The Striker

By: Ana Huang

Narrated by: Shane East, Stella Hunter

She's the only woman he wants...and the only one he can't have.

Asher Donovan is a living legend—the darling of the Premier League, the (arguably) greatest footballer in the world.

But his reckless antics and recent team transfer have caused much controversy, and when his feud with his rival-turned-teammate costs them a championship, they’re forced to “bond” during off-season cross-training.

Surviving the summer shouldn’t be hard…until Asher meets their new trainer. She’s beautiful, talented, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t take his mind off her.

The only problem? She’s his rival’s sister—and completely off limits.

***

Scarlett DuBois is a former prima ballerina whose career was cut short by a tragic accident.

Now a teacher at a prestigious dance academy but still haunted by the ghosts of her past, the last thing she wants is to spend the summer cross-training Asher Donovan, of all people.

She swore she would never date a footballer, but when her brother leaves town for an emergency, she finds herself thrown into dangerously close proximity with the gorgeous, charming striker.

Training, she can deal with. But falling in love? That’s out of the question—especially when he’s the only person with the power to break her heart.

©2024 Ana Huang (P)2024 Ana Huang

Loved Scarlett and Asher!

Over the last few years, I've seen Ana Huang's books pop up a lot on my social media feeds. I was interested in reading her novels, but never got to it until now. The Striker really appealed to me with its various and alluring tropes: sports (soccer/ballet), brother's teammate/rival, forbidden.

I grabbed the audiobook and wasn't disapointed in this story! The duet narration by Shane East and Stella Hunter was very well done, though I'll admit I had a little difficulty with the British accent at first. English being a second language for me, I have to be extra attentive to understand everything. Once I was acclimated with the narration, Asher and Scarlett's story hooked me.

This couple's chemistry was fantastic. I loved the banter between them. Scarlett didn't make it easy for Asher to win her over with his reputation, but ultimately that man was irresistible. Every single time he called her "darling", I melted! He was seriously obsessed with her and thoughtful. The forbidden aspect of their relationship was interesting too. I appreciated that they were multi-layered protagonists and the author delved into their past to show the hurdles they faced.

Scarlett's brother, Vincent, was a great supporting character. I really liked their relationship. He looked to be such a protective big brother. I enjoyed witnessing Asher's rivalry with him, but also when they started bonding together. Scarlett's girl friends were also interesting and entertaining.

The Striker was such a pleasant first read from Ana Huang and definitely not my last. I'm now more than excited about The Defender coming next in the Gods of the Game Series. It promises a fun time with the coach's daughter trope!!!

great duet narration!

i love a duet narration and this one was so great! this was a fun read and the narrators did a great job. i love an ana huang book and i was so excited to read the striker as asher donovan has been mentioned or shown up in almost all of the huang books i have read. he did not disappoint! i loved the story overall and am really looking forward to the next in the series. if i had read the physical book, i think it might have felt a bit long, but with the duet narration (with british accents!) it really flew by. would recommend for fans of soccer/sports romances.

The Asher Donovan

I was so excited for Asher’s story to come out. Ana did not disappoint. The book was exciting, sweet, dangerous, and so emotional. You get a taste of what a pro footballer goes through emotionally and mentally. I loved that we got to experience Scarlet’s struggles also as a ballerina. Their dynamic was so sweet and funny and i want to reread again!

Beautiful Narration & funny side characters

Ana never misses when it comes to writing thoughtful men who take romantic gestures personally and seriously🥹— 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝘼𝙉 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚! Not only did 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙝𝙚 𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑶 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙖 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑨𝑻𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝘼𝙑𝙊𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙀 𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑳 𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙀 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚!! That’s not even all, it’s just one of the many cute date ideas and gestures he came up with.

This was a really cute read! I loved everything, the character mentions from the twisted series, the spice—I think Ana has a thing for libraries and mirrors and I’m HERE FOR IT!👅🫦. The team group chat was too funny—it’s Noah always leaving for me and Vincent Dubious finding every reason to bicker with Asher like a married couple. And Adil?? He’s just the life of the party🤣. I’m so excited for Vincent, Adil, and Noah’s books✨❤️‍🔥.

A favorite

One of my favorite books by her definitely. Thank you so much Ana for all your hard work 💜