*I received a free copy of Shenanigans from Tuxbury Publishing LLC via ARC Publisher. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Shenanigans by Sarina Bowen Series: Brooklyn #6, Brooklyn Bruisers #11
Published by Tuxbury Publishing LLC on 15 March 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 380
Format: eARC
Source: ARC Publisher
What I meant to do in Vegas: Let my hair down for once and celebrate winning a medal at my first women’s hockey all-stars competition.
What I actually did: Got senior prom drunk and woke up married to Brooklyn’s star winger, the great Neil Drake.
He’s the heir to a billion dollars, and I barely survived my childhood. Our friendship is based strictly only on hockey, takeout food and smack talk.
And now holy matrimony. Although we both know it can’t last, especially once his evil family gets wind of our Vegas shenanigans…
Shenanigans has all the ingredients I love in a good romance! Humor, friendship, hockey, hotness and a dash of side characters to hate on.
To say I loved Shenanigans is a huge understatement! Neil and Charli were such great characters to get to know. From their accidental Vegas wedding to everything they did to not only stay married, but try to work it out as a business thing rather than anything real with feelings involved. Between the friendships in both of their hockey teams, and the way they had to fight their families to get to the finish line – it all just made so much sense to me.
I really loathed Neil’s uncle, because his shenanigans were just mean-spirited and controlling. And Charli had no idea what she was in for with him, especially because she had her work cut out for her with her cousin and her uncle. They did not have her best interest at heart, and they never had. I loved that Neil did what he felt was needed to have her back, though. He was the real deal, and the readers saw this long before Charli did.
It was really nice to meet characters from prior books in both series in Shenanigans, because that showed how strong the friendships between the players of both teams are, and also how much those friendships crossed over the team lines between the male and female teams. In a way, it felt like coming home, but the main focus was definitely on the protagonists of this novel.
The writing in Shenanigans is really good, too. I was hooked from the start, and the romance between Charli and Neil made my toes curl. It was just so good. I especially loved how Charli managed to put on her armor when she needed to, but she was also able to share important parts of herself with Neil without even meaning to.
If you’re looking for a new hockey romance to read, Shenanigans is it! It’s fast paced, well written with a fantastic romance between two people who might seem like an unlikely couple, but who fit together oh so well.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Twitter: Northwomn
I enjoy this author. Excellent review! This one sounds exceptional.
Anne – Books of My Heart
I just love Sarina Bowen’s writing so much! It usually includes everything I love in a steamy romance 🙂
It’s been forever and a day since I’ve read Bowen – I loved what I read. I should find time to start this series. Thanks!
You really should, Jen! I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it 😉
I’m behind on this series, but I am not surprised how much you loved this latest one. 🙂
Thanks Sophia 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!
Twitter: Mollykatie112
She’s one of my romance reads favorites so I’ve been waiting for this one. I’m glad you loved it!
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, Lorna.
I love the “get drunk in Vegas and wake up married” trope!
LOL, so do I, Wendy. It really does bring a lot of fun to the table.