Ana Huang is back with the second book in her Gods of the Game series, titled The Defender.
Following Vincent and Brooklyn — who were introduced in the series’ first book, The Striker — this love story covers some of Huang’s favorite tropes: forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers. Not to mention, there is a bet thrown in there, semi-inspired by the 1999 movie She’s All That.
“I loved that movie,” Huang told Us Weekly exclusively while discussing The Defender, which was published on Tuesday, October 28. “I’m a ‘90s baby. I am, in fact, a millennial. I was raised on movies like that.”
She called the bet one of her “favorite tropes” and hopes that The Defender readers will feel the same way.
“I don’t think it’s as popular now as it used to be,” Huang said. “But I wish for a resurgence, because there’s just so much fun stuff you could do with it.”
The bet in The Defender does offer another layer to Brooklyn and Vincent’s love story — and it also lends itself to some pretty steamy moments. Keep scrolling for answers to all of Us Weekly’s burning questions about Huang’s new book:
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Us Weekly: How did you land on forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers for Vincent and Brooklyn’s story?
Ana Huang: It’s one of my favorite tropes, so I am always drawn to it when writing. I feel like there’s always so much tension and banter that you can get from that sort of dynamic, especially with that forced proximity thrown in. … This makes sense for the two of them. They’re just really fun, but they have a little bit of that sarcasm, playful edge. I thought that would be just a fun dynamic — and I love a good roommates romance. I haven’t done one in a while. And I was like, “I think it’s time to go back to my roots.”
Us: One thing that is very relatable with these two characters is the family dynamics that are also at play. Both Vincent and Brooklyn have rough relationships with their parents. What made you want to explore that aspect?
Huang: Sometimes I look at what I do to my characters and I’m like, “I do traumatize them quite a bit.” A lot of family trauma. For them, I wanted to develop a different relationship that I haven’t quite done in the past. … It’s like they have this thing that they can bond over and that they can commiserate with, but at the same time, they’re also different, and they can help each other in different ways. I was just really interested in sort of exploring that different dynamic that I haven’t really done before in terms of their families.
Us: The dedication for this book refers to finding your “comfort person.” Can you explain how Vincent and Brooklyn are that for each other?
Huang: When I think of a comfort person, I think of someone that I can turn to no matter what. If something bad happens to me, if something good happens to me, that is the person that I want to pick up the phone and call first. Obviously, they didn’t start out that way, but for them, they really see in each other someone that kind of sees past the surface level of who they are. Someone that they feel comfortable being vulnerable with. … They see each other for the full spectrum of who they are, and they’re still comfortable being so raw, vulnerable with each other. That is what makes them each other’s home.
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Us: Was there one scene in the book that was more difficult to write than others?
Huang: It’s always those big, emotional confessions. Because they are so important to the story, I want to make sure they’re done right. But then, when it comes to love confessions, this is my 15th book. So I’m like, “OK, I have to do something that I haven’t done before.” The more books you write, I think the harder it gets to find a new and fresh way for these two people to basically say, “I love you.” I think those moments were a little bit harder, but it ended up working out.
Us: We must discuss the football pitch scene. Is the fan reaction ever in the back of your mind while writing spicier scenes?
Huang: To be honest, when I’m writing spicy scenes, I have to pretend no one is ever going to read it. There are certain scenes where I’m like, “Oh, I think this will end up like being a fan-favorite scene.” Usually, it is. But then sometimes I’m surprised by what scenes become the reader favorites. For this one, the football pitch, I can’t do a sports romance without some fun play on the field.
