Sarina Bowen's Blog, page 8
February 27, 2023
It's live! Meet The New Guy...
"I don't know when he went from being my obsession to being my dream."Don’t worry reader - you can see exactly when it happens😉
Get your hands on the paperback, ebook, or listen to the Whispersync’d audio narrated by Teddy Hamilton & J.F. Harding (and make sure you listen to the end credits for a little ad-lib).
See: Amazon | Apple Books | Nook | Kobo | Google Play | AudioA new male / male hockey romance from 24-time USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen!
My name is Hudson Newgate, but my teammates call me New Guy.
That was my nickname in Chicago, too. And Vancouver. That’s what happens when you keep getting traded. Brooklyn is my last chance, especially after my poor performance last season.
But I can make this work. The new guy knows to keep his head down and shoot the puck. The new guy puts the game first.
What he doesn’t do is hook up with the other new guy—a hot athletic trainer who lives in my building. Gavin needs this job with my team. He’s a single dad with responsibilities.
We can’t be a couple. My arrogant agent–who’s also my father–will lose his mind if I’m dating a dude. And my team needs me to score goals, not whip up a media circus.
Too bad Gavin and I are terrible at resisting each other…
Get yours: Amazon | Apple Books | Nook | Kobo | Google Play | Audio
February 24, 2023
First Chapter: The New Guy
Chapter 1: GavinFebruary
“Go out,” my sister says. “Have fun.” She literally pushes me toward the door to our new apartment. “What’s the point of free babysitting if you don’t take advantage?”
“Can I at least put on my coat first?”
“I suppose.” She grabs it out of the narrow coat closet and thrusts it at me with one tattooed arm. “There. Now go. See a movie. Or find a bar. Meet a guy. Have some adult fun, before you forget how.”
An argument forms on the tip of my tongue, but then my seven-year-old daughter, Jordyn, pipes up from the sofa. “Ooh! Aunt Reggie! ‘Love is an Open Door!’”
“Awesome!” my sister agrees. “Let’s hit it!”
The two of them are in the midst of a Frozen sing-along. I enjoy a good Disney movie as much as the next guy. But Frozen has been on heavy rotation in my home for a few years now. Adult fun is a barely recognizable concept at this point.
And half the reason I moved Jordyn to Brooklyn was so she could have more of a relationship with my punk rock sister.
So I do it. I put on my coat, give them a wave, and leave.
* * *
Outside, it’s a crisp, February night, although Brooklyn is nowhere near as cold as New Hampshire, where Jordyn and I lived until a few days ago. Another perk of Brooklyn: I don’t need a car here. My new neighborhood is within easy walking distance to everything we need.
At least that’s what the real estate broker promised when she showed me the rental last month. I made the decision to move here in a single day, after accepting a new job working for the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team.
In the past, I’d done many impulsive things. I used to be a fun, easy-going guy who lived for excitement. But that was the younger me. I used to have a lot less to lose, and fewer people depending on me.
Now, as I walk past the historic brownstones, I’m a little terrified at what I’ve done. New job. New neighborhood. New school for Jordyn.
It’s a lot. And I think I’m already lost. Literally.
I don’t want to look like a tourist, though, so I don’t pull out my phone and check the map. I just keep going, turning corners and walking down every interesting block I encounter.
After a while, the quirky residential buildings give way to shops. I could do some grocery shopping, even though that isn’t what Reggie meant by “adult fun.”
When I turn onto Atlantic, the street becomes more lively. There are people out and about. It’s 8:30 on a Tuesday night, and the restaurants are doing good business. Even if I’ve forgotten how to party, the rest of the people in my new neighborhood haven’t.
Reggie says I’m the oldest twenty-five-year-old she knows. And maybe she’s right. When my phone vibrates a moment later, I pull it out immediately, just in case my sister has an emergency at home.
Stop looking at your phone, Reggie has texted. Go out and have at least half as much fun as we are right now. There’s a photo of her dressed up as Elsa, with my daughter Jordyn as Kristoff, because she is seven years old and determined not to do a single thing the same way that other seven-year-old girls do.
It’s adorable. And the sight of Reggie and Jordyn together makes my heart happy.
