This novel had me completely captivated from the beginning. I stayed up way too late telling myself, “Just one more chapter” and then had to keep going to find out what would happen next.

It was so gratifying to see characters from the D.C. Eagles Hockey series I love!! And seeing Noah all grown up did not disappoint!! I haven’t read any other Katie Bailey books, but after this one, I definitely want to!!

The romance was SO good. The tension was palpable and the transition from a bad first impression to tentative friends to more was perfectly paced.

I loved the pairing of a hockey player and a dancer and their shared passion for their craft. Noah and Allegra understood each other on multiple levels and their eventual willingness to let the other person in was beautiful to witness.

The roommate relationships were so adorable and sweet and I loved the dynamics between three professional hockey players and Allegra. I really hope Fisher and Penn get their own books because I need more of them!!

I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from these amazing authors!!!

Content warnings: There is a note at the beginning of the book detailing all you need to know.

(I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Wow, oh wow, I am absolutely in love with Ally and Noah. They are so precious.

Ally has made the cross-country trip to San Francisco, leaving behind a traumatic incident and trying to pick up the pieces of her life. She ends up rooming with three rookie hockey players: Noah, Fisher, and Penn. I loved their dynamic, the guys were so protective of Ally. The entire group was hilarious and full of mischief. Fisher is already my favorite, and I can not wait for his story.

Noah is just starting his rookie season in the NHL. His only focus — as he loves to remind himself incessantly — is hockey. So this little crush on Ally has to go, right? But nope, this dude falls first and falls hard. I really loved the way he treated her so tenderly and how protective he was. The way he supports her is just perfection. Even though Noah also has his own struggles and doubts, I love that it doesn't stop him — it pushes him forward.

Ally and Noah together were just explosive. Their chemistry, tension, and flirty banter were 10/10. Their sweet moments had me borderline crying. This 100% has my heart, and I highly recommend it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Leah Brunner, and Katie Bailey for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

🔥Heat level: Steamy kisses, Fade-to-black in epilogue.
🫢Language: Moderate frequent language

This is the book of the year. Fantastic. Every second I read this book my love for the characters, the plot, and the love grew. Leah Brunner and Katie Bailey know how to make a character that has a deep backstory but it makes you admire the character so much. This book was everything I needed and needs to be your next read!!

I have been so excited to read this book from Katie Bailey and Leah Bruner!
Noah and Allegra’s story was a beautiful one!

Noah is a new rookie hockey player, and being that his brother in law is his coach, he is accused of being a Nepo Baby. Noah is determined to work even harder to prove himself and not allow any distractions. Needing a safe place to stay, Allegra ends up turning to a college friend for help. Her friend just happens to own the building where Noah is also living. Enter his distraction. :)

Noah and Allegra's first meeting starts with a misunderstanding and they have a bad start, but eventually these two talk and start to soften towards each other. Both Noah and Allegra have been through hard, terrible things in the past. They are healing but still working through trauma and grief. They find safety in each other and share things they haven’t told anyone else. The things they are dealing with are deep and heavy, but were handled so well by the authors. I love how Allegra started to feel alive again with Noah and returned to her passion of dance. Noah’s arc was so well done and so relatable to me. His thoughts and fears are so realistic.

The romantic tension in this book was top notch. There was so much heat but nothing explicit or detailed. Noah and Allegra's first kiss was something else. Wow!
I loved the fun moments in this one too, like the Halloween costume party and Fisher. He was such a great friend and protective roommate. You should definitely add this book to your fall reading list! It’s so good!

Content Awareness - sexual abuse in the past, loss of parents in the past, lusting, innuendos, and some swear words. The book still remains clean and there is a nice detailed content warning from the authors at the beginning.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you Netgalley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 stars

This book was a cute and easy read. I will never say no to a hockey romance, because hockey boys! I liked the meet cute between the two characters and thought the relationship was sweet.

I liked how the author covered some heavier topics while still keeping the book light hearted and happy.

Interconnected stand alone romances are my favourite and I loved the foreshadowing for a next book!

📖Book Vibes & Views📖

Rookie Season by Katie Bailey & Leah Brunner

Happy Release Day!

