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Book Review: Heartland by Sarina Bowen

Feb 9, 2020

Heartland (True North #7) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 239
Publish date: January 28th 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ASIN: B07ZD8WWLZ
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

An emotional friends to lovers romance full of risky secrets and late-night lessons in seduction.

Dylan is my best friend and the only person in my life who understands me. He doesn’t mind my social awkwardness or my weird history. The only glitch? He doesn’t know that I’ve been hopelessly, desperately in love with him since the first day we picked apples together in his family’s orchard.
But I know better than to confess.
Now that we’re both in college together, I’m seeing a new side of him. College Dylan drinks and has a lot of sex. None of it with me.
Until the night I foolishly ask him to tutor me in more than algebra…and he actually says yes.
But the cool morning light shows me how badly I’ve endangered our friendship. And I don’t know if anything will be the same again.

Heartland:

I received an e-arc of Heartland by Sarina Bowen in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve been reading Sarina Bowen for a couple of years now, and I’m always excited to read something new, especially about someone that I really enjoy. So when I heard that she was writing a book about Dylan and Chastity, I was intrigued. It wasn’t the matchup I was expecting, but I wanted to know more.

Jens Johnsson

Heartland by Sarina Bowen follows Dylan and Chastity as their once seemly easy friendship turns into something more that could change both of their lives. Chastity has always thought about Dylan as her best friend. He accepted her for who she was, where she came from and why she is a little different. When they were both on their farm’s things were easier. But now away at college, Chastity gets to see Dylan, the party boy. But then things start to change between them and both Chastity and Dylan see different sides of one another and life is about to get a little different.

I’m not going to lie, it took me some time to really like Chastity. I understood where she came from and where she grew it, but it also made it really hard to read at times. Her thoughts were very ‘childlike.’ But as the novel went on and Chastity came out of her shell, I really enjoyed getting to know her. I felt like her character arc was fantastic. Seriously, I loved it so much. The reader truly gets to see Chastity grow throughout Heartland. She becomes this strong, independent woman who can stand up on her own. That doesn’t let her past define her. And that was so fantastic to see.

Dylan was a pretty entertaining protagonist. Readers have gotten to see Dylan grow quite a bit and it’s finally time for him to shine and boy he does. There were so many times that the reader will want to scream at him, get him to face what’s in front of him. But he eventually got it. Dylan is a lot of fun to be around and while sometimes he acted like a dickhead, it wasn’t that bad. Throughout Heartland, the reader really gets to see Dylan grow. He comes into himself, he starts to understand and know what he wants, but he also has to face his past. And that comes with a lot of emotions. One of my favourite things about Sarina Bowen is that she can write male leads that are able to show their emotions that don’t hide from them. Stijn te Strake

The romance in Heartland for me had its ups and downs. For the most part, I loved it. Dylan and Chastity were totally adorable together. From the start, the reader is able to see how much they like and care for one another. But they can also see that there is a lot of push back from both Dylan and Chastity. It was really nice seeing them fall for one another, to see them go from friends to lovers, to something more. There were times throughout Heartland that both Dylan and Chastity had a lot of doubt, not just with their relationships but with themselves. And it was great seeing them work through that.

There are a lot of other themes that pop up throughout Heartland one of those guilt/regret. This was really interesting to see and I loved that it was looked into. This also caused a lot of tension between Dylan and Griffin. This really brought out a lot of issues that they have with one another, but it was also great to see them work through it all.

Laura Fuhrman

Overall, I really did enjoy Heartland by Sarina Bowen. It’s not my favourite in this series, but I really enjoyed getting to know Dylan a whole lot more. The reader gets to see them grow throughout the series and really come into himself in this one. The reader also gets to see Chastity put her life back together, to try and find a new normal. Heartland explores family and changing relationships. It has friends to lovers romance that is adorable and just put a smile on my face. I love the Shipley family so much and this really looks into a different side of them. If you’ve read the rest of the True North series, pick this one because it will melt your heart.

Book Review: Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen

Dec 15, 2019

Moonlighter (The Company #1) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 370
Publish date: October 21st 2019
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ISBN: 9781942444824
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name.

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job.

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.

Book name:

I received an earc of Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve been reading Sarina Bowen’s books for a couple of years now, so I’m always excited when she brings something new out. Moonlighter is the start of a new series being dubbed ‘The Company’ and includes characters that we have loved before. Eric Bayer from the Brooklyn Bruisers and Alex, tech CEO and billionaire and things are about to get rocky.

