Review: I'm Your Guy by Sarina Bowen #NewRelease

TOMMASO

The furniture district is my personal hell. I don’t know my ass from an ottoman. But when a hot designer comes to my rescue, I realize my problems are bigger than the house I’m trying to furnish.

A scorching kiss over fabric samples makes me question all my choices. But is it too late to change my entire life to get more of them?

CARTER

I need this gig, but my cocky new client leaves out a couple crucial details:

He doesn’t mention that he's a famous hockey player. And he doesn’t own up to the way he’s always trying to undress me with his dark, broody eyes.

The man throws out more mixed signals than a broken traffic light. I've never been more sexually frustrated in my entire life. I need to back away before I do something stupid, like lose my heart.

Oops. Too late.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2023

Amazon: https://geni.us/Im-Your-Guy-Amazon

Apple Books: https://geni.us/Im-Your-Guy-Apple

Kobo: https://geni.us/Im-Your-Guy-Kobo

Nook: https://geni.us/Im-Your-Guy-Nook

Audio: https://geni.us/Im-Your-Guy-Audio

Paperback: https://bit.ly/44T2GnJ

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122753552-i-m-your-guy

Sarina Bowen has once again woven her magic and delivered something special with I’m Your Guy. Carter and Tommaso were instantly likable and I was pulling for their happy ending from the first chapter. Maybe Sarina sprinkles her words with fairy dust or something, because I don’t think she has it in her to create a character that I don’t fall a little in love with.

Carter is down on his luck. An interior designer whose business has gone belly up, his boyfriend has walked out leaving him to deal with the financial fall-out, and he was just evicted from his apartment. He needs a new client like yesterday or else he might be returning to his small hometown in Montana to lick his wounds and regroup.

Enter Tommaso – a professional hockey player with neither the time nor the inclination to furnish his new condo. Their meet-cute not only saves Carter from a parking ticket, but sets into motion a relationship that exceeds the bounds of designer and client in the most wonderful way.

Both Carter and Tommaso were dealing with issues that had their personal lives in turmoil. With Tommaso, Carter found someone who was truly in his corner, and championed his ideas and goals. And for the first time in his life, Tommaso could be his true self when he was with Carter. Down came his walls and he slowly began to envision a more authentic life.

The narration, once again teaming Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan, was absolute perfection. Audiobook lovers will recognize Hamilton and Morgan as the voices from Bowen’s fan favorites Him and Us (as well as The Best Men). Both narrators are so talented and made the listening experience totally immersive and thoroughly enjoyable.

There was so much to love in I’m Your Guy: the banter between Carter and Tommaso, the camaraderie among Tommaso’s teammates, Carter’s friends, Tommaso’s sweetness and caretaking underneath his gruff exterior. It all combined in a way that made me laugh and made my heart melt in equal measure. 4.25★

Note: I was provided an ALC (Advance Listening Copy) in exchange for an honest review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Short Take Reviews: Hockey Romance Edition

 

I love a good sports romance and hockey is my favorite. Thankfully, there is no short supply of hockey romances to enjoy. Here are my quick thoughts on the last few that I've read.

MY LUCKY #13

Piper Rayne
Format: Audio
Trope(s): Slow burn, friends to lovers

When it comes to his hockey career, Aiden has always been lucky. Until suddenly he's not. When a beautiful woman throws a drink in his face at a party, and his game improves, he's convinced she's his good luck charm. Now he needs Saige to give a repeat performance before every game so he can keep scoring goals. The more time they spend together, the more it's obvious that there's something real there. But Saige has been burned before and has sworn off professional athletes. Silly premise? Maybe, but hockey players are notorious for their game day rituals and superstitions. And it made for some truly fun circumstances as Saige showed up in whatever city Aiden was in to perform their drink-in-the-face ritual. Aiden was such a good guy - a real sweetheart - and when he realized his relationship with Saige was the real deal he was willing to do whatever it took to win her over. This one gave me all the good feels and I loved getting to know the other players on the team.               4.25 STARS

THE TROUBLE WITH #9

Piper Rayne

Format: Audio

Trope(s): Forbidden/workplace romance

Maksim has no desire to open up about his past and bare his soul to anyone, so when the team owner requires all players to meet with a therapist he plans to feed her some fake stories and move on. But the therapist is the same woman he kissed on New Years Eve and he hasn't stopped thinking about her. Dating a patient goes against Paisley's moral and professional code but she can't resist Maksim's relentless pursuit. I loved Maksim and his fierce protectiveness of his teammates, even though it came from a place of pain and guilt. Things came to a head when Maksim's family arrived from Russia and he was forced to deal with his past. The camaraderie among the players was a real highlight and Maksim's unique dates with Paisley put a smile on my face. Speaking of Paisley, I appreciated how she pushed Maksim to talk to another therapist, knowing that he needed to sort out his issues. She called him out when needed and was no pushover. I'm excited for more of this series. 4 STARS

