#Sarina Bowen

[rainbowd00dles]

Commissioned art for the book Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

[sbbarnes]

Hockey Romances. Why?

So I was taken out of work a couple weeks ago due to ~pregnancy stuff~ (mostly just stress, the baby and I are fine) which has left me with a lot of spare time on my hands. And as one does, I have been filling my time reading lgbtq+ romance novels. Because I can.

In this time, I have fallen headfirst into the hockey romance novel subgenre, and I ask myself, as I have done every time I see these books advertised, why? I am not a sports fan. One time, my husband was watching football (European), and a team in red kits was playing against yellow kits, and I started laughing because "it looks like ketchup is playing against mustard". His expression was great, but he hasn't taken me seriously since.

So why is hockey of all things such a draw for the mlm romance subgenre? Especially given the NHL's apparent fear of rainbow tape? Why do I now know what the word "celly" refers to and what an "enforcer" is? Why why why?

Here are my answers:

Extremely organic way to set up some of the most classic romance tropes. Forced proximity? Being on the same team takes care of that. There was only one bed? Shared hotel rooms during away games. Enemies to lovers? Rival teams.

Lots of potential for drama given that players lead very transient lives in terms of the constant possibility of trades. In mlm love stories, even more so given that the NHL is so blatantly homophobic.

Perfect level of fame. Fame and wealth as a draw for a love interest are kind of staples of the genre, and NHL players are famous, sure, but not all of them, and they aren't as famous as football stars (either kind of football). They are still filthy rich, which makes great wish fulfillment. You can have the sexy penthouse and the anonymity.

I would go on to talk about how different roles on the team lend themselves to different tropes (goalie = tightly controlled dude who needs someone to help him cut loose; enforcer = misunderstood fighter with a heart of gold; coach for all your forbidden love/sleeping with the boss desires) but that would very quickly reveal my utter lack of hockey knowledge, so let's not. Instead, here's a quick reclist.

Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. It's a classic in the genre for a reason and it has everything. Forbidden love? Got that, maybe the definitive example. Redemption arc? Got that. Misunderstood bruiser with a heart of gold? Got that. Age difference? Got that. Also really excellent sex scenes, not gonna lie, and satisfying endings throughout - sometimes a happy end will come a little suddenly for me, but these books really delivered, and the nice thing about how romance series are structured is that you get a little peek at what comes after for the couples in the other books.

2. Him, Us and Epic by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This one surprised me, I don't generally go for first person POVs, but I did enjoy this! Coming-of-age story turned coming out story featuring a budding hockey star and his best friend. Lots of fun.

3. Scoring Chances series by Avon Gale. This series is fun in that it doesn't focus on the NHL, it actually focuses on the minor leagues in the southeast of the US, a place almost no one associates with ice hockey. As such, there's a chance to tell different stories about professional athletes who aren't super rich and famous, which I appreciate a lot. TBH the first pairing wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but I'm glad I kept going because I especially enjoyed the later books, which tackle tough topics (including eating disorders, abuse etc., so content warning for that). These are still romance novels though, so rest assured that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. What I especially appreciate is that these books don't have relationship drama, in that the main couples communicate and work together instead of a third act break-up-make-up!

4. Hockey Ever After series by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James. These are just great. Lots of fun to read, lots of cameos from character in later books, just excellent mood all around. Also features my favorite ever trope (secret relationship, sorry, anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for it I just can't help myself) heavily, which is a win in my book. I especially enjoyed book two, "Scoring Position". Is that because Nico is German and I loved him? Is that because Ryan is my new blorbo? We may never know.

Happy reading and please give me recommendations for more books like these, I'm lowkey obsessed.

[poisindonottouch]

Queer Reads: Sarina Bowen

For day 3 of Sandi reads gay things, we have Sarina Bowen. 

Bowen writes lots of romance, both gay and straight. The four books I have in the little graphic are four of her mm hockey romance novels. The Him/Us/Epic series is co written with Elle Kennedy, and is a post-college/new adult kind of story following one couple through their early adulthood. It’s a childhood friends to lovers, second chance kind of story, and is very sweet with sides of both angst and spice. 

