Sarina Bowen's Blog
November 9, 2025
Find a signed copy of Thrown for a Loop at your local bookstore!
Dear Friends:
My publisher and I did a big campaign, sending adorable signed bookplates for Thrown for a Loop to a bevy of bookstores! And then I also signed a bunch of copies while on my book tour. Here is the list!
NOTE: To avoid disappointment, call ahead to make sure that the store isn’t sold out!
Love,
Sarina
(By region)
East Coast & Southeast:
The Spice Cabinet / Em & Bee (Wallingford, CT)
The New Romantics (Orlando, FL)
Steamy Lit (Fort Lauderdale & Tampa, FL)
Bookish Boutique (Panama City, FL)
Eagle Eye Book Shop (Atlanta, GA)
Sincerely Yours (Smyma, GA)
A Novel Romance (Louisville, KY)
Blush Bashful (Hopkinsville, KY)
Romance Landia Bookstore (Centreville, MD)
Park Books and Park Books on Main (Severna Park, MD)
Still North Books (Hanover, NH)
Gibson's Bookstore (Concord, NH)
Kiss and Tale (Collingswood, NJ)
Burn Bright Books (Rochester, NY)
Lit Actually (Baldwinsville, NY)
Cupid’s Bookshop (Philadelphia, PA)
Fable Tree (Titusville, PA)
The Broken Spine (Philadelphia, PA)
Parnassus Books (Nashville, TN)
Novel Grounds (Chesapeake, VA)
Norwich Bookstore (Norwich, VT)
Miss Willa’s Bookshop (Charles Town, WV)
Midwest & Central States
Shelf Love DSM (Pleasant Hill, IA)
HEA Book Boutique (Marion, IA)
The Last Chapter Book Shop (Chicago, IL)
The Pink Couch (Wilamette, IL)
Love’s Sweet Arrow (Tinley Park, IL)
Pages & Peonies (Grand Rapids, MI)
Curious Turtle (Jefferson City, MO)
Read & Rooted (Blue Springs, MO)
Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX)
The Cookie Plot (Corpus Christi, TX)
The Well Red Damsel (Wauwatosa, WI)
West Coast & Mountain States
Beauty and the Book (Anchorage, AK)
Heartbound Book Shops (Anaheim, CA)
In Bloom Bookery (Temecula, CA)
Its a Love Story Books & Cafe (Hayden, ID)
XOXO, Book Boutique (Las Vegas, NV)
Lovebound Library (Salt Lake City, UT)
Virtual:
Eden Books
October 31, 2025
First Chapter: Thrown for a Loop
Psst: You can also check out the audio first chapter here ! Enjoy 💕
JanuaryZoe
“Nerves of steel.” That’s how an NBC commentator once described me during my Olympic-medal performance. And Sports Illustrated captioned my photo with “grace under pressure.”
If they could see me now, they’d file a retraction. My palms are sweaty as I cross the gleaming marble atrium of the New York Legends hockey team headquarters.
In theory, this is a dream come true. In reality, I just moved to the most expensive city on the East Coast for a part-time job offered to me only after the previous two candidates fell through. But I’ve always been impulsive.
So here I stand, my heart rabbity inside my chest. “Good afternoon,” I greet the security guard, an older white man with a handlebar mustache. “My name is—”
“Zoe Carson!” chirps a female voice. I glance past the security turnstiles to see a young woman scampering down the escalator in my direction. She’s a smartly dressed redhead with a quick smile. “I have your employee ID.” She practically skids to a stop on the other side of the turnstile. Then she waves a card over the sensor. The light turns green and the gates slide open for me. “You’re in!”
“Wow, thanks,” I say, nodding a silent thank-you to the guard and then walking through to the other side of the security barrier.
“You’re welcome!” She beams. At least one person is happy to see me. “I’m Darcy Kendrick, Nolan Sharp’s assistant.”
I’m sorry is the first response that pops into my head. Sharp is my new boss, the same man who’s responsible for half the anxiety that’s sloshing through my bloodstream.
The other half, though, belongs to a certain hockey star who’s probably somewhere in the building.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, offering a hand to Darcy.
She gives my hand a quick pump, then hands over my ID. “Here you go. I put a lanyard and some swag in your locker. But first, let’s check out the main rink, and you can see the guys in action.” Darcy waves her ID in front of another scanner and opens a door to reveal a gleaming rink with bleacher seating.
I follow her inside like a puppy—if puppies were full of dread.
“We need you, Zoe,” Darcy says. “Our stats are shakier than they should be at mid-season. And the last skating coach bailed on us.”
“Why was that?” I hear myself ask.
“He moved to Sweden for better job security.” She shrugs. “I can’t imagine that his new team is better than this one, but I’m very biased. This team can win. We’re just in a slump.”
We walk right down to the plexiglass, where hockey players in blue and red practice jerseys whiz past. I turn a critical eye to their skating. One of the defensemen sends a shower of ice chips flying as he accelerates after his teammate. His stride is powerful, but I notice a shallowness in his crossovers that could cost him precious seconds in a game.
That’s why I’m here. The Legends are fifth place in their division, which isn’t great. But it’s only January. There’s still time to climb the ranks and secure a bid for the playoffs. If these men trust my coaching, I can make a difference.
