Name: Sahi K's review of Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen
Item: Rookie Move
Rating: 4
Author: Sahi K

Sarina Bowen

On the first day he is called up to the newly franchised Brooklyn Bruisers, professional hockey player Leo Trevi gets checked on both sides, first by the team's coach, who holds a long-standing grudge, and then by the team's publicist, his former girlfriend, Georgia Worthington, whom he still loves.

Rookie Move

Sahi K

Ms. Mint

Sarina Bowen is an amazing writer and storyteller, but this one isn't doing it for me. I looked forward to reading about Leo and Georgia's story after reading Leo's brother DJ's book "The Fifteenth Minute". Leo is the sweetest, but Georgia and her father freaking infuriate me, I ended up skipping a lot of scenes. A disappointing 2 ⭐ from me.

The first novel in a sexy series featuring the hockey players of the Brooklyn Bruisers and the women who win their hearts—from the USA Today bestselling author of the Ivy Years series. In high school they were the perfect couple—until the day Georgia left Leo in the cold... Hockey player Leo Trevi has spent the last six years trying to do two things: get over the girl who broke his heart, and succeed in the NHL. But on the first day he’s called up to the newly franchised Brooklyn Bruisers, Leo gets checked on both sides, first by the team’s coach—who has a long simmering grudge, and then by the Bruisers’ sexy, icy publicist—his former girlfriend Georgia Worthington. Saying goodbye to Leo was one of the hardest things Georgia ever had to do—and saying hello again isn’t much easier. Georgia is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when a press conference microphone catches Leo declaring his feelings for her, things get really personal, really fast....

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Rookie Move is the first book in Sarina Bowens infamous Brooklyn Bruisers series which takes place in New York City as the setting. This is a hockey romance and I have to admit that even though I love Hockey as a sport (I blame my Canadian blood) I haven't read that many Hockey themed romances which is odd considering how much I love me some sexy sport romances. There is nothing more irresistable than a sport player. And boy these Brooklyn Bruisers are HOT as all get out and plus make the best heroes that you want to keep for your own.

Rookie Move is a second chance romance which features our hero Leo Trevi, who is a Rookie to the team but has great potential. But there is one problem the new head coach hates him and his daughter is the love of his life that broke his heart years ago. He still has no idea why Georgia broke up with him but now he has a chance to find out the truth and see what he is capable of with his new team.

Georgia made the hardest choice of her life to break up with Leo. She knew that she loved him but she also had just suffered a trauma of being raped, and the relationship that she had with Leo changed and broke it off with him hoping it would be a fresh start. But after all this time, she still loves him. But she needs to be professional, as the coache's daughter and the head of the PR of the team she has a serious job to do but her heart keeps getting in the way and she might have to make a difficult choice or will she?

Rookie Move is one of those second chance romance that tugs at those heart strings of emotions and just aches your heart and soul both in good and bad ways of course. I have only read one other book by Sarina Bowen but Rookie Move was so addictive and I just didn't want to put this audiobook down. I loved the way these two narrators portrayed this book, and boy they were fantastic. We do see some small glimpses of their relationship in the beginning when they were young and fresh in love. They were each others firsts and they just swept me up in laughter and fun times. I loved these flashbacks because they were brief and didn't consume the whole book. We only see a handful of them in the first half of the story which was nice and then we get to see their chance to find each other again. Now at first I was really nervous with Georgia to be honest. Because Leo wasn't at fault in any way for the break up and we get the impression that he had no idea why she broke up with him because she wasn't honest with him. Now once you understand that she was raped and the aftermath. Leo was such a rock, but their sex life was put on hold. We see how Leo was young too and didn't know what to do to help the girl he loved through such a bad time in her life. But he did what he could but to be honest neither of them were truly open and honest as they should have been. We see the pain that Georgia goes through and even though she has changed and become stronger ever since then, we see that it still affects her. We also see another complication that drove me nuts....Georgia's father. Oh boy he was a piece of work in how he treats Leo. I felt so much compassion for Leo in this book if only for how her father treats Leo. He is the head coach but we learn that he and Leo were very close once but after Georgia's rape, her father treats Leo with such disdain. And now that Leo has joined the team, he pretty much makes Leo's life hell at times and never treats him fairly. So we see how much harder that Leo has to work to be treated with any decency and he isn't passive. He is a alpha male in some ways....he is driven and determined to succeed no matter the obstacles that stand in his way. I love how he goes after what he wants both in the sport that he loves and the woman he has never forgotten.
I spent six years trying to get over you, and it didn’t take. Our time is now
Now I want to discuss the Brooklyn Bruisers as a team and some of the key players that we are introduced to in these books. There are so many fun characters that we get to see including one that makes a big impression who is the hero of book four and boy it was hard to wait to read his story hehe but I really enjoyed the connection these players have with each other. They haven't had it easy but the new owner and new coach is breathing new life in the team. We see these players bond as brothers and really come together as a team and this is one of the reasons I love reading sport romances is seeing these friendships form and develop.
Leo gave her one more smile, and it was so full of joy that her heart skipped a beat. Then he turned around and strode off, his long legs eating up the distance toward the elevator bank around the bend.