The Hockey Guys books, The New Guy and I’m Your Guy, have protagonists who are a little bit older and mature. Story Graph says they’re both emotional, light-hearted, and funny books.  The New Guy is a hockey player and a physical therapist who works for the team. I’m Your Guy is a hockey player and an interior decorator. I enjoyed them both quite a bit.

If you like your romance way more angsty, I also recommend Bowen’s Hello, Goodbye duo, (Goodbye Paradise & Hello Forever). 

Remember folks, read queer all year. 

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[frizzyanya]

A friend read one of my favorite author (Sarina Bowen)'s MM hockey books. I had chill about it for exactly one text ("Awesome, glad you liked it!") before I proceeded to list out my next seven favorite books by her and why she might like each of them.

I did *try* to be normal about it, for a minute anyway.

[books1311]

My August reads! 📚

[aurorawest]

Reading update!

So as you'll see below I've read a lot of books since the last time I did one of these. I'm not going to write a little blurb for all of them, only the ones I feel strongly about. But I'm going to start including my ratings.

Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert. 4.25/5 stars

Where We Left Off by Roan Parrish. 5/5 stars

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian. 5/5 stars

This book was just. So lovely. Short and fast-paced, but I loved Peter and Caleb so much. I love the time period too. I know this is me being toxic and problematic and showing my internalized homophobia or whatever but I actually really like books set in places and time periods where homophobia is a real and present danger. I think it's because I'm totally a Love Conquers All romantic, so the fact that people dgaf and make a go of being together anyway scratches that itch.

Anyway, good book. I picked up the other two in the series but haven't read them yet.

Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih. 4/5 stars

Literature. Good but pretty sad.

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper. 3/5 stars

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. DNF

I got 50 pages in before I gave into my hate and DNFed this.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I find it genuinely upsetting that Natasha Pulley isn't a household name, because she writes the most beautiful, gutting books that I have maybe ever read. I don't understand how she's able to write what is, on the surface, a completely mundane sentence, and yet there's this roiling sea of heartbreak underneath it.

This is the sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, easily one of the best books I've ever read, and this one is at least as good.

Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. 3.75/5 stars

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. 5/5 stars

Lovely little novella that read like a fairy tale.

The Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner. 4.25/5 stars

At first I despaired of ever learning who all the characters were in this book because the first like, 10 chapters were all from a different POV, but I got a handle on all of them and liked it a lot.

Spectred Isle by KJ Charles. 4.75/5 stars

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. DNF

This is the book that made me realize I hate whimsical books.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins. 4/5 stars

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. 3/5 stars

I ranted about this one already but Jesus, Klune. This straight up reads like the kind of stuff I wrote when I was like, 14, and I don't mean that as a compliment to my 14 year old self.

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery. 5/5 stars

!!!!! This book was so good!!!! I picked it up way back when it came out but it only surfaced in the TBR pile in March, and it did not let me down. Thom and Clay are SO unlikable, but you start to like them in a way that's practically insidious because you don't see it coming. By the end, I was totally rooting for them and loved them both. And this is a romcom with a truly great villain, too, which definitely isn't standard in romances.

Red Skies Falling by Alex London. 5/5 stars

Second book in a series that revolves around a culture where falconry is hugely important. If you want fantasy that doesn't take place in fantasy England, check this series out. It has an A+ sibling relationship, a lovely romance, and high stakes. But this one was saaaaad ugh so sad.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. 3.75/5 stars

I hated this book until about 80% through, and then it subverted all my expectations and I ended up liking it okay. I thought it was just about a pathetic middle aged gay white man (I know I know, that's my type, what's the problem?) feeling sorry for himself, but it was deeper than that. And it had a nice ending.

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 5/5 stars (reread)

Bought this edition for the bonus chapter from Henry's POV and for @vkelleyart's end pages. Totally worth it. I love this book just as much as I did the first time.

Threshold by Jordan L Hawk. 4.25/5 stars

So this is a series with like, 11 books? I read the first one and was kind of eh on it. Good enough to buy the second, not enough to buy all 11 or whatever. But the second one was substantially better, so now I've acquired like 5 more of them. I continue to be a sucker for late 19th century/early 20th century settings.

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen. 4.5/5 stars

Is gay noir a thing? Because that's what I'm calling this book. Gay noir. I loved the main character and I'm really excited this is going to be a series (I've already preordered the second one). The only reason I knocked off half a star is because some of the side characters were irritating. And as a mystery, it wasn't great, so I wouldn't read this one if you're looking for a really good mystery. It's definitely more about the character development and the relationships.

