STEELE
I used to love being referred to as the bad boy running back—until my antics landed me in hot water. I didn’t think life could get much worse than being released by the team I poured my heart and soul into, just to find out I’d be playing for the Rock City Renegades. They may have the league fooled into believing they’ve got a shot at a championship, but I see through the facade. They’re a joke, and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on.
With no other choice, I sign the contract and agree to let the owner’s daughter help me clean up my image. If I play my cards right and put on a show, I’ll be on my way to a better team in no time. But when Sydney Grant walks into our first meeting, I realize I’m not working with a stranger at all, but the woman who had me crawling for her the night before.
Can I keep it professional and do what it takes to fix my reputation? Or will I risk it all for another chance with the one person I should stay far away from?
SYDNEY
Being the lovable outcast of the city’s most well-known football family never really bothered me…until it did. My dad and sister are all business when it comes to the Renegades, often leaving me to wonder where I fit in. So, when they ask me to use my expertise in social media to make the team’s newest player look like a golden boy in the eyes of the fans, I agree, not knowing what I’m getting myself into.
Steele Harlow is larger than life. He says what he wants. He does what he wants. And he certainly doesn’t take kindly to being ordered around. But I never back down from a challenge, even when that challenge is tall, tattooed, and knows exactly what buttons to push to drive me wild.
I promised my family that I’d tame the league’s bad boy. But what happens when I let my guard slip, and he sees the parts of me no one else knows about?
(ARC Read)
I don’t even know where to start except… HOT. DAMN.
C.L. Rose really looked at the ceiling with this one and said “what if we turn it all the way up?” and then did exactly that.
Sydney and Steele? Absolute chaos. The kind of chemistry that walks into a room before they do. It feels reckless from the start, like you already know this is going to spiral in the best way and you’re just along for the ride.
Their story kicks off with what might be the wildest meet-cute I’ve ever read—a wrong door, a kink club, and a moment that flips everything Steele thought he knew about control. This man? Used to being in charge. Used to calling the shots. And then Sydney walks in and has him questioning everything in the span of a single night.
“This dominant, sexy-as-fuck, powerful man is willingly crawling to me when I’m sure every instinct in his body is telling him not to, and I’ve never been more turned on in my entire life.”
And the kicker?
She’s the owner’s daughter.
He’s the team’s newest problem.
Yeah… good luck keeping that professional.
What I loved about these two is how perfectly matched they are. This isn’t one person overpowering the other—it’s push, pull, give, take. They challenge each other, meet each other where it counts, and somehow turn tension into something that feels both explosive and weirdly soft when it matters.
“I may have crawled for you last night, but I suggest you watch that sassy mouth of yours, or I’ll prove just how effortlessly I can put you on your knees.”
Steele might come in as the classic bad boy—tattoos, attitude, zero interest in being here—but underneath all of that? He’s lonely. A little lost. He’s been knocked down in ways that have left him guarded and a little bitter, and you can feel that in how he approaches everything at first. And he’s completely unprepared for the way Sydney gets under his skin.
And Sydney? I am OBSESSED. Confident, bold, a little chaotic, but also just wanting to be seen beyond the role she’s been stuck in. She’s spent so much time being seen one way that it’s incredibly satisfying to watch someone finally see all of her, and not only accept it, but want it. Watching her come into her own while still holding her ground with Steele? Elite behavior.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m the center of someone’s world.”
Their dynamic is where this book really thrives.
The back-and-forth between them is constant and addictive—the “this can’t happen,” the lines they draw that neither of them actually plan on keeping, the tension that builds every time they’re in the same room trying to pretend nothing is there when it very clearly is. There’s this underlying current of inevitability between them that keeps tightening the more they try to fight it, and it makes every moment feel loaded.
“Call it obsessed—toxic—or whatever else you want, but there isn’t a universe where we don’t belong together. I know it, and now it’s time to enlighten her.”
And listen… the spice?
Yeah. It’s… next level.
We’re talking power play in every direction, “good boy” / “good girl” energy, tension you can feel, and moments that had me pausing like… excuse me?? we’re doing THAT now?? But it never felt like it was there just for shock value—it fit them. It fit their dynamic, their personalities, and the way they connect with each other. There’s tension, there’s playfulness, there’s intensity, and it all feeds into the emotional side of their relationship instead of overpowering it.
“You forget…we’re the same. You love the pain just as much as I do. So, go ahead and tear my hair out if you want to. It’ll only make me hungrier for your cum.”
But what really makes this hit is that underneath all the heat, there’s actual depth here. Growth. Trust. They start off keeping things surface-level, holding back anything real, convincing themselves they can keep emotions out of it. But then it begins to shift, slowly, building something deeper without even realizing it at first. This is the part that made the story stick for me. Their connection doesn’t just burn hot; it evolves.
“As incompatible as I thought we were, I’ve never felt more seen, heard, or cherished in my entire life. So, yes, you saved me…from never knowing what this feels like.”
Also, shoutout to the found family because the Renegades crew continues to deliver, and I will never get enough of them. They feel like coming home at this point. And Angus? Protect him at all costs! He completely stole my heart.
THIS BOOK. This damn book. I genuinely can’t decide who I’m more in love with, Steele or Sydney, and honestly, I don’t want to. Candice really said “here’s the hottest couple ever” and expected me to just move on like that’s possible. This is easily one of the hottest books I’ve read, and somehow she keeps getting better every time. Sydney and Steele are top-tier. No notes, no crumbs, just me wondering how I’m supposed to recover.
Release Date: April 30th, 2026
Thank you to C.L. Rose for the ARC read!