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Release Blitz and Reviews: Rookie Move: Sarina Bowen

by - Sunday, September 04, 2016


Sarina Bowen
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Expected September 6, 2016
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The first novel in a sexy new 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...

"Romantic and hilarious, Rookie Move will hook you from page one. Nobody does hockey like Sarina Bowen." --Elle Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of the Off Campus series.




A secondary character from Fifteenth Minute is now in the spotlight in the NHL, as long as he doesn’t screw up before the trade deadline hits. I loved both Trevis in The Fifteenth Minute, and from the moment Georgia and Leo’s story was teased I wanted more of them.

Leo Trevi has his shot at the NHL, and is living his dreams. But his already unsettled move becomes even more off-balance when he meets the new coach and the PR manager, both blasts from his past.

Georgia Worthington has regretted breaking things off with Leo on the day of high school graduation, but still feels it was the right move at the time. Reeling from a night that left her living in fear, her best move was to make a clean break and start fresh in college, or so she thought. What she wasn’t expecting was to have to face the man in a professional capacity, nor did she expect to have a PR storm on her hands with his arrival in Brooklyn.

Even six years later, the chemistry between Leo and Georgia is combustible. While they may not have been on the same page about breaking up in the first place, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that the feelings still run deep. The drama between them is light, with very little angst.

The most drama and angst in this book come from outside the safety of their relationship: the team, trade deadlines, careers, and an angry father. While things between Georgia and Leo run fairly smooth, there are a lot of bumps going on around them. While Leo tries to settle into his new team dynamics (and makes several rookie mistakes along the way), Georgia is fighting to maintain control of the PR department she has been running on an interim basis. 

This was a fast read that pulled me in quickly. Add in the team dynamics, the new set of side characters, and the second chance at happiness for these two that I didn’t want to put this book down. I am looking forward to more from the Bruisers as they find their balance as a team and as a sports family.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Sarina Bowen's Ivy Years series so I have been anxiously awaiting this spin-off series starting with Leo Trevi and Georgia since we were teased about their story in The Fifteenth Minute

Georgia Worthingon's life seems like it is finally on track at least in her career, and then one day it totally derails and the cause can be traced directly to her former boyfriend, Leo Trevi. Leo is now the newest rookie on the Brooklyn Bruisers which is the team she is a publicist for and her dad is just starting as their new coach. All of a sudden he and Georgia are gaining press for the wrong reasons. Her new promotion relies on her not making mistakes. And the boy whose heart she broke at the end of high school is even hotter, sexier, and more appealing than ever. She tries to be serious and professional, but comes off as untouchable and at times awkward.

Leo never really got over Georgia breaking up with him, but this is his chance at the NHL and he has a lot to prove. He never figured out why Georgia's dad started to hate him and it is obvious that his new coach still holds a grudge. He starts off on shaky ground by making some rookie mistakes that draw more negative attention and public scrutiny.

There are a lot of growing pains for the team, new coach, the rookie, and the PR consultant. Leo's got to prove himself to have a chance to play and avoid a trade. Even though he makes some mistakes, he does his best to recover.

Personally they've got their past history and pain to deal with, as well as worrying about what fraternizing now could do to their careers. But they have such a pull to each other and feelings that were buried but did not die.

Georgia used to be fearless when younger, but one event made her learn to be afraid. Their relationship underwent some changes and ultimately she ended it. Six years has not dimmed their attachment. She is now scared of loss, rejection, and being separated. She tends to be offensive and pushes him away at times. I have to admit that sometimes I wanted to shake her, but I could understand her reasons.

Leo is totally lovable. He makes some blunders, but has good intentions. He knows what he wants and is not afraid of admitting it. He is sweet, funny, charismatic, patient, and bold when he needs to be. He has such a big and giving heart. I could really feel how much she hurt him in the past and how devoted he had been to her. I appreciated how he just decided she was still his and was going to make it happen someway. I loved them together past and present. They had good chemistry and such a nonbreakable connection.

I enjoyed getting more with Leo's siblings DJ and Violet, and Lianne from The Fifteenth Minute. I liked the new characters especially her roomie, Becca, team owner, Nate, and hockey players O'Doul and Silas. I am looking forward to future pairings in this series and already have some ideas. This is a bit different than Sarina's other books and feels more like the Ivy Years: All Grown Up. It's told in third person point of view and I am not sure how much that changed my perception. Most of the drama is centered around outside issues with their careers and moving forward from their past, but it is not very angsty. I loved the characters, the story, and the new team dynamics. It's a sweet, funny, romantic, and heartfelt second-chance love story centered around a NHL hockey team. Bring on more of the Brooklyn Bruisers.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.


“Come right this way,” Georgia heard her coworker and roommate Becca say, the clomp of her Dr. Martens echoing through the grand old passageway. “Nate is excited to meet you.” Becca was the owner’s assistant, and Georgia lingered half a second to wave her down and offer her a donut, too.

But Becca didn’t happen to look in Georgia’s direction as she led a tall man down the corridor. Something about his gait snagged Georgia’s subconscious. So she took a second look.

And that’s when her heart took off like a manic bunny rabbit. Because she knew that man. She knew the chiseled shape of his masculine jaw, and the length of his coal-black eyelashes.

Oh my God.

Omigod, omigod, omigod.

“How was your flight?” Becca asked him, oblivious to the fact that Georgia was spying.

“Not too bad. I got in late last night.”

The sound of his voice fluttered right inside Georgia’s chest. It was the same smoky sweet timbre that used to whisper into her ear while they made love. She hadn’t let herself remember that sound in a long time.

Now it was giving her goosebumps. The good kind.

“Welcome to Brooklyn,” Becca said while Georgia trembled. “Are you familiar with the area?”

“Grew up about thirty miles from here,” he answered while chills broke out across her back.

Holding her breath, Georgia eased her office door further closed, until only a couple of inches remained. She could not be caught like this—freaked-out and speechless, hiding behind a door.

The movement caught Becca’s eye, though. Georgia saw her turn her head in her direction and then pick her out in the crack where the door was still open. Becca raised one eyebrow—the one with the barbell piercing in it.

All Georgia could do was close her eyes and pray that Becca wouldn’t call out a greeting.

There was a pause before Georgia heard Becca say, “Right this way, please.”

Quietly, Georgia stepped into her office and shut the door. After flipping on the light, she let her briefcase and pocketbook slide right to the floor. Only the folder that Nate had given her was still in her shaking hands. She flipped it open, her eyes searching for the new player’s name on the page.

But she didn’t even need the paperwork to confirm what her racing heart had already figured out. The newest player for the Brooklyn Bruisers was none other than Leonardo “Leo” Trevi, a six-foot-two, left-handed forward. Also known as her high school boyfriend, the boy she’d loved with all her heart until the day that she’d dumped him. And now he was here?

Thanks, universe,” she whispered into the stillness of her office.
Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

The Ivy Years is her bestselling series. Centered around the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college, The Year We Fell Down began breaking hearts in March, 2014. There are three novels and a novella in the series so far. See http://www.sarinabowen.com/TheIvyYears for updates.

For lovers of angsty snowboarding heroes, Sarina also writes the Gravity series! Coming in From the Cold features a downhill ski racer and one of the most unique plot conflicts in contemporary romance today. Falling From the Sky is book #2, about a freestyle snowboarder who nearly loses his life in the halfpipe.

Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

She would be honored to connect with you at http://www.sarinabowen.com.

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