The Ivy Years
romance
Series · romance
Brooklyn Bruisers
The Brooklyn Bruisers series by Sarina Bowen has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Rookie Move (2016).
- Books
- 3 books
- First published
- 2016
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Rookie Move (2016) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Rookie Move
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rookie Move - Book 2:
Hard Hitter
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hard Hitter - Book 3:
Pipe Dreams
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Pipe Dreams
About the Brooklyn Bruisers series
The Brooklyn Bruisers is Sarina Bowen's original trilogy about a fictional NHL expansion team finding its footing on and off the ice. Rookie Move pairs a green rookie with the general manager's daughter — his ex, and the one person he's contractually not supposed to get involved with again — for a workplace-adjacent, second-chance romance under real career pressure. Hard Hitter and Pipe Dreams stay with the same team through one season, following the Bruisers' captain and goalie into their own high-stakes, sports-world love stories. Bowen writes hockey with genuine insider texture (grueling travel schedules, front-office politics, the specific loneliness of professional athletes) alongside the swoony, committed-hero romance she's known for.
This origin trilogy plays out over a single season and sets up the team, city and front-office cast that Bowen would return to and expand in the later, longer-running Brooklyn Hockey series (Brooklynaire onward). Read as a self-contained set, Brooklyn Bruisers is for readers who want professional (not college) sports romance: real stakes for grown adults with careers, second-chance and workplace-proximity tropes, and a found-family locker room that makes every book feel connected.
How to read this series
Read Rookie Move, Hard Hitter, then Pipe Dreams in publication order — they're set across one season for the same NHL team, with the earlier couples appearing in supporting roles as the trilogy goes on. Each book is a complete romance and can be read alone, but going in order lets the season and front-office plotlines build properly. If you enjoy this trilogy and want more of the same team, Bowen continues the world (new couples, new seasons) in her separate, longer Brooklyn Hockey series starting with Brooklynaire — that's a related continuation, not part of this three-book set.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Brooklyn Bruisers series?
Three: Rookie Move, Hard Hitter, and Pipe Dreams.
What order should I read the Brooklyn Bruisers books in?
Publication order: Rookie Move, Hard Hitter, Pipe Dreams. They cover one hockey season for the same team, with earlier couples reappearing in later books.
Is Brooklyn Bruisers the same as Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Hockey series?
They're related but distinct: Brooklyn Bruisers (this three-book set) is the original trilogy, while Brooklyn Hockey (starting with Brooklynaire) is a separate, longer continuation with the same team in later seasons.
Do I need to read the Ivy Years before Brooklyn Bruisers?
No. A couple of Ivy Years characters appear in supporting roles here, but Brooklyn Bruisers reads perfectly well without any prior Sarina Bowen books.
Is Brooklyn Bruisers finished?
Yes, this trilogy is complete at three books. Bowen has continued the same hockey world in the separate Brooklyn Hockey series.
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Reading order last verified .