by Sarina Bowen
Series: Brookly Bruisers #1
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 6th 2016
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★1/2
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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....
Sarina Bowen has swiftly become my romance author of the year. My love affair with her books started with Bittersweet, and ever since, I have been completely obsessed with her writing, romances and her characters. I'm not a sporty person in reality, but for some reason I can't get enough of these sports romances, hockey being one of my favorite. When I found out that Rookie Move was a hockey romance book as well as a second-chance romance, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. From the very first page, I knew that this was going to be one of my favorite books of the year and that feeling never wavered throughout the book.
Sarina Bowen knows how to flesh out characters that are vivid and realistic. Rookie Move is told in the POVs of Georgia and Leo, two characters that I absolutely adored. Georgia was a great heroine. She was smart, confident and very relateable. As a teenager, she was raped and though that undeniably shaped who she had become, I loved that she had also found a way to move past that. A lot of times in books when rape is involved, you find these broken heroines who are suddenly cured by the romance. So, it was refreshing to have Georgia who didn't need a man in order to overcome this brutality in her life. She never let the rape define who she was. I thought she sent across a great message that's not often found in NA and adult books that you definitely do not need a man in your life in order to help you heal from a rape. Georgia was also a really smart, savvy and driven lady. I loved how much she loved her job and how devoted she was to it. I think she's going to be a heroine that a lot of readers will love.
As much as I loved Georgia, Leo was the one who completely stole my heart. Gahhhh! This man was just so darn loveable. I was so so happy that he wasn't your typical manwhore and player athlete. It can get really tiring to read about the same kind of heroes in sports romances, so Leo being so unique really helped me fall for him. He was sweet, loyal and just a really genuine and honorable guy. I dare you not to fall head over heels in love with him. Even though Leo was going through his own issue in Rookie Move thanks to some hostility from the coach and his fear that he would be traded, but his willingness to work through those issues and his determination made him all the more attractive.
The romance was amazing! I love second chance romances, and having read Steadfast, also a second chance romance by Sarina Bowen, I knew that I was in for a treat here. She knows how to write them in such a swoony, emotional and sexy way. Georgia and Leo might have broken up 6 years ago, but the attraction, the respect and the love that exists between them was so palpable throughout Rookie Move. I thought they were a terrific couple together and I especially loved Leo's conviction in his strong feelings for Georgia and that she is the only girl for him, despite Georgia's hesitations in the beginning. I also love how well-balanced Rookie Move was when it came to the sexy times scenes and the emotional connection between them. The balance between sweet and steamy was great!
Rookie Move is no doubt one of my favorite books of the year and having met some of the other Brooklyn Bruisers and secondary characters, I'm eager to read their books next in the series. Sarina Bowen has become a hit of an author for me and I just can't enough of her books! If you're a fan of second chance and sports romances, I can't recommend this one enough!
What are some of your favorite sports romances? Are you interested in this one?
Let me know in the comments below!
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