This stand-alone was an instant USA Today bestseller! Everyone knows the girl is off limits. But it’s so good to be bad.
There’s this girl… Heidi and I have been trading hungry looks all year, and everything she does makes me smile. But I don’t do girlfriends, and I certainly can’t get involved with the league commissioner’s daughter. I need shots on goal, not a hookup and a widely … on goal, not a hookup and a widely misunderstood paparazzi photo.
Can I resist her, though? The way she teases me should be a game penalty for interference with my libido.
There’s this guy…
Jason wants me, but he won’t admit it. That man looks at me the way a hockey player eyes the lunch buffet after practice—and I love it.
But when victory is finally within my grasp, I blow it and humiliate myself. Even then I can’t even avoid him—as the team intern, I’m in constant view of his hard body and cocky smile.
I need another chance. Jason Castro is about to learn the true meaning of an overnight sensation.
Sarina scores big with this undeniably swoony romance. New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryanmore
Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen
Soooooo excited was I to get my hands on Castro’s book and Bowen – as always – delivers a wonderful read. The Brooklyn Bruisers series is a favorite of mine to read and reread and Overnight Sensation is a welcome addition.
Jason Castro doesn’t do relationships anymore. He used to, way back when, but he doesn’t want to experience anything close to what he went through when he was younger. But the thing is that Heidi has been making eyes and throwing out ALL the signals at him and it’s getting harder and harder to resist the attraction. Heidi is a good girl – always says and does the right thing and what’s good for her. She’s decided that what’s good for her is a short, dirty fling with Jason and what Heidi wants, Heidi gets through sheer guts and determination.
To move out from under her father’s thumb, Heidi (in a roundabout way) becomes Castro’s couch-surfer and things remain platonic until they just can’t hold off any more.
This was a great, great read. I love the BB family and revisiting them is always a pleasure. Castro lived up to every sexy, cocky, likable image I had and while it took me a while to warm up to her, Heidi has also become a firm favorite. This was a very sweet, amusing, and at times emotional book and I am so so very eager for the next book in this series!
*I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.
You can bet anytime Sarina Bowen has a new release, I’m going to be all over it. Overnight Sensation was no exception. Now, I didn’t get around to reading it until a little later than I’d like because of real life. But, once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down. Heidi charmed me from the very start and I adored Jason. Who doesn’t love a Dickens-quoting hockey player after all?
Heidi and Jason were so, so good together. I loved their friends-first, basically forbidden romance. Why forbidden? Well, she’s the league commissioner’s daughter and he’s a player. Her dad? Not the nicest guy, either. He’s a hard ass who is running her life and holding her inheritance over her head because he doesn’t approve of her choices. You know the type. But, enough about him. Heidi and Jason were delightful. I loved their banter and chemistry. It was impossible not to root for them.
Bottom line: Overnight Sensation was a fantastic read. I’m not surprised. There’s a reason Sarina is one of my go-to authors. Heidi and Jason’s story was swoony, sexy and just fun. It was fun to watch them connect and, if I’m honest, just as much fun to watch Heidi grow. Naturally, we got glimpses into the lives of our other Bruisers faves. I’ve missed them. Now I’m going to chomp at the bit until I get Silas’s story. I smell a setup for a second chance romance…
Favorite Quotes:
“Um, when I said we were going to my place, I just meant—”
“Sex! Dirty, filthy sex. Sweaty, clawing, pounding, burn-your-soul-to-the-ground-sex!”
“Maybe I jinxed myself quoting Dickens during training camp. Like—now my whole season is going to be like Oliver Twist. ‘Please, sir. May I have a goal?'”
I put my whole heart into everything I do. Sometimes the universe just doesn’t care, though. You can make a wish list as long as you like. And come away with nothing.
Oh my, Sarina! My poor sweet Castro! Suave when he speaks, fierce on the ice, Castro is a man filled with deep secrets hidden deep from those close to him. Shot to stardom, Jason Castro is determined to renew his name this season on the ice. But constant changes to the line and dark, old memories are testing his temper; not to mention he’s been eyeing Heidi Jo Pepper, the commissioner’s daughter, for months. Jason’s typical stress relief involves a woman, but the only one he wants is off-limits…until she decides she isn’t.
Heidi Jo is sick and tired of being the typical spoiled rich girl. Deciding to make a break for herself she’s left college much to her father’s distress. His revenge is to have her work every job for the hockey league. Which puts Heidi right in the line of her #1 crush, Jason Castro. Dark and mysterious, they’ve been dancing around one another and she can’t wait any more. Tempting him to take her or leave her is the most fun this rich girl’s had since race car school. But there’s always a lesson to be learned. And Heidi is about to learn about sacrifice in a way she hasn’t been exposed to before.
