Another entertaining romance by Clare Lydon
I’ve listened to Clare Lydon talking about this book in the podcast Lesbians Who Write which she co-hosts with TB Markinson. Since then, I was intrigued by this novel. Sports is one of the favourite tropes for Sapphic readers and with the Women’s Soccer (Football in the UK) World Cup 2023 approaching soon, what a better time than now to read a Sapphic romance set in the world of soccer?
Sloane Patterson is a US soccer star who is transferred to the UK to help her new team, Salchester Rovers, to win the league and the FA Cup. Ella Carmichael is the team’s new performance and lifestyle coach. As Sloane goes through difficult times, she connects with Ella in ways she wasn’t expecting…
Hotshot is another entertaining romance by Clare Lydon. Both main characters are well-written and together they have great chemistry. As Sloane is American and Ella is British, the cultural differences play an important role and those differences are highlighted really well. I liked how the author added a family storyline for both leads which allowed for character growth.
Sometimes in sports romances, the sport itself is just in the background but in Hotshot, it’s as important as the rest of the story. There are some very exciting soccer “action” scenes and I was able to get the mental image as they are described photographically. Having said that, there’s no need to be a soccer fan or to have much knowledge of the sport to enjoy those parts. The balance between romance, characters’ backstories, and sports scenes is perfect.
My only criticism is that the 80% mark conflict was relatively easy to predict and felt like a car crash about to happen. However, I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope so take this with a pinch of salt.
If you are looking for an entertaining sports romance low in angst and high in chemistry, this one is for you. 4 stars.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
