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Verdict: A steamy, lighthearted women’s football romance between a jaded US superstar and her English club’s new performance coach — with great match scenes and an insider’s feel for the game, but a heroine whose choices frustrate many readers and a miscommunication breakup that divides them.
Best for: Women’s football fans who want a sexy, fun sports romance with a slow-build start and a happy ending.
Heat level: 4/5 (romance.io: explicit open door, 27 ratings)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.7/5 — a 3.91 Goodreads average across 4,036 ratings and 3.63 on StoryGraph from 1,098 reviews)
Tropes: Celebrity athlete, athlete and staff member, workplace, secret relationship, slow burn to sex, miscommunication, found family, HEA.
Hotshot is Clare Lydon’s 2023 contemporary lesbian romance. Sloane Patterson, a US World Cup winner, signs for a year with English club Salchester Rovers after her fiancée cheats on her. Ella Carmichael, a former player, has just landed her dream job as the club’s performance and lifestyle coach — and Sloane is the player she most wants to meet.
It holds a 3.91 average across 4,036 Goodreads ratings, with 67% of them four or five stars, 3.63 on StoryGraph from 1,098 reviews, and 4.4 stars across 1,858 Amazon ratings.
What Is Hotshot About?
Sloane has the game, the fame, the looks and the fiancée — until the fiancée turns out to be unfaithful. A year in the north of England offers distance, a coach she respects, and a chance to explore her British family roots, though a niggling injury and a new culture add to the pressure.
When Sloane’s life starts to unravel, Ella helps her pick up the pieces. But as their professional and personal lives blur, tensions surface. Sloane wants to help Rovers win the league and the FA Cup, and now she wants to win Ella’s heart too.
What Makes This Sports Romance Work
- The football: Readers call the match scenes explosive, and one praised the behind-the-scenes look at club operations as on point.
- Balance: Several reviewers say it strikes the right mix of football and romance.
- Ella: A sweetheart who carries her own scars — and puts her foot down when Sloane mishandles things.
- Heat: Readers who like spice flag some very steamy scenes.
- Tone: 89% of StoryGraph readers tag it lighthearted.
Book Synopsis
Sloane Patterson is the ultimate hotshot: a US soccer sensation whose arrival in the UK causes quite the stir. She’s got the game, the fame, the looks, the fiancée. But looks can be deceiving.
When Sloane’s life starts to unravel, Salchester Rovers’ new hire, Ella Carmichael, helps her pick up the pieces. As the lines between their professional and personal lives blur, tensions surface. Now Sloane’s goal of helping the team win the league and FA Cup has a significant addition: win Ella’s heart.
My Review
Lydon clearly loves the women’s game, and it shows. The football is woven through the whole book — training, matches, social media, endorsements — and fans of the WSL will recognise the world. The romance follows her familiar shape, as one longtime reader put it: a slow-burn attraction, conflicted leads, and a bust before the reconciliation. Sloane starts hooking up with Ella while trying to keep her at arm’s length, and watching her work through the fallout of her engagement is the emotional core.
Sloane is the sticking point. Even readers who liked the book admit they spent much of it cold towards her and her romantic decisions. The two 2-star reviews we read go further: one hated the miscommunication trope and felt Ella’s refusal to talk was out of character, and another found both leads annoying and the resolution almost non-existent. Others simply felt no spark. On the other side, fans call the romance swoon-worthy and the angst short-lived.
My honest note: If you love women’s football and don’t mind a messy heroine, this is a lot of fun. If miscommunication breakups make you throw your Kindle, be warned.
| Element | In Hotshot |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Sloane Patterson (US football star) & Ella Carmichael (club performance and lifestyle coach) |
| Core tropes | Celebrity athlete, workplace, secret relationship, miscommunication |
| Setting | Salchester Rovers, a club in northern England |
| Heat level | 4/5 on romance.io — explicit open door |
| Length | 376 pages (Kindle); 10 h 18 min audiobook |
| Series | Standalone — HEA |
| Content notes | Death of a parent, infidelity (ex-fiancée), homophobia, injury, sexism |
How Spicy Is Hotshot?
Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, “explicit open door,” from 27 ratings, and StoryGraph readers most often flag graphic sexual content. One reviewer highlighted some very steamy scenes.
Other content notes submitted on StoryGraph include death of a parent, homophobia and lesbophobia, infidelity, injury, religious bigotry and sexism. The tone stays light: only 1% of StoryGraph readers tag it tense.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you follow women’s football and want a steamy, upbeat romance set inside a club. It is on our sapphic sports romance and low-angst lesbian romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you hate the miscommunication trope, or need to like both leads from page one.
In short: A fun, spicy football romance with a heroine you may need to forgive.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 29% five stars, 38% four, 24% three, 5% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 89% tag it lighthearted and 44% funny, 79% found the characters loveable, and 69% call the pace medium. The audiobook, narrated by Katy Sobey, runs 10 hours and 18 minutes.
Prefer audio? Listen to Hotshot on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The football first. Second, the steam. Third, Ella. Fourth, the light, fun tone.
What readers argue about and complain about: Sloane’s decisions, above everything. Second, the miscommunication breakup. Third, a rushed resolution. Fourth, a lack of spark for some.
The comparison worth making first: If you came here looking for more sapphic soccer, see our list of books like Cleat Cute. For a sports romance with more angst and a different sport, try Hat Trick.
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is Hotshot?
Spicy. Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, “explicit open door,” from 27 ratings, and StoryGraph readers flag graphic sexual content.
Is there much football in Hotshot?
Yes. Readers praise the match scenes and the behind-the-scenes look at club operations and league pressures, and several call the balance of football and romance just right.
Does Hotshot have a third-act breakup?
There is a breakup before the reconciliation, driven by miscommunication. Most readers found the angst brief, but a few disliked how it was resolved.
Is Hotshot on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed for purchase at $8.99. There is an audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.
Does Hotshot have a happy ending?
Yes, readers describe an HEA, though one unconvinced reader felt it was more of a happy-for-now.
If You Loved Hotshot, Read These Next
Try our books like Cleat Cute list for more soccer romance, Hoops and Heartstrings for a basketball romance, or Hat Trick for a pro-hockey coach. For more, browse our sapphic sports romance hub, our low-angst lesbian romance list, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Hotshot sets out to be a summer blockbuster of a football romance, and much of it lands: the game feels real, the scenes are steamy and the tone is light. What holds it back is a heroine many readers struggle to like and a miscommunication breakup that not everyone buys. For women’s football fans, it is worth it. Check Hotshot on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Hotshot ranks as a good, popular sports romance — excellent on football and heat, divisive on its leading lady.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ 3.91 average across 4,036 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 67% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.63 on StoryGraph from 1,098 reviews
- ✓ 4.4 stars across 1,858 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Slow build
- ✓ Swoon-worthy for fans
- ✓ Miscommunication breakup
- ✓ Resolution rushed for some
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Ella a sweetheart
- ✓ 79% found them loveable
- ✓ Sloane frustrates many
- ✓ No spark for some
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Authentic football detail
- ✓ Well paced
- ✓ Balanced sport and romance
- ✓ Boring stretches for one reader
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Lighthearted
- ✓ Grief and betrayal backdrop
- ✓ Brief angst
- ✓ Tagged emotional by 35% on StoryGraph
Heat Level ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Romance.io 4/5, explicit open door
- ✓ Graphic sexual content flagged
- ✓ Very steamy scenes
- ✓ 27 heat ratings
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ HEA
- ✓ Reconciliation after a bust
- ✓ HFN for one reader
- ✓ Ella gives in too easily, for one
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Fun for football fans
- ✓ Audiobook available
- ✓ 376 pages
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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