Castro’s past is not as happy and bright as Heidi’s life of luxury. He’s got a painful trauma that still haunts him to this day and is the final wall Heidi can’t break through to get to his heart. Learning how to deal with Castro’s issues is no easy feat. But Heidi has dealt with her father’s control, crazy jobs around the rink, and managing errands for the entire team all at one time. Overnight Sensation is story about love overcoming loss and winning alongside acceptance and trust. A truly heartfelt addition to the Bruisers series! And everyone’s talking about the Zamboni scene…but I think the flower shop woman is my favorite returning character in the book!
I loved Pipe Dreams, but I think this is my new favorite Brooklyn Bruisers book! The character growth is outstanding and the chemistry between the characters is off the charts!
Hard to break a habit, but worth it for happiness
Overnight Sensation hit my Kindle and I was really excited to get started. I planned my reading attack plan. Step 1 – finish what I’m currently reading. Step 2 – go to work, try not to think about it as it sits there waiting patiently to start tonight. Step 3 – start my Friday Night Party Night with a glass of wine in one hand and my Kindle in the other with Overnight Sensation locked and loaded. Well, like all good plans set by a compulsive plan maker, things went awry. My eldest wakes up in the middle of the night with gut pains. What follows is 12 hours of … “Mum, I’M DYING!!!!”
So, my plans were delayed but Heidi and Castro were definitely worth the wait.
It’s so easy to get sucked into a Sarina Bowen story. She easily sucks me into a world that is different to my own but makes me feel at home and part of their lives. I love the Brooklyn Bruisers series and each instalment leaves me extremely satisfied. We are not “meeting” Heidi and Castro for the first time be we are getting to know them a whole lot more. Both Heidi and Castro are not at all as they seem and the more I got to know them, the more I liked them.
Castro hides his feelings because I think he’s afraid that a little chink in his armour will take away the barrier protecting his sanity and his heart. Out of habit, he pushes away anyone who gets too close. Everyone gets the carefree and fun Castro. No one can know that he suffers guilt and heartache from losing his first love. When Heidi comes into his life, he knows his attraction will do more than dint his armour. If he lets her, she might just shatter it and take his heart.
Poor little rich girl wants to break the rules. Heidi is very dissatisfied with her life and the decisions that were made for her not with her, about her future. Standing against her father’s strong will, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands. But, independence is hard and her first steps in breaking the rules lead to being ripped off, embarrassed and humiliated. Heidi is made of tough stuff though, she is determined to start acting like an adult in control of her life. With a little help from Castro and Silas (Castro’s teammate and housemate), her first steps, while wobbly, take her where she wants to go.
Castro needs to stop pushing people away and learn to trust his heart will be safe with those who he’s come to love. Heidi needs to learn that money is not the way to happiness. Her wish list needs to have more than pretty knick-knacks. They both need to break their habits and find their way to happiness.
I really enjoyed Overnight Sensation. While not my favourite in the series, it still gave me all the highs and lows I’ve come to appreciate from this amazing storyteller. I love the closeness of these teammates and the Brooklyn Bruiser gang. They care about each other and definitely have each other’s backs. The connection between Heidi and Castro jumped off the pages and it was inevitable that once was not going to be enough for the two of them. Luckily, it doesn’t take half the book for the two of them to realise it and we get to see them form a thing that then morphs into a relationship. Of course, there are bumps in their road to happiness but most of them were easily traversed.
I highly recommend the Brooklyn Bruisers series, Overnight Sensation, and ANYTHING that Sarina Bowen writes. If you haven’t tried, I suggest you skate to it, NOW!!
Sports Romances are definitely my jam, and it’s the hockey ones that I can’t seem to get enough of, which is why Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers series is perfect for this romance reader. And in Overnight Sensation, Jason Castro’s feeling the pressure on and off the ice due to the upcoming season and a certain commissioner’s daughter who he shares a mutual attraction with despite Jason’s one and done mantra when it comes to the opposite sex.
Heidi Pepper may come off as a spoiled princess who is used to getting what she wants as long as she remains daddy’s good little girl and stays on the straight and narrow, but as soon as she makes a major decision without her father’s permission, he attempts to control her every act, leading Heidi to more than live up to her nickname “Hot Pepper” by breaking the rules and doing everything she can to live the life she wants with a certain hockey star despite his best efforts to keep her at an arm’s length.
