Viking wins the race for Olympic rom-com 

Viking has snapped up Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura.  

Lydia Fried, assistant editor, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Jemima Forrester at David Higham. US and Canadian rights were acquired by Kukuwa Ashun at Flatiron Books via Allison Hunter at Trellis Literary Management. It will publish 4th July 2024. 

Set at the Athens Olympics during a blisteringly hot summer, Let the Games Begin is the story of Zeke – an unfairly attractive British Zimbabwean sprinter – and Olivia – a relentlessly ambitious woman starting a job at the International Olympic Committee – after they bump into each other (literally) on their first day in the Olympic Village. Sparks fly, and not in a good way… they dislike each other on sight. But as their paths cross over the course of the games, Zeke and Olivia find themselves softening. Will their budding romance make it over the finish line, or will they stumble at the final hurdle? 

Fried said: “Rufaro has written a sparking, sexy, joyful rom-com that is truly standout from the first page. I couldn’t help myself becoming deeply invested in Zeke and Olivia’s career journeys and — of course — their tangled, chemistry-filled love story. I’m so proud to be publishing Let the Games Begin and can’t wait for it to delight many a romance reader next summer! Who knew publishing and the Olympics would be a match made in heaven?” 

Mazarura added: “Writing a book set in the Olympic Village with a cast of characters I adore, has been such a delight! I can’t wait for readers to get immersed in this story and follow Olivia and Zeke as they navigate family, ambition, and the joy of running towards the finish line with the people you love. “