#Review — Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen

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Brooklynaire
(Brooklyn Bruisers #4)
By Sarina Bowen

You’d think a billion dollars, a professional hockey team and a six-bedroom mansion on the Promenade would satisfy a guy. You’d be wrong.

For seven years Rebecca has brightened my office with her wit and her smile. She manages both my hockey team and my sanity. I don’t know when I started waking in the night, craving her. All I know is that one whiff of her perfume ruins my concentration. And her laugh makes me hard.

When Rebecca gets hurt, I step in to help. It’s what friends do. But what friends don’t do is rip off each others’ clothes for a single, wild night together.

Now she’s avoiding me. She says we’re too different, and it can never happen again. So why can’t we keep our hands off each other?

 

MY REVIEW

Author Sarina Bowen is one of my auto-buy authors. If she has a new book coming out, I can guarantee that I either have pre-ordered it or have it on my to buy list for payday. Not only does she have some of the best writing in contemporary romance, but she has the most drool worthy covers as well! I honestly stared at “Nate” for longer than what is appropriate when getting ready to read a book.

Nate and Rebecca have been friends and coworkers for 7 years. Nate hired her as an assistant when he was just breaking out into the tech industry. Fast forward and you have Nate a billionaire who also happens to own the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team.

When Rebecca has a fall on the ice, she is put on leave to see a doctor. After the concussion time frame has dwindled down, Rebecca is still having trouble with balance and not feeling much better. Nate decides to send her to a specialist to have this figured out. Such a nice boss to do this, but we soon find out he also has a huge crush on Rebecca.

All through the book we are treated to flashbacks of the seven years that they have worked together. We read through relationships, the business skyrocketing, and the evolving crush they both develop for each other.

I have to say that I wasn’t huge fan of the ending of this book. While it finishes with a sweet happily ever after, I felt it was a bit rushed. The conflict that was introduced for the couple was also kind of “eh”.  It didn’t bring much conflict to the relationship.

Even with the ending being a little wah-wah, The slow building romance was amazing. Let us just say that Nate may be the sweet and laid back boss you would love to work for, but the sexy and oh so demanding man in bed is hotter!

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

My life is constant noise… When you kiss me, everything goes quiet. That’s the only time I can forget everyone else.

 

“Hey Bingley.”
“Yes, miss?”
“Can you give Nate a message for me?”
“Voice or text?”
“Uh, text. Tell him Rebecca sends her congratulations.”
“Certainly, my dear. Are we adding any emojis?”
“No, because we’re not twelve.”
“Noted.”

MY RATING

AMAZON / GOODREADS 

 

Quickie Reviews For You (9)

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A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

For this edition of Quickie Reviews, I am featuring books that have received a 4 Star rating. The Amazon price posted below is the current price at the time of this post. The prices could change at any time.

curiousCURIOUS (The Finn Factor #1)
by R.G. Alexander
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $2.99)

The warning for this book had me Curious. Then I bought it and devoured it in one sitting. This book almost slid onto the 5 star list, but the beginning of the story played out a little too quickly for my tastes. Definitely going to keep reading this series.

jack5.500x8.500.inddGUILTY PLEASURES
by Kitty Thomas
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $4.95)

I was recommended to read books by this author if I want to read a dark and not-so-frilly romance. This book will not be for everyone. It is a walk on the dark side in the romance books with dark subjects and scenes.  Personally, I enjoyed the book even with the knowledge that it is out of my usual comfort zone.

good neighborsGOOD NEIGHBORS
by Sheila Roberts
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $FREE)

A quick novella that comes in at 77 pages on Goodreads. Rarely I can find a novella that I enjoy enough to give it a high rating. Usually there isn’t enough to the story to grab on to, but this one surprised me. The only downfall to the story was the Hero. I didn’t quite connect to him as much as I would have liked.

straight boySTRAIGHT BOY (Straight Guys 0.5)
by Alessandra Hazard
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $FREE)

Another short novella that surprised me. Straight Boy comes in at 48 pages according to Goodreads.  That being said, the 48 pages actually held some story within that short amount of reading time. Not only were the sexy scenes just that, but there is some humor thrown in occasionally to lighten the mood of a prison sex read.

addicted to youADDICTED TO YOU (Addicted #1)
by Krista Ritchie and Becca Ritchie
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $FREE)

A bad boy addicted to booze and a naughty girl addicted to sex. This can be a volatile combination to work with in a story but the author(s) pulled it off. These characters went through really bad times to the point of where I didn’t think either one could survive giving up the addictions.  The ending left me craving more and I do recommend having the next in the series on hand.

Quickie Reviews For You: The R.L. Mathewson Edition (8)

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A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

Taken from my list of books read and ready to be reviewed, we are featuring books that are from The Neighbor From Hell series by author R.L. Mathewson.

 

playing for keeps1Playing For Keeps
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #1
4 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently FREE)
Can I just say that those Bradford men are sexy! I want one. Seriously. Send one to me R.L. Mathewson (and several hundred dollars to feed him each month). Jason was hysterical. I laughed so many times when reading this book. I did think it had many repetitive scenes, but the characters made up for this. Not only do Bradford men have an unbelievable appetite, but they have very large egos. Haley wasn’t my favorite character, but she did seem to balance well with Jason.

 

perfection2Perfection
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #2
5 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Oh.Em.Gee. LOVED this book in the series! Trevor was the ice cream, cake, icing and a cherry on top in this book. I loved him from the beginning, all the way through the epilogue. The naughty scenes had me fanning the blush away on my face several times. Again, the Bradford ego and appetite is in abundance, but who cares when we get dirty and swoon worthy. Zoe was one lucky girl in this book. (And ladies…he likes himself some curves!)

