Pipe Dreams (Brooklyn Bruisers, #3) by Sarina Bowen

Apr 30, 2017 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-four-stars

4 stars!!!

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Pipe Dreams is the third book in Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers series and by far my favorite yet! That could very well change if I ever get my highly coveted Nate and Becca book (hehe) but in all seriousness, I love when I’m reading a series and each book gets better and better. Bowen has done that with this series and I couldn’t be happier.

Mike Beacon is a single dad and the goalie for the Brooklyn Bruisers. Four years ago, Mike was in a relationship with the love of his life, L 4 stars!!!

Pipe Dreams is the third book in Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers series and by far my favorite yet! That could very well change if I ever get my highly coveted Nate and Becca book (hehe) but in all seriousness, I love when I’m reading a series and each book gets better and better. Bowen has done that with this series and I couldn’t be happier.

Mike Beacon is a single dad and the goalie for the Brooklyn Bruisers. Four years ago, Mike was in a relationship with the love of his life, Lauren Williams. Lauren is Nate’s (the owner of the team) office manager and she is now having to help out more on the hockey side, which means being around Mike more than she’s used to.

It had been years since she read Dante’s Inferno for a high school literature class, but one of the nine circles of hell had probably been a place where you saw your ex every single day.

Lauren is the type of girl who comes across as hard and not friendly, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye. I loved getting another side of Lauren. I can understand completely why she has been standoffish in the other books and doesn’t want anything to do with hockey. Mike has a lot of making up to do when it comes to Lauren. When they broke up, he was in a really bad spot. You see, Mike has a daughter who is his world and his ex and the mother of his child was terminally ill. He had to be there for his ex and his kid. It’s the type of man he is. But Lauren didn’t know all that.

I liked Mike so much. I love a good single dad book, and I think Mike was a fabulous dad and a stand up guy. I love how he worked so hard to win back Lauren. They were a great pair. As I mentioned before, please please please give us a Becca and Nate book! I’m dying here!!!!

Pipe Dreams is a fabulous addition to the Brooklyn Bruiser’s series but can be read as a standalone. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good second chance romance, sports romance, or single parent story. I loved it!

“This feels right. We feel right. Whether it’s two years that passed or twenty-two, if I hold you in my arms it will always feel exactly right.”
...more

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May 02, 2017 .Under the pages rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, review, sports-romance, second-chance

Review available at Under the Pages.

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Apr 19, 2017 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, guilty-pleasure-read, new-adult-mania, paperback, romance, sports-romance

5 stars!

OH MY GAWD. I loved this book so hard! Sarina Bowen, you have outdone yourself!!!

Pipe Dreams is the third book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. This book follows Mike Beacon, goalie for the Bruisers and Lauren, the office manager to the man who owns the team. Four years ago they had been in a relationship, happy and in love, until two years ago when Mike broke up with Lauren and basically disappeared from her life very rapidly. What Lauren ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Cristina | CristiinaReads rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-books

Single father... COME TO ME!

➳ARC kindly provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review…

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Jul 14, 2016 nick rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, contemporary

PLEASE be Nate & Becca's book.

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I have to say, I originally wasn’t very happy going into Pipe Dreams despite having loved the Sarina Bowen books that I have read simply because the couple wasn’t who I was expecting it to be. But fret not! Bowen was able to once again win me over with her swoony boys and her even swoonier romances. As always, reading a book by her just brings me pure joy.

Most of the books that I’ve read from Sarina Bowen have been second PLEASE be Nate & Becca's book.

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I have to say, I originally wasn’t very happy going into Pipe Dreams despite having loved the Sarina Bowen books that I have read simply because the couple wasn’t who I was expecting it to be. But fret not! Bowen was able to once again win me over with her swoony boys and her even swoonier romances. As always, reading a book by her just brings me pure joy.

