Link will be added when review posts closer to release date.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love Sarina Bowen any more, she throws another second chance romance into her release schedule. And this time it’s a super sexy goalie and the woman who practically runs the Brooklyn Bruisers who get their second chance at love. Happy Sigh.

If you didn’t read the teaser for Pipe Dreams at the end of Hard Hitter, or even if you haven’t yet picked up this series (shame on you), then just trust me, it led to me practically salivating for this book to hit my Kindle. SO MUCH ANGST. Omg. I expected a whole heck of a lot of emotional, make me angry, make me teary-eyed goodness and I was not wrong. Almost from the moment I opened Pipe Dreams my chest felt tight and I wanted to alternately kick Mike Beacon in the nuts and give Lauren a big ole hug while murmuring that some guys are clueless.

So, some background… Mick Beacon is the goalie for the Brooklyn Bruisers and Lauren Williams has worked for the organization since her father was the Team Manager. Once upon a time, after Mike walked in on his wife right in the middle of getting it on with another man, he and Lauren finally let their attraction for each other blossom into an intense, sexy, meaningful relationship. Then suddenly Mike disappears from Lauren’s life and goes back to his wife. And for two years Lauren has hated, yet missed him. Missed their life together, mourned their love, but resolutely put the Brooklyn Bruisers and Mike Beacon behind her. It wasn’t hard to do once Nate, the new owner of the team, decides to use her in his Manhattan office while Becca works in Brooklyn. But when Becca gets hurt Nate makes the decision to move Lauren back to Brooklyn temporarily, which means that she and the man who abandoned her are about to be around each other a lot more than Lauren is okay with.

Damn it, my heart. Lauren’s pain and Mike’s cluelessness just about broke it a thousand times AND THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST HALF. By the way, This couple’s story is told in both past and present scenes until about 20% in, then it becomes all present day Mike and Lauren. I make it sound like Mike is a total douche, but he really isn’t. He’s a guy stuck in a shitty situation with zero communication skills who thinks he can handle everything on his own. Lauren is the person who still loves him and still has no idea why he left her seemingly out of the blue. After the beginning, and figuring out the whys and hows of Mike disappearing on Lauren I really needed him to own up to his mistakes and apologize. He does, but jeez he moved fast after that. He kind of zeroes in on Lauren, decides they need to pick up where they left off two years before and jumps in with both feet. It felt… kind of fast to me. I don’t know. In my head I was like … whoa there fella, slow it down.

I’ve always said one of the reasons I love this author so much is that her writing, her characters, their backstories and love lives, and problems and well, everything, just feels so true to life. Mike and Lauren are a perfect example of that. Relationships are messy. Sometimes the right thing to do in any situation isn’t obvious. Sometimes what you want to do and what you should do are two very different things. Sometimes you fuck up and hurt people, and sometimes you get the chance to make it right and live out your life exactly how you wanted to. Once you get into this story you’ll understand why Mike did what he did. I kind of thought he and Lauren moved a little too fast after they got back together, but other than that I loved their love story.

My only question now is, will Nate and Becca ever get their own book? Is that coming any time soon? Because I will beg if I have to. Pleasepleaseplease say this is happening.

I would say that this is yet another amazing read from Sarina Bowen, but by now that’s just a given. Anything with this author’s name on it is guaranteed to satisfy 100%. Final Grade- B+

Favorite Quote:
“You own me,” he said. “I never wanted to let you go.”
“It’s not easy for me to believe in you,” she said quietly.”
He looked up at her. “I know. But I’m going to change that

Ugh, loved this so much! I am such a sucker for second chance romances and this one was executed perfectly! I absolutely loved the backstory of Lauren and Beacon and how they were both stuck. Beacon sacrificed everything for his family, even his own heart, and the repercussions were astounding. Everyone will love this addition to the series!

Loving this series. These two pretty much broke my heart, and put it back together again (while they were finding their way, too). Such a good story!

I was really looking forward to this one, and overall, I really enjoyed it. This series has had a lot of emotional depth, and this latest addition was no different. There was a nice amount of tension, but not too much angst, and while there was child drama, it wasn't over the top. I do wish there had been more exploration of the time before Lauren and Mike got together initially, but overall, I loved it!