It’s clear that Jason has a very real reason for refusing to give his heart away and keeping things light and easy, but what’s also evident is how much he wants Heidi in his bed and despite himself, in his heart – the one part of his body that’s been as frigid as the ice he plays on for the past 5 years.
The push and pull between Jason and Heidi is there from the start of Overnight Sensation; in fact, it’s been brewing for quite some time, and everything comes to a head when they give into their desire and after a series of events bring them even closer, Jason needs to decide if he can let go of the past and stop his fatalistic thoughts when it comes to relationships or if he’ll lose this amazing woman who clearly makes his life and his play so much better.
As much as I didn’t like Jason’s hot and cold behavior when it came to Heidi, I couldn’t completely dislike him because he’s actually a good guy; he’s just one who’s taking on blame that is not his to take, but he’s the only one who can sort through the mess in his head. And despite how everyone around Jason and Heidi see their connection and try to provide Jason with the push he needs, if he won’t admit what Heidi means to him or how he feels about her, they’ll never been anything more than friends? roommates? acquaintances?
Heidi is definitely a kick butt heroine. I love how she finds her own way in life, proving her naysayers, especially her father, wrong. She’s quirky, bubbly, and genuine, and the fact that she dropped out of college doesn’t prevent her from doing a job she loves and that she kicks butt at…and she is an intelligent and savvy woman who can more than handle herself despite the fact that the men in her life feel the need to constantly protect her and tell her what to do.
Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers series continues to bring the heat, the laughs, the swoon, and the excitement on and off the ice, and I can’t wait for more!
4.5 Poison Apples
I’m jumping on the board the Heidi Jo Pepper (AKA Hot Pepper) train, she is awesome and probably the best, most lovably funny heroine from Ms. Bowen (although her heroines always have strength which I love) This story brings together all of my favorite things in a story; hot, alpha, lovable hockey player who can see his own faults partnered with a feisty, intelligently funny, caring women who has so many talents that she doesn’t realize just how awesome she is. Could not put this one down. Please tell me there is more to come from the Brooklyn Bruisers and it’s coming soon.
This book is perfection! Jason and Heidi are wonderful characters, and the storytelling is flawless (as usual with this author). I’ve been following this series, and I’ve loved every book, but Castro now has a special place in my heart. Thank you Sarina for writing his story.
Overnight Sensation was sweet, funny and oh so swoony. Heidi and Jason are completely attracted to each other, but are also completely off limits to each other. I just love forbidden love, especially when Sarina Bowen puts her own twist on it. The banter and chemistry between the two of them is just incredible. It’s impossible not to fall in love with them, as they fall in love with each other.
Jason Castro is everything you want in a Hero. Serious. He’s charming, caring and hilarious. There is a lot more to him and his life than meets the eye. His story line brought out a lot of emotions, and pulled on all my heart strings for sure.
And Heidi was one of the best leading ladies I’ve read about lately. She seems like a spoiled girl with her southern accent, but man, Heidi takes you by surprise. She’s determined, intelligent and hardworking.
The two of them compliment each other so freaking well.
Sigh.
This is a can’t miss book, that will make you swoon, smile, and desperate to get more of these characters!
I love reading romance novels that make me think beyond the obvious love story they’re telling. Sarina Bowen is my favorite author because she manages to do this in every book she writes, and also because her writing style is fuid and natural, and also witty and beautiful.
Overnight Sensation is more of a comedy than the previous books in the Brooklyn Bruisers series. A little lighter in the angst department, perhaps, but it still has its conflict to resolve and emotional baggage to unload.
Jason Castro has a reputation. He’s a player on and off the ice. He doesn’t do repeats, much less relationships, and he’s happy to keep it that way. His whole focus is in being the best hockey player he can be, and prove his worth. But Castro has hidden depths. Obviously. He’s a really nice guy with strong values, and a soft spot for Heidi. He’s famous for quoting Shakespeare and Dickens, and has a quirky sense of humor. The nerd factor is strong in him, too.
Heidi Jo Pepper is sheltered, polite to the bone, and a little naive. She sets her sights on Castro, wanting him to take her to the wild side for a night, to show her what real passion feels like. Her father’s controlling ways push her to revel against him, and try to be more independent, and find her own way. She proves to be not only efficient and creative, but also resilient and determined.
However, things go wrong rather quickly for Heidi, and Jason feels obligated to help her once again. Their proximity and obvious chemistry prove to be too much for Jason to resist. So when things get out of control, as they always do, they will have to decide what they really want for themselves and from each other, and how to get it.