Most of the books that I’ve read from Sarina Bowen have been second chance romances, and Pipe Dreams was one of those too. I’m not complaining though because she does the trope justice, and manages to make her stories fresh regardless. Lauren and Mike’s relationship started shortly after he catches his wife cheating on him. Now, some of you may not entirely approve of how their relationship develops, but I was fine with it, because it was done tactfully, in my opinion. I loved the flashback scenes we got to read about these two. There was something sweet and genuine about their relationship, and I absolutely loved the comfort level that they shared as well. Unfortunately, tragic news separate the two of them and leave them both heartbroken. I have to say I was quite frustrated at Mike for how he decided to handle the news, and I was hoping for a lot of groveling. Thankfully, we get that. I really really wanted to be mad at Mike for breaking Lauren’s heart, but he was such a sweetheart, and so ridiculously charming. It was hard not to fall for the guy.

Lauren was a little more guarded, understandably so, and upon their reunion, she was quite cold towards him, but I completely understood where she was coming from. I really did love that she hadn’t let the heartbreak infiltrate every aspect of her life, and that she was quite successful in her career. Honestly, she was badass and I found her to be very admirable. I loved that she didn’t easily give in to Mike’s wooing, but that she made him work for it. And oh my! Mike sure knew how to woo a girl and melt her hurt. The second part of their romance was relatively quiet, slow, but very swoony. They both had to talk out their past, and their emotional connection was undeniable. I love that Sarina Bowen doesn’t have to rely on overly dramatic tropes to make her story flow and shine. There were no stupid misunderstanding between Mike and Lauren the second time around, and I loved that. I was initially a bit worried that Mike’s teenage daughter would cause some trouble, but though she initially wasn’t a fan of Lauren, she wasn’t too much of a detriment to the progression of Mike and Lauren’s relationship.

Pipe Dreams was a great romance, that perfectly balanced out the sweet, the angst and the sexy. The backdrop of hockey and the camaraderie between the teammates only enhanced the story. I’m still very much desperate for Nate and Becca’s book because holy chemistry, and I hope Sarina will write it! In the mean time, I’ll be thinking about how lovely this series has been so far, and exploring more of her backlist. ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-reads, arcs-2017, romance, adult-fiction

Sooooooo

Overall it was just so

*whispers* boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Also can we not use a child as a main obstacle for a love story

#CanWeNotPleasePleasePlease

But really overall it was just so

*whispers* boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Also dead wife because why the fuck not

Seriously though it was just so

*whispers* boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Also I must have missed the tension somewhere

Because there was none

Nooooooooooooone

Sigh. I liked them enough, I guess, but I didn't care whatsoever, alright?

For more of ...more

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May 04, 2017 Nicola rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

Of the three books in Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series, Pipe Dreams struck the jackpot for me. Sometimes a read works for you simply based how you're feeling and right now a lighter, sexy romance with wonderful characters was exactly what I needed.

description

When the single dad trope is done right, I'm as happy as a clam and I can't fault Sarina here: I loved the Bruisers' goalie, Mike, a man doing a sterling job of balancing his career and raising his teenage daughter, Elsa. And when he's reacquai ...more

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May 03, 2017 Alex ♈ marked it as dnf

Shelves: hero-not-celibate-after-meeting-h, unlikable-hero, worst-hero-ever, weak-heroine

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 08, 2016 Jacqueline's Reads rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, sports

3.5 Doing the Dream Stars

Pipe Dreams is a standalone and is part of the Brooklyn Bruisers series. This is Mike and Lauren’s book. I love a second chance romance book and I liked the overall plot and theme to this one.

Mike is the goalie and he’s a man with a lot of baggie. He has a cheating ex-wife, a daughter and he wants a relationship with Lauren. But sadly you can’t have it all. Mike makes a choice years ago and it has cost him. So its years later and Lauren and Mike are interacting once aga ...more

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Apr 15, 2017 Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, boo-yah-straight-butter-baby, ng

RELEASE DAY (SHAMELESS) BUMPING! Yeah, I know it's obnoxious but EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ever have one of those authors that just does it for you? SB is that author for me. When I got approved for this I… had a moment. That maybe only dogs could hear, but whatevs. I had some excite happening, k?