We’re going to be fine. Moving here wasn’t a huge mistake, and we’re going to love New York. I take another deep breath and then respond to the text. Cute. But why are you texting me if you don’t want me to look at my phone?
I was just testing you, she says. Now go find a hunky guy and don’t come home until the wee hours of the morning.
Right. Like that’s going to happen. I shove the phone in my pocket and continue on my way.
There was a time in my life when I was exactly the kind of guy who looked at a night out as an adventure. But now I’m the kind of guy who is thrilled to simply wander alone for an hour while my sister babysits.
Atlantic Avenue has a bunch of restaurants, but I can’t seem to make myself go in and ask for a table for one. I wander a little further and end up on Hicks, which is a quieter street. I stop in front of a sports bar that’s not too busy. I could sit at the bar and order some wings.
As I open the door, I notice there’s a hockey game playing on a TV over the bar. And it feels like a sign. In two days, I’m starting my new job with the Brooklyn NHL franchise. I’ve never worked with hockey players before, and I’m kind of nervous about it.
I’ll take all the positive signs I can get.
There are plenty of empty seats at the bar, probably because it’s only Tuesday. So I sit down and order a beer from a kind-looking older gentleman. “Should be a good game tonight,” he says. “We’re favored to beat Boston.”
“Awesome,” I say, as I wait for my beer.
I’m not a Brooklyn fan yet, though. I haven’t started the job. Also, it feels disloyal to Eddie. My husband—he died two years ago—was a Boston fan. Big time.
Growing up, I watched a lot of sports, but hockey wasn’t really on my radar. Then I met Eddie, and watching hockey together was part of our courting ritual. We had three great years together, and then he died in an accident at the age of thirty-two.
People always tell me, “You don’t look old enough to have a seven-year-old daughter.” And they’re mostly right. Eddie was nine years older than I was, and he was already a dad when I met him. I never imagined dating a single father of a toddler. It wasn’t on my bucket list.
But Eddie was special, and I fell hard. We watched a lot of TV together at home, because he had a kid to raise.
And then we had a kid to raise.
And now I have a kid to raise.
I miss him so much. It’s one reason why I applied for a job with the hockey team. Eddie would get a kick out of this, I remember thinking. It was really just a whim.
When they offered me the job, I was floored. Now here I am, on a barstool, hoping I made the right call.
Meanwhile, my beer lands in front of me in a frosty pint glass, and I take a grateful sip. When I glance around the bar, I notice a lot of hockey paraphernalia. There’s a signed Brooklyn Bruisers jersey framed at one end of the bar, and a signed Brooklyn Bombshells jersey at the other.
Eddie would get a kick out of that, too. But he’d still root for Boston.
On the screen, Brooklyn has the puck. But not a lot is happening. Nothing good, anyway. Boston is all over them. This is an away game, and the Boston fans are loud.
Not to contradict the bartender, but I’m not sure Brooklyn feels like winning tonight. I guess time will tell.
Just as I’m having this thought, a guy sits down on the stool beside me. Like, right beside me, even though there’s a whole row of stools available.
It’s been a million years since I was a single guy sitting alone in a bar. But somehow the old reflexes kick in, and I turn my head to check him out. And hello. He is a fine specimen. Broad shoulders. Sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes. And a handsome face with the kind of strong, scruffy jaw that might leave beard burns on my thighs.
Whoa. That fantasy escalated quickly. That’s what happens when your dry spell is two years long.
Just as I remember to keep my tongue in my mouth, the hunk slowly cruises me, too. My pulse quickens, and our gazes lock.
“Hi,” I say, because I’m brilliant like that.
He blinks. I swear his eyes dilate, too.
But that’s when the bartender arrives in front of us, and the guy shuts it down so fast that I might already have whiplash.
“Hey, Pete,” he says, his attention fully on the bartender.
“Evening,” Pete returns with a chuckle. “Here to watch the game?”
“Of course. Can I have a lager and my usual?”
“Any time, kid.” Then he turns to me. “Any interest in a menu?”
“Heck yes,” I say. “Let’s have it.”
