Author: Sarina Bowen
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers
Publication Date: February 12, 2018
Rating: ★★★★½
Synopsis via Goodreads: A sexy new standalone from USA Today bestseller 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?
*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
After two years of waiting...
... BROOKLYNAIRE IS FINALLY HERE!
If you know me, then you know have long I've been waiting for Nate and Becca's story. I've been shipping these two since Rookie Move and I may have let obsession get a little out of hand because I was down right ready to riot if this ship never set sail. Okay, enough of me and my empty threats, let's get to me fangirling about one of my favorite reads for 2018.
Brooklynaire is the fourth book in the Brooklyn Bruisers and while it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the previous three books to get the full experience. Nate and Becca's romance has slowly been developing across these three books so you definitely don't want to miss all that angst. Speaking of angst, there's a lot of that in Brooklynaire as Nate and Becca both consider blurring the lines of professionalism. But with seven years of friendship on the line, is the risk for love worth it?
One of my favorite things about this story is the way that it's structured. We start off in the present with Becca's accident and then we get to go back seven years to see how Nate and Becca met. I loved alternating between the past and the present and being able to see how these two met and became friends of over the years. We also get an insight to both Nate and Becca's past and I may or may not have wanted to fight a few characters from their past. ALSO, THIS BOOK HAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES! I'm a sucker for when one of the MCs become ill and the other MC has to take care of them until they are better. I literally died while Nate was taking care of Becca even though she tried her best to refuse his help. Accurate representation of me:
THIS ROMANCE IS EVERYTHING! Friends-to-lovers. Slow-burning. Nerdy. Just absolute perfection. This relationship has been seven years in the making and Sarina doesn't rush any of the development. It's so authentic. Sweet. Will literally have you swooning and feeling all the feels. Is it wrong to say I might even be jealous of these two because I low key am.
Becca and Nate definitely my top couple for this series and honestly, that's saying a lot because Georgia and Leo were pretty damn close to perfection. Becca is such a relatable heroine. She comes off as a very confident individual but in Brooklynaire we got to see that she does have her bad days and I loved that. She's so selfless and always willing to step in when someone needs help. She's the perfect match for Nate because she sees him for who he truly is. Nate is a babe. He is my ideal hero, both in books and in real life. He's such a nerd too and I loved his affinity for palindromes.
Brooklynaire was everything I wanted AND MORE! All these months of waiting were definitely worth it and I couldn't have asked for a better happily-ever-after for one of my favorite OTPs! Shout out to Sarina Bowen for writing this story even if it was never one she intended to write. SHE DID THAT! My 2018 has been made because of it!
Brooklynaire is the fourth book in the Brooklyn Bruisers and while it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the previous three books to get the full experience. Nate and Becca's romance has slowly been developing across these three books so you definitely don't want to miss all that angst. Speaking of angst, there's a lot of that in Brooklynaire as Nate and Becca both consider blurring the lines of professionalism. But with seven years of friendship on the line, is the risk for love worth it?
Becca and Nate definitely my top couple for this series and honestly, that's saying a lot because Georgia and Leo were pretty damn close to perfection. Becca is such a relatable heroine. She comes off as a very confident individual but in Brooklynaire we got to see that she does have her bad days and I loved that. She's so selfless and always willing to step in when someone needs help. She's the perfect match for Nate because she sees him for who he truly is. Nate is a babe. He is my ideal hero, both in books and in real life. He's such a nerd too and I loved his affinity for palindromes.
Brooklynaire was everything I wanted AND MORE! All these months of waiting were definitely worth it and I couldn't have asked for a better happily-ever-after for one of my favorite OTPs! Shout out to Sarina Bowen for writing this story even if it was never one she intended to write. SHE DID THAT! My 2018 has been made because of it!
E X C E R P T
I grab a towel off a waiting stack of them and toss it onto the edge. “You can sit and put your feet in.”
She’s wearing a short little knit dress that’s been making me crazy all evening, so it would be easy enough for her to strip off those stockings, sit on the towel, and drop both feet in.
And that’s what she does. She eases one stocking down over a smooth knee and tugs it off.
I don’t want to stand there staring like a middle-school boy. Okay, I do want to. But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. So I go over to the sound system instead, and I set my phone on the speaker and cue up a really old playlist. One she’ll recognize.
When I turn around again, she’s seated on the towel, both legs hanging down into the churning water. “Ah. Wow.” She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Nice place you got here.”
“Isn’t it?” I toe off my shoes and kick them to the side.
The first song comes on, and it’s a Macklemore tune that we used to play far too often in our first office. Rebecca laughs immediately. “You didn’t! I haven’t heard this playlist in forever. But I’ll bet I still know every transition. Lady Gaga is next.”
“She sure is.”
Rebecca kicks her feet, making a splash. “I have a little confession to make.”
“What’s that?” I loosen my tie and slide the knot out.
“Well…” She grins up at me. “I used to have a crush on you. Back in the early days.”
My hands freeze on the tie silk. “Get out of town. You did not.”
“No, I really did.” Her cheeks are pink. “That first year especially. But you were taken, and you were my boss. Those two things made it pretty easy to tamp down, when you’re a practical girl like me.”