I really did look at it on my kindle with heart eyes telling myself I should wait. Then my id kicked my superego in the nads and maybe made some lewd hand gestures. In short, I caved. I sa ...more

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Mar 20, 2017 Pavlina Read more sleep less blog❤❤ rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, best-cover

4 sweet stars

I love this series and I'm always excited for the next book!Pipe Dreams was an intense,emotional and sweet story.It's a second chance romance with a slow burn.Both characters are lovable!Lauren is smart and independent, you can easily connect with her.Mike is one of my favorite so far!I like him a lot, he has everything I wanted in a hero.Lauren and Mike have some really intense and sweet moments.I love that in this book we don't have a lot of drama.I'm sure Mike will captivate you ...more

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Jan 20, 2017 Angie Elle rated it it was ok

ARC from publisher

I am so so sad to report that I found Pipe Dreams disappointing, cliched…and boring. And I just want to get this review out of the way so I can go back into my Sarina Bowen happy place and await her next book.

So what we have here is a man who got out of an unhappy marriage, shacked up with a woman he’d been flirting with during many of his unhappily married years to find he was blissfully happy, only to leave her when his wife fell ill so he could care for her and his daughter. ARC from publisher

I am so so sad to report that I found Pipe Dreams disappointing, cliched…and boring. And I just want to get this review out of the way so I can go back into my Sarina Bowen happy place and await her next book.

So what we have here is a man who got out of an unhappy marriage, shacked up with a woman he’d been flirting with during many of his unhappily married years to find he was blissfully happy, only to leave her when his wife fell ill so he could care for her and his daughter. Super sweet, right? You’d think, but this was a man who didn’t have the decency to tell the woman who made him blissfully happy why he was leaving. Kaboom. He just left her high, dry, and devastated. Fast forward to present day when Mike’s wife (or ex-wife, I can’t remember if the divorce was final when he went back to her) has been in the ground for a year, and Lauren is, once again, back in Mike’s life working in close proximity with the Brooklyn Bruisers, the hockey team he plays for. Here’s the thing – I liked Lauren. She was driven and underneath her ice queen exterior (which I loved, by the way,) was a kind woman. She was just broken, too. By Mike. And it caused her to be closed off with other people. Mike never grew on me. His character just felt shallow to me, his daughter a dressing to make him seem like a good guy. In fact, there was a scene in the book when they were finally going to sleep together again after their time apart, and Mike was thinking how he needed to make this so good because ‘Lauren deserved it.’ Which, of course in Mike’s entitled head, turns into ‘hell, we both deserve it.’ I’m sorry to say Mike, that you don’t deserve. Lauren deserves it, sure. She’s spent all this time pining for you because you weren’t man enough to tell her why you were leaving. You, on the other hand, deserve to walk around with a permanent case of blue balls. That’s what you deserve. I felt like Lauren forgave Mike way too easily, and the whole baby thing was not my cup of tea. What really frustrated me about it was Mike. I know, right? He is all worried when he has a fight on the ice of how this is going to look to his daughter and how he’s setting a bad example, but he doesn’t give her a second thought when he decides to father Lauren’s baby. He never thinks about how this is going to upend her life. And I'm not saying he shouldn’t have done it because of his daughter, but since we were given his POV, there could have at least been a scene where he thought about how it would impact her life.

There was also a lot of time spent on the ice in this one. A lot. And I thought it was time that could have been spent trying to make Lauren and Mike’s relationship deeper. But what was really frustrating was that this whole book is about them making it to the Stanley Cup. They do, and then it’s ‘eight months later.’ WTF? Why the build up to the Stanley Cup if we’re not even going to see it? There was a lot of cheesy dialogue in this one. A lot. I can handle some cheese (hello…Naley is one of my favorite couples of all time,) but this was too much even for me. And I cannot believe I am going to say this, but there was way too much Nate and Becca. I feel like it’s ruined them a little bit for me, and some of the mystery is gone.

All in all, Pipe Dreams was a book about hockey and Nate & Becca. Lauren and Mike were bit players in their own book, and it showed in the lack of depth to their story. This one was a miss for me. But if the pattern holds, I’ll love the next book. So I look forward to it!

This review was originally posted on Books & Beauty Are My Bag. ...more

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May 02, 2017 Jayme rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-releases, second-chance, sports-romance

Best of the best! I love Sarina Bowen for realistic characters and fantastic stories. And once again she gave it to me in the third Brooklyn Bruisers book. And who doesn't like those sexy hockey players sometimes or... all the time.

