Review: Rookie Season by Katie Bailey, Leah Brunner

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

 

About 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

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.

My Review

I am so gone for hockey romances! This book takes young characters from each of the authors' previous books and gives them their own story, connecting two separate series. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but it's fun for readers who know the background. I love the grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity/roommate tropes which Ally and Noah breathed new life into. Their chemistry is strong and their banter is entertaining, and when he warms up to her (and her cat) they become even more adorable. I appreciated that Noah wasn't a player like his two roommates (who were hilarious), and that he and Ally both recognized they found something special in each other. The issues they deal with bring a level of depth to the story, but I didn't necessarily agree with how the sexual assault was handled- it had rom-com movie vibes rather than demonstrating a more healthy and less entertaining method of resolution, which I think does a disservice to readers who may very well deal with the same issue as Ally. I have a hard time when characters or people in real life don't report assault, leaving the perpetrator with no consequences to the action, and enabled to continue the predatory behavior. I'm very aware that there are psychological influences involved in these tough situations, but women need to be empowered rather than modeling the path of least resistance. Even with a first hand witness and physical evidence, Ally doesn't fight back and the resolution in the end celebrates a show of violence as a temporary victory rather than any real penalty since the misdeeds are left in the dark. 

 

I'm glad the authors included a content warning in the description and beginning of the book, as the profanity was much more frequent than their previous books. It made the characters seem immature, overcompensating, or trying too hard to be edgy. I don't mind a smattering, but it was overkill. The F-word was used in a humorous way by the hockey players subbing the word puck, which was cheesy and also way overused. I'm happy to report that the only fade-to-black intimacy was between a married couple.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.