Though possibly one reason I didn't think the mystery was that good is because it got spoiled for me on tumblr by someone who imo had a pretty shallow read on the book. Honestly not sure if they actually read it or they just skimmed it.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. 5/5 stars

AHHH. THIS BOOK!! This book was so good. So I've been making fun of it for a while because if you look at the cover, it looks like a Stucky AU. And you know what, maybe it was, but at least it didn't read that way, lol. It was really lovely and I'll be using it as a comp for the manuscript I finished last week.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I don't even have anything else to say except that you need to read Natasha Pulley's books. Please. If you're reading this post, go get her books. Buy them, take them out of the library, whatever. Do it.

Work for It by Talia Hibbert. 4.25/5 stars

A Tree of Bones by Gemma Files. 4.5/5 stars

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles. 5/5 stars

Something happened in this book that made me close it and stare into the middle distance, then put it aside until I could process.

Anyway you should definitely read it.

Farview by Kim Fielding. 4/5 stars

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen. 4.25/5 stars

Currently reading The Restless Dark by Erica Waters

Which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would!

[mmm-crackling]

[What if the Leafs/Sharks game in Epic was covered by TSN? Spoilers Him/Us/Epic (Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy)]

NHL | TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | SAN JOSE SHARKS

“He was f***ing incredible”: Maple Leafs’ Wesley on playing against husband

TSN.ca Staff

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks victory last night will be one to remember for their unlikely hero, emergency back-up goalie Jamie Canning – husband of star Maple Leafs forward Ryan Wesley. The game made history, being the first time a married couple has played in an NHL game, and facing each other across the ice on opposing teams, at that.

“I was sitting there in the opponents jersey thinking, ‘Wes is going to kill me’,” said Canning. “I hoped that I would just have to sit there and open the bench door for the line changes. And I’d never had better seats for one of Wes’s games.”

It was a few minutes into the third period that 25-year-old Canning, a Toronto major junior hockey coach, was called into action for San Jose, tasked with facing a Leafs team where his husband started as a rookie almost three years ago. Canning, originally from California’s Marin County, came away with a 4-3 victory for the Sharks in his NHL debut, shutting Toronto out for the duration of his shift in net.

“He was f***ing incredible”, said Wesley. “We didn’t know who the back-up’s back-up was going to be until he was announced and skated onto the ice. At first I didn’t know what was happening. Watching my teammates playing against my own husband was so f***ing trippy.”

Once a prospect for the Detroit Red Wings, Jamie Canning was a formidable college goaltender in his senior year at Rainier when they clinched a spot in the Frozen Four. His Tigers were eliminated in the semifinals, but Wesley’s own Northern Mass went on to win the NCAA championship that year. Despite playing in the same tournament, the two never faced off against each other.

Until now. Injuries meant that Canning, who was already at the arena to cheer the Leafs on with his family, was asked to dress as a last-resort back-up for the now-starting goaltender Tim Pitti. A pile-up on the 101 meant that a back up goalie from AHL-affiliate San Jose Barracuda would not make the arena in time for the puck drop.

“I am on the emergency back-up list for the league, but nobody ever gets called,” said Canning, who wore number 33 for the game. “Every now and then you hear stories about an accountant who gets called up to play one period for the Rangers or the Kings, but those are practically fables, rare situations that allow an everyday Joe to live out his professional athlete dreams. I couldn’t say no.”

After the second intermission, Sharks netminder Tim Pitti was levelled following a punishing hit by two Maple Leafs’ forwards, and Canning answered the bell. Toronto had led 3-1 after the first two periods, but Canning made saves on every shot the Leafs fired on him, allowing the Sharks to come back with three more goals of their own.

“Look at J-Bomb go!”, forward Blake Riley was heard to shout from the Maple Leafs’ bench. Riley is close to the pair, who he has dubbed ‘Wesmie’, and is romantically involved with Canning’s sister Jessica.

The moment when the husbands came face-to-face arrived with five minutes left on the clock. Wesley found himself on a breakaway, charging towards where his other half stood guard. Some say that they had seen Canning stick his tongue out at Wesley when his glove closed around the puck, denying him the goal.

