The Striker
by Ana Huang
A sports romance that delves into the forced proximity between a star athlete and his unexpected teammate, leading to unforeseen chemistry.
Tropes & Themes
About This Book
In "The Striker," Ana Huang crafts a compelling sports romance that intertwines the worlds of professional football and ballet. Asher Donovan, a celebrated footballer known for his exceptional talent and controversial personal life, transfers to Blackcastle Football Club, where he becomes entangled in a fierce rivalry with his teammate, Vincent DuBois. Their animosity culminates in a critical match loss, prompting their coach to mandate off-season cross-training at the Royal Academy of Ballet. The twist? Their instructor is none other than Vincent's sister, Scarlett DuBois, a former prima ballerina whose career was abruptly halted by a tragic accident.
Forced into close proximity, Asher and Scarlett's initial tension gradually transforms into a deep, forbidden attraction. Scarlett, haunted by her past and wary of Asher's reckless reputation, is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional. However, as they spend more time together, their undeniable chemistry challenges their boundaries and the unspoken rules that govern their lives. The narrative delves into themes of personal growth, healing from past traumas, and the complexities of forbidden love, all set against the backdrop of intense athletic competition and the disciplined world of ballet.
What Readers Say
Readers appreciate the engaging writing style and well-developed characters in 'The Striker'. Many praise the emotional depth and character growth throughout the novel. Fans note the book's length as a common criticism, feeling it could be shorter. Some readers find the pacing slow, especially in the first half of the story. The book is recommended for fans of sports romance and forbidden love themes.
Reader Reviews
6 curated reviewsStacy
Feb 6, 2016
Great Book!
Ok so I technically didn't read this book, but I did listen to the Audible version of it, and for some unknown reason it had me tearing up with my favorite ice cream. Jessica Almacy did a phenomenal job as narrator and her voice wasn't too whiny. It was nice I have a hard time finding female narrators with beautiful voices. The only complaint I had was Holly's voice. Almost like Ms Almacy was trying too hard and the accent came across as fake. now Kepler's voice was hands down the hottest voice from a woman I have heard in a long time. With all that being said I can't wait to read more from
Sharon Redfern
Sep 2, 2013
Enjoyable book from a new author!
New author Rebecca Crowley starts off with a winner in this story of a soccer star and his PR manager. Kepler "Killer" de Klerk is a famous soccer player who go a bad reputation after an accident with a teammate that left them both injured. Unfortunately Kepler's past reputation as a partier worked against him and he ended up playing for a low ranked American team in North Carolina. The owners of the team have hired Holly Taylor to rehab Kepler's reputation with the promise of a bigger job opportunity if she is successful. Unfortunately, her first meeting with him does nothing to revise her lo
Leanne Dawson
Sep 19, 2013
Strikers
The beginning of this book did not grab my attention and whisk me into the story, but it brought me through the story gradually. This allowed me to get to know the characters without a lot of huge information dumps along the way. I was able to gradually learn about Holly and Kepler. I won't lie the slow start isn't something I like but I loved the slow and steady way the author allowed us to know the characters. The story line was pretty good, very romantic and it had some definite steamy sections. The author brought me into the game and the behind the scenes action that a PR specialist has
Anonymous Reader
Sep 18, 2013
Frustrating and sweet
3.5 GOOAALLL Stars! Kepler "Killer" de Klerk is a South African soccer player who is sold to the Charlotte Discovery in North Carolina. Holly has been hired to be his PR manager to boost his reputation after he and a teammate were in a bad car accident in London. The tabloids pretty much destroyed his career after this happened. Even though they got off to a rough start, they can't fight the strong attraction they feel for each other. Holly has aspirations to work for a bigger PR company in New York and has an opportunity while working for Kepler. Kepler knows he is coming to the end of his
Courtney~MustReadBooksOrDie
Jan 16, 2014
My review from MustReadBooksOrDie
I reviewed this at MustReadBooksOrDie with my friend Shelley. Shel: The slow burn of angst..that's how I would describe this. Here are my common reactions: OHHH he sounds hot. FACEPALM NOOO...just tell him. Awww. He's so sweet. Why won't he let her know how sweet he is? No. No. No. SMH NOOOOO. WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS? Sigh. This is just wrong. SHE is just wrong. How COULD she? That's painful. OH YAY!!!!! Finally...this book was fast. Court: Seriously, Shel. This is hilarious. And seriously what we were doing. A lot of sounds that don't form words were coming out of my mouth in major f
Paris Hansen
May 18, 2015
Good sports romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars This was a pretty good sports romance. I love when the author throws in some actual on field action instead of just having the character be an athlete, but we never actually see them playing their sport. I really liked Holly and Kepler. Separately they were really interesting and together they were even better. And I liked that Kepler was from South Africa, that added a nice touch to the story. His background was really interesting and I wanted to know more about him. I really liked that Holly underestimated Kepler. She expected him to be a certain way and he kept bl
About the Author
Ana Huang
9 books in library
Readers appreciate Ana Huang's ability to craft emotionally resonant romances that explore themes of ambition, family, identity, and forbidden love. Her novels are celebrated for their compelling characters, steamy slow-burn relationships, and the seamless blending of passion with personal growth.
