Review – Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen

Posted June 4, 2018 by Carole in Book Reviews / 26 Comments

Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen
Series: True North #5
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Date Read: May 30, 2018
Length: 452 pages
Source: Author
★★★★☆

Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right. And sometimes for Mr. Right Now…

 May
Did you hear the one about the girl who walks into a bar and catches her live-in lover kissing someone else? No? You’re the only one in town who missed it.

Luckily Alec is there to wrap me up in strong arms and carry me out the door before things get too ugly. And that’s not all Alec is good at. Our unexpected chemistry makes him the perfect rebound guy.

Alec
I should know better than to hook up with my rival’s little sister, but the fiery look in May’s eyes really turns my crank. She needs cheering up, and I’m just the guy for the job.

It’s not like I’ll fall in love. Not even after a string of scorching hot trysts, and the realization that we’re good at the same things: wild nights and familial disappointment. I don’t do love, never have, never will. So this is the perfect arrangement, for both of us.

Nobody would approve, but nobody has to know…

My Review

I loved this book!  May and Alec were just great together and I really loved that this story was a little different.  I only recently stumbled upon this series when I read the fourth book, Bountiful, and immediately fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the style of storytelling.  I have since went back and read the first book in the series but I can assure you that each book in this series works well as a stand alone story.  Readers of the series will enjoy getting to catch up with favorite characters but anyone new to the series will have no problem jumping in with this book.

I was hooked by this book from the very beginning.  Alec sees someone he thinks he knows kissing the wrong person in his bar one night and knows he has to do something about it.  He doesn’t get the chance to figure out what he should do because the person being cheated on walks in a sees everything for herself.  Alec stops things from getting out of control and helps May move back home that very night.

I thought that the chemistry between Alec and May was very well done.  Even when May has just been hurt by her girlfriend’s betrayal, I thought that these two worked very well together on the friend level.  Alec just seemed to know how to be the support that May needed at that point in her life and she accepted him in that role.  I liked how open these two were with each other from the very beginning and how they just seemed to have a lot of fun together.

When things heat up and they decide to act on their attraction, Alec and May just seemed to fit each other perfectly.  On paper, these two shouldn’t work.  May is a recovering alcoholic while Alec owns a bar.  May is bisexual and always thought she would end up with a woman but Alec is definitely all man.  I had such a good time watching them try to figure things out and was cheering them towards their happily ever after.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance.  I had a fantastic time with this book filled with wonderful characters, steamy moments, a few laughs, and scenes that melted my heart.  I can’t wait to read more from Sarina Bowen very soon!

I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

The Series – True North
Book #1 – Bittersweet – My Review
Book #2 – Steadfast
Book #3 – Keepsake
Book #4 – Bountiful – My Review
Book #5 – Speakeasy
About the Author

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller’s list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina’s books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

Author Link:  Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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26 responses to “Review – Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen”

  3. Silvia

    Ok, that 'Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right. And sometimes for Mr. Right Now…' got my attention right away, but your review did it! I already added this series to my list because of one of your previous reviews, but now I know I really need to make some space for it . . . Sooner rather than later 😉

  5. Katherine P

    This sounds fun and I love that tagline. I love the voice of the blurb and I can see why you would be immediately pulled in! Adding this series to my TBR.

  9. Samantha@WLABB

    I am hearing mixed things, but I am going with your positive review, because I am excited to see May get her HEA. I almost thought there would be match with Jude, but that ended up being a second chance romance. Either way, I am excited to read this.

  11. Olivia's Catastrophe

    You know a series is good when you jump into the middle of it and then go back to read the first few books as well. I am glad you could enjoy another one in the series and that May and Alec were such a suited couple for each other 🙂

  12. Northwoman

    I have yet to try this series but one of my team – KC – has read it all. I grabbed book 1 – Bittersweet as a Kindle freebie (it looks like it is still free). So I'll be trying it at some point. Thanks for the review. Anne – Books of My Heart