Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen Series: Brooklyn Bruisers #2
Published by Berkley on January 3rd 2017
Pages: 331
Genres: Romance, Sports Romance
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From the USA Today bestselling author of Rookie Move comes the second novel in the series that’s hot enough to melt the ice.
He’s a fighter in the rink, but he’s about to learn that playing nice can help you score...
As team captain and enforcer, Patrick O'Doul puts the bruise in the Brooklyn Bruisers. But after years of hard hits, O'Doul is feeling the burn, both physically and mentally. He conceals his pain from his coach and trainers, but when his chronic hip injury becomes too obvious to ignore, they send him for sessions with the team’s massage therapist.
After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, Ari Bettini is in need of peace of mind. For now, she’s decided to focus on her work: rehabilitating the Bruisers’ MVP. O'Doul is easy on the eyes, but his reaction to her touch is ice cold. Ari is determined to help O'Doul heal, but as the tension between them turns red hot, they both learn that a little TLC does the body good...
I quite enjoyed Hard Hitter, the second standalone book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series.
Ari is the professional hockey team’s massage therapist/yoga instructor. Patrick O’Doul is the aging (for hockey), brooding, introverted team captain. Both of them have trust issues, so it was interesting seeing how they navigated those barriers brick by brick. I would have liked more exploration of how Patrick’s past influenced his current mentality. I still enjoyed the contrast between their personalities, though, as well as O’Doul and Ari’s somewhat reluctant, surprising romance.
There is an added mystery and conflict between Ari and her vicious ex boyfriend that adds some appealing intrigue to the story. I was extremely fond of Patrick’s goofy teammates. Ari’s budding friendship with Becca and Georgia is also fun.
I’m fascinated by Nate, the team’s owner, and I love what I’ve seen so far from Becca, his personal assistant. I’ve heard they have their own story, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Recommended for fans of:
Hockey
Yoga
Margaritas
Light suspense
About Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen is the award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary novels. She has hit the USA Today bestseller’s list nineteen times and counting. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.
Sarina is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.
Sarina’s books are published in over a dozen languages on five continents.
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