The Rival

by Wendy Hawthorne

Competition runs through my veins. I work hard, I play hard. Maybe I’m not headed for the NBA anytime soon, but I take my local basketball league seriously.

So when the final game of the season is a rematch between my team and our cross-town rivals, I’m not going to let us experience another heartbreaking loss. Tonight’s game is about revenge.

It doesn’t matter if Jason Alvarez, the other team’s captain, is sexy beyond belief and a little bit my type. He’s been my rival in every sense of the word since I started playing in this league.

And it’s going to stay that way.

The Rival is a MM rivals to lovers short story featuring a second chance romance.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Sports, Romance, Sports Romance

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

Wendy Hawthorne is an MM romance author who enjoys writing spice and everything nice! She specializes in angst, forbidden love, and earned happy endings. She has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. She enjoys writing stories which make others feel something deeply emotional—whether it’s belly-aching laughter or being on the edge of your seat, wondering how the beloved protagonists will overcome adversity. Wendy is proud to write heartfelt, nuanced queer romance.

She writes from sunny California with her cat Penny who tries (and fails) to serve as her editor.

Reviews

[SaintDelicate _Edits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thea only thing wrong with this book is that it was WAY too short. That d*ck was way too thick too but that’s not an isssue much, it’s the fact that I couldn’t see them develop feelings for each other more and for longer on page that makes me want to cry. When I got the book I didn’t know it’d be this short, I looked at the blurb and dove in blindly.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3☆
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔:🌶🌶
🅛🅐🅤🅖🅗🅢:🤣
🅣🅔🅐🅡🅢:🥲
🅜🅒🅢: Matthew, Jason
🅟🅞🅥: 1st Dual
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢: Bi-awakening, Sexual Awakening, Rivals to lovers

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

El mejor libro corto, que necesito más.

Tiene mucho calor. Pelea entre rivales. Burlas y sobre todo, mucha necesidad y posesividad entre los protagonistas. AMO.

[Liza]

Sorry the writing style and the formatting was awful. I skipped a few pages because I thought it was the blurb. First dialogue at 13%. Something like ‚more babes for us‘. Needless to say I did not finish or better I did not start.

[Aisha (seetheworldwithbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short :( if it's longer it would be better! But so enjoyable. Wish to see more from Jason and Matt!

[Monikat · Rating 3 out of 5]

D.N.F. @45% of a 40 page story Sorry, not my thing.
Really? The dropping of the soap in the shower thing?!🤔🙄
Really reeeeally old school.
...and then size comparisons🙃
🧀

[Riyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a novel but a novella

[Zath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give short stories a chance!

For a debut work, The Rival is a fantastic snapshot of Hawthorne’s strengths. The main characters are likeable, and I found the dialogue to be outstanding, with moments which made me laugh out loud and a few which made me get unexpectedly emotional. The steamy scene has a surprising amount of layers which elevates this story to being more than just erotica.

You don’t need to be a basketball fan to enjoy the story but anyone who’s ever played or watched sports can enjoy the intensity of the rivalry between the two main characters.

The Rival is a great pickup for anyone looking for something quick but enjoyable to read.

Read my full review at nostalgiadepartment.com