This book is so sweet and had so many great nods to New Girl. As one of my favorite comfort shows, I appreciated the grumpy/sunshine focus of the MCs, the sticker chart, and the lovable cat of the loft.

Allegra and Noah were adorable. I loved Legs in So That Happened, and getting to read her story as an adult didn’t disappoint. I could see young Legs in her current character, and I’m glad she continued to dance as she got older! Noah was so kind and he really cared about people he loved. He got to pour that into helping Ally, and their connection felt like it grew at a steady pace and the pay off was nice! At times, Noah’s background of never opening up to Penn didn’t feel fleshed out enough, as I think I got a better sense of who Fisher was rather than Penn in the story. Understanding Noah & Penn’s former dynamic from college would’ve made this storyline more clear.

I loved Fisher as a side character. The Speedo hot tub scene was one of my faves in the book. I’m definitely looking forward to the girl who gets him.

The book is fade-to-black with strong language and innuendo.
CW: past attempted SA of FMC, parental death

Overall, a great read!

Thanks for LBP LLC & Eleventh Avenue Publishing Inc. & NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own!

I'm excited for more books in this series because I really like this one. I thought the book did a great job of balancing emotional topics with hilarious parts. It was wonderful to watch Noah and Allegra become more open with one another and quietly allow one another to grow, heal, and accept what comes next. Allegra was my favorite character—she was strong, resilient, and dealt with pain in a true and moving way. I admired how their relationship developed gradually, allowing time for friendship and trust before anything else. Noah was the ideal protector. I adored the friendships that developed between everyone, and the housemates were bringing New Girl energy.

Oh my god I absolutely LOVED this read I demolished it within about 5 and a half hours it had my hooked from the start and my giggling to myself all the way through the friends group they created I fricking lived it can’t get over them and god I love Noah and ally they are so fricking cute together

I loved this book so much!! Noah completely stole my heart—he’s the perfect mix of grumpy, broody, and secretly soft, and watching him slowly let Ally in was just everything. The chemistry between them was so good, but what really got me was how safe and seen Ally felt with him. Their banter, the tension, the quiet moments… it all just worked.
I adored Ally too—she was strong and funny, but also vulnerable in a way that made me root for her every step of the way. Her “fresh start” journey had me hooked, and I loved how she and Noah brought out the best in each other. Plus, her cat totally deserves its own spin-off, because the way it kept choosing Noah cracked me up.
And honestly? I loved that this story proved you don’t need smut to make a romance amazing. The emotional depth, the slow build, the tenderness—it was all so beautifully done.

Honestly this book is so cute and cosy obviously some hard topics are brought up but the whole vibe of the book is just so cute and cosy and I loved every single second of it I didn't want to put it down it was that good.

3.5 stars

Overall, impressed with what it claimed to be. This is a new adult, light spice, hockey romance that follow Allegra and Noah who are kids from these author's previous books. I have read both books these characters were in, which is why I was interested in this.

It was super easy to read and the writing flowed like there wasn't two authors writing it.
Both Ally and Noah had distinct voices in their POVs.

I reeeeeally liked the two other roommates! Fisher and Penn. I bet their books will be coming next. Penn's romance was teased a bit.

Their was good depth included for both Ally and Noah. They had trauma from their past that had to be dealt with. Therapy was normalized and described a bit on page, which I really liked.

The cameos of their parents from the respective books they are from was super fun!

Some considerations I would give to readers: there is mild language and many uses of "puck" to replace the F-word. It didn't bother me, but others have mentioned it.

The innuendo is pretty heavy. The dialogue gets heated and the kissing is steamy. If you don't like reading references to sex, this won't be for you. For what it was, it didn't fully bother me because I knew what I was getting into. I don't fault the book for that.

I'd read another book in this series as long as it doesn't go past the line this one set in terms of language and innuendo.

I liked her cat, Harry Styles the Third.

Tropes & Triggers: heated kissing, some language, no f-words, innuendo in almost every chapter, roommates, forced proximity, hockey romance, mention of sexual assault, protective and possessive guy, share a bed, a cat

Rookie Season by Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner is the first book in their new Hockey Boys of Loft 3B series. This is the first collaboration between these two closed-door romcom authors, and the main characters are side characters from their previous individual books. This is a New Adult story, with a little more language and sexual references than their previous works, but still closed-door.