The whistle blows. Another player suddenly skates close to the glass, and my heart leaps into my throat. When he lifts his gaze to the spot where we’re standing, I stop breathing.
But the skater isn’t anyone I’ve met, although he lifts a hand in a friendly wave, which Darcy returns.
“Now let’s get you upstairs,” she says, herding me out of the rink and onto one of the escalators that rise through the glittering atrium. As we rise, she points out two more practice rinks and other world-class facilities.
This job could be a godsend. So why do I feel so sweaty? Oh, right. The memory of a pair of ethereal blue eyes crosses my mind like a shadow, and my stomach tilts again.
That second coffee was definitely a mistake.
As we step onto the final escalator, I spy a cluster of men on the fourth floor, in the players’ lounge. Tall bodies. Broad shoulders.
Oh God. I’ve spent the whole day wondering what Chase Merritt will say when we finally come face-to-face. The team gave me every player’s contact information as soon as I took this job, so that I could reach out to each of them and set up our first coaching session.
I spent hours writing and rewriting my first email to Chase. The first few drafts had begun: maybe you don’t remember me…But then I’d deleted that in favor of a breezier greeting.
At least I hope it was breezier. Writing a business email to the man who once broke your heart isn’t easy.
I still haven’t gotten a reply, in spite of checking my email approximately eleventy billion times. And now I’m so tense I could burst.
When we reach the fourth floor, Darcy turns toward the left, away from the glassed-in players’ lounge. “This is the C-suite,” she announces, leading me through an open archway into a grand office suite bedecked with plush carpets and a giant Legends logo on the paneled wall. “Beyond the bigwigs’ offices are the rest of the coaching staff, and corporate employees—including your cubicle.”
“Nice.”
She leads me toward her own desk, offering to hang up my winter jacket. “Look, Zoe,” she says. “I’m going to level with you. I’m very excited to have you in the front office. You have no idea.”
This snaps me out of my nervous reverie, and I focus on her pixie-like face. She’s smiling a little maniacally, and I can’t help but think Here we go again.
This still happens sometimes—the whole skating groupie thing. For some people, it doesn’t matter that I gave a disappointing performance at the Olympics. That I let my team down with a silver instead of a gold. Or that I bailed on my entire skating career four years later—right before the games.
Some people are just so fired up about figure skating that they want to talk about it, even if that’s not my scene anymore. Not even a little. So I paste on a polite smile and wait.
“Not to make this awkward,” she says, fitting my coat onto a hanger. “But it will be so great to have another woman on staff! Plus I saw your address on your HR file—my place is two streets over.”
I blink. “Howdy, neighbor.”
She laughs nervously as she puts the hanger on a coatrack. “I mean—this job can be such a sausage fest. And I could really use a work friend. Sorry if I made it super awkward. You’re probably wondering how fast you can install a doorbell camera and change your phone number.”
“Not at all,” I say, still catching up. “I totally get it. We should have a drink together.”
Her eyes light up again. “Yes to drinks. Or pedicures! Or both at the same time. Is that a thing? It should be a thing. And the team is leaving for their game at five if you’re free this evening.”
“Tonight works fine.” I’m basically friendless in New York. “But you’ll have to pick the spot.”
She clasps her hands together. “Yay! I’m hyped. Now let’s say hello to Mr. Sharp, okay? He’ll want to welcome you himself.” She frowns. “At least in his own special way.”
Yikes. “Let’s do it.”
I follow her toward his office, setting my shoulders back and lifting my chin. It’s the classic power stance that I was taught at age six. Straighten your spine, Zoe! If you don’t hold your body in a confident way, the panel of judges won’t believe in you.
That’s the kind of winning energy I need right now. Every interaction I’ve had with Sharp so far was more like a wrestling match with a porcupine than a friendly conversation.
Luckily, tolerating difficult people is my superpower. I’ll just have to dazzle Sharp with my work ethic and deep knowledge of the sport.
Darcy marches up to his door, and I watch her take a slow breath before she knocks.
“What?” a voice croaks from inside. “There’s no one I want to see right now—unless they brought me a double macchiato.”
Darcy opens the door, revealing the jowly grump seated behind his big boat of a desk. “Sir, if you have any more caffeine, they’ll use you to power the team jet. And the new skating coach is here. I brought her in so you could say hello.”
“Ah, the ice dancer,” he says, failing to look up from his phone. “She starts today?”
Darcy briefly closes her eyes, as if in pain, and her pale eyelashes flutter. “Yessir. Coach Carson is here to say hello, and then maybe you can show her around.”
He scrolls a little further, ignoring us for a long, awkward beat. And then finally he puts the phone face down on the desk. He looks up, eyes sunk into his leathery face, and gives me an assessing glance. “Zoe Carson,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “Twenty-eight years old, former figure skater, new hockey fan.”
“Not so new,” I insist before I can think better of arguing with my new boss on my first day. “I grew up at hockey rinks, where they only gave the figure skaters ice time when it was convenient.”
“So this is a grudge match?” he asks, bushy eyebrows rising.
I whip out my best ice-princess smile. “I’m here to help hockey players skate faster. Call it whatever you wish.”
He rises from his desk and holds out his hand, but it’s grudging. “Welcome. You’re a real trailblazer, Carson. Let’s hope the trail doesn’t lead us off a cliff.”
Almost too annoyed to respond, I give him a firm handshake. “Thank you,” I manage.
