From USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen comes the second novel in the Brooklyn Bruiser Series that’s hot enough to melt ice,
Hard Hitter
He’s a fighter in the rink, but he’s about to learn that playing nice can help you score…
As team captain and enforcer, Patrick O’Doul puts the bruise in the Brooklyn Bruisers. But after years of hard hits, O’Doul is feeling the burn, both physically and mentally. He conceals his pain from his coach and trainers, but when his chronic hip injury becomes too obvious to ignore, they send him for sessions with the team’s massage therapist.
After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, Ari Bettini is in need of peace of mind. For now, she’s decided to focus on her work: rehabilitating the Bruisers’ MVP. O’Doul is easy on the eyes, but his reaction to her touch is ice cold. Ari is determined to help O’Doul heal, but as the tension between them turns red hot, they both learn that a little TLC does the body good…
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4-Stars ~ Reviewed by Sharon Thérèse
There’s no doubt whatsoever that Ms Bowen is the queen of hockey novels. Her knowledge of this game never ceases to amaze me, her detailed account is as such that for someone like me who would love to see a live game felt as if she were there. It was actually like having a lesson in this sport’s ethics, too. I had a vague idea why there was so much aggression on the pitch; however, I didn’t realise the importance team’s supporters give it. It seemed to me that the more provoked violence there was, the more crowds were drawn in. I could quite understand how the female protagonist whose profession is tightly knit to the players felt while watching them get a good bashing!
I have to admit that I hadn’t read the first book in this series, but this didn’t affect my reading enjoyment at all. There wasn’t one moment when I felt out of my depth in the storyline’s fast-moving pace and I easily became invested in all the characters. Ms Bowen also refreshed my memory regarding the sport’s vocabulary by explaining certain definitions to me. The importance of an Enforcer is a hard reputation to live up to and difficult to imagine. No wonder there are so many injuries in this sport since it is their job to impede or react to overly aggressive players. The high-pressure coming from all angles added angst to Hard Hitter and helped me comprehend how stressful it must be living up to this title. One thing is for sure, it’s only fitting for someone capable of taking on such a demanding responsibility. This person has to be built like a wall and take as much as he is given. This person is Patrick O’Doul.
“He has an ego the size of the stadium. If you have any trouble with him, I’m happy to play the bad cop.”
My heart went out to the captain of the Brooklyn Bruisers for more than one reason. Patrick is a lovely soul. A tad moody and quite the loner when it comes to his personal life, what I liked about him is he’s not at all full of himself! In fact, his concern for the game and attitude towards his teammates’ well-being I found humbling. Yet his handling of an unacceptable deed which was of his own doing, and his gullibility to trust those he shouldn’t have, really got me mad. In my eyes, it was the route of all evil. Nonetheless, how it panned out became a much-wanted twist and a half in the story. Although I tried to put myself in his shoes, for me, the whole situation was the be-all and end-all. I yearned for him to find a solution. In a nutshell, I was just as disappointed in him as he was in himself. Time is ticking away and he’s terrified that sooner or later the cat will be let out of the bag.
“He puts up an asshole front, and he’s kind of an egomaniac. But he’s got that whole macho honor code thing working.”
Henry, the team’s head trainer rubs salt in Patrick’s wound by ordering him to go to physio sessions which he has no time or like for. How cool can a trainer be when all he wants is the best for his players! I really connected to this guy’s togetherness and had no option but to agree with him. He could do no wrong for me. And the press breathing down the captain’s neck helped little and added to my anxiousness. The new young owner of the hockey team who I might add is gorgeous, appears to be the only one who has little to say in the matter but obviously wants results. Results. Always results. Companions will back him up without knowing the whys and wherefores because they have faith in him. And the plot thickens!
“Why, Patrick O’Doul.” “I’d almost think you liked this.”
“It’s tolerable.”
To my delight, Ari Bettini saunters into the scenario like a breath of fresh air. This is her moment. Her chance to do something she loves and show them what stuff she’s made of. She also needs a break from her past and no way wants to mess it up. So, this change in her life couldn’t have come at a better time as you will see. Now it’s not going to be a bed of roses. She’s not only got to convince one of the players that he needs her expertise but put to use her mental skills on the whole hockey team. After much cajoling, Patrick goes to her appointments and is grateful that she respects his personal space. I loved how Ari trod carefully and tended to his needs with utter professionalism and no favouritism. Once he realises that she could help him with his injury and fears, he’ll try his hardest not to miss his hour with her. There’s much more to Patrick than meets the eye though. On occasion, both he and I were confused by some of his out-of-character actions. Certainly, the likes of breaking rules weren’t on their agendas—thus, how they’d deal with them side by side makes for a heart-warming read.
“I wouldn’t ever touch a client inappropriately. It would violate the trust that you give me when you climb onto my table.”
The banter between Ari and Patrick is fabulous. Texts go back and forth as they feel their way in a relationship which boils down to trust. They made me cry, and smile and brought out all my emotions. If it were ever possible, I could have given them a good talking to. At times, I had my doubts! Ari doesn’t want to let on about her past and O’Doul’s not forthcoming about his, either. What is plainly obvious is the sizzling hot chemistry between them. Ah, but if it wasn’t for her! The saying— ‘Behind every great man is a great woman,’ couldn’t be more fitting in this story. Because she is great. Can he be great by her side?