We finally get to know story of the Brooklyn Bruisers's goalie Mike Beacon. He has a complicated past with Lauren Williams, once a friend, then a girlfriend, now ex with which he could have a second chance. If they get courage and get along with all the misunderstandi ...more

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Apr 04, 2017 Allison ❤️Will Never Conquer Her TBR❤️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-blog-ng

"You're my happy thought, Lo."

The Brooklyn Bruisers series, I swear, just gets better with each and every book. This trend held true with Pipe Dreams. It's funny that the hero of this book, Mike Beacon, the Bruisers goalie, never really piqued my interest in prior books. But, little did I know, his story would be the most emotional and enjoyable of them all. This angst fan was in all her glory here!

Widower and dad, Mike, lives a life of trying to balance pro hockey with fatherhood to a teen ...more

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May 01, 2017 Sabrina rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-edelweiss-netgalley, sports-jocks-fighters

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I wasn't sure how this read would turn out for me since Lauren's character came off as very cold in the previous book, but this series has been going so well for me I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read it. I didn't have anything to worry about because once we got to see her character more you saw the pain she was trying to hide and it really made me feel for her.

Lauren and Mike were really fun characters to read about and I was happy that they didn't let the pa ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Ari rated it really liked it

Original review: The Daydreaming Bookworm

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Pipe Dreams is the third (and hopefully not the last!) installment in the Brooklyn Bruisers series and once again Sarina Bowen has proven that she can do no wrong. To be completely honest, I was not very excited for this book, mainly because I was really hoping that this would’ve been Nate and Becca’s story. But dammit to hell, Sarina Bowen somehow managed to get ...more

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Jan 02, 2019 Auntee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance, part-of-a-series, sports-romance, 2019_reads

I liked it better than the previous book--not as many glaring hockey related errors and the story had a little more depth and angst. I was happy to see that the character Lauren was redeemed. No wonder she was such an angry bitchy mess in Hard Hitter! The hero Mike was a bit clueless at first-- He definitely owed Lauren a long overdue apology and an explanation---but if he had done that then there would have been no need for this second chance romance!
I enjoyed this one and all the drama that we ...more

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May 06, 2017 FMABookReviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, 4-it-quenched-my-addiction-stars, sarina-bowen

❝I miss the hell out of you, that's all. I miss you so much it hurts.❞

The third book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series, Pipe Dreams brings us the story of the Ice Princess herself, Lauren Williams and the man who thawed her, goalie Mike Beacon. This was a sweet, second chance romance.

If you read book #2, Hard Hitter, you learned Lauren may not have been so good with adults, but she had an affinity for children. She was great with them. In Pipe Dreams, Lauren is focused on becoming a mother. Ev ...more

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Apr 18, 2018 Jacob Proffitt rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, steamy

This is third in a series, though the others don't really factor in much. It does feature as another datapoint in the ongoing Nate/Becca slow-burn which is so far the biggest reason to read these all in order.

This one doesn't have the problematical elements that were tacked onto the first two books. This one builds its problematical elements right into the two main characters. This is an improvement because it makes the story much more believable. But that's offset by having characters that I di This is third in a series, though the others don't really factor in much. It does feature as another datapoint in the ongoing Nate/Becca slow-burn which is so far the biggest reason to read these all in order.

This one doesn't have the problematical elements that were tacked onto the first two books. This one builds its problematical elements right into the two main characters. This is an improvement because it makes the story much more believable. But that's offset by having characters that I didn't much care for.

The problem with Mike isn't that he made the tough choice thrust upon him (of going back to live with his daughter and ex-wife when the ex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer). It's that he didn't include Lauren in that decision at all. He didn't even tell her why he was doing what he was doing on the grounds that "it'd be easier if she hates me". In other words, he made unilateral decisions for the relationship and deliberately made them hurt as much as possible in order to manipulate her emotions. That's arrogant and mean and tanked any cred he gets for being caring on the surface. So when he decides it's time to pursue Lauren again (after the ex died of her cancer) I kept waiting for the apology, or even just acknowledging that he'd been a jerk. And it never came. So Mike doesn't work for me, even a little bit. Yeah, he'll be faithful and it's obvious he cares for Lauren, but it's going to suck for her if a situation ever comes up again where he thinks he needs to hurt her for her own good.