“The challenge will be for someone like you to command the players’ respect and attention,” he says.
“Yessir.” You sexist ass. “I have a plan for that. Once they spend some time with me and hear what I have to offer, they’ll want to work with me again. And you’ll be ready to hand me a new contract for next year.”
His expression is entirely dubious. “We’ll see, Ms. Carson. You’ve got the rest of the season to impress me. I’ll be looking forward to your scouting reports as well. I think that’s where you’ll shine.”
“Count on it, sir,” I say stiffly.
Then he picks up his desk phone and pokes a button. “Aiden! Get over here. You’re touring the new girl around. And, Darcy? I want updated stats.”
“Yessir,” Darcy shoots back. She closes the door behind us as we leave the office, then sighs. “Sorry about all that attitude. He’s just tense about the Chicago game.”
“Is he extra spicy today?” asks a deep male voice.
I glance up to see a white guy with an attractive chestnut beard smiling at us.
“Zoe,” Darcy says, “this is Aiden Sharp. He works with the coaching staff. Aiden, this is Zoe Carson, our new skating coach.”
“Mr. Sharp,” I say, taking care to make eye contact and smile as we shake hands.
“Nice to meet you,” Aiden says. “Lucky for all of us, I don’t have the same personality as my father.”
“Oh.” I swallow my surprise. “Nice to meet you, too.”
He winks. “I heard about you. Figure skater, right?”
“Not anymore,” I say firmly. “Think of me as a skating nerd. I’m interested in the mechanics of skating faster and more efficiently, no matter the sport.” I’ll be giving this same stump speech over and over until people believe me.
“Cool,” he says with another smile. “Can’t wait to see what you can do for our guys. My job is supporting all the coaching staff, so that means you, too. Let me give you a quick tour? And we’ll meet some players.”
“Great,” I say, trying to keep the nerves out of my voice. “Lead on.”
“Don’t forget about drinks!” Darcy says as she takes her seat. “Come back up here when you’re done.”
“Will do!” I give her a friendly wave and follow Aiden onto the escalator.
He takes me down to the second level and shows me the staff lockers and the equipment room. But it’s hard to concentrate when I’m dreading a run-in with Chase Merritt at any moment.
My tour guide waves a hand toward another set of doors. “Through there you’ll find the players’ dressing room and the steam room. Also ice baths and the like. We’ll skip the tour for now, because the players will be showering.”
“Right. Of course.” I feel a drop of sweat roll down my back. “It’s better to meet them when they’re less…” My poor overwhelmed brain struggles for an ending. “Naked.”
He laughs. “Good plan.”
The panel of judges in my mind shake their collective heads. Not smooth, Carson.
I’ve got to pull it together. And I’ve got to do it soon.
⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️
Somehow I survive the tour with Aiden and a quick introduction to Max Fairweather, the Legends’ head coach. He’s another hockey star with a long career in coaching.
When I get back to my desk, Darcy has a big grin on her face.
“Look!” she says. “FedEx just dropped this off. I had to order it for you with rush delivery. I hope it fits. Try it on!”
I take the lightweight down jacket, which has sleek styling and the Legends logo splashed smartly across the back. The shoulder even has a patch that reads COACH on it. And I can’t help but smile as I pull it on.
“Look at you!” Darcy crows as the phone on her desk begins to ring. “Now you’re one of us. Oh, heck.” She dives for a blinking light on her phone console while I surreptitiously admire my new jacket, reflected in one of the many panels of glass that surround the office.
I look like a successful skating coach. At least I’ve got that going for me. Fake it ’til you make it, Zoe. That’s another thing they taught me as a child.
“DARCY!” bellows Nolan Sharp from within his office. “I need that report before I go!”
She looks up, phone pressed to her ear. With wild eyes, she glances toward the printer on a nearby wall. “Okay, but what about Friday?” she says to whoever is on the phone, and then scribbles down their answer on a legal pad. Meanwhile, the multiline phone starts ringing again with an urgent electronic trill.
Trying to help, I step over to the printer and grab a document off the output tray.
Thank you, she mouths, taking it from me. “Linda, this is all very helpful, but I’m going to have to call you back tomorrow,” she says. “Right. Yes. But tomorrow—”
After another moment of wrangling, she finally hangs up. “God. I need a minute. Sorry,” she says to me, aiming the report I’ve given her at the stapler and smacking the handle with great force. Then she dashes into the manager’s office, emerging two seconds later empty-handed.
“Not the adversary report!” Sharp barks. “I wanted the scouting report! And where’s the damn bus?”
She whispers a curse under her breath. “On it!” she calls back. To me she says, “The team driver was sick, there’s a storm brewing over the plains, and Mr. Bossypants is on a tear—”
The phone on her desk trills again.
Darcy squints at the caller ID and closes her eyes briefly, as if in pain. “Hell. This is the third time she’s called today.” Darcy grabs the phone and answers it. She negotiates with the caller for a moment and then frowns. “If it’s really that urgent, let me see if he can be located. Hold, please.” She taps a button.
“DARCY!” bellows Sharp. “NOW! We’re leaving in five!”
“Anything I can do to help?” I offer.
She takes a deep breath. “Oh God, yes. Can you poke your head into the players’ lounge and tell Chase Merritt that he’s wanted in the GM’s office?”
