Pipe Dreams (Brooklyn Bruisers, #3)

by Sarina Bowen

[Rowena]

Pipe Dreams is the third book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series and it follows Mike Beacon as he tries to win Lauren Williams over again. It’s a second chance romance that I was pleasantly surprised by. I wasn’t a real big fan of Lauren in the previous books but I really enjoyed getting to know her in this book. I knew that her story was a complicated one and I was right. Old feelings, new feelings, she was hit with all of these, all of the time and I admired the hell out of the way that she handled everything. From fighting her attraction to the man that broke his heart to handling the treatment she got from that same man’s teenaged daughter, Lauren was a straight up champ!

I think this is my favorite book in the series so far. I really enjoyed seeing the past relationship and the present relationship between Mike and Lauren. It wasn’t an easy romance to get through and Mike handled things so badly but I thought he more than made up for his past transgressions. I really enjoyed the family that he made for himself and I loved how he brought Lauren into the fold. This was such a heartwarming romance that I damn near swooned multiple times while reading it.

Lauren, holy cow was she great. I enjoyed getting to know her and I really enjoyed watching her finally let people close to her again. She was completely broken hearted but she grew into her own skin and learned how to live by herself and become a formidable woman. I loved seeing her friendships with the other girls grow and grow and grow and I loved that Mike wanted her to have friends and to have everything she deserved to have…even love, with him.

Mike juggled lots of hats in this book, from father to player to lover and friend and I thought he wore each hat well. He had an abundance of love to give and he was never shy about spreading his love around. I loved the relationship he had with his daughter, with his daughter’s manny and the love he had for his friends and teammates. He was patient and kind and an all around hot, sexy piece of goodness. His love for Lauren completely melted me and I loved that Lauren was able to give him the love he craved. They were so good together and I loved seeing them grow to love and trust each other again. I love that Mike didn’t let her reservations deter him from fixing things between them and loving her so fully and completely. I just adored these two.

This was a great addition to the Brooklyn Bruisers series and it’s got me salivating for more. I cannot wait for Nate and Becca’s story though I’m also low key wanting stories for Silas and a couple of other guys on the team. I’ve got my fingers crossed. Definitely recommend. Go forth and read this book, it’s great!

Grade: 4.25 out of 5