Recently in Romance: Sarina Bowen Edition, Part 1!

Since becoming a romance reader two years ago, I’ve struggled to figure out where romance reviews belong on my site. I don’t usually write full reviews of romance books, and I’m not sure if all of you like the X-rated books! Recently in Romance is my mini-review feature where I bundle my recent reads and buys for those of you who are fans.

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Guys, what do you do when you’re book slumping? In my case, when I’m burnt out on reading, I often turn to romance. And for the next two days, I’ll be giving you some serious recommendations for one of my favorite romance authors: Sarina Bowen.

Looking for a feminist take on romance? Sarina has got you covered.

Looking for good new adult? Sarina has got you covered.

Looking for characters who are dealing with sexual orientation, anxiety, slut-shaming, physical challenges, financial challenges? Sarina has got you covered.

Looking for completely compelling, can’t-do-anything-but-read-this books? Sarina has got you SO covered.

Today, I’m reviewing Sarina’s most popular series, The Ivy Years, her six-book new adult book about hockey players at an Ivy League college (*cough*not called Yale*cough*), as well as her upcoming novel Rookie Move, the first in a hockey series that has ties to the Ivy Years.

And stay tuned for tomorrow, when I’ll be reviewing the Him series, her male/male hockey romance collaboration with Elle Kennedy, as well as her newest books, Bittersweet and Steadfast, from her True North series set in Vermont.

Note: almost every single one of these books was purchased, which tells you how I feel about Sarina.

The Ivy Years by Sarina Bowen

The Year We Fell Down

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #1
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: March 24th 2014
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository

The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves wants someone else. What now?
She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.
Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.Also, he’s taken.
Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.
They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.
But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.
"I absolutely loved it, and I can't wait to read the rest of her books." Colleen Hoover, bestselling author of Hopeless.
"I bought - and read - this entire series in a week. It is OMG-awesome-NA-at-its-finest." Tammara Webber, bestselling author of Easy.
Keywords: new adult, college, Ivy League, hockey, disability, sports romance.
For fans of: Colleen Hoover, Elle Kennedy, Kristen Callihan, Cora Carmack, Tammara Webber

The first in this series about hockey players at elite Ivy League school Harkness College, this book focuses on Corey Callahan, a former women’s hockey star who was seriously injured a few months before she starts at Harkness. Corey is now in a wheelchair, and is sent to live at an accessible dorm. Adam Hartley, one of Harkness’ current hockey team stars, lives across the hall, with a broken leg. Together, these two characters try to navigate a non-accessible world and their own bitterness about not being able to play hockey.

There’s a lot more to this story than just that, though – there’s, as Hartley calls it, “sh*t to shovel”, meaning family and relationship issues that they both have. I loved how complex those pieces were, and how naturally Corey and Hartley’s friendship grew into more. I also loved how true-to-life this picture of college life was. But above all, I really enjoyed the strength and grace with which the characters dealt with their injuries and their lives, and how realistic a look this was at spinal cord injuries and what you can and can’t do. Even though there was a bit of drama that (to me) should have been easily solved, overall, this book was an excellent introduction to Sarina Bowen. Addictive and enjoyable!

The Year We Hid Away

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #2
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: June 1st 2014
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | Google Books

She’s hiding something big. He’s hiding someone small.
Scarlet Crowley’s life was torn apart the day father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now the shock has worn off, but not the horror. 
It’s a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet’s fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID — with a newly minted name on it — she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she’s falling for.
Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.
The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won’t work anymore. And if they can’t learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they’ve struggled to keep.
Keywords: sports romance, hockey, Ivy League, new adult, college.

Remember how I called The Year We Fell Down addictive? The Year We Hid Away is even more so. Scarlet is a former women’s hockey player, and Bridger a current one at Harkness College. Both are hiding things – Scarlet her true identity (because her father was arrested and she wants to get away from the media), and Bridger his younger sister, who might be taken away into foster care. I loved how this story started out very casual between them, but grew into more as they realized they couldn’t run from their problems. I also loved how strong they both were in their desperation to just lead normal lives and not seek or take help. Bowen isn’t afraid to touch on very dark issues in this one, which makes the climax and the conclusion that much more meaningful. And the steamy factor went way up in this book, which I am definitely not complaining about. Very enjoyable and very addictive.

Blonde Date

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #2.5
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: July 9th 2014
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository

A blind date. A nervous sorority girl. A mean-spirited fraternity prank. What could go wrong?
As a sorority pledge, there are commandments that Katie Vickery must live by. One: thou shalt not show up for the party without a date. Two: the guy shall be an athlete, preferably an upperclassman.
Unfortunately, Katie just broke up with her jerkface football player boyfriend. Even worse, her last encounter with him resulted in utter humiliation. She’d rather hide under the bed than attend a party where he'll be.
Yet staying home would mean letting him win.
Enjoying herself tonight was out of the question. She could only hope to get through the evening without her blind date noticing that he was spending the evening with a crazy person.
Andrew Baschnagel is living proof that nice guys don’t finish first. He’s had his eye on Katie since the moment her long legs waltzed into his art history class. So when her roommate sets Andy up to be Katie’s date, he’d be crazy to say no. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of practice with either girls or parties. Yet.
“Blonde Date is nothing short of brilliant.”— KimberlyFayeReads.com“I loved the preceding Ivy Series books but this novella has just become my favorite.”— Booknerdian world
Keywords: sports romance, new adult, college, basketball, novella, sororities, fraternities, humorous romance