I had a completely different problem with Lauren. I kind of hate the trope that sometimes comes up in romance where the woman wants a child really, really badly but can't manage to snag a man to make one with. So she decides to have one alone. And just to be clear I'll state up front: kudos to those who find themselves thrust into single parenthood and are doing their very best for their kids. All honors to them and the tough road they travel and they have all my sympathy and everything I can do to support them. Life sometimes throws big piles of suck and it often lands on the innocent and those who struggle to do their best when that happens warrant the emotional and substantive support we can give them. Those who choose to give children the worst possible shot at success and stability, though? Yeah, I don't care how much you really, really want it because what you are talking about isn't a fancy car or new puppy. This is a human being you are trying to create and you owe it the best shot at life that you can provide. Love is the willingness to sacrifice for the well-being of another. Choosing to have a child on your own just because you can is the very opposite of love.

So yeah, not a big fan of Lauren, either. What you have here is the selfish getting together with the manipulative and now I've talked myself down another star. I was okay with them while reading for reasons I find opaque looking back on. I'm on a lazy vacation and I suppose I just wasn't thinking that hard about what I was reading. Ugh. Now I regret wasting so much time finishing this. I still like the team and watching the slow-burn with Nate and Becca. But I can't come up with anything I actually liked with Lauren and Mike. Which makes this a one-star read, in the end. And I started this review with every intention of giving it three...

A note about Steamy: I can't remember how many explicit sex scenes there were. Two? The middle of my steam tolerance, but it says something when I didn't care about the intimacy of the characters because I just wasn't engaged with their relationship to begin with. ...more

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Apr 28, 2017 Eliza rated it really liked it

Shelves: sports, second-chances, march-2017, arc, net-galley

Lauren has earned the reputation as an Ice Princess, and not without merit, so much so she even has a glare named after her. Going by what we’ve previously seen of the right hand woman to the team’s manager, she’s stand offish and has made her resentment at being at the club rather clear. The time and distance away from the stadium have been therapeutic but she is in no way looking forward to being back, or the prospect of running into the team’s goalie, Mike Beacon.

As a result of misplaced goo ...more

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Mar 11, 2017 Lacey (Booklovers For Life) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, contemporary-romance, sports-related, second-chance-romance, arc, angst, best-of-2017, blog-review, review-copy, single-parent

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I LOVEDDD this!! Omg. Pipe Dreams might be my favorite of the Brooklyn Bruisers series. I freaking loved Lauren and Mike so hard! Their second chance romance is angsty, emotional, and SO sweet. Mike is definitely a man who knows how to grovel and win back the love of his life. ;) If you love second chance romances or sports romances, you need to read Pipe Dreams in your life!

Widower, single father, and hockey goalie Mike Beacon lost the love of his life af ...more

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Feb 25, 2018 Sam (AMNReader) rated it really liked it

Shelves: sports, oh-baby, its-complicated, romance, read-in-2018, series, second-chance

3.5 So, according to the...err...data among my friends, I'm a bit of an outlier here.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance. It was a total mess of a real life-type second chance. None of the characters were perfect, and the story itself was crafted well enough to wrap around me like a hug. It's isn't the best romance, but in terms of Bowen, this hits a higher note on my scale.

The solidly mature hero, who made a huge mistake, but was open, honest and loving was a huge selling point. The pri ...more

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Apr 16, 2017 ~ Stéphanie ~ Tied up in Romance ~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, in-a-serie, sports, stand-alone, arc, read-in-2017

Whoooop! Pipe Dreams was absolutely perfect! I enjoyed every minute of this book. It's my favorite in the Brooklyn Bruisers series. I remember I was a little scared with Lauren's character who was so uptight in the previous book but that is all a facade. She's just a woman with a broken heart and two years of building wall around herself to prevent from any pain to happen again.
Mike Beacon is a the Brooklyn Bruisers' goalie and I have to admit I don't really remember him but he was such a fine Whoooop! Pipe Dreams was absolutely perfect! I enjoyed every minute of this book. It's my favorite in the Brooklyn Bruisers series. I remember I was a little scared with Lauren's character who was so uptight in the previous book but that is all a facade. She's just a woman with a broken heart and two years of building wall around herself to prevent from any pain to happen again.
Mike Beacon is a the Brooklyn Bruisers' goalie and I have to admit I don't really remember him but he was such a fine man. He's sweet, kind, passionate and such a good dad for his thirteen years old girl.