Noah Downsby was introduced in Desire or Defense, Leah Brunner’s first book in her DC Eagles Hockey series. Noah was Andie Downsby’s 11-year-old brother who she was raising after the death of their parents in a car accident. Mitch “The Machine” Anderson was an angry, grouchy defenseman on the DC Eagles NHL team who was suspended for fighting, ordered to go to counseling, and voluntold to be a youth hockey coach. Mitch and Andie fell in love, married, and are raising three daughters in addition to Noah.

Allegra Callahan was introduced in Katie Bailey’s I Think He Knows as Lana Mae’s spitfire daughter, affectionately called “Legs”. Lana Mae became best friends with Carter Callahan when he was a college freshman and continued as she became a single mother while a senior in high school and he became a major movie star. He married Lana Mae due to a public relations disaster when Legs was 11 years old and adopted her.

22-year-old Noah Downsby has worked hard his entire life to achieve his goal of playing professional hockey. He was the Team Captain on his Arlington University team, playing alongside his best friend, Penn Matthews. Now he and Penn have just been hired for their rookie seasons on the San Francisco Lions NHL team. There’s some tension on the team because the new Head Coach is Noah’s brother-in-law, Mitch Anderson. His new Assistant Coach is Sebastian Slater, the hero in Season’s Schemings. The third rookie on the Lions is Archibald Fisher, a wealthy new graduate of South Georgia University. Fisher bought a nice 4-bedroom loft apartment and is renting rooms to the other rookies. Unfortunately, the fourth rookie, Ivan, was injured before arriving and is now out for the season.

Since he has a bedroom available, Fisher offered it to a younger college friend, Allegra Callahan. Allegra was a dance major until an unfortunate incident occurred at the beginning of her junior year, causing her to drop out. So she takes him up on his offer, needing a change of scenery across the country and finding a job as a dance instructor to small children. Allegra shares a bathroom with Noah, while Penn and Fisher‘s rooms are on the other side of the apartment.

Noah meets Miss Ally when he picks up his 5-year-old niece, Paige, from dance class. Then he’s shocked when she walks in on him while he’s showering. Apparently, Fisher forgot to inform Penn and him that their new roommate is Allegra. Noah and Allegra immediately clash over her cat, who keeps getting in his bed. Then Ally starts borrowing his hockey jerseys. They are definitely attracted to each other, but he tries to ignore her so that he can be laser-focused on performing well during his rookie season. Ally is recovering from a fresh trauma and isn’t interested in any intimacy. So they have to figure out how to be around each other while dealing with their individual stressors. Rookie Season definitely has New Girl vibes with a hockey focus.

I couldn’t put Rookie Season down! The story is so engrossing, and the characters and situations are so realistic. While I had not read Katie Bailey’s hockey stories, I could easily relate to her characters. I’m very familiar with Leah Brunner’s characters and was glad to see them again. The writing is seamless throughout the book; there’s no indication that it was written by two authors. Rookie Season is a little grittier with slightly coarser language than their previous books. There are clear references to a past sexual assault, which may be triggering to some readers. However, the situations and circumstances are very realistic for college-age people. I’m eager to read Penn and Fisher’s stories next, even though I normally avoid New Adult romances.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and LBP LLC & Eleventh Avenue Publishing for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Well I read this in a day, so safe to say I really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I wanted from a hockey romance, with a fun premise, and some very sweet moments. Wow was I ever ready to shake Noah and tell him to just confess he liked her though!
The treatment of SA and Ally's shame around it as she tries to work through how she feels in her body felt well done for me. I do think if it is something that someone has gone through, then they should pay attention to the content warning at the front, as it was talked about a number of times. Also, thank you to the authors for including therapy for Noah!
I was surprised that this book wasn't spicy, so also if that is something you aren't a fan of, but you want to read a hockey romance, this could be a good fit. I will definitely be looking up other books by these authors.

