Off Center

by Leah Omar

He’s grumpy. I’m sunshine. One no-dating rule stands between us and the season.

Basketball shaped my life. After a player broke my heart, I swore off athletes.

When I’m hired as the Minnesota Coyotes’ assistant athletic trainer, I plan to focus, stay single, and protect the season.

Enter Axel Wilder, the team’s grumpy veteran center. He fills every doorway, tests boundaries, and makes my pulse sprint.

Reluctant cooperation turns into late-night stretches in hotel rooms, and a pull I can’t shake as sparks begin to fly.

The Coyotes’ Code of Conduct is no romance between players and staff. Break it, and I lose my job and my reputation.

As the wins stack up and cameras focus, I must make the most difficult decision of my life.

Love or basketball?

Off Center is a steamy sports romance with forced proximity, workplace romance, paparazzi chases, a fixer-upper NBA team, undeniable chemistry, and a guaranteed HEA. Perfect for fans of Love and Basketball.

Genres: Romance

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2025

About the author

Leah Omar is an author from Minnesota, and as long as she could remember, has been an avid reader and writer. Her debut novel, A Labor of Love, lived in her mind for years before she put pen to paper. Leah is a lover of all romance novels but set out to create compelling stories that tackle the complexities of relationships.

Leah has a bachelor’s of art in communications and English literature and a master’s degree in business administration. She now calls Minneapolis home, which she shares with her husband and two children. In her free time, Leah enjoys traveling the world and learning about different cultures, reading and writing, and spending time with those she loves best.

As a writer, Leah is devoted to giving her readers contemporary love stories that make us remember that we have more similarities than differences, and that love can conquer all. She loves to interact with readers, so feel free to reach out. 

Reviews

[amia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I'm actually really surprised by how much I enjoyed this one... Shoutout to Leah Omar, Kindle, and Goodreads for a free copy of this book!
I've never read a sports romance before, so I really wasn't sure what I was going to think. But I actually really, really liked it. I'm not even a huge basketball fan, but I really liked how integral to the story the sport was. It made me want to go watch my local university's team play haha.
I absolutely loved the story between Leni and Axel! It felt like a really natural progression of things. It wasn't too rushed, but it definitely wasn't too slow either. I felt like I could always understand where both of them were coming from, and I didn't ever want to yell at them through the pages, which I sometimes want to do to other characters.
I'm just an absolute sucker for a forbidden romance, so I really liked that trope within this book. Overall, just a great read!

[JJ Harrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever liked basketball, this is the book for you. Leah Omar knows a lot about it, and she knows a lot about physical therapy. The Minnesota Coyotes NBA team is floundering until Abby Jiminez is hired as assistant trainer. Abby would much rather be in the WNBA where she wouldn’t have to deal with men, and she starts off disliking most of the team members. But she perseveres. As she gets the kinks out of the sore muscles of her charges, they become more bearable, and by the end of the story she is actually liking them. In addition to getting the kinks of their muscles, she also shapes up their attitudes, and before you know it, they’ve become contenders for the NBA championship. There’s only one fly in the ointment. But to mention it would be a spoiler.

[Sara Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basketball has always been part of Leah’s life and I’m glad that she has combined her love of writing with her love of basketball in the sweet story of unexpected romance. It was fun to journey into the inside world of the NBA and everything that entails well also seeing a strong female character with a passion for the WNBA.

[Kristina Linenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

basketball is my favorite sport , i played ever since i was little , and up until graduating highschool , so i already knew i was going to enjoy this book , very well written , and cute little romance read !

[Kathy Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I have really enjoyed reading this book. I am not a sports fan so I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it was great. A good romance and I learned a lot about basketball too.

[Lisa Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down!

I loved this book. The dynamics between the characters was excellent! I didn’t understand some of the basketball terms but who cares…in love and basketball.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge basketball fan and sports romance reader, it’s been so hard to find a book featuring basketball players, especially one where basketball is a main plot point and not just a fact about the character to explain travel or wealth. This was great and hopefully there will be more to follow!

[Annabelle Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining! I blew through this well-written book in a day, thoroughly enjoying the slow burn romance as well as learning about basketball. I recommend this book!

[Glo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it funny how much she loved getting the knots out of their muscles. There was some banter. It was a good read