I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Sideline Crush by Gina Azzi Series: League Valencia #2
Published by Three Cities Publishing LLC on January 23, 2026
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He’s an Italian heartthrob, a soccer phenom, and my brother’s best friend.
Luca DiBlanco has known me since I was a kid—and that’s all he’s ever seen me as. Until he shows up in Chicago when my world is crumbling and helps me piece it back together.
Moving home to Valencia, Spain should’ve been a fresh start. Instead, it throws me right back into Luca’s orbit. Only now, the reliable, steady guy who’s always looked out for me… is looking at me. Differently. Closer. Like he’s tempted.
What starts as extra soccer training turns into stolen touches. Planning a youth summer camp together sparks even more heat. Before I know it, the man I once crushed on is the one I can’t stop kissing.
He’s known as the dependable good guy. I’m the fun-loving, wild child, and the risk he probably shouldn’t take. But for the first time, Luca’s not playing it safe—and I’m not sitting on the sidelines.
I’m ready to take my shot.
But what if I’m the chaos that topples his carefully constructed future?
An addictive and heartfelt brothers best friend soccer romance! Gina Azzi is delighting her fans with with the second book in her League Valencia series. The characters are friends who turn into more along the way of supporting each other during good times and bad. I loved the family surrounding them as one aspect after another changed in what they thought they were going to do with their lives. I really wanted some interaction from her parents though to make it all feel complete on that front. I’m loved seeing so much of Alejandro and Marlowe from the first book and getting to know a bit about Luca’s family and friends. There was a strong female sports representation in this book! I can’t wait for more to come in the series! I highly recommend this book as well as the first in the series to anyone who enjoys a sports romance taking place in broth Spain and the US at times as love comes knocking when they least expect it.
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