Playing for Keeps

Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about two rival publicists who are forced to work together when their mega-famous clients--a popstar and a quarterback--begin to date. Poppy Peterson's life is finally back on track and she's thriving as the publicist of the NFL's most promising quarterback (and her childhood best friend), Cash Curran. So, she doesn't appreciate when he makes an impulsive and public pass at America's popstar darling, Lyric Adair. When Lyric's notorious publicist Rosaline Sinclair reaches out, Poppy is ready to face her wrath, but instead learns that Lyric is equally interested. As Cash and Lyric embark on their ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together, each determined to protect their own client from the other. Poppy is frustrated by Rosaline's cool demeanor, while at the same time, as a legend in the industry, she's determined to impress her. But, no matter what she does, she can't shake the feeling that Rosaline doesn't like her. That is until one steamy night, when the two women contend with their unexpected feelings and begin a messy romance of their own. But with paparazzi, tabloids, and stalker fans nipping at their heels, Poppy and Rosaline's loyalties will be tested in ways they could never expect. A high energy, Sapphic, and deeply sexy romance, Playing for Keeps has everything readers expect from Alexandria Bellefleur and more! Tropes: workplace romance forced proximity secret relationship found family hurt/comfort

About the Author :
Alexandria Bellefleur is a bestselling and award-winning author of swoony contemporary romance often featuring loveable grumps and the sunshine characters who bring them to their knees. A Pacific Northwesterner at heart, Alexandria now lives in New York City with her cats, Mills and Boon. Her special skills include finding the best Pad Thai in every city she visits, remembering faces but not names, falling asleep in movie theaters, and keeping cool while reading smutty books in public. Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award winner and a 2020 winner of The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