I loved, loved, loved Overnight Sensation. It’s sweet, it’s fun, it’s hilarious. Nobody writes Hockey romance quite like Sarina Bowen. And if there is something that Sarina Bowen excels at, is at writing strong female characters. Heidi is not the exception. She is rather fierce. I fell in love with Jason because he’s a sweetheart who’s been trying for so long to protect himself from hurt, he’s confident and charming, and totally swoon worthy. But in my opinion, Heidi steals the show from start to finish. She’s strong, capable, and hilarious. I love her with my whole heart.
Sarina, the genius that she is, gifts us, once again, with an amazing romance full of twists and turns and not a lick of predictability.
That’s actually my favorite thing about her writing: she always surprises me with a well-thought plot.
Jason Castro hides his sadness with a “fun guy” front, he doesn’t want to suffer a loss again, so he closes his heart for business.
Enters Heidi.
She’s perky, funny and straightforward: she wants Jason, and she wants him now.
In order to NOT rant my ass off, I’m only going to say this: A week after finishing Overnight Sensation and I’m still smiling whenever I think about it.
So, do I recommend this book? HELL TO THE YEAH!
(Silas, hurry up! I need to read your story ASAP!)
4.5 Stars
Overnight Sensation is a fun and sweet, forbidden, friends to lovers romance, and the fifth addition to he the Brooklyn Bruisers series.
Heidi is an endearing and quirky character, who happens to be the NHL commissioners daughter. Whilst she may come from an affluent background, and used to being pandered to and spoiled, she’s also intelligent, hardworking, resourceful, determined, resilient and fun. For a young woman who’s used to getting what she wants, I adored her never give up attitude. She’s a very endearing character who is a great blend of feisty, sassy and witty, but also genuine, kind and honest.
Jason Castro is the life of the party, sexy, flirty and charming character, but also unexpectedly vulnerable. Jason is a good guy, protective, and caring, with a past marred by tragedy, that prevents him from forming attachments and relationships.
The chemistry between this pair is palpable, at times it feels like for every two steps forward, then one step back when it comes to their budding relationship and feelings.
I adore the camaraderie, friendships and fun, witty and flirtatious banter that flows throughout each title in this series, not only between the Bruisers players, owners and staff, but also their love interests. I loved Silas, and cannot wait for his story.
Sarina Bowen has just published her first hockey book in a year! A cocky player vs. the league commissioner’s daughter. He knows he shouldn’t. But it’s so good to be bad…
I loved, loved, LOVED this! It was fun and flirty and oh so sexy! Overnight Sensation was a well rounded story that was entertaining and sweet with the perfect emotional movements mixed in. Jason and Heidi’s personalities were infections and I couldn’t get enough of them!
4.5 Stars
This series just keep getting better with each book. This is an addicting series you can’t put down.
Jason is a ladies man and doesn’t do intimacy. He plays for the Brooklyn Bruisers and is dealing with some stuff. Heidi is sweet and goes after what she wants. These two dance around each other for a while. The witty banter and sweet moments made me love this story so much.
I highly recommend this series!
Sarina Bowen is one of my top favorite authors to read. She always brings something fresh and new in her books single time, and it never fails to hit me in all the right places. I’ve been a massive fan and have always had a soft spot for her Brooklyn Bruisers series ever since Rookie Move, and Sarina just keeps delivering a stories that justifies and reinforces that very fact. These hockey players and their ladies undoubtedly melt and steal my heart with their stories. I don’t know what it is but they always strike me deep.
Overnight Sensation is definitely all things sexy, quirky and delicious, but Sarina Bowen’s brand of signature emotional twists and a tinge of the forbidden that kept me constantly on edge and give me every feel. If you love a good hockey romance, I highly recommend this incredible series. You absolutely need this series in your life!
If there was ever any doubt whether I would ever get enough of Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers, I’d have to say the answer is unequivocally no. Just. No. Not ever. Keep ’em coming. But also excuse me for a minute because I’m having…a thing with Jason Castro right now.
Good gravy but he’s delicious. He’s everything I hoped he would be, but also with this sort of unexpected depth that I never really saw coming. He’s all kinds of flirty banter, devilish charm, and scorching hot dirty mouth. But he’s also unexpectedly tender and insecure. There are layers here, and I completely lost myself in every one of them. I couldn’t get enough!