“Chase Merritt?” I gulp.
“Yeah—winger? High scorer last year? Eyes like the Caribbean Sea?” She pounds on her computer keyboard like it’s on fire. “The GM doesn’t really need him, but I’m tired of answering calls for him.”
I take a step back from her desk, as if to put distance between Darcy and this unfortunate request. “Um…”
“Please? First round’s on me tonight,” she says, hitting print on a document and then running toward the printer. “I’ll be your best friend!”
Shit! Panicking, I walk slowly toward the players’ lounge. Maybe I won’t be able to find him.
No such luck, though. My gaze finds him immediately. If picking Chase Merritt out of a crowd were an Olympic sport, I’d have the gold medal. It’s always been like this. From the tilt of his rugged chin, to the crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiles. I see it all, and I can’t look away. Even from across the room, I notice the confident set of his shoulders and the way his hair—the color of darkened wheat—curls against the back of his kissable neck.
Hell.
I glance toward Darcy’s desk again. She’s watching me through the glass. And when I hesitate, she points frantically toward Chase.
So I take a breath and step forward. For years I’ve pictured the moment when I’d get one more chance to speak to him. I’ve played this like a movie in my mind—what I wanted to say and how he might respond. It never looked anything like this.
But I close the distance anyway. He’s standing with the team captain, mid-conversation, a smirk playing at his mouth.
My expression softens automatically. It doesn’t matter how nervous I am right now, because the greediest corner of my heart still craves this. I thought I’d never see Chase again, yet here we are.
Then he turns, and our gazes meet. Finally.
Except it’s worse than I expected. Because Chase Merritt stares back at me with fury burning in his deep blue eyes.
Clearly I’ve made a colossal mistake.
Want to see what happens next? Grab your copy now!Ebook: Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google PlayPaperback: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | Target | Walmart
Audio: Audible | Libro.fm | Chirp | Spotify | Apple Audio
October 20, 2025
Thrown for a Loop: An Excerpt
Chase glances glowers in the direction of the journalists and photographers who’ve assembled to watch our session. “If we don’t do something entertaining, the publicist is going to break out the shadow puppets.”
“Fine,” I say, eyeing the crowd. “Let’s race, so I can show off my new hockey skates.”
A flicker of humor passes through his eyes. Or maybe I’m just wishing it did. “A race. Are you trying to make me prove that I can still beat a girl.?
I shrug. “No crying when you lose.”
It takes me only a couple minutes to drop the cones into place and explain the rules to Chase. “We’ll drive in opposite directions. First one to complete the course wins. But if you knock over a cone, you lose. Hey, Steve?” I call, lifting the whistle over my head. “Will you start us off?”
“Sure!” he says with the grin of a showman.
I toss him the whistle. Then I line up on the opposite end of the U-shaped course from Chase. We both dig into our edges, waiting for the signal. “Don’t hurt yourself trying to win,” I say primly. “It wouldn’t be worth it.”
Every journalist titters.
“For f—” Chase starts, his voice low, before glancing at the cameras and correcting with “for crying out loud” under his breath.
And then the shrill sound of the whistle pierces the air.
I explode into motion, my edges biting into the ice as I accelerate toward the first turn. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Chase matching my pace on the opposite side of the U. He doesn’t need as many strides to do it, though.
As I lean into the first corner, my inside edge carves a clean arc as I navigate around the cone. The familiar rush of competition floods my veins, and for a moment, I forget about the journalists, the tension, everything but the race.
As we approach the bottom of the U, I can see Chase more clearly. He moves with surprising grace for such a big guy, his powerful strides eating up the ice. Before we pass each other, our eyes meet for a split second. The fire in his gaze almost stops me in my tracks. Because I recognize that look. He’s having fun. The way we used to.
Then he’s flying past me. My legs burn as we start up the other side of the U, but I ignore it, focusing on my form. Chase is gaining ground, too.
The final turn looms. I lean in hard, my thighs screaming as I whip a hairpin turn around the cone. But Chase is already turning, too.
We sprint for the finish line. The ice flies beneath our blades, the world narrowing to just this moment, this race.
In the end, Chase’s longer stride gives him the advantage. He crosses the finish line a split second before me, both of us breathing hard as we slow to a stop.
“Damn,” I pant, hands on my knees. “Guess you can still beat a girl after all.”
“Barely,” he admits. “You almost had me on that last turn.”
I look up into his blue eyes, and I’m transported back a decade. For a split second it’s just the two of us again, red-cheeked and happy, oblivious to the rest of the world.
The sound of applause brings me back to earth, though. I straighten up just as Chase does the same….
Want more? Grab your copy now!Ebook: Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google PlayPaperback: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | Target | Walmart
Audio: Audible | Libro.fm | Chirp | Spotify | Apple Audio
September 26, 2025
Three City Book Tour! Will I see you in...
Join USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen on tour this November to share in the release of Thrown for a Loop. If you can’t make it and still would like a signed copy, check out the list of indie bookstores offering a very special signed bookplate!
Tuesday November 4, 2025 / 7:00PM EDTLaunch Event: Love Struck BooksJoin Sarina Bowen and Kate Canterbury for a release day celebration with Love Struck Books.
Cambridge, MA
Join Sarina Bowen and Lauren Kung Jessen for a night discussing all things Thrown for a Loop!