The older man slides it onto the bar, and I skim the offerings.
My new friend stays quiet until the bartender moves away. “Sorry to crowd you, but you have one of the best seats in the room.”
I almost make a joke about how nice my seat is. Almost. But I rein it in. “You’re not crowding me,” I say instead, my voice carefully neutral. “Any advice on this menu? Looks pretty standard.”
“Sorry, no.” That perfect, scruffy face says. “I always order the same thing. But the guys tell me the burger and the nachos are about as adventurous as you’re supposed to get.”
“Good tip.” I flag down the bartender again, and order the nachos.
Living large tonight. Chips for dinner!
It’s a start.
Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google Play | AudioWant to hear the first chapter? Find that here!February 13, 2023
Good stuff! Winter 2023 edition!
From time to time I share a list of the best things I’ve read, watched or eaten! Here’s what’s made me happy lately:
What I’ve ReadMy reading journal is once again filled with all kinds of books in every genre. Here are some recent highlights:
My new favorite romance is Nora Goes Off Script (Apple, Amazon.) Wow! Great conflict, snappy writing and a climax that will have you turning pages at top speed.
Also: The Astronaut and the Star. Female grumpy goth astronaut versus a cinnamon roll movie star hero? Yes, please! Fun setting (NASA) and well-drawn characters.
In suspense, I loved two books this month. On a Quiet Street (Amazon, Apple) kept me guessing all the way through. One woman believes her husband is cheating, and her friend volunteers to investigate.
I also enjoyed What Lies in the Woods. It has a wonderfully creepy premise about a secret kept for years. The heroine tries really hard to be unlikeable, but I liked her anyway. :)
What I’ve Watched
The Bear, ladies and gents. It’s a good time!
I really enjoyed The Bear on Hulu! It’s about a complicated (and hot) chef who returns to his native Chicago to take over a struggling family eatery after the death of his brother. It’s a series, and episodes are just 30 minutes of perfectly executed plot and characters.
We also enjoyed The Glass Onion. Hilarious! Hot take: I think it was even better than Knives Out.
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once was such a ride! This speculative movie is impossible to describe but totally worth your time.
What I’ve EatenIf you’re a baker, don’t miss my recipe for hot pretzels. Yum!
And I’ve written out my recipe for my favorite new Cranberry Margaritas.
My other recommendation is more sinister. This bag of Cretor’s Mix popcorn should be regulated as a controlled substance. I asked my seventeen year old never to buy this again. Because I cannot be trusted with this stuff.
More Fun STUFF: stationery editionSome smartass on Twitter asked the world which of seven pens you’d choose if you had to use only one for the rest of your life. Fair question, except that joker didn’t even include my favorites! So I made an entire list at Amazon showing my favorites. Among them: Energel pens in many colors, Frixion markers, and Jetstream ballpoints.
Cheers, and happy Valentine’s Day!
~Love Sarina
Disclaimer: some of the links on this page might be affiliate links. Sarina uses a “shortlinker” service which has the capacity to add affiliate links, which means that Sarina might earn a small percentage of any sale from these links.
February 2, 2023
It's Goodreads Giveaway Time!
You can use the widget below, or head straight to the Goodreads page.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The New Guy by Sarina Bowen Giveaway ends February 21, 2023.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter GiveawayFebruary 1, 2023
Sarina's New Favorite Cranberry Margarita
This past November I went to Houston, TX, to give a talk at a conference called the Romance Author Mastermind, or RAM for short. The conference was thrown by Skye Warren (with the help of a great many people) and they did an amazing job. I got to see a whole bunch of my friends and colleagues, including Sierra Simone, Nana Malone, Corinne Michaels, Roan Parrish, Dylan Allen, Lucy Lennox and many more!
I extraverted hard, friends. Be proud. And on the first night they served a cranberry margarita at the welcoming ceremonies. Yum! This was the cocktail I didn’t know I needed in my life. Acidic, fruity things are my catnip.
So I have made these quite a few times since then.
This recipe is super simple, and does not require great mixology skills. This is a lazy girl’s cocktail.
Nana Malone, Me, Sierra Simone!
Ready?
