Bidding on Brooks by Katy Regnery
(The Winslow Brothers #1)
May 11, 2014
190 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
Contains: strong language, sex
Source: eARC for Honest review
(Except Preston. He's been down that road before and still has the scars to prove it. And maybe Cameron, because he's super hot, but too hot-headed to be decent boyfriend material...)
Railroaded into a bachelor auction by his sister, Jessica, Brooks Winslow asks his friend, Skye Sorenson, to bid on him to avoid the possibility of any romantic entanglements. Fiercely competitive and protective of those he cares for, Brooks was profoundly affected by the loss of his father at an early age. A witness to his mother’s terrible loneliness and his siblings’ grief, the ex-Olympian has never allowed himself to fall in love.
Skye Sorenson, the plucky mechanic at Sorenson Marina, where Brooks moors his three sailboats, is a credible sailor in her own right…and has quietly lusted after Brooks for years. But her longstanding friendship with Brooks has always made romance seem impossible.
When Skye agrees to bid on Brooks, the two cast off for a weeklong ocean adventure on Brooks’ sailboat, The Zephyr, where the last thing Skye expects to lose is her heart.
Return to the world created in the English Brothers books with this fresh foursome of scorching hot Winslow Brothers!
Bidding on Brooks is a great start to a new series by Katy Regnery. I loved all the English Brothers books, and looked forward to this new spin-off. I'm happy to report it stays true to Katy's wonderful writing, yet is another fresh, creative story. You do not need to read the other series before diving into this one. It's a standalone, but may inspire you to check out the others.
Brooks: I find myself fluctuating between frustrated/disappointed with and feeling sorry/sympathy for pre-Skye Brooks. For a 35 year old, it was a bit pathetic to see where his life was. Sure, he had his love for sailing and all, but his personal choices were so shallow. I was surprised that it took me longer to warm up to Brooks than it did for Alex English. And Alex was a hard sell for me. Katy plunged into some interesting territory with Brooks' past and recent present. But then Regnery waved her magic wand, and made me see through to Brooks' lonely heart and self-imposed isolation, and was somehow able to portray his many dimensions and reasonings with a compassionate heart. I was able to truly feel for the guy and his loneliness and conflict over protecting others should he die like his dad. And I loved how his love for Skye forced him to see life in a new light.
Skye: Oh dear, sweet, low-expectations Skye. This girl, on the surface, is an awesome boat mechanic extraordinaire. But under the grease and ballcap is a girl who has never been seen beyond the surface and has become accustomed to taking the minimum. Case-in-point: her loser boyfriend Pat. Even the legally blind could see this guy's douchery. And this made Skye her own level of frustration to read about as well. Settling for mediocre scraps, Skye needed a self-esteem boost, and to see that someone could love her for all of her. And that someone appeared to be a certain oblivious-turned-aware sailor. But even as new opportunity presented itself, Skye was somehow able to balance staying true to herself, yet being bold enough to go after what she realized she wants, and I loved that.
Story: Brooks and Skye were very unique characters, giving me all kinds of food for thought as their story progressed. And their story was full of fun and tenderness, excitement and romance, and a bit of controversy as well. But I loved that their relationship was founded on a friendship full of respect. Then watching their relationship deepen as they spent more time together felt very authentic. Also, for someone with limited sailing experience, I also had a great time sailing along with Brooks and Skye. There were lots of technical terms, but I found them entirely engaging and not distracting.
Overall: In all things Katy writes, she always knows the way to weave a beautiful, touching story, where hurts are healed, and faith and forgiveness are reaffirmed. Bidding on Brooks was a thoughtful, compassionate, sweet, exciting, romantic friends-to-lovers story, set on the seas of love. I was left with a happy heart, especially after the epilogue with all the feels. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
*The Winslow Brothers books are a companion series to the English Brothers books, but all can be read as standalones. All books in The Winslow Brothers series are approximately 200 pages. The RWA classifies this as "Mid-length Contemporary Romance."
