Two Left Feet

In a league with no room for love, two players are about to change the game.

Oliver Harris is football royalty in London. Ordinarily, the star of the Camden Roses is calm, cool, and collected, keeping his club relevant with his prowess in the midfield and mighty left foot. But this season, the threats abound: There's Camden's management to contend with—complete with a new, prickly Dutch coach, eager for better results—and a mid-season injury, which sidelines him when his team needs him most. When a recruit is called up to fill in, Oliver fears he'll be replaced. If he can mentor this younger talent, then they might just have a chance at winning, together.

After a string of lackluster performances in his native Spain, Leonardo Davis-Villanueva is looking for one last shot at the club he always dreamed of, where he once played in the youth academy. Oliver immediately finds confident, eager Leo irritating. He can barely go through the motions, let alone coach him, without outright hostility. When he comes to admire Leo's skill and warms to his humor and energy, though, he begins to see Leo as a friend—and then, to his mounting horror, as something more.

Leo craves Oliver's attention and partnership; Oliver can't afford to fall in love with his teammate. He's always kept a tight lid on his sexuality in a league that's never had a player come out. As the season heats up, a lot more than football hangs in the balance. Can Oliver—and Leo—win when it counts most?



Kallie Emblidge works for The Washington Post and is a co-chair of the paper's union. She lives and writes in New York City. Two Left Feet is her first novel, but she's been a football fan forever.