Hi everyone,

I have a surprise for you.

After keeping this one close to my chest, I’m thrilled to announce that Line of the Ball — Book One of the Windward Cup Dynasty — is out now.

This is my first full dive into high-heat M/M sports romance, and I turned the heat up significantly. Expect steamier scenes, intense chemistry, and that slow-burn-to-inferno energy. It’s still classic Elias Keane storytelling — queer love, found family, and characters with real weight — but this time the spice is turned all the way up.

Here’s a taste of what’s waiting for you:

Mason had his elbow on the bar and a two-finger pour of Glenlivet sweating in his hand. The stranger beside him was holding a neat rye, thumb tracing the line of the glass.

They’d been talking for half an hour — just enough time for the veneer to go soft around the edges. The man’s name hadn’t come up. Mason hadn’t offered his own. It was its own kind of courtesy.

After a lull, the stranger’s gaze shifted sideways. “That’s the third time you’ve watched the door,” he said. “You expecting someone?”

Mason smiled into his glass. “Just checking for sudden changes in the weather.”

A flash at the corner of the man’s mouth. “Suppose you get a lot of those out here.”

“Depends on how you define sudden,” Mason said.

They let a few beats pass. In the mirror behind the bottles, Mason watched the stranger’s face from a new angle — the way his jaw stayed tense even when he laughed, how his hair fell just enough to shadow his eyes.

“You here with anybody?” Mason asked.

“No,” the stranger said. “Are you?”

“Not tonight.”

The stranger looked away, tongue pressed to his teeth like he’d almost said something and thought better of it.

Mason tipped his chin toward the stairs at the back of the bar. “There’s a room upstairs. Nobody’ll bother us.”

The man didn’t blink. He held Mason’s stare, then stood. He squared his jacket, slipped a couple of bills onto the bar, and waited.

Mason rose beside him. He led the way up the stairs without looking back. He heard each measured step behind him.

Upstairs, the hallway was short and quiet. Mason picked the door at the end and opened it without ceremony.

The lamp on the nightstand threw a tight pool of yellow over the bed. Mason let the door swing closed and stood there, watching the stranger look around.

The man kicked off his shoes, lined them up neatly, then took his jacket off slow and clean, folding it once before setting it on the chair. He started on his shirt buttons.

Mason watched his hands work. “You nervous?” he asked, voice low.

The man looked up. “Not really.” A small smile. “Maybe a little.”

Mason nodded. “Doesn’t show.”

“That’s the idea.”

He crossed the space and stood at the foot of the bed. Mason reached up, hooked his fingers in the hem of the open shirt, and pulled him closer. The man let him. Mason ran his hands up the man’s sides, thumbs tracing warm skin and the lines of muscle. The stranger inhaled sharply, then let it out slow.

Mason leaned in and pressed his mouth to the center of his chest, then lower, to the cut of his stomach. The skin was hot under his lips. The man’s hands found Mason’s shoulders, fingers digging in for balance as Mason kissed lower still.

If you’re looking for a steamy, addictive summer read with polo, rivalry, secret deals, and two men who can’t stay away from each other, Line of the Ball is the perfect vacation binge.

Get your copy now:→ Amazon

You can also read the full blurb here:
https://eliaskeane.com/books/line-of-the-ball

If you grab it, I’d love it if you left a review on Amazon or Goodreads — it genuinely helps more than you know.

And while you’re here, sign up for the First Light Club to get a free exclusive novella, The Timber Wolf:
https://eliaskeane.com/landers/free-the-timber-wolf

This is just the beginning of the Windward Cup Dynasty. Book Two, Crossing the Line, is coming Q3 2026.

Thank you for reading and for letting me surprise you like this. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Happy summer, and happy bingeing!

Elias Keane