Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

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For June 2022 I decided to try doing a tbr. I decided to give myself three prompts with 10 options each. The prompts are new to me author, backlist author and continue a series. The option I chose for continue a series was a newer series to me, Brooklyn Bruisers. I recently read Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review and was encouraged to pick up a later book in the series. Instead of going with that recommendation I decided to go back to the beginning and pick up the first book, Rookie Move. I was able to use this for the prompt a book Shelby's read in the past two years for the Summer of Swoon and the prompt protagonist smells like laundry for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Leo had just been traded to his hometown team, the Brooklyn Bruisers. Things aren't an easy assimilation though since the interim PR head is Georgia, his high school girlfriend and love of his life. Also just hired to the team is Georgia's father as head coach, who has harbored some hatred towards Leo since he was in high school. As Georgia and Leo start to reconnect, it comes to light that they both haven't dealt with some of the feelings that manifested their senior year when Georgia was attacked during a tennis camp. With the weird ending of their relationship and the trade deadline looming, Georgia is nervous to restart their relationship if she would lose Leo right away, especially with her father's anger towards Leo.

So, this was a little bit deeper and rougher, emotionally speaking, than I expected. There are triggers with dealing with rape, not only with the victim but her father and boyfriend at the time (it was not Leo that raped her). When it was first kind of mentioned that she was raped in high school, it seemed like it was only because her attack was a factor in the changing of their relationship that led to their break up. I was wrong in my assumption (I know, I try not to assume too much). There is some revelations that her dad still has some anger about the situation on top of Leo feeling even more protective of her (since he wasn't there during the attack). Outside of that, I really enjoyed seeing them reach their hea and reconnecting. I really felt like the reason for them breaking up made sense here and also allowed for them to pretty much pick back up easily. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romance, but I didn't mind the way it played out here.

I'm excited to continue the series and definitely dig more into Sarina Bowen's backlist. Right now I'm going to focus on working through this series, but I've heard great things about some of her other series as well, particularly True North. Another contemporary author for me to keep my eye on! I'm happy that this was the series I pulled for my tbr, especially my hockey fever has been at a high with my team, the Colorado Avalanche, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Have you read Rookie Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rookie Move, Sarina Bowen, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published