THE WINSLOW BROTHERS
Bidding on Brooks, The Winslow Brothers, Book #1
(available 5.11.15)
Proposing to Preston, The Winslow Brothers, Book #2
(available 7.7.15)
Crazy about Cameron, The Winslow Brothers, Book #3
(available 9.3.15)
Campaigning for Christopher, The Winslow Brothers, Book #4
(available 11.13.15)
*All books in The English Brothers series are approximately 200 pages. The RWA classifies this as "Mid-length Contemporary Romance."
THE ENGLISH BROTHERS
Breaking Up with Barrett, The English Brothers, Book #1
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Falling for Fitz, The English Brothers, Book #2
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Anyone but Alex, The English Brothers, Book #3
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Seduced by Stratton, The English Brothers, Book #4
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Wild about Weston, The English Brothers, Book #5
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Kiss Me Kate, The English Brothers, Book #6
My Review ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads
Brooks: I find myself fluctuating between frustrated/disappointed with and feeling sorry/sympathy for pre-Skye Brooks. For a 35 year old, it was a bit pathetic to see where his life was. Sure, he had his love for sailing and all, but his personal choices were so shallow. I was surprised that it took me longer to warm up to Brooks than it did for Alex English. And Alex was a hard sell for me. Katy plunged into some interesting territory with Brooks' past and recent present. But then Regnery waved her magic wand, and made me see through to Brooks' lonely heart and self-imposed isolation, and was somehow able to portray his many dimensions and reasonings with a compassionate heart. I was able to truly feel for the guy and his loneliness and conflict over protecting others should he die like his dad. And I loved how his love for Skye forced him to see life in a new light.
Skye: Oh dear, sweet, low-expectations Skye. This girl, on the surface, is an awesome boat mechanic extraordinaire. But under the grease and ballcap is a girl who has never been seen beyond the surface and has become accustomed to taking the minimum. Case-in-point: her loser boyfriend Pat. Even the legally blind could see this guy's douchery. And this made Skye her own level of frustration to read about as well. Settling for mediocre scraps, Skye needed a self-esteem boost, and to see that someone could love her for all of her. And that someone appeared to be a certain oblivious-turned-aware sailor. But even as new opportunity presented itself, Skye was somehow able to balance staying true to herself, yet being bold enough to go after what she realized she wants, and I loved that.
Story: Brooks and Skye were very unique characters, giving me all kinds of food for thought as their story progressed. And their story was full of fun and tenderness, excitement and romance, and a bit of controversy as well. But I loved that their relationship was founded on a friendship full of respect. Then watching their relationship deepen as they spent more time together felt very authentic. Also, for someone with limited sailing experience, I also had a great time sailing along with Brooks and Skye. There were lots of technical terms, but I found them entirely engaging and not distracting.
Overall: In all things Katy writes, she always knows the way to weave a beautiful, touching story, where hurts are healed, and faith and forgiveness are reaffirmed. Bidding on Brooks was a thoughtful, compassionate, sweet, exciting, romantic friends-to-lovers story, set on the seas of love. I was left with a happy heart, especially after the epilogue with all the feels. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
4 to 4.5 Stars
About The Winslow Brothers series:
*The Winslow Brothers books are a companion series to the English Brothers books, but all can be read as standalones. All books in The Winslow Brothers series are approximately 200 pages. The RWA classifies this as "Mid-length Contemporary Romance."
THE WINSLOW BROTHERS
Bidding on Brooks, The Winslow Brothers, Book #1
(available 5.11.15)
Proposing to Preston, The Winslow Brothers, Book #2
(available 7.7.15)
Crazy about Cameron, The Winslow Brothers, Book #3
(available 9.3.15)
Campaigning for Christopher, The Winslow Brothers, Book #4
(available 11.13.15)
About The English Brothers series:
*All books in The English Brothers series are approximately 200 pages. The RWA classifies this as "Mid-length Contemporary Romance."
THE ENGLISH BROTHERS
Breaking Up with Barrett, The English Brothers, Book #1
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Falling for Fitz, The English Brothers, Book #2
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Anyone but Alex, The English Brothers, Book #3
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Seduced by Stratton, The English Brothers, Book #4
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Wild about Weston, The English Brothers, Book #5
My Review -- Amazon -- Goodreads
Kiss Me Kate, The English Brothers, Book #6
My Review ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads
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