Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong

TL;DR: Written by a fan, this romance in the professional wrestling world is absolutely lovely.
Source: NetGalley – Thank you to the publisher!!

Plot: A heel (bad guy) and a face (the good guys) in a wrestling plot fall in love and challenge the norm.
Characters: They’re delightful and there is a good variety of them. I loved most of these folks.
Setting: It moves with the wrestlers around the country and it managed to make it feel rooted with them and in each setting.
Romance: These two were super cute, and the yearning and angst was great.

Summary:

From dramatic character gimmicks to death-defying stunts, everything in the world of professional wrestling is an act. Asher Ross’s hatred for Caleb Knight, however, is not. When Asher gets drafted to Global Elite Wrestling’s main roster, playing the role of Caleb’s worst enemy—the face to his heel—should be easy. Stripping him of his World Championship title should be even easier. But as the two men trade barbs and blows across arenas, they’re each surprised to find their chemistry is so sizzling, it can’t just be for the cameras.

Through training sessions, rehearsals, and injuries, Caleb’s icy demeanor melts away, and Asher begins to see the real man behind the cruel persona GEW has molded Caleb into. An unlikely truce evolves into feelings neither want to deny, but the company won’t let them be seen as anything other than bitter rivals, both in and out of the ring.

As Asher and Caleb grapple with what they truly want in an industry with a history of denying queerness, their forbidden romance comes crashing down on them, and both men are forced to decide if their relationship is real enough to last, and just how much they’re willing to fight for it.

Thoughts:

I’ve wondered for a while where the pro wrestling romances were, and here it is. This is low hanging fruit, even hardcore fans have to admit this is easy pickings for anyone. Thankfully our author seems to be a true fan and this was done with a lot of heart and attention to detail, I loved it.

Asher and Caleb are your classic Heel/Baby Face clash. One is coming up to take the belt from the other. They practice, work together and eventually become friends which of course leads to more. All the while the sport of wrestling is respected. You get the heat and fight of the ring, and the truth of what it can do to the body. All the while these two are working to come together outside of it and I ate it UP.

The cast outside of Asher and Caleb are fantastic too and I am praying we get more of them in future books. I loved Bailey, Thea, and all the rest I want so much more of this world and these fights. Give me, give me, give me!!