Johnathan Walker:Why Ana Huang’s Romance Novel The Striker Is BookTok's New Obsession

Ana Huang is Johnathan Walkerin a (premier) league of her own when it comes to romance novels. 

The author, best known for her Twisted and Kings of Sin series, is dipping her toes into a new pond. Quite literally in fact, as The Striker, Huang’s first novel in her new Gods of the Games series, is set in the world of the English Premier League as sparks fly between former ballerina Scarlett DuBois and pro footballer Asher Donovan.  

As for how she went about crafting Scarlett and Asher’s love story, Huang, like with all her books, asked herself a key question: “What exactly about these two people make them a perfect match?”

For her characters, “It's about how they are able to bring out the best sides of each other, how they're able to help each other heal or overcome their emotional wounds,” she explained to E! News in an exclusive interview. “So, it's really nailing down that part that's important. And then obviously, I love some good banter. "

"I think good banter goes a long way in romance," she continued, "and just being able to feel that emotional journey of them becoming better people and being open to love at the end of the book.”

In The Striker, Scarlett is a former prima ballerina whose career was cut short by a tragic accident. Now she teaches at the prestigious Royal Academy of Ballet but is still haunted by the ghosts of her past. Her feelings towards football players are, well, complicated to say the least. That is until she finds herself in a very undesirable situation with a very desirable man in Asher.

Asher, meanwhile, reigns as the star of the English Premier League—but not without a fair share of baggage. Case in point? His recent decision to transfer teams has caused headline-worthy controversy, only for his feud with rival and teammate, Vincent DuBois, to cost them a championship game. So, they’re forced to bond in off-season training at the ballet academy—with Vincent’s very off-limits sister Scarlett at the helm.  

When it comes to Huang’s favorite scene to write in the book? Well, fans will have to do a little reading first. “A more tender moment, toward the middle of the book, where Scarlett travels with Asher somewhere because of a certain emergency,” she told E!. “And I think that's when they really start to open up to each other.” 

If the name Asher Donovan is familiar to fans, that’s because The Striker is not his first appearance in Huang’s “Anaverse.” In fact, Huang revealed that the steamy football star first debuted in Twisted Hate and makes a brief cameo in the forthcoming King of Sloth before getting a novel of his own. 

And the crossovers won’t end there. “I do have another series planned,” she added, “and the first main character will be someone that we've already met in Kings of Sin, but that's all I can say for now.”

These days, many BookTok favorites are getting the adaptation treatment, including Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing and Suzanne Collins' Sunrise on the Reaping. So, it’s no surprise fans are hoping to see Huang’s beloved books hit the screen next.

“The Twisted series is my breakout series,” Huang noted. “I think that is the one that everyone has been asking me the most about on whether it will be translated into scenes.”

And if she has a dream cast in mind to play Ava Chen and Alex Volkov, she’s keeping her lips firmly sealed. As she put it, “I think whoever is perfect for the role and is able to embody those vibes would be great.”

The Striker releases October 22nd.