Over the Line

Breaking Barriers

by Erin Marie Bassett

She’s chasing her dream. He’s chasing her.

Laney Matteson refuses to let her dad down, again. She’s out of time and money, and is desperate to achieve what her father couldn’t, a professional status as a TitaniumPerson athlete.

When Miguel Garcia, TP World Champion and elder statement of the sport, offers to train her–for free–it’s almost too good to be true. Add in the fact he’s a silver fox? Triathlon training soon involves plenty of stroking, riding, and pounding. The pavement, of course.

With her goal closer than ever, Laney has to navigate her relationships and decide who has her best interests in mind. Miguel has to come to terms with the man he was, and the one he is today. By the end of the story we have two people who learn to stop proving their worth and instead learn to improve themselves, together.

Over the Line is a spicy, age-gap sports romance from the Breaking Barriers Collection.

Tropes &
Sports Romance - Triathlete
Age Gap
No Third Act Breakup
Grumpy x Sunshine
Only One Bed
Rottweiler MMC / Soft Dom
MMC with a thigh tattoo
He washes her hair



On Discussion of a deteriorating parent (cancer), Injury (back), Hypothermia
Off Death of a parent, Misuse of prescription drugs (main character backstory)

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 5, 2026

About the author

Erin Marie Bassett is a geriatric millennial, wife and mother of two living in Chicago. (A mile west of Wrigley Field but she, like her husband and kids, are St. Louis Cardinal Fans). When she’s not reading or writing romance, Erin helps small businesses and local organizations use the magic words to connect with their communities. She volunteers hard at her kids school and she believes in the power of S.L.O.W. Living.
Her doctor tells her not to but she drinks a lot of coffee. Like, a lot.

Take the Book Boyfriend Quiz to be matched with one of Erin's MMCs!
erinmariebassett.com
@erinmariebassett

Reviews

[Savannah Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d do damn near anything for Miguel Garcia. The burly, focused, striving-to-be-better older man, is everything. He’s hot, demanding and nurturing.
I don’t want to be Laney because running is not for me but I’d love to be her best friend, Dee. Laney is a badass, determined, goal oriented gal that has to achieve what she’s set out to.
Erin, ohmygoddess, is the queen and makes a nontraditional sports romance something I need more of. Love you EMB- grateful for this ARC opportunity.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Okay am I a sports person? nope. Did I eat this book up in less then 24 hours? abso-freaking-lutely! The story of wanting something so badly and having the plan derailed is so relatable even without being a sports person.

The romance between Miguel and Laney is electric and kept me reading! The plot was plotting and I'm happy for an actual plot and not just romance!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book for several reasons:

The topic was new to me. I know nothing about endurance racing / Iron Man events. I’m sure there is more to training for and competing in these events, but it was fun to learn something new.

The characters were relatable. I mean for me the FMC was. Trying to live up to parents’ expectations, unsure who you are and wondering if what you’re doing is even worth it. Laney is very independent and learns that she can rely on others and ask for help because she is worthy.

I like the friendship between Dee and Laney. Female friendships are the best and I like how the author wrote their friendship. Maybe we might get a next book with Dee?

I like how Laney and Miguel got out of their heads and learned to trust each other. These two were perfect for each other, they really balanced each other out. Plus the age gap was a cool element. Not usually my favorite trope, but it worked in this book! Plus, I loved the way they took care of each other in times of need.

Dual POV is one my favorite type of book. I like getting the thoughts of both characters in the first person.

Spice level: 4 out of 5.

Thanks for the ARC of this book!

[Alysa Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different from the sports romances I usually read. Laney and Miguel's story is so cute.
Star athlete turned coach to a new up and coming athlete.
The way Miguel goes into helping her with so much support and promise is amazing.
I like that he shows his growth from his bad past.
Her not even second guessing his past was a bonus. Shows that it really didn't matter to her.

The only downside I don't like is the age difference mixup at the beginning. I could've just misunderstood or misread it but going from saying they are 9 years apart to a decade to then 13 years annoyed me a bit. But like I said I could've just misread.

Otherwise it was a good read. Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to read this story.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the Line is part of the Breaking Barriers sports collective- stories that have strong athletic fmcs!

Laney is trying to fulfill her father’s deathbed wish- to win a Titanium Person race (iron man). She’s doing her best to prove herself while barely scraping by financially when she bumps into older pro hottie Miguel.

Calling all age-gap lovers- this one is for you. Erin has written another fabulous sports romance!! The writing flows well and I giggled throughout. The steam is there🔥, and Miguel is a natural caretaker, and he takes his role of coach very seriously- on the course and off. ☺️

I read this in one day- I couldn’t put it down!

[Craftin' Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the Line centers on Laney Matteson, a driven triathlete who refuses to let her father down and is desperate to achieve what he couldn’t: success as a professional TitaniumPerson athlete. When Miguel Garcia, a seasoned champion in the sport, offers to train her for free, everything changes — including her relationships and what she believes about herself. Together they navigate intense training, personal challenges, and a complicated age-gap romance as they work toward their goals.
Well written, though I feel some word and phrases are a bit overused, thats personal preference.

[Laura Twaroski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book - and it pains me to admit it, but I think I even love Miguel’s man bun.

Key takeaways:
- “Yes, Coach” is hot.
- Our parents are imperfect humans, just like us.
- The life of an athlete sounds exhausting…but the abs sound divine.
- We all need a Dee in our lives (not sexual, gutter minds, the friend).

This book gets all the stars. This book can take stars from other books.

Thanks to EMB and her team for the ARC!

[Jessica Wisniewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Laney & Miguel’s story, and I loved the age gap trope. It was so wonderful to see Miguel put Laney and her training first. The breaking the barriers series is a great series full of powerful FMCs.

Thank you to the author (Erin Marie Bassett) for this e-book ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely recommend all the books in the series if you like reading about sports romance.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book overall!!! Great come back story and love story!!! Perfect example of what we can accomplish with the support of loved ones and belief in yourself also shows the importance of communication. Only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is I wish we had more of Miguel’s side and story…. But would definitely recommend as a great almost romcom comeback story!!!

[Bambi Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC READ

3.5-4 / 5

age gap romance
triathlete X coach