Review: Love Lessons by Sarina Bowen (Brooklyn Bruisers #10; Brooklyn #7)


Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

Crikey! Sarina Bowen takes readers back to Brooklyn for the tenth novel in her Brooklyn Bruisers series, and the seventh in the Brooklyn spin-off. That being said, a great deal of the romance between the main characters, professional hockey player Ian Crikey and stylist Vera Vestini, in Love Lessons truly develops while on vacation as the only non-couple twosome with friends in Italy. Theirs was not a love-at-first-sight sort of meet-cute nor were any of their other interactions all that great, not with her seeing him as an uncouth brute and him making a habit of pushing her buttons. When Ian finds himself in hot water with team management after an arrest stemming from a rather raucous party, he's advised to lean up his image. Not wanting to a much-awaited trip to Lake Como at risk, Ian decides to take Vera up on her offer to style him. She'll spruce him up, and in exchange, Vera hopes he'll teach her a thing or two when it comes to the art of seduction.

Ian is one of those guys who just so happens to have far more depth to him than people give him credit for. I loved getting to delve beneath the surface, proving that what matters is what's on the inside. That being said, there was certainly nothing wrong with a bit of spit and polish, and Vera was clearly not just good at her job, but went above and beyond. Admittedly, theirs was more lust than love, at least for most of the book. These two were hot together, from the flirting to the make-out session to getting down and dirty. The romantic moments were more nuanced and subtle, but I'm not complaining because with these main characters, the love developed over time. Maybe it was all that fresh air while on Lake Como. Kidding aside, it's all about Sarina Bowen's gift for giving her readers characters who endear themselves and stories with heart that entertain. That's exactly what we have with Love Lessons, not that I am all that surprised. It receives stars.

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Read my reviews for the Brooklyn Bruisers series:


Rookie Move (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review
Hard Hitter (book two) - five stars - My Review
Pipe Dreams (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review
Bountiful (crossover novel) - five-plus stars - My Review
Brooklynaire (book four) - five-plus stars - My Review
Overnight Sensation (book five) - five-plus stars - My Review
Superfan (book six) - five stars - My Review
Sure Shot (book seven) - five-plus stars - My Review
Bombshells (book eight) - five stars - My Review
Must Love Hockey (novella) - five stars - My Review
Shenanigans (book nine) - five stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 12 July 2022

Date Read: 30 June 2022

Learn more about Sarina Bowen.

Pre-order Love Lessons on Amazon | Apple Books | B&N | Kobo.

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