Ingredients for two cocktails:1/4 cup (2 parts) freshly squeezed lime juice (or a combo of freshly squeezed plus Rose’s lime juice.)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (3 parts) tequila
2 tablespoons (1 parts) Cointreau or Triple Sec
1/2 cup (4 parts) Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail
Lime wedges for garnish
Ice
Instructions:Combine the lime juice, tequila, Cointreau and cranberry juice in a bowl or shaker.
Stir or shake to combine.
Arrange ice cubes in two glasses and pour the cocktail over it.
Garnish with lime and enjoy responsibly!
January 24, 2023
Get ready for a swoony new audio!
Hey Audio listeners!
Teddy Hamilton and JF Harding are finished recording THE NEW GUY, which means it will be ready for a simultaneous release on Feb 28!
**Insert a big round of applause for narrators**
True story: I always make sure to insert one funny line in the credits at the end. There's always something silly in there as a reward for people who make it all the way through the credits. (I learned this from Tanya Eby who put the funniest credits on the Man Hands books.)
So I did that again here. But this time Teddy ad-libbed it! So if you listen to TNG, be sure to stick around for the credits.
And one more thing! This audio is the usual style, swapping point-of-view narrators for the whole chapter. However, there is one surprising little spot in there when you'll hear the other narrator's voice in the middle of the chapter. And I'm just so pleased with it!
Can't wait to share! The preorder is coming on February 8th.
Sarina
Disclaimer: some of the links on this page might be affiliate links. Sarina uses a “shortlinker” service which has the capacity to add affiliate links, which means that Sarina might earn a small percentage of any sale from these links.
January 21, 2023
Hot Pretzel Recipe!
Someday I will publish a True North cookbook. But today is not that day. One of the headline recipes would be, of course, Roderick’s pretzels. His would have a sourdough base, though. So I guess this recipe is for Sarina’s (Easy Peasy) Pretzels.
This is a very unfussy recipe. I’d forgotten how lovely it is until my 17yo son asked me to make them with him over New Year’s. They were divine, as always, and the family ate them like seagulls at the beach.
So let’s do this!
Ingredients:1 cup / 240g warm tap water (see instructions)
1 tablespoon / 12g granulated sugar
1 packet or 2.5 teaspoons or 8-9g instant or active dry yeast
2.75 cups or 330g bread flour or all purpose flour. (I use King Arthur all-purpose because it’s a Vermont company and baking snobs like it.)
1 teaspoon or 5g kosher salt
Vegetable oil for bowl
1/4 cup or 55g baking soda (for boiling step)
Pretzel salt (or use kosher salt in a pinch)
Optional: Everything topping. (I love this but my 17yo son is a purist and he thinks this is blasphemy.)
Instructions:Turn on the warm water tap, and using a cooking thermometer, get the water to between 105-115 f, or 40-46 c. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, use water that is a warm hand-washing temp. Not scorching, but not cool.
Measure the cup of water and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you’ll mix this by hand with a wooden spoon, and then use your hands to gather the dough into a ball.)
Add the sugar to the water. Then sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.
Pour in the flour and sprinkle in the salt. Put the bowl into the mixer and turn it on to a very slow setting. Stop to scrape the sides if necessary.
After the dough starts to come together, turn up the speed a little and let it knead for a few minutes, until the dough is nice and smooth. Turn it out onto a Silpat or another surface and use your hands to knead a little further, until the dough is elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball.
Coat a bowl with oil, put the dough ball inside, cover with a damp towel and let it rise for about an hour until it’s doubled in size.
Okay, here comes the fun part! Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll them out into snakes, like you did with play-doh in preschool. when the snakes are as long as a sheet of paper, form the pretzel like this: hold each end and make a “smile” shape on the table. Cross the ends down one at a time to meet the smile. If the ends don’t want to stick to the smile, dab some water on your finger and use it as glue.
Let the pretzels rest while you preheat your oven to 425 f or 220 c. and set a pot of water on the stove to boil.
Place a sheet of parchment on a baking tray (or oil a tray.) Now it’s time to boil!
Dump the baking soda into the boiling water, and it will bubble like an angry witch’s cauldron.
