Release Day Review & Excerpt! 5 Big Bright Stars for Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen

 A sexy new standalone from
USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen.

“I loved this fresh new twist on the billionaire storyline and the absolutely dreamy hero. Nate is everything I could ever want in a book boyfriend - he’s smart, confident, and completely smitten! Brooklynaire is sexy and addictive!”  — #1 New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely

You’d think a billion dollars, a professional hockey team and a six-bedroom mansion on the Promenade would satisfy a guy. You’d be wrong.

For seven years Rebecca has brightened my office with her wit and her smile. She manages both my hockey team and my sanity. I don’t know when I started waking in the night, craving her. All I know is that one whiff of her perfume ruins my concentration. And her laugh makes me hard.

When Rebecca gets hurt, I step in to help. It’s what friends do. But what friends don’t do is rip off each others’ clothes for a single, wild night together.

Now she’s avoiding me. She says we’re too different, and it can never happen again. So why can’t we keep our hands off each other? 

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Excerpt

I grab a towel off a waiting stack of them and toss it onto the edge. “You can sit and put your feet in.”

She’s wearing a short little knit dress that’s been making me crazy all evening, so it would be easy enough for her to strip off those stockings, sit on the towel, and drop both feet in.

And that’s what she does. She eases one stocking down over a smooth knee and tugs it off.

I don’t want to stand there staring like a middle-school boy. Okay, I do want to. But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. So I go over to the sound system instead, and I set my phone on the speaker and cue up a really old playlist. One she’ll recognize.

When I turn around again, she’s seated on the towel, both legs hanging down into the churning water. “Ah. Wow.” She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Nice place you got here.”

“Isn’t it?” I toe off my shoes and kick them to the side.

The first song comes on, and it’s a Macklemore tune that we used to play far too often in our first office. Rebecca laughs immediately. “You didn’t! I haven’t heard this playlist in forever. But I’ll bet I still know every transition. Lady Gaga is next.”

“She sure is.”

Rebecca kicks her feet, making a splash. “I have a little confession to make.”

“What’s that?” I loosen my tie and slide the knot out.

“Well…” She grins up at me. “I used to have a crush on you. Back in the early days.”

My hands freeze on the tie silk. “Get out of town. You did not.”

“No, I really did.” Her cheeks are pink. “That first year especially. But you were taken, and you were my boss. Those two things made it pretty easy to tamp down, when you’re a practical girl like me.”

I walk over and drop down beside her, my back to the water, though, because I’m still wearing trousers and socks. “So how does that work, exactly?”

“What?” She gives me a sidelong glance, but then looks away again and won’t meet my eyes.

“How do you stop wanting someone? I’m a practical person, but I don’t see how that makes it any easier. Nothing seems to mute the raging attraction I have for you.”

Her chin turns quickly toward me, and I seize the opportunity to kiss her. And it only takes one kiss—one slide of my lips over hers, and I’m on fire again.

We’re facing opposite directions, so it’s awkward as hell. But I don’t even care. I take greedy sip after greedy sip of her mouth, until she pulls back to stare at me. Her color is high and her eyes are bright and happy. “This is like Twister.”

“It’s better,” I correct. Lady Gaga comes on, just as Becca said she would. “Are we getting into this pool or what?”

Becca kicks a foot in the water. “I’m tempted. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“Oh, snap.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “Are you really getting in?”

“We don’t have to.” I’m never going to pressure her.

Her fingers trail across the surface of the bubbling water. “But this is an adventure, right?”

“Right.” I stand up and remove my socks. She’s watching me. And I can’t read her expression. “What?”

“Just wondering what else you’re going to take off.” She smiles.

“Come here.” The order rolls off my tongue.

But Rebecca doesn’t blink. She gets up and turns toward me, curiosity in her eyes.

“You tell me. What am I taking off?”

She puts two hands tentatively on my chest, and I make myself be patient. Everything I ever wanted is on the other side of this moment. I just need us to break through this awkwardness—the “will we or won’t we” tension. 

Her fingers find the top button of my shirt. “I’m not getting in the water unless you are.”

That’s a compromise I can live with. I find my lower shirt buttons and work upwards, until we meet in the middle. She pushes the two halves of my shirt apart and runs a hand down my bare chest.

My inner caveman stands up and cheers.

 

What I thought about Brooklynaire

I don't know what magic potion Sarina Bowen has at her disposal, but I can't think of any contemporary romance author who can create characters like she does!  Fans of this series will recognize Nate and Rebecca from previous books in the Brooklyn Bruisers series, and the previous book from that series gave everyone grabby hands for a HEA for Nate and Becca.  

Becca has been Nate's office manager from his earliest days, way before he made it big in the tech world.  They're not only co-workers, they are friends, too.  Good friends.  When Becca suffers from an accidental injury that has her recovering away from the office, the romantic feelings between them become exposed, giving them both a lot to deal with. Rebecca knows she's the office manager and it won't look good for her to be doing the boss. 

In some ways, this is both a billionaire - coworker type of story, but for me, it was really about two friends who've learned that what they have together is so very special, they are compelled to take it to the next level.  Nate is a yummy techie with a whole lot of compassion for those he cares about and Rebecca is so down to earth that I couldn't help but fall for her myself, especially when she mentions her discomfort with not being able to do her job like she used to be able to.  That's an awful feeling that I think many readers can relate to. 

But what I loved most about Brooklynaire is that it's just a sweet love story.  It's the kind of book that leaves you with a smile and has you thinking about favorite scenes and wanting more. The entire Brooklyn Bruisers series was like that for me -- I just couldn't get enough. 

This is a fabulous sports series, with super likable characters and situations that readers can relate to. It's got seamless writing that will have you at the final pages before you know it because Sarina's words just move the story along in such an easy way.  While you can read this as a standalone, you'll want to read the entire series. 

Loved Brooklynaire hard. Definitely recommended.

 

 

About the Author

Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Vermont's Green Mountains with her family, six chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

In 2016, Sarina became a Rita Award winner! The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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