Two Left Feet

A Premier League football star must defend his roster spot--and his heart--when a threateningly talented and handsome midfielder joins his team in this utterly charming debut romance, a profound love letter to the world's most popular sport.

Oliver Harris is football royalty in London. Ordinarily the star of the Camden Roses is calm, cool, and collected, keeping his club relevant with his prowess in the midfield and his mighty left foot. But this season, the threats abound: There's Camden's management to contend with--complete with a prickly new Dutch coach, eager for better results--and a midseason injury, which sidelines him when his team needs him most. When a recruit is called up to fill in, Oliver fears he'll be replaced. If he can mentor this younger talent, then they might just have a chance at winning, together.

After a string of lackluster performances in his native Spain, Leonardo Davies-Villanueva is looking for one last shot with the club he always dreamed of, where he once played in the youth academy. Oliver immediately finds confident, eager Leo irritating. He can barely go through the motions, let alone coach him, without outright hostility. When he comes to admire Leo's skill and warms to his humor and energy, though, he begins to see Leo as a friend--and then, to his mounting horror, as something more.

Leo craves Oliver's attention and partnership; Oliver can't afford to fall in love with his teammate. He's always kept a tight lid on his sexuality in a league that's never had a player come out. As the season heats up, a lot more than football hangs in the balance. Can Oliver--and Leo--win when it counts most?

"An exuberant heart-squeeze of a book . . . Two Left Feet is the kind of joyful, hopeful story the romance genre was made for."--Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of What Happens in Amsterdam

Author: Kallie Emblidge
Publisher: Dell
Published: 01/13/2026
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.91h x 5.21w x 0.81d
ISBN: 9798217092758


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/01/2025 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 10/20/2025

About the Author
Kallie Emblidge works for The Washington Post and is a co-chair of the paper's union. She lives and writes in New York City. Two Left Feet is her first novel, but she's been a football fan forever.