I walk over and drop down beside her, my back to the water, though, because I’m still wearing trousers and socks. “So how does that work, exactly?”
“What?” She gives me a sidelong glance, but then looks away again and won’t meet my eyes.
“How do you stop wanting someone? I’m a practical person, but I don’t see how that makes it any easier. Nothing seems to mute the raging attraction I have for you.”
Her chin turns quickly toward me, and I seize the opportunity to kiss her. And it only takes one kiss—one slide of my lips over hers, and I’m on fire again.
We’re facing opposite directions, so it’s awkward as hell. But I don’t even care. I take greedy sip after greedy sip of her mouth, until she pulls back to stare at me. Her color is high and her eyes are bright and happy. “This is like Twister.”
“It’s better,” I correct. Lady Gaga comes on, just as Becca said she would. “Are we getting into this pool or what?”
Becca kicks a foot in the water. “I’m tempted. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“Oh, snap.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Are you really getting in?”
“We don’t have to.” I’m never going to pressure her.
Her fingers trail across the surface of the bubbling water. “But this is an adventure, right?”
“Right.” I stand up and remove my socks. She’s watching me. And I can’t read her expression. “What?”
“Just wondering what else you’re going to take off.” She smiles.
“Come here.” The order rolls off my tongue.
But Rebecca doesn’t blink. She gets up and turns toward me, curiosity in her eyes.
“You tell me. What am I taking off?”
She puts two hands tentatively on my chest, and I make myself be patient. Everything I ever wanted is on the other side of this moment. I just need us to break through this awkwardness—the “will we or won’t we” tension.
Her fingers find the top button of my shirt. “I’m not getting in the water unless you are.”
That’s a compromise I can live with. I find my lower shirt buttons and work upwards, until we meet in the middle. She pushes the two halves of my shirt apart and runs a hand down my bare chest.
My inner caveman stands up and cheers.
She’s wearing a short little knit dress that’s been making me crazy all evening, so it would be easy enough for her to strip off those stockings, sit on the towel, and drop both feet in.
And that’s what she does. She eases one stocking down over a smooth knee and tugs it off.
I don’t want to stand there staring like a middle-school boy. Okay, I do want to. But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. So I go over to the sound system instead, and I set my phone on the speaker and cue up a really old playlist. One she’ll recognize.
When I turn around again, she’s seated on the towel, both legs hanging down into the churning water. “Ah. Wow.” She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Nice place you got here.”
“Isn’t it?” I toe off my shoes and kick them to the side.
The first song comes on, and it’s a Macklemore tune that we used to play far too often in our first office. Rebecca laughs immediately. “You didn’t! I haven’t heard this playlist in forever. But I’ll bet I still know every transition. Lady Gaga is next.”
“She sure is.”
Rebecca kicks her feet, making a splash. “I have a little confession to make.”
“What’s that?” I loosen my tie and slide the knot out.
“Well…” She grins up at me. “I used to have a crush on you. Back in the early days.”
My hands freeze on the tie silk. “Get out of town. You did not.”
“No, I really did.” Her cheeks are pink. “That first year especially. But you were taken, and you were my boss. Those two things made it pretty easy to tamp down, when you’re a practical girl like me.”
I walk over and drop down beside her, my back to the water, though, because I’m still wearing trousers and socks. “So how does that work, exactly?”
“What?” She gives me a sidelong glance, but then looks away again and won’t meet my eyes.
“How do you stop wanting someone? I’m a practical person, but I don’t see how that makes it any easier. Nothing seems to mute the raging attraction I have for you.”
Her chin turns quickly toward me, and I seize the opportunity to kiss her. And it only takes one kiss—one slide of my lips over hers, and I’m on fire again.
We’re facing opposite directions, so it’s awkward as hell. But I don’t even care. I take greedy sip after greedy sip of her mouth, until she pulls back to stare at me. Her color is high and her eyes are bright and happy. “This is like Twister.”
“It’s better,” I correct. Lady Gaga comes on, just as Becca said she would. “Are we getting into this pool or what?”
Becca kicks a foot in the water. “I’m tempted. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“Oh, snap.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Are you really getting in?”
“We don’t have to.” I’m never going to pressure her.
Her fingers trail across the surface of the bubbling water. “But this is an adventure, right?”
“Right.” I stand up and remove my socks. She’s watching me. And I can’t read her expression. “What?”
“Just wondering what else you’re going to take off.” She smiles.
“Come here.” The order rolls off my tongue.
But Rebecca doesn’t blink. She gets up and turns toward me, curiosity in her eyes.
“You tell me. What am I taking off?”
She puts two hands tentatively on my chest, and I make myself be patient. Everything I ever wanted is on the other side of this moment. I just need us to break through this awkwardness—the “will we or won’t we” tension.
Her fingers find the top button of my shirt. “I’m not getting in the water unless you are.”
That’s a compromise I can live with. I find my lower shirt buttons and work upwards, until we meet in the middle. She pushes the two halves of my shirt apart and runs a hand down my bare chest.
My inner caveman stands up and cheers.
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