The Greatest Game: A spicy enemies to lovers soccer romance

by Tara Sexton

She's met her match. But will the winner take all or lose everything?Marcee Ackerman's dream job as head soccer coach at Pemberton Prep is turning into a nightmare. Her new boss has given her an ultimatum—win the state championship or she’s fired. To make matters worse, Pemberton's rival school hires hotshot ex-England player Remington Lockley as their new coach. How can she compete against a world-class pro?

To keep her job and her reputation safe, Marcee will do whatever it takes. But one steamy encounter with Remy has thrown her plans off-course. Falling for the enemy may be just what Marcee's boss needs to get rid of her for good, yet she is powerless to resist as she gets to know the real Remy behind the tabloid scandals.

Soccer is life, but love is the greatest game of all. Even Marcee’s competitiveness might not be enough for her to win…

This steamy sports romance is perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner, Amy Lea and Elena Armas.

Genres: Sports, Romance

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 19, 2026

Reviews

[jay]

pre-read:

Huge thank you to netgalley, Tara Sexton and Canelo Romance for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[K.C. Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an early version of this book and it was such a fun read! If you enjoy sports romance, definitely check this one out.

[Emma Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, author and net galley for an advanced copy of The Greatest Game.

I did really enjoy the majority of this book, I liked reading books about football, and sports romance in general is a really regular genre for me. There were parts I wasn’t so keen on, but overall this was a good book.

Things I liked was the drama, tension, depth of the main character, and plot. I also enjoyed the fact that this was single person POV, rather than dual (personally I’m getting a bit bored of dual POV in romance books). I thought the mental health and ED topics were handled well and with care, and I really loved the bond between coach and player.

Things I thought could have been better…sometimes it felt like we skipped away from major plot points a bit quickly, I also think the resolution (I won’t spoil anything) “resolved” without really being resolved.

Lastly, as someone who is English and watches a lot of premier league football, I could tell the author knows a lot about England and football, or has done a lot of research. I have read many books set in America with English characters and there are regularly slip ups with language and differences. It wasn’t perfect, and at times it did feel like the MMC (and some other English characters) were speaking a bit too prim and posh (almost like regency era dialogue).

Overall an enjoyable read, and definitely recommend if you enjoy football/sports romance.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of sports romances & this one does a good job finding the balance between soccer/football & the romance plot. There is quite a bit of emphasis on the sport & a lot of time spent on it - I'd say it's pretty much 50/50, not just a romance with one of the characters being a sports player. The two main characters are both coaches & have a long history of playing as well.

Marcee has been running from her demons for a long time... and while she is in therapy, she still hasn't really let go of or dealt with some issues from her past. I appreciated how the story of her & Eli came about throughout the book & how she finally came to terms with what had happened & didn't let it hang over her anymore.

Remy also has some past that is hanging over him. I love his Mom & how welcoming she is to Marcee!

The book covers some hard topics - including eating disorders. Marcee struggled with it in high school, to the point where her heart stopped during a game & she spent a lot of time in the hospital. But now, with therapy & time & hard work, she's at a good place and notices one of the girls on her team struggling with it. It's a hard topic, but handled well in the book. A good representation of a hard thing!

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to the author (Tara Sexton), publisher (Canelo) & Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why was this so goddamn good?!

First of all, check the content warnings!

On the surface, this is an FM romance, an enemies to lovers story done right, with just a touch of miscommunication (enough to hurt, but not enough to carry the entire plot). It’s sweet, sexy, and incredibly engaging.

Marcee is haunted by old memories while trying to prove she deserves to be the head coach at a school where the sexism is hard to miss. She has always had to fend for herself, and six years ago something happened. The guilt still follows her.

Remy is the star footballer (Football, not soccer! Like god intended it to be called!) who was run out of London. The ghosts of his past are catching up with him in the form of a photographer determined to uncover the truth about what happened.

The attraction between them is undeniable, along with their shared stubbornness and the thrill of the game.

But how do you move on from guilt and ghosts? And how do you stop others from making the same mistakes you did?

The last 5% of the book? Wild!

"You taste like butter" [...]
"And you taste like paradise."

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for providing an eARC to review!

[Joi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just completely missed the mark for me and I'm so bummed.

