Review: The Striker - Ana Huang

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Review: The Striker - Book #1 Gods of the Game Series - Ana Huang - October 2024

I'll be honest with you Ana Huang and I have had quite the complicated relationship. Her books have been a bit of a mixed bag for me over the years, landing anywhere from absolute favourites to DNFs (did-not-finishes, for those not deep in the bookish rabbit hole). So when I packed my bags for our Readers Retreat in Taupō last week, I finally decided it was time to give The Striker a proper chance. It had been sitting on my shelf since release, quietly judging me every time I walked past. You know that feeling. We've all been there.

And oh my goodness  how did it take me this long?

I'm so glad I finally cracked the spine on this one, because The Striker completely won me over. At its heart, it's a football romance and when I say football, I do mean soccer, just so we're all on the same page! Our hero, Asher Donovan, is an absolute dreamboat of a soccer champion who has just switched teams and immediately finds himself butting heads with the current captain, Vincent. In Asher's defence... he's just a little bit better, bless him.

To smooth things over during the off-season, the coach arranges something rather clever , he teams up with the local Royal Ballet Academy and has the two rivals train together. Enter Scarlett, the woman leading the training sessions, who just so happens to be Vincent's sister. Sparks? Flying absolutely everywhere. I loved every minute of it.

What really elevated this book for me beyond a standard sports romance was the depth given to both main characters. Scarlett carries the weight of a past accident, and Asher deals with the very real fallout of leaving his hometown team  including tension with his own family. These personal hardships added real texture and heart to their story, and I found myself completely invested in both of them.

I curled up with this one over multiple sessions at the retreat, and it was honestly the perfect read for a cosy weekend away with fellow book lovers. Already have The Defender which is Vincent and Brooklyn's story  lined up and I cannot wait.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/42CxMRS



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