SO. FREAKING. CUTE. We first meet Andy as Bridger’s roommate in The Year We Hid Away, and here, in this novella, we see him fumbling around on a blind date. Despite how short this novella is, it manages to touch on many of Sarina Bowen’s signature themes: family, sexual consent and slut-shaming, feminism and breaking out of cliches. Oh and did I mention that it’s sexy and cute as well?

The Understatement of the Year

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #3
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: September 4th 2014
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | iBooks | Google Books | Audible

What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.
Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexual preference from everyone. Including himself.
So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.
John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.
And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.
Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.
Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.
Warning: unlike the other books in this series, this heartbreaking love story is about two guys. Contains sexual situations, dance music, snarky t-shirts and a poker-playing grandmother.
Keywords: new adult, college, romance, hockey, gay, MM, Ivy League.
For fans of: Heidi Cullinan, Colleen Hoover, Kindle Alexander, Elle Kennedy, Amy Jo Cousins, Megan Erickson

This book. THIS BOOK. This was my first ever male/male romance, and my first gay romance. It’s the reason I picked up this series, because after hearing amazing things from Diana Peterfreund and a host of other bloggers, I knew I had to try Sarina Bowen out. I’m so glad I did. The other books in The Ivy Years were great, but this one…it just blows you out of the water with feels.

Michael Graham is a Harkness College hockey player who’s spent years in the closet, hiding his true feelings behind hook-ups with girls. So when his former best friend, John Rikker, the one he betrayed years ago, gets transferred to Harkness, Graham is in shock, and scared of what this could bring to the surface. Meanwhile, Rikker is just trying to fit in on a team that hopefully won’t be freaked out by having a gay teammate – all the while remembering all his feelings for Graham.

Bowen creates characters who are not only memorable, but also completely understandable and relateable. And nowhere was I more amazed by this than in The Understatement of the Year. Even as a cis-het female, I was completely able to fall into Rikker and Graham’s story. I found their voices incredibly authentic and honest about hockey stereotypes, unrequited love, and yeah, sexual orientation. The characters ache and soar – both the main characters and the secondary ones. It’s actually not surprising to me that this book pretty much launches the rest of the series – the next two books and Rookie Move all feature characters that started in this story.

If you could only read one Sarina Bowen book, I might encourage you to go with this one.

The Shameless Hour

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #4
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: April 13th 2015
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | iBooks

The girl who’s had everyone meets the boy who has no one.
For Bella,  the sweet-talking, free-loving, hip-checking student manager of the Harkness men’s hockey team, sex is a second language. She’s used to being fluent where others stutter, and the things people say behind her back don’t (often) bother her. So she can’t understand why her smoking hot downstairs neighbor has so much trouble staying friends after their spontaneous night together. She knows better than to worry about it, but there’s something in those espresso eyes that makes her second guess herself.
Rafe is appalled with himself for losing his virginity in a drunken hookup. His strict Catholic upbringing always emphasized loving thy neighbor—but not with a bottle of wine and a box of condoms. The result is an Ivy League bout of awkwardness. But when Bella is leveled by a little bad luck and a downright sinister fraternity stunt, it’s Rafe who is there to pick up the pieces.
Bella doesn’t want Rafe's help, and she’s through with men. Too bad the undeniable spark that crackles between the two of them just can't be extinguished. 
“The Shameless hour is a gift to any girl or woman who’s ever been slut-shamed. It’s magnificent.”— Tammara Webber, New York Times bestselling author of Easy“Gripping and deliciously steamy, The Shameless Hour will make you cry and swoon. Sarina Bowen is a master at drawing you in from page one and leaving you aching for more.”— Elle Kennedy, USA Today bestselling author

The Shameless Hour stars Bella, the Harkness College men’s hockey team manager. She’s a big part of The Understatement of the Year (as a former hook-up and friend of Graham’s), so definitely read that one before this one. Bella is a girl who loves sex and isn’t afraid to flirt or have fun with it, and it’s awesome. Rafe is a guy who lives in her dorm who secretly holds a torch for Bella, even though he has a girlfriend. After Rafe gets dumped, he ends up getting comforted by Bella, and they form a bond. The bond is furthered when Bella is roofied one night and abused by a group of frat boys. I won’t got into details because it’s horrific. Terrified, Bella retreats into her room, spending most of the rest of her year there. One of the only bright spots in her life is Rafe, who won’t let her hide away.

I really loved this one. It spoke my language because it’s a romance for any feminist out there who believes in sex positivity and speaking up about sexual harassment and abuse. What happens to Bella in this book is not okay, and I’m so grateful that this romance exists to discuss some of the consent issues that keep cropping up around college campuses across the world.

