Rival Season by Leah Brunner & Katie Bailey: Book Review

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

The Book

He's trying to outrun his past...

Penn Matthews is living beyond his wildest dreams. He's made it to the NHL, shares a swanky loft with his teammates, and best of all, he's able to support his little sister. Life is good, and his rocky past is finally behind him.

Until Hazel Palmer shows up at his door.

His downstairs neighbor is as feisty as she is gorgeous, and the type of woman he'd be very interested in--if he hadn't sworn off falling in love years ago. But when Penn finds out Hazel just got her heart broken by his longtime rival, he steps in to help.

...She wants revenge on her cheating ex

Hazel should be writing her dissertation, but it's difficult to focus while dealing with betrayal, a breakup, and the constant distractions from her rowdy upstairs neighbor.

At first, she's convinced the tattooed hockey player in 3B is just another idiot playboy, but when Penn comes to her defense one night, the feuding neighbors realize they share a common enemy--and decide to get payback.

The plan is simple: fake date to make her ex jealous, and get the jerk out of both their lives for good.

But when fake kisses turn into real connection and Penn's past threatens to catch up to him, what started out as sweet revenge soon escalates to risking everything...

This is a new adult hockey romance with moderate language, frequent innuendo, and references to sex. Though the romance is fade to black, there are themes of a character being cheated on, and a character abandoned by his parents. If you are sensitive to these subjects, please use this content warning to make an informed decision before reading this book.

The Author

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

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 make you smile. 

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

Although she's a Midwestern girl at heart, Leah 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

Book Review

Individually, Leah Brunner and Katie Bailey are authors whose books I always love... put them together? Even better! Once again, these two knocked it out of the park (or whatever the hockey equivalent of that would be) with this one. All the banter. All the chemistry. All the swoon. Penn and Hazel had a really fun dynamic between them. I loved the back and forth at the start of the story. Despite them not initially getting along, I loved how he stepped in to help her out with her horrible ex (seriously, he's the absolute worst!)... insert a fake dating plan! I loved watching their chemistry grow as they spent more time together... right along with that protectiveness. Both of these characters were layered and had some complicated family relationships, adding a lot of depth and emotion to their story. There was a lot to love about this one, and I certainly did just that. 

Rival Season is a fade to black romance. There is just one minimally detailed fade to black scene, but there are some more detailed kisses, frequent innuendo and mentions of sex as well as mild/moderate language. It is the second book in the Hockey Boys of Loft 3B series. While you will see some familiar characters, I do think this could be enjoyed as a standalone as well. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4296br0