“Come back to me, George,” Becca said. “Don’t go toward the light.”

“What?”

“Exactly.” Becca snapped her fingers. “Stay with me, babe. Don’t let the hottie who stole your virginity send you into zombieland.”
The romance that builds between Leo and Georgia is heartfelt in so many ways and there were these small moments that just make such a big difference. From the very beginning, Leo isn't afraid to show his feelings for Georgia and yes he makes some mistakes in this book, but honestly he is such a good hero that you just want to cheer for. Literally....you want to get your pom pom's out because he deserves it. He wears his heart on his sleeve, he is so devoted to Georgia and so determined to win her heart and her trust despite how much she hurt him. I love this about him that he doesn't treat her badly because of it. He has such a good heart and isn't spiteful.
You and I don't do one night stands. We do forever night stands...
Now Georgia won me over very quickly, despite her past actions. We begin to understand her better and that she hasn't ever gotten over Leo but their relationship could be considered a bit of a taboo considering that she is the team's publicist and the hero is a player. It just doesn't look very professional and she wants to keep her personal life and her career separate from each other so we understand her reasons but we also see how much she still wants Leo. I love the way he slowly wins her over and the intrimacy and chemistry that builds between them. Its explosive at times and so poignant in others. I swear some of their kissing scenes was like watching a movie kiss ....captures your attention with heat and emotion and this book is everything in between. Rookie Move is utterly captivating and sincere in every emotion it portrays....IRRESISTABLE.

Becky

I haven't read some good old romance in a couple of weeks and this book has reminded me of that fatal error. I also haven't read enough of Sarina Bowen's books and that is a seriously fatal error I will be remedying swiftly. I had only read the first in her NA series and her books co-authored with Elle Kennedy and I seriously need to read her back catalogue.

What made this book so great? Well, turns out I am a major fan of sports romance. I forget this until I read another awesome sports romance and this one was great. Ass into the fact it's a second chance romance and I am there.

I will say this felt very similar to Bowen's NA books and I know this is more of an adult romance but if you're trying to transition from NA to straight up romance then this is that middle ground. It does have some of the elements that are so frequently seen in NA, such as a tragic backstory, but much like Elle Kennedy managed to write a romance which sensibly handled a woman who had been raped and her handling that past trauma so does Bowen in this book. Georgia may have been raped and that affected her life but it is handled so sensibly the impact it had on her.

I think I loved this book because Georgia this relatable character who is trying to make a life for herself and thinks she's got a pretty good handle on things until her ex is back in her life in the most shocking way and her attitude towards Leo is crazy. I didn't get how she wasn't climbing him like a tree but, you know, I did get why she was hesitant. I like when the biggest obstacle between a couple is themselves and that was definitely the case with Leo and Georgia. It was Georgia putting up barriers and her realising that was awesome.

I do think the reason I enjoyed the book quite so much was Leo, though. He wasn't a player or a bad boy, he was this really sweet man who had his heart broken when he was young and viewed seeing Georgia again as a second chance for them as he never really stopped loving her. He was so sweet and patient and sure he acted rashly but he was so hot doing it and his heart was always in the right place.

This was a fantastic start to a series I cannot wait to continue. Bowen has proved she is an awesome romance writer and not one to be overlooked.

Christina M Masters

I am not sure why I waited so long to read a hockey romance. I kept meaning to and now I am really glad I did. I think this was a good book for me to start with. It was really fun with a super cute romance. The couple were high school sweethearts, but when the an incident happens in their senior year that changes everything, Georgia, our main female character decides to break it off. Cut to 6 years later where we meet the couple again in very different stages in their life, he is a rookie heading for his dream to play in the NHL, she is a senior publicist for the very team Leo, our main male, is going to play for. It was really fun watching these two reconnect. Georgia is a strong, independent woman who never let anything get in her way and Leo is a good guy with a passion for his profession and right off the bat you can tell they never really go over each other. As an added bonus you can tell Sarina Bowen actually really enjoys hockey and I loved all the references she put in the book. It does help that she name checked my favorite team, not the actual team name, but the city, so close enough. :)

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Y'all know I love me some Sarina Bowen books. Everything she writes is pretty much pure f*cking gold. I can't get enough of her characters or their stories. My love for her books started with the Ivy Years series, so it seems only fitting that one of my new favorite books revisits not only hockey, but characters we met during that series. 

