her shoulder the size of a zamboni. We first meet her earlier in the series and I’ve been dying to know what made her such a piece of work. From the first pages of Pipe Dreams her annoyance with the team, the win, with everyone, is on simmer. And it’s not gonna take much for her to boil over.
Lauren worked for the Bruisers before Nate Kattenberg bought the team and moved her over to his corporate operation. In Pipe Dreams, she gets pulled back in to helping out the team during the playoffs, which means dealing with Beacon. We finally get the lowdown on why she’s so bitter and angry. Ohhh, and when you find out the reason, it’s an eyebrow-raising whoa moment. “It’s complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe it. You run the gamut of emotions right along with Lauren — shocked, hurt, angry, bitter, conflicted.
So let’s get to the good stuff:
Yay for confident single women! I love to read a character who went through a bad breakup, see her get on her feet and put her own priorities first: getting her degree, focusing on her career and looking at having a baby on her own. (See, real!!) So when Lauren folds like a house of cards, it’s a little disappointing. In a flash, bitter, angry Lauren is gone. Lauren, what happened to you? So much for benefitting from being a confident single person.
Even still, I can’t be mad at it because of the way everything finally gets aired out (more realness!). It’s the emotional rollercoaster you might go through in real life. I’d just be the friend in the stands going, “This is crazy, but if it’s the right thing for you, what can I say?”
Yay for friendship and women bonding! Although in the past Lauren was barely civil to the women in the Bruisers organization, we get some surprising bonding among Lauren and Georgia, who runs Bruisers PR; Becca, who runs the office; and Ari, who handles the team’s physio. These women aren’t in competition mode and I liked seeing them support each other. There’s no girl $h!t here, they’re adults. (Double yay).
In the keeping it real column, there’s also some tense, interaction between Lauren and Beacon’s daughter Elsa, too. She’s a teenager who lost her mom and now her dad is spending a lot of time with Lauren. You can imagine how that goes over.
Yay for the next book! I hope?! Although you can read Pipe Dreams (and the rest of the series for that matter) as standalones, we are well set up for the Nate and Becca chronicles. That can happen, right? Bring. It. On.
Sarina Bowen’s got another winner in the Brooklyn Bruisers series: it’s got heart, heat and hope. Most readers will find something to relate to, and it’ll even win over those of us who don’t usually go for the single dad, second chance at love trope.
3.5 So, according to the...err...data among my friends, I'm a bit of an outlier here.
I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance. It was a total mess of a real life-type second chance. None of the characters were perfect, and the story itself was crafted well enough to wrap around me like a hug. It's isn't the best romance, but in terms of Bowen, this hits a higher note on my scale.
The solidly mature hero, who made a huge mistake, but was open, honest and loving was a huge selling point. The prickly heroine who had a heart of gold and worked her ass off wasn't too shabby either.
Sure, a couple of points pissed me off. And yes, at times I felt Mike was out-of-bounds in his pursuit. Just like I felt Lauren looked a bit unreasonably reluctant. What do I like though?
+Lauren makes friends. Yay for gal pals
+Lauren and Mike are reasonably open and adult with each other
+There was no malicious feelings toward the "others" in their complicated relationship. And each person seemed to own up to their failures and take responsibility.
+I really did feel for Lauren; her hurt was deep and didn't just disappear upon further explanation.
I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance. It was a total mess of a real life-type second chance. None of the characters were perfect, and the story itself was crafted well enough to wrap around me like a hug. It's isn't the best romance, but in terms of Bowen, this hits a higher note on my scale.
The solidly mature hero, who made a huge mistake, but was open, honest and loving was a huge selling point. The prickly heroine who had a heart of gold and worked her ass off wasn't too shabby either.
Sure, a couple of points pissed me off. And yes, at times I felt Mike was out-of-bounds in his pursuit. Just like I felt Lauren looked a bit unreasonably reluctant. What do I like though?
+Lauren makes friends. Yay for gal pals
+Lauren and Mike are reasonably open and adult with each other
+There was no malicious feelings toward the "others" in their complicated relationship. And each person seemed to own up to their failures and take responsibility.
+I really did feel for Lauren; her hurt was deep and didn't just disappear upon further explanation.
This could've used a little more tension in the latter half, but overall a great addition to the series.

Lauren Williams may be known for being an ice princess, but she's also one of Nate's trusted right-hand man. So when Becca suffered a concussion and has to rest, Lauren had to step in and take over her job (temporarily) as manager of the Brooklyn Bruiser's front office. The problem is Lauren would rather be anywhere else than in the Bruiser's office. Readers of this series will remember her aversion to hockey and the team but we never really knew why. We do have an inkling that she and the Bruiser's goalie had a thing in the past but it was never fully revealed in the other books yet.
In Pipe Dreams, we finally get to know the reason behind Lauren's aversion to hockey. And yes, it does have to do with her past relationship with Mike Beacon. Mike was the former captain of the Bruisers. We found out that he stepped down as captain after his estranged wife fell ill and he had to devote his extra time with her. What we do not know then was that this event was also linked with the demise of his and Lauren's relationship.

I have been intrigued with Lauren since the series began. I thought there was more to that whole ice princess routine than meets the eye. But at first, I thought, "Oh no, she's going to cause trouble for one of our heroine, isn't she?" But then Sarina Bowen sort of turned that on its head when she volunteered to babysit for Becca's neice (sic) in the previous book.
Since then, my opinion on Lauren changed. I wanted to know why she's the way she is. I loved that she's capable, accomplished and ambitious. She's also heartbroken and vulnerable. And boy, her past with Mike was a doozy. It's tragic and it's one of those things where you really don't have any choice in the matter. And that's what makes Lauren's heartbreak even more relatable.

I was prepared to hate Mike for what he did with Lauren. But when I started reading this book, I realized that things are more complicated than that. Mike had to make the best decision he can for his family, and while I feel for Lauren and I wish he didn't break her heart, I understand where his coming from.
It also really helped that Sarina Bowen didn't write Mike's wife as this shrew who had no personality except to be the bad guy in the story. Again, it was more complicated than that. I actually felt sympathy for Mike's family especially his daughter. Okay, I admit I was a little leery when it seemed like Elsa is going to be the "obstacle" that's going to keep our main couple apart. But again, Ms. Bowen did her character justice. She's not just a prop but a real character with a story arc.

The whole team featured prominently in this book as they chase the Stanley Cup. I enjoyed seeing them in action. My only complaint about this book was
Apart that, I liked this one a lot. I've always enjoyed Sarina's writing. Her characters are simply likable and her stories tends to really resonate with me and with a lot of readers. Pipe Dreams is an enjoyable, low-angst, second-chance romance that shouldn't be missed.

I skimmed the first few chapters of back history
I was not vested in either character before I read this book, I am not sure I could tell you the Goalie's name.
I read it so I could keep up to date with other characters.
I was not vested in either character before I read this book, I am not sure I could tell you the Goalie's name.
I read it so I could keep up to date with other characters.