Heidi Jo was equally unexpected. She’s quirky in a way that did take some getting used to, but once I got a feel for her personality, I adored her the way every other person who came into her orbit seemed to. She’s a little bit off-beat, but charming nonetheless and her chemistry with Castro was 100% on point. I adored them together, and loved how their personalities complemented each other.
On top of the sizzling and adorable relationship between Heidi Jo and Castro, I reveled in the way Heidi Jo wrangled the rest of the hockey team and, of course, one of my favorite parts of any sports romance is the bromantic secondary storyline. Silas was a bit of an occasional scene-stealer here, and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Bowen has in store for him!
All in all? A completely compelling, emotionally satisfying, sexy, sassy, fun story! Keep ’em coming and I’ll keep showing up first in line with my grabby hands out of control!
3.5-3.75 stars. This was a pretty good book. Overnight Sensation is Jason and Heidi’s story. Jason is a pro hockey player for the Brooklyn Bruisers. Heidi is an intern for the team, but unbeknownst to Jason, she also the hockey commissioners daughter. She is trying to break free from her family and find her own place, quitting college and moving out on her own. The two have been attracted to each other and they almost hookup, but then Jason finds out who her father is and decides he can’t go there. He is not a relationship guy and doesn’t want to go there with Heidi. But she wants Jason and pursues him. They become friends, which leads to more, and they fall in love.
I liked the story and the book in general. I liked Heidi and Jason. I didn’t love that she was the main pursuer in the relationship, but I did like her pluckiness, hard work and positive attitude. I understood why Jason was the way he was, because of his past ( (view spoiler) ), but I felt a little frustrated with him for pushing Heidi away and not realizing how great she was. Once he got his head out, I did feel like the conflict wrapped up a little too close to the end and a little too easily. I didn’t feel they were 100% completely in love yet by the end. Still, I was entertained by this book and it kept my attention. I was happy that Jason and Heidi found each other, fell in love and got their HEA.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, even if it was a “like it” and not a “love it”. I really enjoy this series as well as everything Ms. Bowen writes. I look forward to more from her in the future!
It’s not a secret that I’m a Sarina Bowen superfan, and while there are many reasons for that, at the top of the list is that she is simply a complete and total master at her craft. Bowen is at the top of her game, and she keeps getting better. Overnight Sensation is merely just the latest in her list of masterpieces.
Jason is quick with a joke, and everyone’s friend. But under the surface, there is crippling pain and despair. My heart wanted to give Jason a big hug and tell him it would be okay, but my brain wanted to give him a smack or two. He just needed the right girl to come along. Heidi matches Jason in outward charm and cheer, but she doesn’t carry his dark past. What she is is a loyal friend, a hard worker, and a girl just trying to make her way. Heidi is a force! She proved she could handle any challenge thrown her way, including a man holding on to his past. A highlight of Bowen’s writing and there are many, is that she never fails to give us a confident, self-reliant heroine. These are precisely the kind of woman I want to read about in my romance novels.
Overnight Sensation was more than just a story about the hockey player with a penchant for one night stands, and the girl who makes him want to be worthy of her. It was deeply emotional and moving. I can’t remember the last time I both cursed at and cheered for a character on the same page. Honestly, I wish I stopped and took notes as I was reading about what I loved most about it so that I could shout it from the rooftops, but I was just so vested in their outcome, that I just lost myself in the pages. The storytelling was smooth and flawless, and I truly loved every single moment of this book.
In general I enjoy sports romance, and I favor hockey romance the most. One of my favorite hockey romance authors is Sarina Bowen. The Brooklyn Bruisers is a fun hockey romance series, and Sarina Bowen’s latest, Overnight Sensation, is so much fun! There is hockey, there are hot hockey players, and there are wonderfully strong women characters! Jason Castro is definitely a hot alpha hockey player, and a player in general! Actually, he’s a nice guy who doesn’t want a relationship. Heidi, is a determined young woman, working in the Bruisers organization to try to prove her worth to her father. Jason sees Heidi as just another intern – but an attractive, funny young woman. They’ve gotten to know each somewhat, and are definitely attracted to each other. Now the story gets interesting, as we learn more about Jason and Heidi, and they get to know each other MUCH better. As we enjoy the story, we also get to enjoy the hockey (a win-win for us).
I love that Heidi is a such a strong, determined young woman, even though she has some issues and some growing to do (don’t we all). Jason also brings his complications to deal with (thus the story), but I like that he’s a nice guy. A strong cast of supporting characters, many of whom we already know well, adds to the story. I’m hoping to see more of these characters in future books, especially Silas – he has so much potential as the lead in his own story!
I highly recommend this book.