I am a BIG fan of the enemies to lovers trope but this was not that. Our FMC, Marcee, is the new head coach of an elite prep school and finds out that the MMC, Remington (Remy), former Premier League player, is the new coach of their rival school. The first few chapters leaned in HARD as the rivals butted heads every chance they interacted but it took a sharp turn into lovers WAY too quickly for my taste. There was barely any chance for the build-up, the best part of the trope, and quickly turned into instalove. Also, the author did a lot more tell then show when it came to their relationship so when they made their love confession, I was honestly perplexed that their relationship had gotten to that stage already.

Props to the author for tackling the rampant misogyny in sports and elite academia as well as focusing on the pressure for young female athletes regarding their bodies. This was the best, most well developed portion of the book and I give Tara Sexton credit for leaning into the uncomfortable scenarios that came up due to sexism, etc. because it truly helped the story.

Thanks to #Netgalley & Canelo for the ARC!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's hear it for the slow burn forbidden romances! Marcee and Remy had fantastic chemistry and I loved that their romance was allowed to develop slowly, even though they had an instant connection. I loved that Marcee was just as passionate and competitive at football/soccer as Remy is, which added to Remy's attraction to her.

Importantly, the sports didn’t feel superfluous for the sake of cashing in on sports romance. The author clearly loves the game herself or did research to make me feel immersed enough to understand how kick arse Marcee was as a coach. She's devoted to the game, has a brilliant rapport with her team. The way Marcee naviated the misogyny and sexual harassment in a way that felt relatable, sometimes women just have to suck it up until we can find better opportunities. I appreciate the care weaving in the storyline about eating disorders and how that played into Marcee's guilt from her past. The only thing not quite explained is why Marcee didn't play professionally, which I would've loved. I also wasn't a fan of Nicole getting angry with Marcee early on thinking Marcee hooked up with Remy.

Fantastic debut.

[Alba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of advance reading copy recieved from Netgalley

How sad it is to have to give this book this rating, because it had the perfect combination of ingredients to make me love it.

Although I really enjoyed the humorous tone of the book, our FMC, all the football knowledge, the way the author represented women in male dominantes fields like football coaching, and how well she handled the eating dissorders of one of the players, the romance was not enough for me.

I don't usually like books with fast burn, but in this one everything happens too fast for my liking. The immediate insta love and the conflicts between them are resolved in the blink of an eye, not to mention that we know practically nothing about Remy (I think the chapters with his pov would have greatly benefited the story) or how they fall in love. Because the author, is telling us rather than showing us how their romance develops, and that takes a lot away from the story.

Furthermore, I think it is a story that deserves to be a little longer so that all the elements can be properly developed.

Thank you Netgalley, Canelo publishing and Tara Sexton for the advanced copy!!

[Zara Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sports romance, especially the ending, which was definitely the highlight for me. It was also refreshing to read a story told in a single POV rather than the more common dual POV, and I think that choice worked really well here. I especially appreciated the thoughtful inclusion of mental health and eating disorder representation; it felt handled with care and authenticity. As someone who watches a lot of football, I was also impressed by how realistic those elements felt. Whether it comes from personal knowledge or strong research, the author absolutely pulled it off—bravo.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the E-arc!

[Kylie Beltran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the arc of The Greatest Game.

I really wanted to like this book. I love sports romance, especially enemies to lovers, but just couldn’t get into it. I read about 25% and then read the ending.

I felt like the writing in the third person made it difficult to follow in the beginning. I struggled to figure out who “she” was on some pages. For some reason, I just couldn’t connect/enjoy the book.

[Barbara Cesar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn from enemies to lovers! Forbidden and hidden romance.
Remy and Marcee had good chemistry.

I really enjoy how much of football was mentioned throughout the book. I usually prefer a dual POV but the single POV was very well stablished.
I think the eating disorder was approached very well.

Marcee person dramas was handle throughout the book and show a lot of the character growth.

Thank you to the author, Canelo & Netgalley for the advance copy .

[Emily Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Reader ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Greatest Game was such a fun sports romance! The banter alone had me hooked—witty, playful, and constant in the best way. Pair a professional athlete with a former collegiate athlete and honestly… say less.

This one had all the rom-com vibes: chemistry, humor, and just enough tension to keep things interesting. A cute, easy read that definitely delivered on the feel-good factor.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come soon!
Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo publishing, and Tara Sexton for the advanced copy.