Shenanigans

By: Sarina Bowen

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Vanessa Edwin

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

What I meant to do in Vegas: Let my hair down for once and celebrate winning a medal at my first women’s hockey all-stars competition.

What I actually did: Got senior prom drunk and woke up married to Brooklyn’s star winger, the great Neil Drake. 

He’s the heir to a billion dollars, and I barely survived my childhood. Our friendship is based strictly on hockey, takeout food, and smack talk. 

And now holy matrimony. We both know it can’t last - especially once his evil family gets wind of our Vegas shenanigans....

Contains: Meddling teammates, meddling parents, ugly jewelry, and a pretend kiss that nearly sets the world on fire.

©2022 Sarina Bowen (P)2022 Sarina Bowen

very very sad

The book went for witty, lighthearted and fun but the Heroine was just plain sad. Depressing actually. Charlie is bogged down in misery, fighting for survival, not letting anyone in, only able to feel anger and doubt. She literally cannot see the good in anything or anyone. It's one of the saddest characters I've read in a long time. It makes the ending that much better, but that's the thing: the entire book, except the last 2 chapters or so are mired in misery. She has no idea how much she hurts the people who care about her.
That said, all it would have taken would be Neil saying how he really felt. He could have been everything Charlie needed so many times but he had to grow up. I really wanted to see more of their happiness together, not just the last 2 chapters.
Overall a good book but just really sad.

Hockey Magic!

I absolutely loved this audiobook. Jason Clarke and Vanessa Edwin did an amazing job as Drake and Charli. Their performances are outstanding. Listening to them is a delightful experience, and they complement each other so well. They are perfect for the characters. And it’s a wonderful story to listen to. I had so much fun and I will certainly be listening to it many, many times.

Shenanigans is part of the Brooklyn Bruisers series, but can definitely be read as a standalone. I recommend reading all the books in this series because they are all wonderful and amazing, but it isn’t necessary.

Sarina Bowen is the Queen of hockey romance in capital letters. She keeps surprising me with her talent, but at the same time it doesn’t surprise me at all because she’s that good. She definitely writes the best book boyfriends. She must be writing them with her magic wand.

I loved everything about Shenanigans. It’s a hockey romance that combines great hockey with a few of my favorite tropes. You have an accidental Vegas wedding turned marriage of convenience slash fake relationship, opposites attract, grumpy vs. sunshine, and only one bed. Oh, and did I mention all the hockey? Because both of them are hockey players!

I loved Charli and Neil. They are perfect for each other despite the obvious differences between them. Or maybe because of them. But they have a few things in common besides their love for hockey that will surprise them. They have such great chemistry, and the banter between them is hilarious. The progression of their relationship is so on point. There’s attraction, longing, so much heat, and intimacy. Their connection is so strong, and it gets even stronger as they get to know each other better.

Charli is fierce and independent, and doesn’t trust easily. She’s had a very tough life. She’s very angry and closed off, but as you get to know her you get to understand her reasons. She’s just protecting herself because she’s not willing to get hurt. Until she finds herself married to the one guy capable of breaking down those walls.

Neil Drake is the sweetest guy. He’s definitely book boyfriend material. And not because he’s a billionaire heir and a fantastic hockey player. He’s fun, witty, hot as sin, and charming. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe just how wonderful he is. And he’s had a crush on Charli since they met, but wasn’t aware she liked guys that way. He didn’t know he had a shot.

Shenanigans is such a great story. It’s witty and fun and hilarious, but it also has so much depth. The story has a few heartbreaking moments, and it deals with a few difficult topics, like diabetes and neglect, but in a very balanced way. It’s very well written, the pace is perfect, and the story is compelling. It gave me all the feels and I couldn’t put it down.

Shenanigans is the kind of book that makes you laugh and cry at the same time, Sarina Bowen’s trademark. It’s the kind of book you want to hug and makes you smile. And it is the kind of book you want to read over and over again. I had a great time reading it and I highly recommend it.

Great story

The characters in the story made this woke-up-married-in-Vegas story a really great love story with depth and emotion. Well done!

My favorite trope!

I love a good accidentally married in Vegas and this one did my favorite trope justice! Charli and Neil were so polar opposite that they shouldn’t have worked, but they did. Perfectly. Charli didn’t need saving, but it was nice to finally have someone in her corner for once! I absolutely loved Neil. Perfect book boyfriend material, and I loved how his diabetes was a starring role in this book. So very well done!

Full on great book!

I loved the storyline and angst. Diabetes is an every hour challenge for those with Type 1. Appreciate the look into it's effect on everyone surrounding the main character as well.

Very enjoyable

The character development of the male lead was very good. The story had ups and downs that kept it interesting.

Shenanigans Indeed!!

Love Neil and Charlie, their story and their friends!! Funny moments were portrayed perfectly by Jason Clark and Vanessa Edwin!! Just love me some Shenanigans!!

Really Disliked The Female Lead

At what point are we going to stop having this very stereotypical angry, non trusting, non communicative, copy paste female lead whose been through relatively the same exact trauma as every single other book version of her? I almost didn't finish because I hated her from the first chapter. It is understandable for a person to struggle with trauma, but she really needs to get help for her sake, and the sake of literally everyone around her she seemed like she didn't give a hoot if she took down with her.

loved it

I really enjoyed reading this author.  I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.

Charlie, goodnight!

Great story, but Charlie made me so mad at times. Actors were terrific. love the characters.

Really enjoyable

Great story - whole series is good and always fun to intertwine different characters- brilliantly narrated and so easy to listen to Happy escapism!

Enjoyable book

I really enjoyed this book, and there was a lot more to the characters than many other stories in this genre. Another reviewer said the heroine’s background was too depressing, but I didn’t feel that at all. Feels more real and authentic compared to some of the fluffy books out there, but it was about overcoming that stuff so still gave me the warm and fuzzies. (Warning that there could be some triggers for some, so look up the reviews if you think that could apply to you)