Toronto was not able to tie up the game.

“Of course I’m disappointed that we didn’t win”, said Wesley. “But I can’t deny that I’m happy for Jamie. He deserves it.”

After the defeat, Wesley’s teammates are understood to not hold any ill feelings towards Canning, who has proudly been called a member of the Maple Leafs’ family ever since their relationship was revealed two years ago.

Said Toronto forward Matt Eriksson, “When I heard that Canning was headed into the Shark’s net, I thought ‘s***, this is going to be epic’, and he was.”

Wesley and a few Leafs were seen graciously celebrating with Canning and his new teammates at a local San Jose bar after the game. Wesley had been told, “you can have your goalie back after we buy him a drink.”

“He saved our butts tonight,” said Nik Sokolav, San Jose’s star forward. “It was a big surprise to us in our locker room when we figured out who he was. I thought, ‘no f***ing way is this guy going to be our back-up goalie, he’s just going to hand the game to Ryan Wesley’. But he said nothing would make him happier than to kick his hubby’s a**, and I guess he did.”

A correspondent for TSN reports that Tim Pitti, seen at the bar with his arm in a sling, bought a round of drinks for both teams. Said Wesley, “we lent you Toronto’s best goalie coach. It’s time to pay up.”

Canning will return to Toronto this weekend where his major junior team will play their game against Niagara. In spite of his dedication to his coaching career, Canning is rumored to be a target for the Ottawa Senators, who are looking to bolster their goaltender ranks.

Jamie Canning married Ryan Wesley after Wesley’s rookie year with the Maple Leafs, in which he came out as the first openly gay player in the NHL. The two had been childhood friends, having attended hockey camp together at Lake Placid, New York, every summer since they were both 13 years-old.

[libertyreads]

March Wrap Up 2024--

What a month that was. Did I read more than what I was supposed to? Yes. Am I mad about it? No. My goal for the year is to stay between 52 and 104 books read which means I need to read roughly 8 books per month (technically 8.6 or something like that) at the maximum. All this basically means is that I have to stick to reading 8 books next month. I blame the fact that my library hold came in 2 weeks early and I really didn't want to get back in line for it since it took so long to come in. Let's get to what I read and what I rated what I read.

Comics/Graphic Novels-- 1. Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo--3.75 stars (original rating).

Novellas-- 1. Must Love Hockey by Sarina Bowen (Kindle)--3.75 stars.

2. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark (NetGalley)--4 stars.

Novels-- 1. No Coincidence by Rafat Kosik--1.75 stars.

2. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu--3 stars.

3. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah--3.75 stars.

4. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Library)--4 stars.

5. Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes (NetGalley)--3.25 stars.

6. The Foxglove King by Hannah F. Whitten--4.25 stars (original rating).

The average star rating for the month ended up being 3.5 stars which was such a surprise given that this is the month with my worst rated book of the year so far. Not too shabby though.

[the-final-sentence]

He watched her until she well and truly disappeared.

Sarina Bowen, from Blonde Date

[scorbleeo]

Dude, my couch is wearing a condom.

Ryan Wesley

Him (Chapter 40)

by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

[avalaynlaurent]

ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ «i fucking love you, and i know that’s inconvenient. but i didn’t get a chance to tell you in Lake Placid, so i’m telling you right now. just in case we can ever get more than a summer. i love you, and i wish things were different.» ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ

[dargeereads]

My top reads of 2023

I honestly have reached a point where I read books from the same authours, either to get through their back lists, or keep up with their new releases. I still try out someone new, but it doesn’t happen as much as it used to. That was a factor when I went to figure out my top reads of 2023, there were several books by the same authours that I loved, so I decided I had to pick my favourite

There is quite a selection here: fantasy, MM, DD/lg, womens lit, fake dating, hockey, alien angels, and former service men. They deal with prejudice, abuse, addiction, homophobia, disabilities, and PTSD. Not all were new releases, some had been on my TBR, and made it out this year. They were the stories that stuck with me, brought me into their world and took me along with them, the ones that made me remember and think about the characters long after the I finished. It wasn’t easy wheedling this list down, I started with over 20, but I ended up with these eight because I was immediately drawn back to them time and time again. So, in no particular order, my top reads of 2023