Brooklyn, NY
Join Sarina Bowen and Sloane St. James for a chat about hockey romance, second chances, and Thrown for a Loop!
Minneapolis, MN
Join Sarina Bowen and Ally Carter to discuss all things Thrown for a Loop!
Virtual Event
September 19, 2025
Preorder a signed copy of Thrown for a Loop at your local indie bookstore!
Not too long ago I announced a special preorder campaign for Indie Bookstores where they’ll be able to preorder Thrown for a Loop and offer a signed bookplate along with it—and today I’m happy to share the start of that list!
Check out (sorted by state):
Beauty and the Book (Anchorage, AK)
Heartbound Book Shops (Anaheim, CA)
In Bloom Bookery (Temecula, CA)
The Spice Cabinet / Em & Bee (Wallingford, CT)
The New Romantics (Orlando, FL)
Steamy Lit (Fort Lauderdale & Tampa, FL)
Bookish Boutique (Panama City, FL)
Eagle Eye Book Shop (Atlanta, GA)
Sincerely Yours (Smyma, GA)
Shelf Love DSM (Pleasant Hill, IA)
Its a Love Story Books & Cafe (Hayden, ID)
The Last Chapter Book Shop (Chicago, IL)
The Pink Couch (Wilamette, IL)
Love’s Sweet Arrow (Tinley Park, IL)
A Novel Romance (Louisville, KY)
Blush Bashful (Hopkinsville, KY)
Romance Landia Bookstore (Centreville, MD)
Park Books and Park Books on Main (Severna Park, MD)
Pages & Peonies (Grand Rapids, MI)
Curious Turtle (Jefferson City, MO)
Read & Rooted (Blue Springs, MO)
XOXO, Book Boutique (Las Vegas, NV)
Kiss and Tale (Collingswood, NJ)
Burn Bright Books (Rochester, NY)
Lit Actually (Baldwinsville, NY)
Cupid’s Bookshop (Philadelphia, PA)
Fable Tree (Titusville, PA)
Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX)
Flutter (Austin, TX)
The Cookie Plot (Corpus Christi, TX)
Lovebound Library (Salt Lake City, UT)
Novel Grounds (Chesapeake, VA)
Norwich Bookstore (Norwich, VT)
Miss Willa’s Bookshop (Charles Town, WV)
September 16, 2025
So You Want to Visit Portland Maine
This pier is less than a quarter mile from the spot where the Five Year Lie cover photo was taken. Photo from Unsplash.
One of the unexpected joys of writing fiction is hearing from readers who decide to visit the places I write about. It happens more than you’d think. After all those books in Vermont, I get pictures from covered bridges and maple syrup shacks. The Bruisers are responsible for a bunch of photos of bridges in DUMBO, especially a certain cookie shop!
So now I’ve picked Portland, Maine—a salty, history-rich gem on the Atlantic—as the backdrop for The Five Year Lie and Dying to Meet You. And I’m ready for your photos of lobster rolls and little brick streets! Portland features charming old buildings, great food, and haunted historic mansions that belong on a postcard. It’s basically begging to be the setting of a twisty, romantic mystery.
So if by chance you’re planning a trip, here are all my favorite touristy spots in Portland!
Commercial Street and the waterfront:
This is the heart of Portland’s working waterfront, where fishing boats and ferries come and go all day long. It’s the best place to grab a lobster roll, spot some salty dogs (literal and figurative), and watch the harbor sparkle in the sun. There are lots of seafood restaurants on the pier, like the ones where Rowan worked in Dying to Meet You. Thirsty? Try the Luna rooftop bar for the views.
Exchange Street:
Cobblestones, cute shops, and old brick buildings—Exchange Street is where you wander aimlessly and end up with a new candle, a Maine-themed tea towel, and a fresh-baked cookie you didn’t mean to buy. It’s also a great spot for people-watching and window shopping. If you need a snack, Gelato Fiasco is tasty.
The Eastern Promenade:
If you like a view, this one’s hard to beat. The trail winds along the edge of Casco Bay, with sailboats bobbing below and picnic spots tucked into the grass. It’s the kind of place where you can clear your head—or imagine what secrets might be buried just out of sight.
The Western Promenade:
This is the neighborhood where Ariel grew up! Pretty historic homes abound here. And there’s another scenic sidewalk path to walk.
The Victoria Mansion:
This is the real-life model for the mansion in Dying to Meet You. In the novel, I moved the house a couple blocks toward the water, and I changed the subject of the wall paintings to suit my whim. But the design and materials are all pretty accurate. The house is a museum now, and you can visit.
In case you wondered why I set books in Portland, Maine. Photo from Unsplash.
Food from the BooksBecky’s Diner is real.
The Holey Donut is real.
Standard Baking Company is real.
Honey Paw is real.
Black Cow is real.
Also RecommendedMy other favorites include The Lucky Cheetah for Chinese fusion, Bar Futo for hip Japanese yakitori, Terlingua for BBQ, Ocotillo for Mexican fusion, Nura for hummus and falafel.
September 6, 2025
The 10 Rules of Hockey Romance
Rule #1: The Meet-Cute Must Involve EquipmentWhether it's a stick to the face, a puck ricocheting into someone's coffee, or a collision with full gear in a hallway, first contact requires someone to be wearing skates.