Alex is in need of some help. She is pregnant and things are about to get dangerous. When she needs to be in Hawaii for a conference she calls in the help of Alex’s father and brother and The Company. And Eric is roped into helping her. Now her fake boyfriend and personal bodyguard things are about to get intense. Add in misogynist billionaires and investors, and a past that is catching up with her, Alex is in more danger than she thinks. But Eric and Alex have a past of their own and now stuck together they have to put aside their difference, and maybe this fake relationship will turn into something more.

Khachik Simonian

Eric was a very interesting protagonist, but it did take me a while to like him. He was just really hard to connect with. But as Moonlighter went on, I feel that Eric become more real and so much easier to connect with and like. Eric goes through a lot throughout the novel and there are times where his heart was ripped to pieces. His body is falling apart, the pressure from his family is building and his relationship with Alex is very unsteady. The reader is able to feel how unsteady and unsure Eric is about this life and what to do in the future.

Alex has a lot going on in life even before Moonlighter starts, and things just explode as the novel goes on. I wasn’t a massive fan of Alex throughout the other books, mostly because she was trying to get in between Nate and Rebecca especially in Brooklynaire. But as Moonlighter went on the reader is really able to understand her. One of the major things that I adored about Alex, was that she was this strong independent woman. She had worked her ass off to get where she is and she isn’t going to let anything or anyone stop her. I loved that she stood up to male colleagues and didn’t let them put her down.

The romance had its ups and downs for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed. Like I think Alex and Eric were fantastic together. They have amazing chemistry and I loved reading their interactions. Moonlighter also included two of my favourite tropes – second chance romance and fake dating. These two together were fantastic. In saying that, there were times throughout the book that Alex really got on my nerves. She was one to keep her guard up and that meant she kept everything up even with Eric. This meant that Eric was let down a lot and the reader is able to see the disappointment in him very clearly. After they both let down their walls, things were a little easier.

freestocks.org

Moonlighter felt a lot different from Sarina Bowen’s other books from the start. While it still had that sports romance vibe of her other books, the suspense aspect of the novel really stood. This was a different side of Sarina Bowen that I hadn’t really read before. And while it took a little to get used to, I really enjoyed it. The suspense and action were great and kept me on the edge of my seat. It not only pushed the novel forward, but also set the tone for the rest of this series.

One of the main plotlines in Moonlighter is the fact that Alex is pregnant, the reader already knows somewhat about the pregnancy from the previous series. But we really get to know more about it here. I loved that just because Alex was pregnant she didn’t let it stop her from being the working woman she is. One thing that Sarina Bowen does well is exploring the notion of family. And this is again present in many different ways throughout Moonlighter. Eric’s up and down relationship with his father and brother and Alex becoming a mother and trying to work the whole thing out. I always love seeing with Sarina Bowen does with family and I think she does a fantastic job here.

Elizabeth Tsung

Overall, Moonlighter was a fantastic read. It was a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to see where Sarina Bowen goes with this. There are so many different ways that she could go and it’s going to be an interesting ride. Moonlighter is action-packed, but also has time for those great romance moments that were done so well. The novel explores the notion of second chances, letting tour guard down, and sometimes it’s okay to be vulnerable. If you are looking for a great romance read, that also has a little something more than this is for you.

Have you read Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Superfan by Sarina Bowen

Jun 30, 2019

Superfan (Brooklyn #3) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 312
Publish date: June 25th 2019
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ISBN: 9781942444763
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Sometimes lady luck shakes your hand, and sometimes she smacks your face. Sometimes she does both on the same day.

Three years ago I met the most amazing girl in the world. We were both down on our luck. Then I got that call—the one that tells you to get your buns on a plane to go meet your destiny.

But the girl was left behind. I didn’t have her phone number, and she didn’t know my real name.

While I became a professional hockey player, she became a superstar, with platinum records and legions of fans. And a slick, music producer boyfriend who treated her badly.

But fate wasn’t done with us yet. When Delilah turns up at a hockey game, I can’t resist making contact. The internet swoons when I ask her out on a date.

She might not remember me. But her jerkface ex does. He’ll do anything to keep us apart.

Good thing athletes never give up. This time I’m playing for keeps.

