I’m almost always on board for a romance that takes us to Hawaii. In Sarina Bowen’s MOONLIGHTER (out October 22), pro hockey player Eric Bayer is enlisted to pose as Alex Engels’ boyfriend and bodyguard during a security conference on Oahu. She’s CEO of a cable/telecom conglomerate with a major product launch on the horizon. His family, with his brother Max at the helm, runs a personal security firm, referred to cryptically as The Company.
Wait, let me say that again: A sexy bodyguard, a lady CEO, and a hotel suite in Hawaii? Yes, please.
Once on island, Eric’s biggest challenge isn’t holding off Alex’s ex (and the father of her baby) or competitors with ulterior motives. They discover there’s only one bed in Alex’s suite ::eyebrow waggle:: Can I just tell you, I forgot what a sexy beast Bayer is?! Funny and confident and dead sexy without being an arrogant a-hole. So…no matter how much they fight it at first, what starts as a fling in Hawaii starts down a path to forever once they’re back in NYC.
Sexy, funny, even a little bittersweet, Moonlighter is a terrific kickoff to a new series. It’s a compelling combo of hockey romance and romantic suspense that bridges Brooklyn Bruisers fans to this new series. And it keeps the door open for those who want the sexy intrigue. And clearly, we’re gonna need to get all into brother Max’s secrets as we get inside The Company.
Usually when books and movies play in technology, it’s a little dodgy, but in Moonlighter, the tech security issues and corporate espionage they’re dealing with are grounded in reality. Resolution on the culprit(s) is left open-ended, assumably it’s a thread that’ll get picked up in the next book in the series.
If you’ve followed Eric Bayer’s career over the course of the Bruisers series, you know he’s been plagued by injuries. Shoulder in the first book, and his knees have seen better days. That’s 15+ years in pro hockey. But when one door closes, two or three others open. I can’t wait to see which door Bayer chooses.
4 stars
CW: One off-page domestic violence incident
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