 

checkmate3Checkmate
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #3
3 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Huh?…What happened? While Conner definitely was another hot male in this series, I wasn’t a fan of Rory or the story. Two rivaling companies, coming together for one project, living next door to each other, and hating each other from childhood. Oh, and throw in some sex, egos, and tons of side characters.  There was plenty of plot, but lots of repetitive dialogue that made it drag. I wanted to throttle Rory more than embrace her.  The side characters — along with Conner’s sarcastic commentary –is what made this book bearable for me. Even though I didn’t like it as much as the first two, I definitely want to read more in the series to keep up with the Bradford family and friends.

Quickie Reviews For You (6)

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A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

For this edition of Quickie Reviews For You, we are mixing it up. Taken off my review list at home, these are in no particular group or order.

mayhemMayhem by Jamie Shaw
4 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $2.99)
Is it a book full of cliche’s? Yes, but it works perfectly for this story. Is it predictable? Again yes, but I didn’t really care because I got to read about rock stars and love. I am a sucker for this trope. The only thing I really had an issue with was Adam not realizing who she was without her makeup. Come on! Makeup wouldn’t change her that much just because she has a smoky eye instead of a natural look.

 

the deal The Deal by Elle Kennedy
5 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently priced $4.99)
Oh.My.GAWD! This book….no words. I loved it from page one until The End. Hannah was awesome but Garrett was the best hero ever! I laughed, I teared up, and then I also did everything in between on the emotional scale. I can honestly say that this book will be on my favorite books of 2015. I may have also highlighted so many quotes in this book that I might have started to annoy people it shared with. I dare you to just go read the quotes section on Goodreads and see what I mean.

 

hard knocksHard Knocks by Lori Foster
3 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $1.99)
This is a short novella featuring Gage and Harper.  I love the author, but this one I couldn’t make a connection with the characters.  The writing was just as good as always.  The characters were okay.  The  plot was all right.  I just couldn’t feel the romance between the two for it to stand out from her other books.

 

maybe somedayMaybe, Someday by Colleen Hoover
3 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $7.99)
Love triangle? Check. Guitar player? Check. Sweet emotions? Double check. While this wasn’t one of my favorites by this author, it still was a great read.  I loved Ridge, but I just didn’t like how he went about things and the decisions he would make throughout the story. We felt bad for him, but I couldn’t justify some of the things he did as “good guy” criteria. Sydney needed to just pull up her big girl panties and walk away from Ridge, but then we wouldn’t have a story.  Not bad writing, just bad character decisions.

 

ugly loveUgly Love by Colleen Hoover
4 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $7.99)
Ugly Love will leave you with a bad case of “Ugly Cries” which is followed by “Ugly Book Hangover”.  I actually enjoyed this one surprisingly.  I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but the characters grew on me.  The only thing that kept this from hitting the high mark was that the author did have the characters acting and talking immature at times.  I kind of overlooked that though because I was slightly infatuated with Miles. (somebody mentioned this book is getting made into a movie?? Does anyone know if it is true? Comment below and let me know!)

 

The Hooker and the Hermit by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid

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TheHookerandtheHermit

 

New York’s Finest
Blogging as *The Socialmedialite*
April 22
LADIES AND GENTS! I have an announcement!
You know that guy I featured on my blog a few months ago? The really, really hot Irish rugby player who plays the position of ‘hooker’ in the RLI (Rugby League International)? The one with the anger management issues, the body of a gladiator and the face of a movie star? The one with the questionable fashion choices leading me to ask whether he was the lovechild of a leprechaun and a hobbit? Ronan Fitzpatrick? Yeah, that guy. Well, I have a confession to make…

THE HERMIT
Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New York’s Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actual reality? Not so much.

THE HOOKER
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media—social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy. Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…

THE PLAN
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggests pairing them together.
What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?

First things first! I am going to clarify that it is not what you are thinking when you first read the title. It isn’t about a prostitute/hooker on the street trying to romance a hermit. Well, it is half right I should say. You see there is a Hermit. Her name is Annie.  She happens to work in social media, but is rarely seen.  She prefers being alone and out of the public eye.  The Hooker part is a guy named Ronan.  Hooker is actually a position he plays in Rugby.  He is also a bad boy who needs his image cleaned up after getting into a fight with his team mate.

To be fair to Ronan, his team mate deserved the beat down he got.  He was caught cheating with his girlfriend.  I guess he shouldn’t have fought him in the public eye though because he gets suspended from the team.  While on suspension, he takes a break to stay in USA. This is where he meets Annie and her team of media clean up crew. Annie has a secret of her own though.  She is the famous Socialmedialite blogger that has lived under the radar with no hint of who she is. Oh, and did I mention that on this blog she loves to post photos of celebrities and point out all of their flaws?

These two quickly start to fall for each other even though they are from two different places and personalities.  I did have a slight problem with how Ronan handles the aftermath of her secret being revealed.  Really? You are going to turn your attitude completely around from the way you have been treating her and be a jerk? I didn’t find it believable because Ronan treated her with nothing but care, love and respect up until that point.  Also nagging me in the back of my mind was how furious Annie was when Ronan admits to knowing her secret identity. It irked me that she got so mad at him when she was the one hiding the secret.

The ending was satisfying and the writing was great.  I do hope we get to read about more of the characters in this book.  I would love a story featuring Annie’s boss! You will be laughing out loud with every chapter as well.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Dearest Annie, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I’m using my hand But I’m thinking of you. – Ronan P.S. Just to clarify, I’m using my hand to write this note…get your mind out of the gutter.”

 

MY RATING
[sc:rate4 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON