Grace Henderson is pretty much the grande dame of US women’s soccer. She has been on the national team since she was a teenager and is also the captain of the New Orleans professional women’s soccer team, the Krewe. Younger players coming up through the high school and college ranks look up to her as an inspiration, even an idol.

One of them is Phoebe Matthews. Even though she’s not that much younger than Grace --- unlike her hero, she played soccer through high school and college instead of making the leap straight to the big team --- Phoebe is a fresh-faced Krewe rookie recruit whose childhood bedroom still has a Grace Henderson poster on the wall.

"Readers who already know something about soccer will be swept up in the descriptions of intense gameplay and strategy, as well as the behind-the-scenes politics of leadership roles and coaching decisions."

So when Phoebe gets a surprise invite to train with the national team and first encounters Grace there, she’s more than a little star-struck. But her competitive streak outweighs her nerves, and she soon finds herself betting that she can outlast Grace on a grueling fitness challenge. Phoebe is impressed not only with Grace’s athleticism, but also with her gorgeous looks and the dedication with which she approaches soccer. As the two make their way through training camp and preseason drills with the Krewe, it quickly becomes clear that the attraction is mutual.

Phoebe is no stranger to friends-with-benefits arrangements, but Grace is more reluctant, at least at first. Although she has come out to her family as a lesbian, Grace is not publicly out, preferring to keep some elements of her identity out of the extremely bright spotlight that’s always shining on her. In addition, her last entanglement with another player left her pretty disillusioned about romantic relationships. Phoebe, on the other hand, is very publicly out, and although things are turning pretty steamy in private, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate their relationship in public. What happens when one --- or both --- of them want this friendship to become something more?

Meryl Wilsner has become known for steamy sapphic romances, and CLEAT CUTE is no exception. This time, though, the heat in the bedroom is equaled by the intensity of the action on the soccer pitch. Readers who already know something about soccer will be swept up in the descriptions of intense gameplay and strategy, as well as the behind-the-scenes politics of leadership roles and coaching decisions. Wilsner also addresses mental health, as one character comes to recognize that patterns of behavior might be attributable to a diagnosable condition. Readers will be cheering for this duo to win --- on the sports field and at love.