Release Blitz: Shenanigans: Sarina Bowen
Shenanigans
What I meant to do in Vegas: Let my hair down for once and celebrate winning a medal at my first women’s hockey all-stars competition.
What I actually did: Got senior prom drunk and woke up married to Brooklyn’s star winger, the great Neil Drake.
He’s the heir to a billion dollars, and I barely survived my childhood. Our friendship is based strictly only on hockey, takeout food, and smack talk.
And now holy matrimony. Although we both know it can’t last, especially once his evil family gets wind of our Vegas shenanigans…
Contains: Meddling teammates, meddling parents, ugly jewelry and a pretend-kiss that nearly sets the world on fire.
What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but for Charli and Neil it has some repercussions. Celebrating after the all-star games in Vegas leads to a fuzzy night of memories, a gaudy ring, a marriage certificate, and unwanted attention.
Neil Drake is a Brooklyn Bruiser but also comes from a very wealthy and influential family. Charli's life has been anything but easy and she is still just scraping by. He is charming, charitable, generous, and friendly. She is more of a prickly, feisty, strong-willed loner and overthinker. She likes her life to be private and to make her own way. Neil has been crushing on her for a while. She did not even like him at first, but she is realizing that there is more to him.
Neil Drake is a Brooklyn Bruiser but also comes from a very wealthy and influential family. Charli's life has been anything but easy and she is still just scraping by. He is charming, charitable, generous, and friendly. She is more of a prickly, feisty, strong-willed loner and overthinker. She likes her life to be private and to make her own way. Neil has been crushing on her for a while. She did not even like him at first, but she is realizing that there is more to him.
And now they are thrust into the public eye and these two are trying to figure out what to do about their marriage. A divorce seems the obvious choice, but it may be a bit tricky. There are some things going on in the background and family dynamics that could impact them.
I adore Neil. He is not a typical egotistical rich guy. I like that he manages his medical issues, a hockey career, charitable causes, and family pressure and obligations and is still down to Earth. Charli is real, fiercely independent, and does not like to rely on anyone or be judged. But her tough facade hides her deeper insecurities and issues. They challenge each other, have undeniable chemistry, and share some common interests. Neil tries to live with no regrets. Charli has trouble letting go or being vulnerable. And there are plenty of people ready to judge and give their opinions.
This is an opposites-attract, rich-guy-poor-girl, fake-marriage romance. Sexy shenanigans, miscommunication, fears, trust issues, mistakes, unexpected feelings, and external drama drive this story. It's complicated, but also sweet, passionate, and inspirational.
I did struggle a bit with the pacing, but it could have been me. It is a longish book and I felt it felt a bit long in the middle and the ending felt a bit more rushed in the wrap-up. But I love this series and enjoyed spending more time with these characters.
I did struggle a bit with the pacing, but it could have been me. It is a longish book and I felt it felt a bit long in the middle and the ending felt a bit more rushed in the wrap-up. But I love this series and enjoyed spending more time with these characters.
A night in Vegas to unwind and celebrate was exactly what Charli planned after winning at a hockey all-stars competition. She did not expect to wake up married to Neil Drake, her friend and a player on the Brooklyn Bruisers. She expected to remain married to him more than the few days it would take to resolve the marriage even less.
I loved watching these two from the moment they woke up together in Vegas. Their dynamic was interesting - from their opposite upbringings to Neil’s reasons for wanting to remain married. There were layers to their hasty marriage that went deeper than one drunken night.
There were moments I wished they could figure out the reality of the feelings behind their impetuous decision a little quicker, but they each have their reasons for hiding their feelings. I had a few moments in the middle where I wished things were sped up slightly, but by the end I was happily satisfied with the overall story.
The audio narration was great and kept me focused on the story more than I had been able to concentrate on traditional reading at the time. I definitely appreciated listening to Jason Clarke and Vanessa Edwin tell me the story versus reading it off the page. They made Neil and Charli come out of the page.
This was a fun return to the Brooklyn hockey world Sarina has created. I love seeing the men’s and women’s teams mixing at events and as members of the teams start pairing up and look forward to more from these teams!
Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over thirty contemporary novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in January, with Overnight Sensation. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.
Sarina Bowen 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. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.
Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.
Sarina Bowen 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. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.
Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.
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