The Defender

Vincent DuBois is the captain of Blackcastle FC, controlled on the pitch and guarded off it, until an anonymous stalker makes his home unsafe and he quietly moves in with the one person no one would suspect: Brooklyn Armstrong, the club's sports nutritionist and the coach's daughter.

Forced proximity turns into a reckless bet over who will fall first, and banter slowly gives way to something Vincent's past has taught him to fear. The second Gods of the Game book pairs a brooding captain with a sunny, off-limits heroine, set against the same London football world as The Striker, where Vincent first appeared as the hero's rival.

It is a standalone in Ana Huang's shared universe, and its title names his position on the pitch.