Rookie Season by Katie Bailey & Leah Brunner: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

He’s starting his rookie season in the NHL…

Noah Downsby has always had one goal: play professional hockey. Now that he’s finally made it, he’s determined to prove himself. And if he’s going to have the best rookie season in NHL history, he needs zero distractions.

But Noah didn’t plan for Allegra—Ally—Callahan moving in with him.

With her sassy smile, smart mouth, and bad habit of ‘borrowing’ his jerseys—nevermind her stupid cat who won’t stop sleeping in his bed—one thing’s for certain:

Ally is officially a distraction.

…She’s moving across the country to start over.

The rumors say she’s a bad girl, but they’re all lies. Lies that have ruined her reputation.

So when Ally’s offered a fresh start in San Francisco, she packs up her life and brings her baggage out west—emotional and otherwise.

Living in a swanky loft with three NHL players is a world away from college dorms, but at least two of her new roommates treat her like one of the guys.

And then there’s Noah.The grump whose broody glances turn her blood hot. Who makes her feel both safe and sexy…when he’s not icing her out.

As things between Noah and Ally heat up, their walls come down. And suddenly, there’s a whole lot more than his rookie season on the line…

This is a new adult hockey romance with moderate language and frequent innuendo and references to sex. Though the romance is fade to black, there are some heavier themes of a character emotionally healing from a sexual assault (past, off page) that are discussed at length throughout the book. If you are sensitive to these subjects, please use this content warning to make an informed decision before reading this book.

The Authors

Leah Brunner is an Amazon top 25 best selling author who writes romance filled with explosive chemistry and relatable, flawed characters. She loves writing character driven stories that will tug at your heart strings and also make you smile. 

When she's not writing, she can be found spoiling her Maine Coon cats, or watching The Office with her kids. 

Although she's a Midwestern girl at heart, Leah is a proud Air Force spouse and has moved all over the United States with her husband and three children.

You can find Leah on Instagram @leah.brunner.writes

Or join her Facebook reader group: Leah's Lit Lovers

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Katie Bailey is an Amazon top 25 bestselling author of rom coms with relatable characters and tons of chemistry. Her aim with every new love story she writes is to give readers a good laugh, maybe even a bit of a cry, but definitely leave them with a new book boyfriend.

When she’s not busy writing, Katie spends her time chasing twin tornado littles, cursing the cold Canadian winters she endures each year, chugging coffee by the bucketload, and crushing on her husband, who’s the real life inspiration behind all of the fictional men she’s written.

You can connect with Katie on Instagram @authorkatiebailey

Book Review

Leah Brunner and Katie Bailey are both authors that I absolutely adore... so when I saw that they were writing a book/series together!? Needless to say, I was excited! When I learned that it featured two characters whom we'd previously met as children in their previous series? (Noah in Leah's Desire or Defense and Allegra (Legs) in Katie's I Think He Knows.) It only increased my anticipation! And I am happy to say, their story absolutely did not disappoint. As mentioned in both the blurb AND author's note, this story doesn't shy away from the tough topics and there are mentions of a past sexual assault throughout (not graphic), and as such, may not be for all readers... but I did think the topic was handled with grace. Did all of the characters handle it perfectly at all times? Not always, but I think there's something very real about that too. Despite that heavier subject matter, their story blended those more emotional moments with those that had me laughing out loud as well, keeping it from feeling too heavy. I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two... it was just flying off the pages! And the banter between all of these roommates? I couldn't get enough of it. There was definitely a sense of found family/brotherhood there that I find myself looking forward to seeing more of as the series goes on. This book truly was everything I'd hoped for with this collab... and more! I loved it and cannot wait for the next book! 

Rookie Season is a fade to black romance with implied intimacy and frequent references to sex/innuendo throughout and fade to black within marriage. Leah and Katie both tend to have a little more language and innuendo (compared to other closed-door authors), and this one definitely felt like it was even heavier for them on both fronts with frequent mild/moderate language. While there were no f-words, the characters have a running tradition of replacing it with 'puck' and that substitution IS used many times as well. This one definitely leans towards a heavier PG-13 vibe. This is the first book in a new series but again is connected to those previous books by both authors. That said, while it was fun to see these characters all grown up (and to see some other familiar characters make appearances as well), this can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone if you've never read the previous books/series. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4ln1kd9