The cover art of HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE, a novel by Celine Ong, where two male wrestlers (to the left is an Asian man in his 20s with long-ish black hair tied up in a man bun and a red fringe cascading down his face, dressed in a pair of black wrestling tights designed to look like flames; to the right is a white man in his 20s with short blond hair with slight curls at the top, dressed in white tights with blue lines coming up the side) square up in the middle of a ring. They stare at each other with a mix of fierceness and affection, and have an arm on each other. They are illuminated by pinkish, purplish, and blueish stage lights above. In the background, a faceless crowd watches them.
Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong

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Today on the site, I’m thrilled to be revealing the cover for Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong, a bi m/m sports romance releasing March 31, 2026 from Berkley! Here’s the story:

When a fierce rivalry between two professional wrestlers grows increasingly heated, neither man can fight the attraction burning between them, in this dazzling debut romance.

From dramatic character gimmicks to death-defying stunts, everything in the world of professional wrestling is an act. Asher Ross’s hatred for Caleb Knight, however, is not. When Asher gets drafted to Global Elite Wrestling’s main roster, playing the role of Caleb’s worst enemy—the face to his heel—should be easy. Stripping him of his World Championship title should be even easier. But as the two men trade barbs and blows across arenas, they’re each surprised to find their chemistry is so sizzling, it can’t just be for the cameras.

Through training sessions, rehearsals, and injuries, Caleb’s icy demeanor melts away, and Asher begins to see the real man behind the cruel persona GEW has molded Caleb into. An unlikely truce evolves into feelings neither want to deny, but the company won’t let them be seen as anything other than bitter rivals, both in and out of the ring.

As Asher and Caleb grapple with what they truly want in an industry with a history of denying queerness, their forbidden romance comes crashing down on them, and both men are forced to decide if their relationship is real enough to last, and just how much they’re willing to fight for it.

And here’s the beautifully bisexual cover, designed by Steve Meditz with art by Sarah Maxwell!

The cover art of HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE, a novel by Celine Ong, where two male wrestlers (to the left is an Asian man in his 20s with long-ish black hair tied up in a man bun and a red fringe cascading down his face, dressed in a pair of black wrestling tights designed to look like flames; to the right is a white man in his 20s with short blond hair with slight curls at the top, dressed in white tights with blue lines coming up the side) square up in the middle of a ring. They stare at each other with a mix of fierceness and affection, and have an arm on each other. They are illuminated by pinkish, purplish, and blueish stage lights above. In the background, a faceless crowd watches them.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N

A photo of the author, an Asian person with shoulder-length pink windswept hair and tattoos coming up their left arm, smiling into the camera in front of some foliage, wearing a black choker with a tiny silver heart in the middle and a detailed black dress.Born in sweltering Singapore, Celine Ong (she/they) was raised in mosh pits, and writes queer romance novels about chaos gremlins with bad manners, weird feelings, and big hearts. With a B.A. in Psychology, by day, she works with her local queer community. By night, she’s just a little court jester. Hold Me Like a Grudge is their debut novel.

You can find Celine trying to be cool and mysterious (but failing miserably for they were born to yap about their many fixations) at writewithcel.com or on Instagram at @readwithcel.

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