If I had to pick a favorite bookish trope, it would probably be second chance romance. (Let's not dig too deep into the reasoning there, ok?) I'm a sucker for reading about a couple reuniting or being given a chance to be more than friends, if that's all they were in the past. Leo and Georgia were wonderful. I can't really explain just how much I loved these two together. I wasn't exactly sure what all transpired between them previously, but once they were reunited, I knew they were meant to be. Things were far from over between them, even if it was going to be kinda messy with his position on a team coached by her father – a man who seemed to hate Leo inexplicably. (That mystery took awhile to work out... maybe longer than it needed to, but it wasn't enough of a reason to change my thoughts on this book.) Did I mention Georgia also worked for the team as a PR professional? Allllll sorts of potential land mines here, so it had a bit of that forbidden aspect about it, too. (Which, again, I love.) 

So, Leo and Georgia. I adored them. Leo is one of my new, favorite swoony book men. (Because, let's face it, there's NOTHING boyish about Leo.) He was such a good guy. Georgia was a great heroine. She was strong and successful and I loved how she overcame the horrors of her rape years ago. Reading along as these two found their way back to each other and worked through the hurts of the past made my heart so, so very happy. Leo delivered the swoons and the smokin' hot sexy times. 

The Brooklyn Bruisers series is off to a fantastic start with Rookie Move. I can't wait to see what the next book brings! You know I'll be waiting anxiously until I get my hands on it. So, if you like swoony, sexy sports romances, this should be at the top of your TBR.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  She tasted like the happiest years of his life. She tasted like his.

"You and I don't have one night stands. We have forever night stands."

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I’ve missed hockey romances so much! I haven’t read one in quite a while, so Rookie Move came at the perfect time. Plus, this one is a second chance romance, one of my favorite tropes, so how could I NOT enjoy it? If you’re a fan of the author or second chance romances, you need to get your hands on this book. It’s full of fun, flirty banter, a wicked sexy hero with a dirty mouth, and a sweet romance that will make your heart flutter. I seriously ADORED this book, and I can’t wait for more of the series!

Damn, how he’d missed her. This was too much and yet not enough, either. He deepened the kiss, stroking her cheek with his thumb, his groin tightening at the feel of her skin under his hand. She tasted like the happiest years of his life.
She tasted like his.

Six years ago, Georgia Worthington broke both her and her high school sweetheart’s hearts when she left him. They haven’t spoken or heard from each other since, but right when Georgia is trying to prove her position as the Brooklyn Bruisers’ publicist, none other than Leo Trevi, the one love of her life, gets traded to the team. Georgia won’t let anything get in the way of her job, but Leo is hard to resist, so she has to avoid him as much as necessary. But Leo has other plans, one of which includes winning the love of his life back…

“It’s exactly this easy. You and me, alone together. There’s not one thing about it that’s complicated. You’re mine, Georgia Worthington. I don’t care what your fucking dad thinks. I spent six years trying to get over you, and it didn’t take. Our time is now.”

I had so much fun reading Rookie Move. It’s the perfect summery read – a heartwarming romance that will make you smile, some delicious chemistry that heats up the pages, and wonderful characters you can’t get enough of. I loved Leo so, so much. His dedication and love for Georgia, even after all those years, has never waned. He is the SWEETEST hero you will ever meet – and his being a hockey player is just a plus. ;) And Georgia herself is such a strong, independent woman, despite what happened to her in the past that caused her to break up with Leo. I felt for her, I hurt for her, I was happy for her. She made me feel so many emotions! These two are brilliant characters by themselves, but together, they are like magic.

This isn’t quite the 5 star read for me, because the third person POV isn’t my favorite, and I couldn’t really connect with the characters as much as I wish I did. But this is totally a me thing, and I have no doubt that tons of other readers will love this first Brooklyn Bruisers novel. I’m so excited to see what Sarina Bowen has in store for us next in the series! (And can Nate and Becca PLEASE have a book!?)

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1YON4Og
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1YON6ps
Audible: http://amzn.to/2c09OFO

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