Carefully lower each pretzel into the water, maybe two at a time, and boil for one minute. Flip and boil for an additional minute. Place the boiled pretzel onto the prepared pan, and sprinkle with salt or “everything” seasoning.
When all eight pretzels are boiled and ready to go, and your oven is hot, bake for 10-12 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Eat after 100% cool. Just kidding! You won’t last that long.
Love, Sarina
This is what happens when you ask a teen a question. You don’t always get the response you’re looking for.
Disclaimer: some of the links on this page might be affiliate links. Sarina uses a “shortlinker” service which has the capacity to add affiliate links, which means that Sarina might earn a small percentage of any sale from these links.
December 30, 2022
The New Guy: An Excerpt
On the screen, Brooklyn has the puck. But not a lot is happening. Nothing good, anyway. Boston is all over them. This is an away game, and the Boston fans are loud.
Not to contradict the bartender, but I’m not sure Brooklyn feels like winning tonight.
Just as I’m having this thought, a guy sits down on the stool beside me. Like, right beside me, even though there’s a whole row of stools available.
It’s been a million years since I was a single guy sitting alone in a bar. But somehow the old reflexes kick in, and I turn my head to check him out. And hello. He is a fine specimen. Broad shoulders. Sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes. And a handsome face with the kind of strong, scruffy jaw that might leave beard burns on my thighs.
Whoa. That fantasy escalated quickly. That’s what happens when your dry spell is two years long.
Just as I remember to keep my tongue in my mouth, the hunk slowly cruises me, too. My pulse quickens, and our gazes lock.
“Hi,” I say, because I’m brilliant like that.
He blinks. I swear his eyes dilate, too.
But that’s when the bartender arrives in front of us, and the guy shuts it down so fast that I might already have whiplash.
“Hey, Pete,” he says, his attention fully on the bartender.
“Evening,” Pete returns with a chuckle. “Here to watch the game?”
“Of course. Can I have a lager and my usual?”
“Any time, kid.” Then he turns to me. “Any interest in a menu?”
“Heck yes,” I say. “Let’s have it.”
The older man slides it onto the bar, and I skim the offerings.
My new friend stays quiet until the bartender moves away. “Sorry to crowd you, but you have one of the best seats in the room.”
I almost make a joke about how nice my seat is. Almost. But I rein it in.
Want to read on? [Hint: they leave the bar together.] Make sure you preorder your copy:
Amazon | Apple | Kobo | NookDecember 19, 2022
All of These Titles are Now in Kindle Unlimited!
Click the picture to see it on Amazon.
Male / Male Titles
Co-written with Lauren Blakely
Hello Goodbye, Book 1
Hello Goodbye, Book 2
Read on it’s own,
or part of the Ivy Years series
The Ivy Years Series
Fun With Other Authors 
The first book in the Hush Note series
with Devney Perry & Rebecca Yarros (also in KU!)
Co-written with Sarah Mayberry
Co-written with Lauren Blakely
November 12, 2022
Get Your Hands On: Man Hands!
FREE for a limited time!He puts the "screw" in screwball comedy...BRYNN
At thirty-four, I’m reeling from a divorce. I don’t want to party or try to move on. I just want to stay home and post a new recipe on my blog: Brynn’s Dips and Balls.
But my friends aren’t having it. Get out there again, they say. It will be fun, they say. I’m still taking a hard pass.
Free designer cocktails, they say. And that’s a game-changer.
Too bad my ex shows up with his new arm candy. That’s when I lose my mind. But when my besties dare me to leap on the first single man I see, they don't expect me to actually go through with it.
TOM
All I need right now is some peace and quiet while my home renovation TV show is on hiatus. But when a curvy woman in a red wrap dress charges me like she’s a gymnast about to mount my high bar, all I can do is brace myself and catch her. What follows is the hottest experience of my adult life.
I want a repeat, but my flying Cinderella disappears immediately afterward. She doesn’t leave a glass slipper, either—just a pair of panties with chocolate bunnies printed on them.
But I will find her.
Read the first chapter! Or download the book from:Amazon | Apple Books | Nook | Kobo | Google