From the blurb you get that Pipe Dreams is a second chance romance and I love reading those. Mike & Lauren's relationship ended brutally and without an explanation so after two years it's understandable if Lauren feels a little off at the idea of seeing Mike every day again.

What makes Pipe Dreams the perfect book is all the emotions there's in it. I wasn't expecting it to be so emotional yet, there are plenty of moments where I felt a tear at the corner of my eye. I also laughed a lot with the girls, Becca, Ari & Georgia. It was good to see all the girls together and having fun. And then there were the more delicate moments with Mike and his daughter. I fear there would be drama but again Sarina Bowen just made the right move and everything is handle just the way it needs to be. Some would say it goes too smoothly but I say that this is how a relationship between parents & child should be.

Fans of Hockey will be once again thrilled to see all the details within this book. It's not a sport I watch here because it's not popular but I'm certain I'll catch some action via some internet videos soon.

I'm sad to know this was the last book in the series. I want a book for Silas so badly. He makes several appearances in here and I think there's a story to tell for this young lad.
Pipe Dreams was once again a huge tease for Nate& Becca's story. We need their book asap. I experienced all their relation in the background and it's not enough. I want it all, I want the details and I want to witness it. Please Sarina give us their book. ...more

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Oct 15, 2018 Amber rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, famous-hero, hate-to-love, laugh-out-loud, made-me-cry, second-chance-romance, sports-romance

A fabulous second-chance romance and great addition the the Brooklyn Bruisers series. So far my favorite book in the series. Each book just keeps getting better and better.

Mike and Lauren started having feelings for one another years ago while Lauren was the office manager for the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team and Mike was the goalie. Neither one of them acted upon these feeling or even knew that the other person felt the same way. Mike was married and a stand up guy and would never stray even A fabulous second-chance romance and great addition the the Brooklyn Bruisers series. So far my favorite book in the series. Each book just keeps getting better and better.

Mike and Lauren started having feelings for one another years ago while Lauren was the office manager for the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team and Mike was the goalie. Neither one of them acted upon these feeling or even knew that the other person felt the same way. Mike was married and a stand up guy and would never stray even if he was in a bad marriage. But when Mike catches his wife cheating on him, he files for divorce and finally has a chance with Lauren. They have a relationship for almost 2 years and then Mike suddenly breaks up with her and goes back to his ex. Reeling from the sudden breakup, Lauren focuses on her new job with Nate and her life away from the hockey team and the man that broke her heart.

Years later, Lauren is thrust back into the world of hockey when the current office manager has to leave for medical reasons and Lauren has to face Mike again. Mike is now a widow and has never gotten over Lauren. Once I read about Mike's reasons for leaving Lauren, I completely understood. It was heartbreaking to read, but very admirable and believable. He didn't necessarily go about it in the best way and could have communicated way more, but it was still understandable.

I really love Sarina Bowen's 3rd person writing style. She is able to get into each characters heads and make the male POV believable, even when it's in the 3rd person. I find myself really enjoying this style of writing more and more when so many contemporary romance writers use 1st person dual POVs. So often, the male POVs read almost identical from character to character and author to author.

Sarina Bowen does a great job adding plot points that bring an additional level of complexity to her stories. I also love the development of her side characters i.e. Nate and Becca. I am so excited to read their book next.

This is definitely a must read if you are a lover of sports romance and 2nd chances. ...more

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Jul 30, 2017 Kindling Micky rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read, library, sports, second-chances, single-dad

A good second chance romance within the team involving previously crusty Lauren. The writing and story was equitable in quality with the others in the series. BUT I need Becca and bossman next please.

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Feb 04, 2018 Carmen Rae rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-rr-review, amazon-reviewed, must-read-author, must-read-series, second-chance-love, sports

Well it's no secret I am an idiot. I am such a massive Sarina Bowen fan and I have been absolutely dying to get my hands on Brooklynaire to read Nate and Rebecca's story since the very first Brooklyn Bruisers novel. Then today the ARC arrived on my kindle and I was so excited but then I remembered that I had put off reading the last one because I was sure it was going to make me a blubbering mess and I didn't think my hormones could handle it.