DIRTY SECRET

Mira Lyn Kelly

Format: Audio

Trope(s): Forbidden/secret romance

Allie had always lived in the shadow of her superstar brother Greg, a professional hockey player. Too many friends and boyfriends had used her just to get close to her brother. So when she had a one night fling with hockey player Vaughn, she kept her identity secret. A year later, when Vaughn is traded to Greg's team, he sees Allie and the sparks are still there. Since Vaughn and Greg despise one another, they agree to keep their relationship secret. It was obvious from early on that these two were developing feelings for one another but it was fun to watch them fight it every step of the way. Vaughn, in particular, had never had a relationship and struggled with his feelings for Allie and what it meant for his career and his future. The downside for me was Allie's brother Greg, who took the protective older brother role to an extreme. He consistently interfered in her private life (setting her up on dates without her knowledge, lying to Vaughn about her dating someone else) and felt completely justified in doing so. I disliked him so much and unfortunately he played a pretty big role. I would have felt better had he shown any remorse but even by the end he still seemed overbearing and smug. His involvement was way too heavy-handed for my liking, but beyond that this one was a good time. 3.5 STARS

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?

Short Take Reviews: Brooklyn Bruisers series #1-5

  

Over the last couple months I've been on a mission to catch up/finish the plethora of series I have going. It's been ridiculously satisfying. :) One series that I managed start out of order (something I never do) is Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series. I received arcs of Superfan and Sure Shot back in 2019-2020 and loved them, but they were books six and seven in the series. Oops! So I've gone back and binged the first five books. Here are some super quick thoughts on each.

ROOKIE MOVE (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) - Leo & Georgia

I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance so Leo and Georgia's story was right up my alley. While Georgia was hesitant and gun shy, I loved that Leo was all in and made no apologies for his dogged pursual of Georgia. Their backstory really broke my heart and I liked how Bowen portrayed how the aftermath affected Leo as much as it did Georgia. I'm a big fan of this couple. 4 stars

HARD HITTER (Brooklyn Bruisers #2) - Patrick & Ari

At first glance, Patrick and Ari seemed like an unlikely pair. Patrick was a veteran player but even as team captain, he tended to keep a distance between himself and his teammates (and everyone else). He was something of a loner and a grumpy hero. Being forced to spend time with Ari, the team massage therapist, due to an injury was such a blessing in disguise. I loved seeing Patrick open up, let someone in, and make some changes in his life. The slow-burn romance between these two was delicious. 4 stars

PIPE DREAMS (Brooklyn Bruisers #3) - Mike & Lauren

Mike and Lauren had a history - one that had ended badly. Forced to work together again, Lauren was cold and distant but it was obvious there were still feelings there - on both sides. Mike was a little clueless but came to realize that he truly mishandled their breakup, even if his motives were pure. My struggle with this one was how an important aspect of Lauren's story was handled. She seemed to change her mind and do a total 180 about a big issue in the blink of an eye and I had to backtrack to see if I had skipped a few pages or even a whole chapter. The way it was handled rankled with me and kept me from loving this one quite as much as the others. On the plus side, I loved Mike and really enjoyed the storyline with his daughter. 3.75 stars

 

BROOKLYNAIRE (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) - Nate & Rebecca

I was so excited to get Nate and Becca's story. It was obvious from previous books that Nate was seriously pining for Becca and I was so there for it. I loved the strong friendship between these two, the total acceptance they gave one another, and the level of comfort between them. And they way it was obvious to almost everyone (except Becca!) that Nate was head over heels for her. Their relationship wasn't without challenges, considering Becca was an employee. Becca's ongoing issues with her head injury and Nate's attempts to take care of and help Becca gave me all the feelings. The ending - and then that epilogue - were just perfection. This slow-burn, friends to lovers romance hit all the right spots and was just what I wanted for Nate and Becca. 4.25 stars

OVERNIGHT SENSATION (Brooklyn Bruisers #5) - Jason & Heidi

Jason was a confirmed bachelor and did not do relationships. Heidi was the NHL Commissioner's daughter and was doing her best to strike out on her own and gain her independence. I loved the whole forced proximity trope with Heidi temporarily living in Jason's apartment. Heidi was irrepressible and impossible not to like. She was so positive and had such a can-do attitude and I loved that about her. Jason's backstory definitely pulled at my heart but his issues with his past also meant he wasn't completely open with Heidi. When he froze her out and pushed her away I truly wanted to throttle him. I didn't feel quite as connected to Jason and Heidi as I have with most of the other couples (and I can't even pinpoint why), but that didn't stop me from being on-board with their story and pulling for their HEA. 4 stars

HAVE YOU READ THE BROOKLYN BRUISERS SERIES?