How I’ve respected this rule: see, Bombshells! Our hero swears off women…then meets the loveliest new goalie on the women’s team…
Rule #2: At Least One Character Has Emotional Baggage the Size of a ZamboniPast trauma, family drama, career-ending injuries, or secret shame—your hockey player needs issues that run deeper than surface-level commitment phobia. The bigger the baggage, the more satisfying the eventual healing.
See: Overnight Sensation! Castro is a hottie but the dude has some lingering issues. Heidi Jo is undeterred!
Rule #3: The Love Interest Must Be Impressive at Something Non-HockeyWhether they're a brilliant athletic trainer, the team yoga teacher, or a savvy PR specialist, they need their own expertise. They're not just there to cheer from the stands—they have their own life worth disrupting for love.
How I’ve respected this rule: this is the fun stuff! See Love Lessons for hockey player vs. fashion stylist! He hates shopping. Or so he thinks…
Rule #4: There Will Be At Least One Scene in the Locker RoomTension, vulnerability, steam from hot showers, the intimacy of a sacred space—the locker room is where guards come down and truth gets spoken. Use it wisely.
See: hilarious scenes in Bombshells when the team plays a prank on Anton. Honestly, see all my hockey books for locker room fun!
Rule #5: The Team is a Found Family (With All the Dysfunction That Implies)The men’s teams are brothers, and the women’s teams are sisters! Which means they'll chirp each other mercilessly, have each other's backs completely, and meddle in personal business with zero boundaries. The team dynamics should feel lived-in and real.
Aw, heck yes! How about O’Doul in Hard Hitter demanding that every player submit a suggestion for how to woo a woman! (Spoiler: not all these suggestions are good or reasonable.)
Rule #6: Hockey Comes First (Until It Doesn't)The sport isn't just a job—it's identity, purpose, sometimes the only thing they've ever been good at. The moment they're willing to risk it for love is when you know it's real.
See: Eric Bayer’s identity crisis in Moonlighter when he’s suddenly in love with a pregnant CEO. You’re welcome. :)
Rule #7: There Must Be One Scene That Makes Readers Clutch Their ChestsWhether it's a quiet moment of vulnerability, a grand gesture, or a perfectly timed "I love you," there should be at least one scene that hits so hard readers have to put the book down and collect themselves.
I don’t feel comfortable telling you which these scenes are. You’re gonna have to choose for yourselves!
Rule #8: Goalies are Weird, and Very BendyGoalies are hockey's beautiful weirdos—they have to be, standing alone in front of 100mph slap shots while wearing enough padding to stop a small car. They're superstitious, intense, and operate on a completely different mental frequency from the rest of the team. Plus, that flexibility from all the stretching and positioning? Pure romance gold.
How I’ve respected this rule: so many goalies! See: Beacon in Pipe Dreams, Silas in Superfan, Hale in The Last Guy on Earth, Sylvie in Bombshells…
Rule #9: The Hockey is Real HockeyResearch rules! The game, the culture, the superstitions, the way players talk and think. Readers will know if we’re faking it. And they love the little things—like what the penalty box is really like, and the fact that extra pucks are kept in an Igloo cooler. Besides… this means we get to go to hockey games!
How I’ve respected this rule: so much research! So many games and articles at The Players’ Tribune. And YouTube. I love my job. ❤️
Rule #10: The Team Wins More Games Than They Lose!Because who wants to read a losing team? There’s enough of that in real life. This is fiction for a reason. Go team!
August 27, 2025
A Sarina Bowen x Forever Collab: Signed Copies for Launch Day!
Coming soon to a bookstore near you!
Hey Indie Bookstores!You can have signed copies for launch week! We designed the cutest page in Thrown for a Loop to accommodate a darling signed bookplate. It fits like a puzzle piece, and we’ll send you some!
Simply:
Sign up for a (free!) stash of book plates
Order Thrown for a Loop in your usual manner
Sarina will sign the book plates and we’ll send you them in time for launch.
Interested? See our signup form!
Hey Readers!Share this post with your favorite independent bookseller. They can request signed bookplates for free, and you can get one on launch day.
Signup form for booksellersAugust 14, 2025
Updated August 2025: Definitive List of Romance Bookstores
The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn is at the top of my list of 60+ romance bookstores in North America. Vi Keeland (left) and I had a fantastic event there in 2024.
Current Count: 100+ romance bookstores stores and growing!I keep a document on my computer of all the romance bookstores that have sprung up in North America. It’s a kind of bucket list—I’d like to visit them all.
Then I suddenly realized… why keep this great bounty to myself? Surely the rest of you would love to know about all these shops. Many of them opened within the last year.
SIGNED COPIES MAY CURRENTLY BE AVAILABLE AT:
PAGES AND GRAPES IN MICHIGAN (Lots of titles!)
EDEN BOOKS (Special editions)
LOVESTRUCK BOOKS IN MASSACHUSETTS (Call to check!)
Note: Did we miss one? Please write us at admin @ sarinabowen.com and we’ll add it!
Lovestruck Books in Cambridge is also at the tippy top of my list! Attending their opening night party was the highlight of my January. Pictured: Rachel Kanter, owner extraordinaire.
East Coast & Southeast
The Ripped Bodice Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY - The east coast edition of the O.G. romance bookstore! I love this store with all my heart.
