The Next Competitor by Keira Andrews is a M/M sports erotic romance. Figure skating is the sport, which is something I know absolutely nothing about. However, since I’m a big fan of Andrews’ work, this didn’t bother me. And, I have to say, it only bothered me slightly when I was reading. There were terms I didn’t understand since I’ve never watched figure skating, but it didn’t really detract from the book, since I was focused on the story, rather than the technicalities.
And the story is great. The main character, Alex Grady, is, by his own admission, a bit of an asshole, which is why he has no friends, much less a boyfriend. But since he’s so focused on his career, on going to the Olympics and winning a gold medal, he doesn’t care about any of that. Until, that is, he ends up falling for one of his training buddies, Matt Savelli. That’s when things get complicated. I don’t want to say any more and give the story away, but this is a tale of determination, angst, heartbreak and much, much more.
Andrews puts us through an emotional wringer in this engaging page-turner of a book, and I found myself rooting for Alex, despite his somewhat unpleasant personality. Overall, a book I’d definitely recommend to gay romance fans, even if you have no interest in figure skating.