The Open Era
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
“Heated Rivalry for the tennis set…charming, funny, and big-hearted.”—Town & Country
"[A] debut romance novel that will capture your heart."—Cosmopolitan
Love evens the score between two tennis players in this stunning debut romance.
Recently-turned-pro tennis player Austin Hardy has been out since high school and it’s never been a big deal. That is, until he becomes the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam tournament. Suddenly, being gay is a huge deal, with headlines to prove it.
Unprepared for this new spotlight, Austin’s anxiety disorder hits a breaking point, and he trips and falls at practice. Right next to the very attractive, very talented, and probably straight Diego Cruz, ranked second in the world.
The two professional rivals start a friendship off the court. But between their flirty banter, mixed signals, and looming showdown, Austin is thrown further off his game by Diego.
With the eyes of the world on Austin, the weight of history on his shoulders, and Diego across the net, he must decide whether love means nothing or if it means everything as he battles for the trophy during an electric two weeks at the US Open.
“Heated Rivalry for the tennis set…charming, funny, and big-hearted.”—Town & Country
"[A] debut romance novel that will capture your heart."—Cosmopolitan
Love evens the score between two tennis players in this stunning debut romance.
Recently-turned-pro tennis player Austin Hardy has been out since high school and it’s never been a big deal. That is, until he becomes the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam tournament. Suddenly, being gay is a huge deal, with headlines to prove it.
Unprepared for this new spotlight, Austin’s anxiety disorder hits a breaking point, and he trips and falls at practice. Right next to the very attractive, very talented, and probably straight Diego Cruz, ranked second in the world.
The two professional rivals start a friendship off the court. But between their flirty banter, mixed signals, and looming showdown, Austin is thrown further off his game by Diego.
With the eyes of the world on Austin, the weight of history on his shoulders, and Diego across the net, he must decide whether love means nothing or if it means everything as he battles for the trophy during an electric two weeks at the US Open.
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Community Reviews
I initially rated this a four because I so enjoyed where the book was going, but it ended on such a cliffhanger that I feel like we needed an additional 20-30 pages to tie things up—if this is, in fact, meant to be a standalone novel. As a contribution to the genre fiction canon, this doesn't pass muster. The tropes one expects from a typical romance are largely absent and it is, instead, a novel about athletes dealing with stress, pressure, and mental health struggles. Which is great! But if you're calling your first book a romance, it needed, well, more romance.
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