Lovestruck Books - Cambridge, MA - Geographically this one is closest to me. And it’s so beautiful! I love visiting Lovestruck.
Grump and Sunshine - Belfast, ME - I haven’t been able to visit yet, but this lovely store helped with the preorder campaign for Good Boy in 2024. Thank you!
Burn Bright Books - Rochester, NY
Afterglow - Buffalo, NY
Montgomery & Taggert - Chester, CT
Kiss and Tale - Collingswood, NJ
Cupid's Bookshop - Philadelphia, PA
The New Romantics - Orlando, FL
Wanderlust Book Boutique - Fort Pierce, FL
Steamy Lit Bookstore - Deerfield Beach, FL
Trope Bookshop - Charlotte, NC
Sweeter than Fiction - Charleston, SC
Novel Grounds - Chesapeake, VA
Romance Landia - Centreville, MD
Good Girl Books - Knoxville, TN
Shelf Love - Austell, GA
Friends to Lovers - Washington, DC
All the Tropes - Atlanta, GA
Under the Cover - Sumter, SC
Roaming Romance Books - Ronkonkoma, NY
Beach Read Books - Wilmington, NC
Sincerely Yours - Smyrna, GA
The Spice Cabinet / Em and Bee Bookish Boutique - Wallingford, CT
Bookish Boutique - Panama City, FL
The Crimson Kiss Romance Book Boutique - Panama City Beach, FL
Damsel Bookstore - Canton, GA
Blush & Bashful Romance Bookshop - Hopkinsville, KY
Tropes Romance Bookshop - Bardstown, KY
Turn the Page Bookstore - Boonsboro, MD
Fable Books & Café - Holly Springs, NC
Burning Pages - Wilmington, NC
Just One More Chapter - Glens Falls, NY
This Chapter Bookshop - Port Jervis, NY
Fable Tree Bookshop - Titusville, PA
Seventh Shelf - Hanover, PA
The Broken Spine - Philadelphia, PA
Miss Willa's Bookshop - Charles Town, WV
West Coast & Mountain States
The Ripped Bodice CA - Culver City, CA - This is the mothership of romance bookstores. I hope to visit someday!
Meet Cute Bookshop - San Diego, CA
Smitten - Ventura, CA
Knotty Novels - Sacramento, CA
Heartbound Book Shop - Anaheim, CA
In Bloom Bookery - Temecula, CA
The Fleuria (Book truck) - Los Angeles
Hardcovers Romance Bookstore - Mill Creek, WA
The Romance Era Bookshop - Vancouver, WA
It's a Love Story - Hayden, ID
Lovebound Library - Salt Lake City, NV
Beauty and the Book - Anchorage, AK
The Ivy Bookshop - Fairbanks, AK
Lagg - Lehi, UT
Spicy Librarian - Denver, CO
The Bookish Shop - Gilbert, AZ
Grand Gesture Books - Portland, OR
Good Girls Bookshop - Kalispell, MT
FMC Books - Missoula, MT
XOXO Book Boutique - Las Vegas, NV
Yours Truly Bookshop - Roseburg, OR
The Vibrant Bookclub - Bountiful, UT
Under the Umbrella - Salt Lake City, UT
Eternal Endings - Snohomish, WA
Lovestruck in Seattle - Seattle, WA
Midwest & Central States
Flutter - Austin, TX - Owned by romance author and friend Laurelin Paige! I hope to visit soon!
The Plot Twist - Denton, TX
Love's Sweet Arrow - Tinley Park, IL
The Last Chapter Book Shop - Chicago, IL
Under the Cover - Kansas City, MO
Blush Bookstore - Wichita, KS
Pages and Grapes - Wyoming, MI (SIGNED COPIES HERE! MANY TITLES)
Love and Other Books - Ferndale, MI
Alpine Pages & Peonies - Grand Rapids, MI
Mon Couer - Canton, MI
Read My Lips - Marquette, MI
Tropes and Trifles - Minneapolis, MN
The Well Red Damsel - Wauwatosa, WI
Thirst Books - Milwaukee, WI
Slow Burn Books - Garrett, IN
The Rose Romance Bookstore - Mooresville, IN
A Novel Romance - Louisville, KY
HEA book boutique - Marion, IA
Shelf Love DSM - Des Moines, IA
Bedpost Books - Republic, MO
Open Door - St Louis, MO
Love Stories - Warr Acres, OK
Flame and Fable - Lakewood, OH
Good Spot Bookshop - Davenport, IA
That's What She Read Romance Bookstore - Mt Ayr, IA
Pink Couch Books - Wilmette, IL
Til Death Books - Shelby Township, Michigan
Hey Darling Bookstore - Austin, MN
Happy Endings Bookshop - Weston, MO
Read & Rooted - Blue Springs, MO
Ash & Vale - New London, OH
Good Girl Romance Bookstore - El Paso, TX
Love Affair Bookstore - Midland, TX
Paper & Vine Book Bar - Midland, TX
The Book Readers Venue - Humble, TX
The Chapter Co. - New Braunfels, TX
The Cookie Plot Romance Bookstore & Bakery - Corpus Christi, TX
Canada
Hopeless Romantic Books - Toronto, ON
Joie de Livres - Montreal, QC
Forbidden Library - Calgary, AB
The Book Boudoir - Edmonton, AB
Perfect Match Bookshop - Vancouver, BC
Pages of Passion - Saskatoon, SK
Slow Burn Books - Calgary, AB
United Kingdom
Book Lovers Bookshop - Edinburgh UK
Online
Eden Books - Ebooks and Print
August 11, 2025
The Top Ten Rules of Small Town Romance
Listen, small town romance has rules for a reason. Sure, they can be artfully broken from time to time. I’m not a dictator. But these are the rules, folks. I didn’t write them myself, but these rules are not accidents. 🤭
Ready?
