The Striker (Deluxe Edition) (Gods of the Game, 1)

Tropes:🩰brother's rival⚽️ballerina x football player🩰forced proximity⚽️semi-secret dating🩰set in London, England⚽️he grovels (it's amazing)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is hands down one of my top reads of the year! I really tried to take my time reading this one because I don't know how I'm supposed to wait till March for another new Ana book, but every time I picked up this book I just didn't want to stop reading. This book was almost 600 pages and I could have easily read 600 more about these two. The chemistry, the tension, the hardships, the growth all of it was truly 10/10. And what I love so much about Ana's books is the universes she creates. When I read I feel like I can picture everything so vividly and I feel like I am in a movie. I connected so deeply to these characters and was so invested in them right from page one. If Ana is gonna do one thing, she's gonna write a bad ass FMC who knows how to hold her own and that's exactly what Scarlett was. She had been through so much but every time she came out stronger and she was so inspiring. And Asher & I don't even know where to start. When I say this man owns me, y'all don't even understand how serious I am. I was down BAD for him immediately and everything he did for Scarlett throughout the book had me falling more and more in love with him page after paged and let me tell you, the spice in this one🥵🥵I also cannot wait for book two!! We got a few snippets of who the couple in book two will be and their dynamic and I KNOW it's gonna hit did someone say coaches daughter?

While i’m so tired of 700 page books, i still devoured it. Could easily have been a cutesy 300 pager but there were so many different tidbits throughout the story that kept me going. There were SO many different cameos from every other series that made it so fun to read. Literally the mentions of characters from the If Love series, Twisted series and Kings of Sin took place. it was fabulous! Also related, I was a ballerina when a ligament in my knee started to tear and i couldn’t dance anymore AND my boyfriend is a soccer player so that’s cool!I love the family involvement throughout the series and all the obstacles the mmc and fmc persevered through. The supporting characters were equally entertaining throughout this read!

Definitely another fantastic book from Ana Huang, compared to her previous ones doesn’t hit as hard, but I love a good footballer and Scarlett’s healing I enjoyed. Fun, light read!My only complaint is the cameos, they felt very rushed and crammed at end. The Isabella one (emphasis on this) and mention of Eldorra felt very unnecessary. The Josh and Jules one I get… but still… there was already a bunch.Luckily the Markovic one made the most sense and fit perfectly and Sloane’s was also perfect and made a lot of sense. However the others were all cramped in the same two last chapters which read oddly. It would have been better too just include 2 max, or even one (not including Sloane). This amount felt like too much.Still overall fun read and watching Asher take care of Scarlett warmed my heart.

I absolutely have some thoughts about this one, so let’s get into it😂There was absolutely NO REASON for this book to be 600 pages🥴 but did I devour it like it was my last meal? Abso-freaking-lutely so mind your business😂🙃While it was the longest book I’ve read in a while, I enjoyed every minute of it! Yall know I love me a sports romance! Throw in a swoony MMC with a British accent and we already have a MASTERPIECE!🤭Asher and Scarlett literally have my whole entire heart😩 I love how the their relationship started with a friendship, and their chemistry was so undeniably palatable it practically radiated off the pages!I did think some aspects of the book, like the MMC’s rivalry with certain people was very childish on the other party’s part. Asher’s anger towards them was ABSOLUTELY VALID and I’m not elaborating further🙂‍↔️And the way he didn’t infantilize Scarlett the way her family did in regard to certain aspects of her past and instead was like “what do you need from me as your partner?” WE LOVE TO SEE IT🙂‍↕️And while it wasn’t the spiciest of Ana Huang’s books, I will say that it was still very deliciously spicy🥵🤭And there were a few cameos from past MC’s that were definitely enjoyable and made me nostalgic for the other books😅Overall, I loved this book so much and I literally cannot wait for the next one! Dare I say I’m back in my sports romance era?😏

I listened to the audio version of this book and so happy i did to get the full effect of the characters. Not my favorite book from Ana twisted love still has that title. But did love that Kia and Isabella made a cameo. Asher and Scarlett chemistry is cute. The fact that Asher did anything and everything to make sure Scarlett wasn't ever in any pain if he could help it. He gave her the push and security to that she needed to find the strength in herself to try and dance again that no matter what he would be there for her. Just as she was there for him without question. My favorite part was that he built the room for her but not as much as his six month anniversary present 💜💜💜

4.5⭐️ Asher is a soccer star who is sent to train with his nemesis. Scarlett is the nemesis’ sister and the ballerina assigned to train them both. When Asher and Scarlett fall for each other, they have to navigate Asher’s self destruction and Scarlett’s brother’s anger. This story has emotion and spice with cameos by Ana Huang’s previous characters.

Loved this one so much.