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A slow-burn football romance. With subtitles, accessibility audits, and feelings. Unfortunately.
Mara Myles is thirty-four, permanently tired, and allergic to attention. As Eastborough FC’s accessibility lead, single parent to a deaf kid, and unofficial Club Mum, she barely has time to breathe, let alone fall for a footballer.
But when a post-match moment goes viral, Northport City’s star striker takes notice.
And Nikolaj Røkke doesn’t let go.
Statistically, footballers are arseholes. It’s practically science.
Røkke? He’s twenty-four. Norwegian. Six-foot-five. The Crown League’s most prolific striker. Quiet. Relentless. Obscenely hot. Media-perfect. Controlled. Ice.
He says he’s not like other footballers.
And Mara? She doesn’t try to be anything but herself. She flinches when the ball comes near her. Swears in many languages. Calls people out on live TV. She’s not polished. Not precious.
Mara’s spent years building a messy, fiercely protected life. Her kid, her people, and a job that fits. Letting Røkke in might risk all of her career, her balance, her fragile sense of control.
A slow-burn, age-gap, football rom-com about found family, being seen, and the Viking who refuses to give up.
(Oh—and it’s dirtier than a studs-up tackle in stoppage time.)
Mara Myles is thirty-four, permanently tired, and allergic to attention. As Eastborough FC’s accessibility lead, single parent to a deaf kid, and unofficial Club Mum, she barely has time to breathe, let alone fall for a footballer.
But when a post-match moment goes viral, Northport City’s star striker takes notice.
And Nikolaj Røkke doesn’t let go.
Statistically, footballers are arseholes. It’s practically science.
Røkke? He’s twenty-four. Norwegian. Six-foot-five. The Crown League’s most prolific striker. Quiet. Relentless. Obscenely hot. Media-perfect. Controlled. Ice.
He says he’s not like other footballers.
And Mara? She doesn’t try to be anything but herself. She flinches when the ball comes near her. Swears in many languages. Calls people out on live TV. She’s not polished. Not precious.
Mara’s spent years building a messy, fiercely protected life. Her kid, her people, and a job that fits. Letting Røkke in might risk all of her career, her balance, her fragile sense of control.
A slow-burn, age-gap, football rom-com about found family, being seen, and the Viking who refuses to give up.
(Oh—and it’s dirtier than a studs-up tackle in stoppage time.)
635 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2025
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Lara Oakley
3 books5 followersFilth, found families, pop culture detritus, tall men with emotional competence, and Leicester.
Lara Oakley is a Leicester-based author who somehow juggles too many plants, too many children, and far too many fictional men in her head. She turns 41 the day after her first book comes out (October 3rd), proof that a mid-life crisis can occasionally be productive.
Lara Oakley is a Leicester-based author who somehow juggles too many plants, too many children, and far too many fictional men in her head. She turns 41 the day after her first book comes out (October 3rd), proof that a mid-life crisis can occasionally be productive.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 23, 2025
10/10 honestly. I could have read another 1000 pages of them. absolutely loved their little dynamics and loved all of the characters! i wanna keep reading 🥺
December 6, 2025
I absolutely loved it. It was great. Wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did but I was emotionally invested
January 17, 2026
If Lara Oakley has zero fans, it means I'm dead.
absolutely stunning.
I could pages more of this!
absolutely stunning.
I could pages more of this!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews