The 2024 Olympics kick off in Paris on Friday, July 26, and sports content is on everyone's minds. If you want to immerse yourself further in the world of competitive sports, check out a sports romance, perfect for indulging fantasies of the goings-on in Olympic Village!
As a recent convert to the joys of women's basketball, I can't wait to cheer on the Seattle Storm players competing in Paris for Team Australia. Anita Kelly's How You Get the Girl takes on Nashville high school basketball, as coach Julie Parker finds herself face-to-face with her teen idol, college legend and former WNBA player Elle Cochrane. But Elle's not there to hit the court; she's recently become the foster parent to her niece, a new player on Julie's team. Elle hasn't touched the sport since an injury ended her career, but between her care for her niece and the growing chemistry with Julie, she just might be convinced to come on as assistant coach. This slow-burn romance has great emotional depth as Julie and Elle figure out how to care for each other and themselves, and features the lovable protagonists from Kelly's earlier books, though it works as a standalone as well.
Although baseball won't get a showing in this year's Olympic games, it will return in 2028! For a baseball romance set in the Pacific Northwest, The Prospects by KT Hoffman is a delight, highlighting the heart of minor league baseball. Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans and openly gay player, representing the Beaverton Beavers and hoping to someday make it to the big leagues: the Portland Lumberjacks. When his college teammate, hotshot Luis Estrada, gets traded to the Beavers, Gene gets moved from shortstop and iced out by Luis. Can the two learn to play together, make the playoffs (or the big leagues), and maybe even find love? The supporting cast of lovable teammates, frank discussions of transphobia, homophobia, and racism in sports, caring depictions of mental illness, and friends-to-enemies-to lovers hit this one out of the park!
If you want an actual Olympics setting, Rufaro Faith Mazarura has you covered! Her debut romantic comedy Let the Games Begin chronicles the romance between Olivia Nkomo, intern for the 2024 Summer Games in Athens (we won't tell Paris they got booted in this fictional universe), and Zeke Moyo, Britain's track star and all-around heartthrob. Zeke recently had a very public breakup with another Olympian, and as he and Olivia keep running into each other, they can't deny the instant attraction between them. In this high-pressure setting, Zeke and Olivia have to decide if they can succeed both in their careers and in love.
- posted by Jane S.
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