Also, Rafe is smoking hot perfection and I love his relationship with Bella. This is a true partnership – it’s one that’s based on both the physical and the emotional, and even with all their walls, I love how they come together. I don’t want to say much more because this one deserves to be enjoyed – for both Bella and Rafe, and also secondary character Lianne!

The Fifteenth Minute

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Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: The Ivy Years #5
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication date: October 13th 2015
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Format: eBook
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | iBooks

Just because she's famous doesn't mean she's happy.

Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks.

She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid.

But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel "DJ" Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. Something's haunting his dark eyes, and she needs to know more.

DJ's genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans.

Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can't get close to Lianne, and he can't tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.

Lianne Challice is a world-famous actress who is trying to have a normal college experience. Daniel “DJ” Trevi is a fun-loving guy with a past he’s trying to escape. When these two meet, sparks fly, but Lianne is scared of DJ having to deal with paparazzi and her screwed-up family. Meanwhile, DJ isn’t even allowed in college dorms because of a mishap, and he’s depressed. Despite all of the external circumstances, DJ and Lianne try to strike up a relationship and it’s super cute and a bit dorky, because Lianne is a big computer nerd, as well as being the star of a fandom-busting movie series.

What I liked most about this novel was how honestly it dealt with a relationship that is very difficult to have – one with not just a movie star, but someone who is maybe not in the best circumstances. I know it’s a cliche for new adult books to have “broken” characters, but like the rest of Bowen’s series (stay tuned for a series review), the characters just soar with the way they relate to each other and Bowen deals with their issues sensitively, smartly, and definitely with a feminist lens.

Also, if you’re a fan of college/university romances, I really like how Bowen really ties in Harkness’ traditions and how much you see of their actual university life. If you haven’t read The Ivy Years series, I highly, highly recommend it.

Brooklyn Bruisers series by Sarina Bowen

Rookie Move

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers #1
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: September 6th 2016
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC
My rating:
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | iBooks | Google Books | Audible

The first novel in a sexy new series featuring the hockey players of the Brooklyn Bruisers and the women who win their hearts—from the USA Today bestselling author of the Ivy Years series.   In high school they were the perfect couple—until the day Georgia left Leo in the cold...   Hockey player Leo Trevi has spent the last six years trying to do two things: get over the girl who broke his heart, and succeed in the NHL. But on the first day he’s called up to the newly franchised Brooklyn Bruisers, Leo gets checked on both sides, first by the team’s coach—who has a long simmering grudge, and then by the Bruisers’ sexy, icy publicist—his former girlfriend Georgia Worthington.   Saying goodbye to Leo was one of the hardest things Georgia ever had to do—and saying hello again isn’t much easier. Georgia is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when a press conference microphone catches Leo declaring his feelings for her, things get really personal, really fast....

I was super excited for this book because we’ve heard about Leo Trevi in the Ivy Years series several times – and then more prominently in the final book. His romantic history is painful – he and his high school sweetheart, Georgia Worthington, were very much in love and the perfect couple, until Georgia is raped in the middle of senior year at tennis camp. Even though Leo stayed with her and took care of her afterwards, Georgia broke up with him on graduation day – and they haven’t seen each other since. Rookie Move sees Leo being drafted for new NHL team the Brooklyn Bruisers six years after this – where Georgia is a publicist, and her father is the coach.

I enjoyed seeing the characters in this new setting a lot – Brooklyn, in particular, is very much a character in the book. I also liked the secondary characters a lot, especially Georgia’s roommate Becca. While I personally didn’t find this book as compelling as Bowen’s other books, but I still appreciated how much thought Bowen put into the story – little things like the fact that Georgia liked “filled” things (dumplings, turnovers, Combos) made this story very readable for me. I also liked Bowen’s focus on trauma and sexual assault and how to heal and get past that. T

While the narrative wandered a bit too much for my liking, and I felt that the things keeping the main characters apart were slightly unrealistic, I still enjoyed this one. I’m not sure I related as well to Leo and Georgia as I did to some of Bowen’s other protagonists, but I’m looking forward to diving into this new series. Like the rest of Bowen’s work, the secondary characters make this book worth reading, so I’m excited for them to have their own stories moving forward.

Coming soon from Sarina Bowen…

Hard Hitter

Goodreads
Author: Sarina Bowen
Find the author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: , The Fifteenth Minute, Bittersweet, Steadfast, Keepsake (True North, #3), Him, Us, Untitled, Hard Hitter, Good Boy, Keepsake (True North, #3), Goodbye Paradise, Pipe Dreams, Stay (WAGs, #2), Pipe Dreams, Temporary, Man Hands (Man Hands, #1), Man Card, Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4), Speakeasy, The Accidentals, Overnight Sensation, Top Secret, Superfan (Brooklyn, #3)
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers #2
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 3rd 2017
Buy It: Amazon.com | The Book Depository | iBooks | Audible

From the USA Today bestselling author of Rookie Move comes the second novel in the series that’s hot enough to melt the ice.   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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Have you read Sarina Bowen’s many, many fantastic series? Are you a fan of sports romance, or just hockey? Have you read a great contemporary romance recently? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!