The Top 10 LAWS of Small Town RomanceRule #1: The Big City Professional Must Return Home in Disgrace
Whether they’re a high-powered lawyer who lost a career-defining case, a marketing executive whose startup imploded, or a chef whose restaurant got savaged by critics, you MUST return to your hometown with your tail between your legs. Bonus points if you swore you'd never come back. Double bonus if you're driving a rental car because you had to sell your BMW.
How I’ve respected this rule: Skye in Fireworks has accidentally drawn a penis on live TV (it was a traffic map, okay? She didn’t mean to!)
Rule #2: There's Only One Coffee Shop, and It's Run by Fun People. Preferably a Matchmaking BusybodyThis establishment will have a cute name like "The Busy Bean" or "Grounds for Love." The owner knows everyone's coffee order, relationship status, and deepest secrets. They will absolutely meddle in your love life while serving you a surprisingly good flat white for a town of 2,000 people.
How I’ve respected this rule: The Busy Bean is central to Zara’s secret baby romance in Bountiful, and also to Roderick and Kieran’s romance in Roommate.
Rule #3: Your High School Classmate Still Lives Here (And Got Mysteriously Hot)Remember that gangly kid who took you to prom? They now own the local hardware store/veterinary clinic/Christmas tree farm and have developed spectacular forearms from all that manual labor. They're single, of course, because they've been waiting for you this whole time (definitely not creepy).
How I’ve respected this rule: Try Good as Gold to catch up on the hotness between Leila and Matteo.
Rule #4: Someone's Dead (or ailing) Parent Left Behind a Failing Family BusinessThe bookstore/bakery/inn/farm has been in the family for generations, and wouldn't you know it, your college degree could really help turn things around! Never mind that you had other plans.
How I’ve respected this rule: Bittersweet has Griff returning to the family orchard to make cider with his chemistry degree. Zara takes over a family bar in Bountiful, where she meets a strapping hockey player who’s just passing through. And in Golden Touch, Nash is recalled to save the family brewery while his dad is recovering from heart surgery.
Rule #5: Your Cell Phone Doesn't Work, But Love DoesDespite it being the 21st century, your big city phone gets no signal around town. This forces you to have actual conversations with people instead of doom-scrolling, which is apparently all you needed to realize what really matters in life. Note: THIS IS REAL, PEOPLE. My phone is a paperweight in the hills of Vermont and New Hampshire. Just try listening to that podcast in the car without downloading it first.
How I’ve respected this rule: This one is like breathing. There’s probably a dead spot moment in every single book. But in Coming In From the Cold, a lack of cell service is how Willow ends up spending a night in a stranger’s truck.
Rule #6: Weather Must Be a CharacterBlizzards will trap people together at exactly the right moment. Spring rain will force intimate conversations under shared umbrellas. The power will go out during thunderstorms, requiring candlelight. Autumn leaves will provide the perfect backdrop for meaningful walks. The weather forecast in small towns is apparently controlled by Cupid himself.
See: Falling From the Sky when Callie and Hank must spend the night together, even though she’s been trying to convince herself not to date him. That snow is dangerous, girl. Sleep with the hottie!
Rule #7: Someone Must Own a Pickup Truck, it’s the LawWell, duh. They really are everywhere, including my own driveway. And in one of my books, the Shipley kids joke that all Vermont teenagers have pickup truck sex.
For a demonstration: try Speakeasy.
Rule #8: Your Sophisticated City Friends Will Visit Once and Be HorrifiedThey'll complain about the lack of oat milk, the slow WiFi, and the fact that everyone waves at strangers. This visit serves the crucial purpose of making you realize you don't miss your old life at all, actually. Sharon from marketing can keep her Soul Cycle addiction; you've discovered the simple pleasure of walking a golden retriever named Biscuit.
How I’ve respected this rule: Several of the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey players visit Vermont in Bountiful, but only Dave isn’t ready to hightail it back to Brooklyn. There’s something about this place that grabs you!
Rule #9: There Shall Be No Chain RestaurantsThe town's dining scene consists of: one family restaurant run by an elderly couple who bicker adorably, and possibly a food truck operated by a former chef with a tragic past. The nearest Starbucks is at least forty-five minutes away, and this is treated as a point of pride, not inconvenience.
BECAUSE IT’S TRUE. Chains are the devil. I’ve respected this rule in every single book. I’d be lying if I said the quirky hours of our local tavern aren’t a pain in my backside. But life is better when it’s weird. Ask anyone.
Rule #10: There are No Secrets (except the ones that drive the plot)Everyone's business is your business, and the real treasure was the hometown you tried to escape all along. Nobody discovers this more shockingly than Sophie in Steadfast, who’s forbidden to see her high school sweetheart. But we all know how that goes!
Enjoy the ride!
Love small town romances? Check out these titles!
