Magnetic Rivals by Isla Brinn: Review

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Every so often a sports romance comes along that just clicks — the banter is sharp, the tension is unbearable, and you find yourself rooting for two people who very much want to hate each other. Magnetic Rivals by Isla Brinn is exactly that book: a steamy sapphic soccer romance about two elite players fighting for the same starting spot, the same captain’s armband, and — inevitably — the same impossible feelings. It’s the opening book of the Green & Gold Hearts series, and it wears its influences proudly, drawing obvious comparisons to Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute.

A quick note before we dive in: unlike most titles on our spicy sapphic fantasy books list, Magnetic Rivals is a contemporary sports romance rather than fantasy — there are no dragons or magic here, just cleats, chemistry, and a rivalry that burns hot. We’ve included it because it delivers the same slow-burn-turned-scorching payoff that rivals-to-lovers fantasy fans crave, in the same spirit as our review of Her Spell That Binds Me.

What Is Magnetic Rivals About?

Magnetic Rivals follows two top-tier footballers competing for the same position on an elite women’s team. On the pitch they’re fierce opponents — sniping, one-upping, refusing to give an inch. Off it, forced proximity keeps throwing them together until the line between rivalry and something far more dangerous starts to blur. Told in dual first-person POV with a guaranteed happily-ever-after, it’s a compact, high-momentum romance that keeps the emotional stakes tied tightly to the competition.

What Makes This Sports Romance Work

The rivalry actually feels like a rivalry. Brinn doesn’t soften the competition too early — the two leads genuinely want to beat each other, which makes every reluctant softening land harder.

Dual POV that earns its keep. Getting inside both women’s heads lets you feel the misread signals and simmering want from both sides, so the eventual collision is deeply satisfying.

It’s genuinely steamy. This is an open-door romance, and the physical chemistry pays off the on-page tension rather than fading to black at the crucial moment.

It’s a quick, confident read. At around 245 pages, it moves fast and never overstays its welcome — ideal for a single-sitting binge.

Book Synopsis

Two of the most talented players in the league find themselves on the same elite squad, both eyeing the same starting role and the captain’s armband that comes with it. Neither is willing to be the one who steps aside, and their clashing ambitions turn every training session into a battleground.

But sharing a team means sharing everything — travel, locker rooms, late-night sessions, and the kind of forced proximity that leaves nowhere to hide. The hostility that fuels them on the field starts to curdle into something neither woman is prepared to name, let alone admit out loud.

As the season builds toward its decisive matches, they have to figure out whether they can want the same trophy and each other at the same time — or whether winning one means losing the other. It’s the first book in the Green & Gold Hearts series, followed by Magnetic North.

My Review

I went into Magnetic Rivals wanting exactly what it promises — hot, competitive, sapphic sports romance — and it delivered on the core fantasy. The rivals-to-lovers push and pull is the beating heart of the book, and Brinn keeps the tension tight by refusing to let her leads get comfortable too soon. When the walls finally come down, it feels earned, and the open-door scenes are more than steamy enough to satisfy readers who came for the heat.

It’s a lean, propulsive read. The dual first-person POV is the smart choice here, letting you sit inside both women’s stubbornness and longing, and the football setting gives the emotional beats a natural structure to hang on. If you loved the energy of Cleat Cute, this scratches a very similar itch, and the marketing’s cheeky “better than Heated Rivalry” framing tells you exactly what lane it’s driving in.

In fairness, it’s worth setting expectations: this is a newer indie release with a still-small pool of ratings (hovering around 4.2–4.4 across a couple dozen reviews), so it hasn’t built the broad consensus of a mainstream hit yet. The short length means the secondary cast and world stay fairly light, and readers who want a longer slow burn or deeper subplots may find it moves a touch quickly. But taken for what it is — a confident, spicy, feel-good sports romance — it’s a very easy recommend, and a promising start to the series.

Tropes & Themes at a Glance

How Spicy Is Magnetic Rivals?

Heat rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ High Spice. The book is marketed as “steamy,” and that holds up — it’s a firmly open-door romance with multiple explicit scenes that pay off the rivals-to-lovers tension rather than fading to black. It’s hot without tipping into the wall-to-wall eroticism of a five-chili read, so the spice serves the story rather than swallowing it. (Heat noted from the book’s marketing and early reader impressions; the ratings pool is still small.)

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you’re a fan of sapphic sports romance, you devoured Cleat Cute and want more, you love a rivals-to-lovers dynamic with real bite, and you want an open-door romance you can finish in an afternoon.

You may want to skip it if: you’re specifically after fantasy or romantasy, you prefer a long, sprawling slow burn with a big secondary cast, or you want the reassurance of thousands of established reviews before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Magnetic Rivals a standalone?

It tells a complete story with a guaranteed HEA, so it works as a standalone. It’s also the first book in the Green & Gold Hearts series, continued in Magnetic North, if you want more of Brinn’s world.

Is Magnetic Rivals a true sapphic romance?

Yes — it’s a fully F/F romance told in dual first-person POV, centered on two women footballers falling for each other.

How steamy is it, really?

Quite steamy. It’s an open-door romance with multiple explicit scenes — solidly high heat, though not a pure erotica read.

Is this fantasy like the other books on the list?

No — Magnetic Rivals is a contemporary sports romance, not fantasy. We’ve included it for rivals-to-lovers fans who love the same slow-burn-to-scorching payoff.

Do I need to know anything about soccer to enjoy it?

Not at all. The football backdrop drives the rivalry and stakes, but the focus stays firmly on the relationship, so non-fans will follow along easily.

If You Loved Magnetic Rivals, Read These Next

Craving more rivals-to-lovers heat and competitive chemistry? Browse our full spicy sapphic fantasy books list, and don’t miss our reviews of Her Spell That Binds Me and The Finest Line for more enemies-turned-lovers tension.

The Bottom Line

Magnetic Rivals is a confident, genuinely steamy sapphic sports romance that knows exactly what it wants to be and nails it — fast, flirty, competitive, and hot. If you’ve been chasing that Cleat Cute high, this is a very easy weekend pick and a promising series opener. Check the latest price on Amazon →

All 25 verified soccer romances, including the six-book Girls of Summer series, are in our Sapphic Soccer Romance Books guide.

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