3.5⭐️ The main reason I’m not rating this higher is because the on and off switch on Noah’s feelings for Allegra was too much for me in the beginning. He was really quick to defend Ally despite hardly knowing her, but then acted rudely to her face? Personally, I’m not a fan of that trope. I love good banter but not outright disrespect. That being said, I did enjoy the pace that their relationship developed, the tension, and honestly, I’m a sucker for a hockey romance. Once I got about 70-80 pages in I flew through the remainder of the book and ended up liking all of the main protagonists.

If you are looking for a great read that keeps you captivated, you should snag this. This book includes Allegra and Noah, who are both in books previously written by Leah and Katie. I love seeing the grown up versions of both of these characters. These authors joined together and their writing is seamless and not choppy. And I absolutely love the New Girl Vibes and the chemistry between them.

This is a new adult romance. So expect that. It does have more swearing in it than maybe previous books, but to me that didn’t detract from the story for me. It has innuendos as well, but everything is kept fade to black. Also you should read what the trigger warnings are.

That aside let me give you a little run down.

Allegra is a dancer who moves across the country to escape the rumors and memories of an SA. She wants to get away and start new. So she ends up moving in with a friend, who happens to be a rookie pro hockey player and his two other rookie roommates.

Noah is one of the roommates. He isn’t good with change and is the grumpy, stormy roommate who isn’t happy with Ally showing up. He’s ready to focus on his rookie season and doesn’t want any distractions. Ally is a distraction and so is her unbearable (to him) cat.

Their story of becoming each other's rock and support is so sweet to watch. Grumpy vs. sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. Seeing Noah get all protective and melting his hard exterior.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Rookie Season by Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner.

I absolutely loved this book from the very first page! As a huge fan of hockey romances, this story ticked all the boxes for me—it was fun, heartwarming, and had just the right mix of sports and swoon-worthy romance. The characters were so easy to love, and the chemistry between them kept me hooked all the way through.

This was such a fantastic start to what I’m sure will be a great series, and I honestly can’t wait for the next book to be released. If you’re a romance reader who loves a mix of hockey, humor, and heart, then this one should be at the top of your TBR!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5 Stars)

Rookie Season was such a swoony, feel-good read. Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner are a dream team, and I am already obsessed with the Loft 3B crew. If you love hockey romances, grumpy x sunshine tension, and the chaotic found-family vibes of New Girl, this book delivers it all.

Noah wants zero distractions during his rookie NHL season, but Allegra “Ally” Callahan and her mischievous cat Harry Styles II crash into his life and heart. Their banter was adorable, their slow-burn chemistry had me kicking my feet, and watching them help each other heal was tender and heartwarming.

I also loved the friendships. Fisher and Penn stole the show, and I cannot wait for their stories. This book had me laughing, swooning, and tearing up all in the best way.

✨ A sweet, charming, emotional hockey romance that feels like a warm hug. Definitely one of my new favorites.

Omgosh. Another great hockey book to add to the collection. Leah and Katie did an amazing job with this book. It was fun to be wrapped up in the DC Eagles and Donovon/Carter families again.
Noah is all grown and starting his hockey career in the NHL with Mitch as his head coach and Seb the assistant. How fun!!! Legs, Allegra was going to school for dance but moved across the country with a friend from college and his two hockey roommates.
The chemistry between Noah and Ally was perfect. The story line was great. They both helped each other deal with their past traumas and move forward from those hurts.
Can’t wait to see what roommate gets their story next. Because you just know it’s coming!!! 😉

I absolutely loved this collaboration between Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner. Rookie Season is just perfect! The nods to the series that Allegra and Noah came from were so cute and well done. This book can also be read as a standalone. I cannot wait to read the next book in this new series. Fans of Falon Ballard would like Rookie Season.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved Rookie Season! From the very first chapter, I was hooked on Noah and Ally’s story. Their chemistry is so natural and fun, with banter that had me grinning the whole way through. I also loved the found-family feel of the hockey guys in the loft—it added so much warmth and charm to the story.

What makes this book stand out is how it balances humor and sweetness with just enough emotion to make the romance feel real and meaningful. Noah’s focus and Ally’s sass are the perfect match, and watching their relationship grow had me completely invested.

It’s the kind of book that leaves you smiling long after you finish, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!