Beautiful Game, Bella Books, July 2011

It’s 1991 and Melissa Etheridge is a brand new voice on the radio. In Southern California, it’s almost—but not quite—safe to say the word lesbian out loud. For Camille Wallace, a sophomore attending San Diego University on a soccer scholarship, life is sweet. She has gay friends, the sport she loves and a future full of possibilities.

Her possible futures don’t include a woman like Jess Maxwell. Potential all-American, star-caliber tennis player and in every way the perfect co-ed, Jess isn’t likely to notice Cam’s admiring glances. Even if she does, chances are she’ll never regard Cam as more than a fan.

The brilliant sunshine might be one reason Cam sees a side of Jess that no one else has realized is there. But it will take more than training and tenacity to find out if Jess wants to be the woman Cam believes lurks within. It may take more than Cam can possibly risk.

Kate Christie looks at love and the pursuit of happiness for two gifted college athletes in the early Gay ’90s.

READ THE OFFICIAL EXCERPT (PDF FORMAT).

Purchasing Options

Beautiful Game is available in paperback and a variety of eBook formats direct from the publisher, Bella Books. It is also available in paperback and Kindle format at Amazon, and paperback and Nook format at Barnes & Noble.

Reviews and Reader Comments for Beautiful Game

Just About Write review, October 2011: Reviewer RLynne of the lesbian fiction e-zine JAW had this to say about Beautiful Game: “Christie captures the life of a college jock, from the roughhousing to the incredible tension and excitement of the game. Even those who are not soccer fans will be gripped by the exciting championship action. And, she captures the equally incredible sweetness and heartache of a first adult love. Edited by Katherine V. Forrest, Beautiful Game is a wonderful romp back into the ups and downs of college life. Christie’s characters are wonderful, and… San Diego is a beautiful place to visit.”
The Rainbow Reader review, July 2011: Salem West of The Rainbow Reader blog gave the book a 5.1 out of 6.0, and wrote, “I bought Kate Christie’s Beautiful Game because it sounded fun, and I’m in a post Women’s World Cup soccer frenzy. This one was supposed to be just for me. But then it had to go and be fantastic, make me warm and happy inside, and refuse to let me go until I had finished the last sentence and hugged my Kindle to my chest with all the strength in my little blogging body.“
Reader comment, 9/3/11: “I started reading Beautiful Game yesterday afternoon. When I went to bed to read more, I just couldn’t stop. To my chagrin, it’s now 1:30AM here and I just finished the last page. Very touching story. Great characters. Thanks!”
Reader comment, 8/2/11: “I finished Beautiful Game last night and the only complaint I have is that it’s over. The descriptions of the soccer games, the baseball bashing, the pace of the story, the character development, all wonderful. Your best novel yet. Call me a satisfied reader, yet again. Thanks!”
Reader comment, 7/21/11: “I’m trying to find the right word to express how I felt as I read your book. I enjoyed it so much I was reading it slower than normal because I wanted to ‘savor’ the words, the emotions and the feeling of living back in the 90s when letters were written, long distance bills existed and a flashing red light meant a message was left. A beautiful story. And I learned a little about soccer. Thank you for this wonderful story.”