Excerpt from POP STARS AND PLAYBOOKS by Juliet Rhodes:
“Well, if it isn’t Griffin Hayes! Everyone, let’s give him a warm welcome.”
The crowd cheers.
She lingers before him, her lips parting gently into a playful grin that feels as if it’s entirely for him. Griffin’s heart picks up, his gaze glued to her. In the moment before she lifts the mic, she winks and it practically stops his heart.
Aria turns to the crowd and talks with miraculous ease. “I didn’t have a chance to meet Griffin before the show, but I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I saw the video. So, what’s the final verdict? Are you my number one fan?”
She reaches out a hand to bridge the gap between them and dances her fingertips down his shoulder. A shiver runs down his arm, and Aria’s glow eclipses the crowd behind her.
Griffin holds her stare, and his smile grows. After a beat, he looks away and laughs, and it surprises him when he hears it broadcast across the venue. “Guilty as charged.” He grips his chin, massaging it bashfully as he sneaks another close-up look at her. “And thank you all for having me. You can trust me when I say backstage is not for the faint of heart.”
Aria throws her head back and laughs, and her fans join her. Griffin cannot take his eyes from her; she’s magnetic.
“Well, well, you should take a spin in my hair and makeup chair, Mr. Hayes.”
Honestly, in the middle of this moment that feels very much like being under a spell, he might be convinced.
Eventually he finds his wherewithal. “Only if you play Sunday’s game against the Panthers.”
Aria puts a finger to her cheek and taps playfully as if she’s mulling it over. “No thanks! I’ll keep the sparkles and the blisters from these killer boots.”
The crowd goes wild.
“You do it well, so I can’t imagine you wanting to change course.”
Aria fans herself playfully. “Well, thank you, I might just have to invite you to every concert to keep my spirits high.”
Griffin extends an arm to acknowledge the crowd, and when Aria slips under it and pulls him into an embrace, he’s covered in warmth. She looks up and holds his eye, and Griffin’s breath catches. Stage fright, nerves of being called out unexpectedly, most likely. Definitely not the effects of this enchanting woman he’s so lucky to have become entwined with.
Aria slips away from his side and turns back to her fans.
Griffin feels the heat of his face as his pulse picks up, and he seizes the moment to bow out.
“Thank you so much, Aria. And all of you.” He waves to the crowd, then turns and ducks back into the wings.
He unclips the mic and hands it off to the waiting stagehand as quickly as he can manage. One and done, Griffin tells himself. And it wasn’t all that bad—or it won’t be once his flaming red cheeks cool off.
From POP STARS AND PLAYBOOKS by Juliet Rhodes. Copyright © 2026 by Juliet Rhodes
Narrator: Em Eldridge, Charlie Thurston
An opposites-attract, kisses-only, fake friendship-turned-love story between a football star and a pop icon
She's a chart-topper. He's a football player. Together, they're a love story no one saw coming.
Griffin Hayes is football's golden boy—charming, talented, and completely out of his depth when a video of him belting out pop star Aria Wilder's breakup anthem goes viral. Overnight, he's crowned the internet's favorite meme, and Aria's #1 fan. Aria, the reigning queen of heartbreak ballads, sees an opportunity to turn the moment into good PR and invites Griffin to her next concert. When their onstage chemistry sets the internet ablaze, her team suggests the unthinkable: a fake friendship to keep the buzz alive.
Griffin reluctantly agrees, but as they spend more time together—posing for cameras, attending events, and sharing inside jokes—he realizes there's nothing fake about the way Aria makes him feel. For Aria, Griffin is a breath of fresh air in a world that's always demanding more from her. Beneath the viral fame and public scrutiny, their connection feels real.
But when Griffin suffers a career-threatening injury and Aria battles creative burnout, their carefully constructed "performance" starts to crumble. With their worlds pulling them in opposite directions, they'll have to decide: Is this just a PR stunt gone too far—or the kind of love worth risking everything for?
Perfect for fans of fake dating, opposites attract, and swoon-worthy slow burns, Pop Stars and Playbooks is a sparkling romance about finding love in the unlikeliest of places—and learning to trust it when the spotlight fades.
Romance Sports [ Nelson, Thomas, Inc., On Sale: July 28, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781400359394 / eISBN: 9781400359400 ]
Juliet Rhodes is a hopeless romantic with a soft spot for slow-burn love stories and swoon-worthy heroes who fall first. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching rom-coms, obsessing over celebrity gossip, or cheering on her favorite teams (while secretly imagining the players in love triangles). She lives in a cozy apartment with her two rescue cats, Hemingway and Zelda.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026