But of course I had to read that one first so I pulle ...more

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May 05, 2017 Madge rated it did not like it

Shelves: worst-of-2017

This book was a freakin' mess. My 1-star review might not offset all the freebie 5-star Netgalley raves, but for those who have to fork out money for it, I suggest spending cash on pretty much any other romance out there instead of this disappointing read.

ALSO, SPOILERS, SO IF YOU'RE PHOBIC, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

1) The hero, Mike, is a cipher who Bowen presents as an egotistical "dumb jock" (Bowen's words, not mine) into knocking up the women with whom he has sex, and who suffers from random, une This book was a freakin' mess. My 1-star review might not offset all the freebie 5-star Netgalley raves, but for those who have to fork out money for it, I suggest spending cash on pretty much any other romance out there instead of this disappointing read.

ALSO, SPOILERS, SO IF YOU'RE PHOBIC, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

1) The hero, Mike, is a cipher who Bowen presents as an egotistical "dumb jock" (Bowen's words, not mine) into knocking up the women with whom he has sex, and who suffers from random, unexplained/unresolved guilt over being a bad father to his plot muppet tween daughter. He also makes really bad life choices.

2) The heroine, Lauren, is a privileged super-heroine with daddy issues and a desire to be knocked up so she can be a single mom with a full time job (which includes long hours and international travel) on an office manager's salary living in Manhattan after she graduates from school. Yeah, totes realistic. She also makes bad life choices. She also really, really needs therapy, but doesn't get it.

3) The plot uses a "second chance" trope that works more as an advert for therapy (see #2) than it does for a HEA.

4) As mentioned above, there's a tween plot muppet AND her gay "manny." I'm sure Hans is a lovely man, but WTH was he doing in this book other than playing babysitter and the violin? (And shouting "Look! Diversity!") It felt like he and Julian should have been off having their own story for those that are into m/m, not randomly popping in and out of scenes here. And did he win the Hamilton try out? At the end of the book, had he moved in with Julian? Or someone new? Bowen just says "boyfriend," so whatever happened to his/their storyline?

5) For those readers who are hockey fans - myself included - there are some fine on the ice scenes. There are also some scenes so ridiculous that, well, I wished Bowen spent a few minutes in the sin bin for bad writing. The most hilarious are that hockey players don't call penalties for anything, including "hate speech." Refs do. Goalies don't fight. A team's enforcer or other players do. Goalies are in many ways the most important players on a team, and their one job is to guard the net. They know this, and never deviate from their position, no matter the circumstances on the ice. As a starter goalie, staying healthy is sacrosanct. (Thus, an additional "Look! Diversity!" scene was jarring, and could have been written realistically and tactfully by just having the ref step in.)

Also, and this is just a personal bugbear, as in the second book of the series, Bowen can't be bothered to look up player salaries; the average goalie salary in 2017 is $2 mil, not $500K. Mike must really suck as a goalie if his salary is so low; thus, it's amazing the Bruisers got to the play offs at all.

6) The sex is the most boring afterthought I've ever read in a romance. Considering the H/h spend most of the novel apart, maybe this isn't weird. On the other hand, Bowen repeatedly says -but doesn't show - that these two are the loves of each other's lives, so you'd think that there'd be some serious pent up lust/love ready to burst off the pages when they finally clinch...in a creepster way (Mike somehow gains entrance to Lauren's hotel room without her knowledge or agreement in their first sex scene). Bowen has given us some great sex scenes in other books, so it was out of character to yawn through the boring non-scenes she wrote here. Really, the whole romance was super crappy.

7) WTF is up with Nate and Becca? Are we getting their book? Or not? Their scenes throughout were bizarre - i.e. Becca screaming "I'm never having kids!" at a play off game in a arena box full of people. Huh? Did that bump on her head give her Tourette's? Then, after three books of mysterious maybes, Mike and Lauren see them in a clinch at the end of the book? Huh? Everyone wants Nate and Becca's story; if it doesn't happen, shame on you, Ms. Bowen.

