Verdict: A glossy, banter-forward celebrity rom-com that pairs two rival publicists in a slow-simmering enemies-to-lovers arc — frothy, funny, and unapologetically steamy.
Best for: Readers who love competence-porn heroines, showbiz glamour, and a workplace-rivals-to-lovers dynamic.
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶 (steamy, on-page)
Rating: ★★★★ (3.7 average on Goodreads across 3,300+ ratings)
Tropes: Enemies to lovers · Rival professionals · Forced proximity · Ice-queen love interest · Celebrity romance
If you have been hunting for a 2026 sapphic rom-com with real chemistry and a whip-smart setup, Playing for Keeps by Alexandria Bellefleur deserves a spot on your list. It takes the classic enemies-to-lovers engine, drops it into the high-gloss world of celebrity publicity, and lets two fiercely competitive women spark off each other until the professional rivalry turns into something neither can spin away.
What Is Playing for Keeps About?
Poppy Peterson has finally rebuilt her career as publicist to Cash Curran, the NFL’s most promising quarterback and her childhood best friend. So when Cash makes an impulsive, very public pass at pop superstar Lyric Adair, Poppy’s carefully managed world tilts sideways — and puts her on a collision course with the last person she wants to work alongside.
That person is Rosaline Sinclair, Lyric’s notoriously cool, industry-legend publicist. As their famous clients tumble into an ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together to manage the fallout, each determined to protect her own star from the other. Poppy is equal parts frustrated by Rosaline’s icy composure and desperate to impress the woman she has admired for years.
What follows is a sharp, funny push-and-pull where every strategy meeting doubles as a sparring match and every truce edges a little closer to attraction. Bellefleur, a Lambda Literary Award winner, brings her trademark banter and warmth to a 2026 sapphic story about ambition, pride, and the risk of letting your guard down for the one person you were supposed to outmaneuver.
What Makes This Sapphic Rom-Com Work
✓ Two heroines who are genuinely good at their jobs. The publicity-world setting gives Poppy and Rosaline room to be sharp, strategic, and formidable — competence porn that actually earns the swoon.
✓ Banter with teeth. Bellefleur’s dialogue crackles, and the rivalry keeps the verbal sparring feeling high-stakes rather than cute-for-cute’s-sake.
✓ A satisfying ice-queen thaw. Rosaline’s cool, controlled exterior gives the slow reveal of vulnerability real payoff.
✓ A fun celebrity B-plot. The quarterback-meets-popstar romance between the clients adds chaos, stakes, and comedic momentum.
✓ Steam that lands. When the rivalry finally tips over, the on-page heat pays off the tension the book spends chapters building.
Tropes & Themes at a Glance
| Element | In Playing for Keeps |
|---|---|
| Central trope | Enemies / rivals to lovers |
| Setting | Celebrity publicity & entertainment industry |
| Dynamic | Warm, driven heroine vs. cool ice-queen legend |
| Heat level | Steamy — explicit on-page scenes |
| Tone | Funny, glossy, feel-good |
| Ending | Happy-ever-after (romance HEA) |
| Published | January 2026 |
How Spicy Is Playing for Keeps?
🌶🌶🌶 out of five
This is a genuinely steamy rom-com. Expect flirtation and simmering rivalry through the first half, building to explicit, on-page intimacy once Poppy and Rosaline stop pretending their sparks are purely professional. The heat is central to the payoff but never crowds out the humor and character work.
What to expect: Steamy on-page scenes, workplace-adjacent tension, and a lighthearted, low-angst tone overall. This is a feel-good celebrity romance — comfort reading with heat, not a dark or heavy story.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll love it if…
✓ You adore enemies-to-lovers and rival-professional dynamics.
✓ You want a competent, career-driven heroine paired with a cool ice-queen love interest.
✓ You like your romance funny, glossy, and steamy with a guaranteed HEA.
✓ You enjoyed Bellefleur’s earlier rom-coms or celebrity/showbiz settings.
It might not be for you if…
✗ You prefer dark, high-angst or heavier emotional stories.
✗ You want a slow-burn with minimal on-page heat.
✗ Celebrity/showbiz settings and lots of banter aren’t your thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playing for Keeps a standalone?
Yes. It reads as a self-contained celebrity rom-com with its own central couple and a complete happy ending, so you can pick it up without reading anything else first.
Is it a true sapphic romance?
Yes. The central love story is between two women — publicists Poppy Peterson and Rosaline Sinclair — and it is shelved as lesbian/sapphic romance on Goodreads.
How steamy is it?
Fairly steamy, with explicit on-page intimacy in the back half. We rate it three chili peppers — hotter than a closed-door romance but lighthearted rather than intense or dark.
Does it have a happy ending?
It does. Like most rom-coms, Playing for Keeps delivers a satisfying happy-ever-after for its leads.
Do I need to know anything about football or the music industry?
Not at all. The quarterback-and-popstar backdrop is there for glamour and comedic chaos; the story stays focused on the two publicists and their rivalry-turned-romance.
If You Loved Playing for Keeps, Read These Next
📚 More enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance — if the rivalry is your favorite part.
📚 The best sapphic ice-queen romances — for more cool, controlled love interests who melt.
📚 Our lesbian forced-proximity romance guide — for stories that trap two women together.
📚 The sapphic BookTok books everyone is reading right now.
📚 Our full Best Sapphic Romances of 2026 mid-year masterlist.
The Bottom Line
Playing for Keeps is a bright, banter-packed celebrity rom-com that gives two capable, sharp-tongued women a rivalry worth swooning over. It leans light and steamy rather than deep, but for readers who want competence, comedy, and a satisfying ice-queen thaw, Bellefleur delivers exactly the feel-good sapphic escape 2026 needed. A confident pick for your enemies-to-lovers shelf.