The Rising by Kristen Ashley. I am crying just thinking about this book as I write this. This is a fantasy read, a four book story arc that ends with The Rising, the name of the series. It follows 4 couples, destined to be together, to save the world. It has a rich and full cast of characters, and even more, side characters that are just as important as our couples. I listened to it on audible, and each character has their own narrator, with one narrator for the common story threads. Alternating POV’s, flawed and broken, proud and strong, this whole cast will take you through a myriad of emotions and situations. The audiobooks are only on audible, but the ebooks are available everywhere and in Kobo Plus

The Tragedy of Felix and Jake by J Daniels. Don’t let the title turn you away, this is a heart wrenching story of two addicts, trying to keep their lives together, while falling for each other. It was smart, it was sexy, and it ran the gamut of emotions more than once. It didn’t shy away from the struggles and pain, and the joy and the fun, that life alternately gives to you, and depending on where you are, how it affects you. Ebook available in KU

Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield. Kicking myself on this one, because I had it on my TBR forever, and when I finally dove in, I completely understood what all the fuss was about that I heard for years! This is a workplace romance. This is a journey of self-acceptance for both our hero and heroine, and the DD/lg dynamic they crave. Add in their age gap, family drama, and possible conditioning elements, and there was a lot for them to unpack, know themselves, and accept their desires. I listened to this with Kobo Plus (with Australian actors narrating), and both the ebook and audio books are available everywhere and in Kobo Plus

The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader. When Molly writes a story, I know she is taking me on a journey. This book covers the friendship between two women, who take very different paths in life, yet, stay connected throughout it all. It consumed me, my thoughts, my feelings, and all my moments while I was listening to it, and, long after I finished. Not only do we get our two friends, we get the daughters of one of them, as they try to figure out the connection and why they didn’t know about the friendship. Available everywhere in ebook and audio

Three to Get Ready by Skye Warren. This is the third book in a trilogy, and what made it stand out for me was that everything wasn’t wrapped up in a neat “life is wonderful�� bow when it ended. There is an HEA, there are two people deeply in love and living life, it is just life has some adjustments and situations as a chronic disease is part of the package. Over the course of the three books, which starts with fake dating, we learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of our characters, as the maneuver in uncharted waters. Audiobook available at audible and ebook in KU

I’m Your Guy by Sarina Bowen. The irony of this book, featuring a gay hockey player, is it came out during the real-life ban of pride tape in the NHL. This book highlighted the homophobia the LGBTQ2+ players would be presented with, and the scariness, of being able to be who you are, in those conditions. Our main character has hidden who he is all his life, conditioned by his family and society, to not rock the boat. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t abused, ridiculed, or mocked, he just learned to accept it. His outside persona doesn’t match his inner turmoil, which skewers peoples perceptions. When he can’t hold back his feelings or actions, he becomes even more conflicted. Loved how it worked through it all, without fanfare or comment, just deciding to live his life. Audiobook available at audible, ebook available everywhere and in Kobo Plus

Elija by Eve Langlais. I love how Eve can take preconceived notions of religion and turn it on its’ head! Her space angels series, Elyon’s Warriors, is a serious take on that, with devoted angels to heavens cause, with a twist. Elija was the one book that I loved a little bit more than the rest, though they all were on my top list. For a bit of a paranormal/alien/angel story, with all of our angels finding love with a human woman, you need to check this series out! Ebooks and audiobooks available everywhere. Ebooks in Kobo Plus and audiobook available in Everand

Deserving Henley by Susan Stoker. The series, The Refuge, is all about having a safe place for people suffering from PTSD to go and be themselves. Deserving Henley takes one of the owners who is the most reclusive, and letting him be himself. That was what made the book for me, he didn’t need to change, he just needed to have a life that worked for him. Audiobook available at audible and ebook available everywhere and in Kobo Plus

[jeevesreads]

15 Sexy Vegas Wedding Romance Books

I can’t explain it, but I absolutely love when romance characters find themselves married and forced to figure things out with their new spouse. Vegas wedding and marriage of convenience are two of my favorite tropes for that very reason. I love the forced proximity that naturally comes with these situations, the tension, the growth in intimacy and feelings, and especially that moment when they…

[raybutani]

Him >>>>>> Red White and Royal Blue

[story-addict]

A book just made me look up “flatworm penis fencing.” 😂