8) Also shame on you for throwing the Stanley Cup out the window. The entire series was set up around the Bruisers getting to and then trying to win the Cup, and you drop that premise entirely at the end of Pipe Dreams. This FU to the series is the clincher that makes me know I'll spend my dollars elsewhere in the romance genre, and get my hockey fix by turning on the tv and watching that crazy, lovely sport.

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Oct 20, 2016 Anna's Herding Cats rated it really liked it

Shelves: hockey, sports, athlete, single-parents, divorced, coworkers, second-chance, 2017-blog-books, 2017-hcbs, contemporary

Reviewed for herding cats & burning soup.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mV9HUp

*pets the pretty pretty goalie*

Now, Pipe Dreams. Mike? Well, Mike screwed up right good a couple years back and pretty much broke Lauren. And blast it all to hell now she's having to deal with his stupid ass since she's working up close and personal with his hockey team while someone is out on medical leave. And, well, feelings... are still rather raw and all kinds of confusing as they deal with the past and damn blasted ...more

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Feb 17, 2017 Shayna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-review, read-in-2017, april-2017, author-sarina-bowen, series-brooklyn-bruisers, genre-sports-romance, hockey-studs, second-chance-love, single-dad

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!!! Who is my GO-TO author for ALL THINGS sports romances? Yep, it's ALWAYS Sarina Bowen! This woman gives us THE BEST characters and THE MOST scintillating and most entertaining storylines out there. I always DEVOUR anything this woman lays out for me and they are ALWAYS one-night reads. Once you start, there is ABSOLUTELY NO putting it down.

"Come here, sweetheart." ... "I need to kiss you."

And there goes my heart! Mike Beacon is just EVERYTHING! That m I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!!! Who is my GO-TO author for ALL THINGS sports romances? Yep, it's ALWAYS Sarina Bowen! This woman gives us THE BEST characters and THE MOST scintillating and most entertaining storylines out there. I always DEVOUR anything this woman lays out for me and they are ALWAYS one-night reads. Once you start, there is ABSOLUTELY NO putting it down.

"Come here, sweetheart." ... "I need to kiss you."

And there goes my heart! Mike Beacon is just EVERYTHING! That man! JESUS! I just want to EAT HIM UP! And Lauren Williams? Man, is she a spitfire or what? She is determined, independent, feisty, and bitter and HOLY HELL is that a lethal combination for sexy goalie Mike Beacon. She let him burn her before, and she has absolutely NO PLANS to get burned again, no matter how frustratingly sexy that man is. Even though she is forced to work with the team and the sport she ran away from years before, she has no plans on changing her new life's course. And Mike? Well, he has no place in it as far as she's concerned. She can get through this. She can resist his charms. She can do her job and then get as far away from Mike as she can. This is all just a blip on the radar and she will not be swayed. But the gorgeous, sweet-talkin' goalie has different plans for Lauren. He plans to fight and fight hard to get Lauren back in his life. He knows she wants that to. He just needs to convince her of that fact.

"This feels right. We feel right. Whether it's two years that passed or twenty-two, if I hold you in my arms it will always feel exactly right."

A sports romance filled with so much passion and intensity, PIPE DREAMS was another INCREDIBLE installment of one of my favorite sports romance series, the BROOKLYN BRUISERS series. All of these characters are just so WONDERFUL and I cannot get enough of them. Sarina Bowen gives us gorgeous and strong hockey studs that quickly fall to the feet of beautiful and sassy women. The pairing of Mike and Lauren is just pure MAGIC and I loved every single SEXY and EMOTIONAL moment of it. I NEVER want this series to end!

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Nov 21, 2016 Wendy'sThoughts marked it as to-read

Recommends it for: Sarina Bowen Fans, Hockey, Romance

This is a tale of reverse positions...
What does a Goalie do when he has to leave himself open...
And the object of his desire...
Is protecting her heart like it is the Stanley Cup....

He made a huge mistake and wants a final chance...
She still feels the pull...
But can she forgive and let him be the one...

The Brooklyn Bruisers are at it again....

Pipe Dreams (Brooklyn Bruisers, #3) May 2nd 2017

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hard Hitter (Brooklyn Bruise ...more

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