“Humor me. I’ve never had anyone to spoil before now.”
The author’s character development is as always, par excellent. Her storytelling technique in this book is unusual since dates mark a timeline above and beyond pucks, goals, love or sorrow. It is a story that melds perfectly into her concept of happenings and I can’t wait for PIPE DREAMS, coming in May. Bravo Ms Bowen!
EXCERPT
© 2017 Sarina Bowen
All rights reserved.
Most of the team was either showering or celebrating. Someone blasted the team’s win song—“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys—from a set of portable speakers. The room was in happy chaos.
Castro, who had been jabbed by the rookie, had a bruise on his shoulder. But it couldn’t have hurt much because he was dancing—in his towel—with Trevi. And smiling.
That was the vibe—except for O’Doul. He was seated on a bench in the corner, his hair damp from the shower, wearing a towel and a don’t-talk-to-me face.
“Is he okay?” Ari asked Henry with a nudge to his elbow.
The trainer cast a glance toward O’Doul. “Sure. He just gets like this some nights. Kinda withdrawn. He likes to be left alone.”
Ari didn’t leave him alone, though. She made her way over to the captain and put a hand on his shoulder. “How are you?”
He looked up with deadened eyes. “Fine.”
No, not so much. “What hurts?”
He shrugged, then shook out his right hand.
Ari grabbed it and smoothed his fingers between her hands. The knuckles were bruised. “Are you injured?”
He shook his head. “No. But I broke that kid’s jaw.”
She jerked in surprise. “Really? How do you know?”
“Felt the pop.” His voice was flat.
“Come here,” she said, tugging on his hand. “I want to get a look at your hip.”
“It’s fine,” he said, but he allowed himself to be guided around the corner into the alcove where her table had been set up just in case.
She grabbed a towel off the shelf and flung it onto the table’s surface. O’Doul climbed on without argument, flattening himself onto his stomach, turning his face toward the wall. She went to work on his shoulders first. He was tight. But when she worked her hands up into his hairline, he closed his eyes and sighed.
“Tell me about the fight,” she said, expecting to be ignored.
“It was stupid,” he muttered. “I told the kid he’d been a dick, and that his enforcer had better come out and answer for that bullshit on Castro. But he says, I’ll fight you myself. I told him that sounded like a stupid idea.”
“And … it was?” She worked her hands down his spine, aiming for his lower back.
“I spent hours watching their enforcer’s fight tapes.” He lifted his head. “We all do that.”
“Of course,” she said quickly. But she hadn’t thought about it before. Made sense, though. If you had to fight a guy, you’d want to know his habits.
O’Doul dropped his head back onto the towel. “But this kid wanted to do it himself. And now he’s gonna be having lunch through a straw for a month.” The weary tone of his voice gave Ari a shiver.
She almost said, it’s not your fault. Except it really was. “I’m sorry,” she said instead.
“It’s not my break,” he growled.
Ari wanted to call bullshit on that, but she knew better than to say so here in the testosterone tank. The fight had hurt two people tonight. There weren’t any winners. Maybe one guy had gotten all the visible injuries, but the one on the table was suffering, too.
She worked her hands up and down his back, then moved down to his hamstrings. He lay perfectly still on the table, more cooperative than he’d ever been. He was ill-positioned for her to work on his hip, but she decided not to disturb him. She slid one hand beneath his hip and did the best she could. “How is this tonight? The same as after your last game? Or different?”
He shifted to give her better access. “Not as bad,” he grunted eventually.
“Well. There’s a shred of good news.” She kept up her ministrations while he stared at the wall.
“Doulie!” someone yelled from around the corner. “Hockeybrawls.com has you at ninety-nine percent!”
O’Doul said nothing.
She left his hip and went down to his feet, pulling off the flip-flops he wore and dropping them on the floor. This was all she had left to give. If a deep tissue foot massage couldn’t cheer a man up, then it couldn’t be done. She dug into the ball of his foot, and he actually moaned.
Finally. Victory was sweet.
She worked in silence for five or ten minutes, and the set of his shoulders began to look more relaxed, and less haggard. She had already gotten used to the silence when he spoke up suddenly. “Does Castro really propose to you every time you touch his feet?”
The question was so unexpected that she let fly a peal of laughter. “Yes, he does. We could be married a hundred times over by now.”
His back rose and fell with a chuckle. “God. Tell him to get in line behind me.”
“Why, Patrick O’Doul”—she gave his calf a pretend slap—“I’d almost think you liked this.”
“It’s tolerable,” he grumbled.
And that’s how she knew he was feeling better.
Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.
The Ivy Years is her bestselling series. Centered around the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college, The Year We Fell Down began breaking hearts in March, 2014. There are three novels and a novella in the series so far. Click here for The Ivy Years updates.
For lovers of angsty snowboarding heroes, Sarina also writes the Gravity series! Coming in From the Cold features a downhill ski racer and one of the most unique plot conflicts in contemporary romance today. Falling From the Sky is book #2, about a freestyle snowboarder who nearly loses his life in the halfpipe.
Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.
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