Book name:

I received an earc of Superfan by Sarina Bowne from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’m a massive Sarina Bowen fan. So much so that I’ve read all but one of her books, and that’s just because I haven’t gotten around to it. Then I saw that it was about Silas and couldn’t keep my excitement down. But then I heard it involved a celebrity and I wasn’t so sure. However, I can say that I did really enjoy Superfan. And while it isn’t my favourite Sarina Bowen book, I did love reading about Silas.

Superfan follows Silas as one ice hockey seasons comes to an end and another one begins. Three years ago, he thought he meet a girl that would change his life – and she did. But he has to leave. Now he is a professional hockey play and she is a celebrity rocking the charts. When Silas and Delilah have a fiery interaction over social media everything from their past comes back. And let’s just say Delilah still might be the girl of Silas dreams.

BRUNO CERVERA

I didn’t know what to expect going into Superfan, Sarina Bowen had done many ‘celebrity’ romances – but she had done a few. However, I felt that Superfan was different. Delilah was very much an established celebrity in the series and the reader knew how much Silas loved her as an artist. But what we didn’t know was that it went much deeper than that. We didn’t know that he knew her before she becomes a hit. I also find celebrity romance novels a hit or miss for me – sometimes I love them, and then sometimes I just can’t feel it. And after reading Superfan, I’m still not sure how I feel.

I loved Silas – I mean I loved him even before he has his own book. One of the things that made me fall more in love with him – was getting to know his story. I loved finding out who Silas was. Before he was like the awesome – but he really shone in this one. The reader is able to finally understand why he loved Diliah so much throughout Superfan. And gosh was it interesting. I loved the banter that Silas has with basically everyone. He is one of those characters that I was able to easily connect with. And that to me makes a book immediately so much easier to read. I also really enjoyed Silas character arc, throughout the story not only is he, building as a character but also growing as a person.

Arthur Edelman

Delilah was a really interesting character in Superfan. Like Silas, we know even little about her, the reader just knows her as his famous singer that Silas loves. But as the novel goes on the reader gets to Deliah for her and not for the celebrity that she is. Delilah story is pretty harsh and there were times that I just couldn’t get on board with her character. I am not even sure what it was, I just felt a lack of connection. I liked Delilah don’t get me wrong, but there was something keeping me from loving her. In saying that I think Sarina did a fantastic job in Delilah’s character arc. The reader is really able to see her grow throughout the novel and really find who she is.

While I loved Silas and liked Deliah, there was something with the romance that didn’t click for me. I just felt like there lacked a spark. I really enjoyed seeing the start of Silas and Delilah, the flashbacks to before. To people that were both lost and found each other in such strange times of their lives. One of the things with the romance in the current time that didn’t mesh with me was that I felt that it moved fast, without moving fast. I’m sorry if that doesn’t make sense, but the book is set over a good deal of time. But I didn’t feel that we got to see enough of Silas and Delilah in that time frame.

Elizabeth Tsung

One of the things I love about Sarina Bowen is her writing. It’s so easy to fall into her books. I just start reading and keep on going till I finish. She has such easy writing to read. And not in the sense of ‘simple’ words or ‘lack of substance.’ But in the sense that the books just flow. There isn’t a time where I need to step back and really think about anything, the characters, plot and everything in between do all the talking. And she does that again in Superfan.

We get to see some very familiar faces throughout the whole of Superfan. And gosh did I love seeing the gang again. There were so many times that I just smiled because I loved everything that was going on around Silas and Delilah. I don’t want to talk too much about why we see nearly everyone again – but yes! It’s something that the readers have been waiting for so long. And gosh was it great. I do wish that there was more connection between Delilah and the other females from previous novels, I just wanted to see an awesome girl gang of strong women.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Superfan by Sarina Bowen. And while it isn’t my favourite Sarina Bowne book out there, I really enjoyed getting to know both Silas and Delilah. I felt that were fantastic characters, I do wish that I felt more of a spark between them. In saying that I loved watching Silas fall in love – I’ve loved seeing him in other books and now it was his time to shine. He alone just put a smile on my face. If you love celebrity romance – then this is for you. It’s fun, intense and still has that classic Sarina Bowen romance that just works so well for her.

Have you read Superfan by Sarina Bowen? What did you think of it? Have you read any of the Brooklyn Bruisers series? Are you planning to? Let’s Chat!