Review :
"features her trademark wit, heartfelt friendships, and steamy romance." -- Kirkus Reviews "Bellefleur's knack for snappy dialogue and engaging character dynamics is on display. . . An irresistible, banter-filled romance." -- Kirkus Reviews "[A]wkward first dates lead to passionate first kisses and time spent together reveals there is more to both women than meets the eye... Fans of pop culture-inspired astrology sites will love the effortless and entertaining way the author weaves zodiac memes throughout the text. The stars align in this charming queer rom-com." -- Kirkus Reviews "Bellefleur leans gently into the opposites attract trope in this playful contemporary romance. . . The romance itself is swoon-worthy and Bellefleur sensitively handles both protagonists' bisexuality. The results are both incendiary and super sweet." -- Publishers Weekly "Heartwarming. . . Bellefleur's lively characters charm from start to finish. This is a perfect pick for readers looking for a light-hearted romance centered on emotional growth." -- Publishers Weekly "This zippy Sapphic rom-com from Bellefleur features slow-burn romance, a steamy marriage-of-convenience, and a profusion of Taylor Swift references. . . Bellefleur's snappy prose is perfect for the banter between Tansy and Gemma, and it's delightful to watch the tension build between them. . . deeply satisfying." -- Publishers Weekly "Written with a surfeit of quippy wit and graced with a delightfully quirky constellation of supporting characters, Lambda Literary Award winner Bellefleur's fun, fresh take on the marriage of convenience trope delivers all the romantically swoon-worthy moments and steamy chemistry romance readers crave." -- Booklist "Bellefleur's debut sprinkles amusing listicles throughout the text as Elle and Darcy cautiously move from uneasy allies to friends to something more. Well-developed leads, relatable conflicts, a strong supporting cast, and opposites-attract chemistry make for an engaging read. Fans of Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material and Talia Hibbert's Take a Hint, Dani Brown will enjoy this Seattle-set love story that reads like a romantic holiday movie." -- Booklist "This extremely sexy rom-com is full of lingering glances and fiery love scenes. . . Bellefleur also makes the sincere observation that the person who sees you the clear-est is often the person who scares you the most. Thoughtful conversations about relationships balance the comedy in this ultra-satisfying read." -- BookPage "This book is a delight." -- New York Times Book Review "A sharp and witty novel that revels in soapy romance tropes while introducing a large cast of characters in Bellefleur's ("Written in the Stars" series) familiar Seattle setting." -- Library Journal "Polar opposites come together in Bellefleur's cheerful #ownvoices debut... A dash of Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary, mixed with a fresh, millennial f/f twist of opposites attract." -- Library Journal "Written in the Stars abounds with optimism and empathy for its characters, its wit always undergirded by sweetness. This is a comfort read, at a time when many of us need one badly, and a sparkling debut for Bellefleur." -- Olivia Dade, author of Spoiler Alert "If you love the fake-dating trope, you won't want to miss Written in the Stars." -- Bustle "Alexandria Bellefleur is an author to watch. Her writing is joyful and heartfelt, and her voice sparkles with a delightful mix of wit, humor, and good-natured sarcasm. I can't wait to see how she wows us next!" -- Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man "Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone. She has a gift for comedy, possessing more style and panache than a debut writer has any right to... There's a sparkling quality here, one that mirrors the starry title. Bellefleur writes as if she's captured fairy lights in a mason jar, twinkly and lovely within something solid yet fragile." -- Entertainment Weekly (Best Romances of November) "A delightful, heart-warming romance, Bellefleur's novel shows eloquently how two characters can fall in love more deeply than either dared to dream. So whether you follow astrology or not, Written in the Stars has the reading you won't want to miss." -- NPR "WRITTEN IN THE STARS is the gay contemporary Pride and Prejudice retelling I've been looking to read for forever, and I so hope everyone who needs to read this book finds it. Elle's openness and positivity and Darcy's guardedness and skepticism and how they come together is a joy to read. Please check this one out. I don't think you'll be disappointed." -- Culturess "In this heart-thawing holiday romance, debut novelist Bellefleur remixes Austen's indelible clash of personalities into something fresh and totally queer." -- O, the Oprah Magazine (Best LGBTQ Books of 2020) "[A] distinctly modern frolic, charming and effervescent and entirely itself." -- Washington Post "Just what 2020 needs: a delightful rom com that once again gives us the beloved fake relationship trope -- and the fuzzies you didn't know you needed." -- Shondaland (5 Best Books of November) "There are many, many Pride and Prejudice retellings out there, but Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur might just be the best." -- Popsugar (Best New Romance Books in November) "[A]wkward first dates lead to passionate first kisses and time spent together reveals there is more to both women than meets the eye... Fans of pop culture-inspired astrology sites will love the effortless and entertaining way the author weaves zodiac memes throughout the text. The stars align in this charming queer rom-com." -- Kirkus Reviews on Written in the Stars "Everything I want from a romcom: fun, whimsical, sexy." -- Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author on Written in the Stars "A disastrous blind date kicks off Bellefleur's excellent rom-com debut... Readers will be rapt by the sensuous love scenes once Darcy and Elle throw pretense aside... A moving subplot about Elle's fight for her family's acceptance rounds out the story, while astrology memes ('What brunch food are you based on your zodiac?') and nods to Pride and Prejudice scattered throughout add texture. This is a delight." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Written in the Stars "Written in the Stars is what you might get if your favorite Instagram astrologer wrote you an adorable romance novel. Delightful, funny and sweet, with just the right touch of woo-woo." -- Scarlett Peckham, USA Today bestselling author "A dazzling debut! The perfect combination of humor and heart really makes this book shine." -- Rachel Lacey, author of Don't Cry for Me "This book is a delight." -- New York Times Book Review "Smart, sexy, and sweet. Readers will be over the moon for this rom-com." -- Kirkus Reviews on Hang the Moon "[A] distinctly modern frolic, charming and effervescent and entirely itself." -- Washington Post on Written in the Stars "[A] delightful rom com that once again gives us the beloved fake relationship trope -- and the fuzzies you didn't know you needed." -- Shondaland (5 Best Books of November) "Alexandria Bellefleur is an author to watch. Her writing is joyful and heartfelt, and her voice sparkles with a delightful mix of wit, humor, and good-natured sarcasm. I can't wait to see how she wows us next!" -- Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man "Outrageously clever and unbearably sexy, The Fiancée Farce is the sapphic romance of my dreams. Like every Alexandria Bellefleur book, I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down. With delicious prose and gripping storytelling, Bellefleur is a rom-com master, and I'll read anything she writes." -- Mazey Eddings, author of Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake "Bellefleur continues on her dazzling trajectory with another completely charming, achingly romantic love story. This tale not only delivers an abundance of wit-infused writing and some scorchingly hot love scenes, it also gracefully illuminates the importance in life of family and the friends we hold most dear." -- Booklist (starred review) on Count Your Lucky Stars "A warm hug of a queer contemporary romance with sparkling prose, heartfelt dialogue, and delicious dirty talk." -- Library Journal (starred review) on Count Your Lucky Stars "Alexandria Bellefleur's writing is as sparkling as champagne, bubbling with taste in every word... Bellefleur provides sweet, bubbly romance, each romantic moment providing depth, excitement, and balance." -- Buzzfeed on Count Your Lucky Stars "Alexandria Bellefleur has gifted us with a gorgeously bright and vivacious romance in The Fiancée Farce--bringing together a beauty and a wallflower, a marriage of convenience, and intensely sexy, swoony, sapphic vibes. Mischievous dogs, glitter-infused capers, and a delicious moment in an old library round out this rom-com perfection, and make it a must read for 2023!" -- Sierra Simone, USA Today bestselling author "With perfectly woven vulnerability and playfulness, Written in the Stars is a riotous and heartfelt read. I was hooked from the very first page!" -- Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author "The Fiancée Farce is romcom at its absolute finest. A down on her luck heroine who invents a fake girlfriend? A fake girlfriend who turns up looking for a marriage of convenience to land her inheritance? Set the whole thing in a cozy bookstore? Alexandria Bellefleur delivers funny, sexy, romance reader catnip. No notes." -- Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author "Written in the Stars had me hooked from the first page. It's an adorable and heartfelt romance with everything I adore: a killer meet-cute, loads of cute banter, steamy love scenes, all the feels, and a happily ever after that left me in happy tears. I fell head over heels for Elle and Darcy's love story. Alexandria Bellefleur's debut will have readers seeing stars in the best way." -- Sarah Smith, author of Faker & Simmer Down, on Written in the Stars "What a treat! Playing for Keeps is filled with top-tier tension, sparkling banter, and deliciously sweet heat. Poppy and Rosaline's story will grab you from the very first page and refuse to let you go--I couldn't put it down! I adored every moment of this heartfelt, sexy romance. I dare you not to read it in one sitting." -- Grace Reilly, USA Today bestselling author of Wicked Serve