Book picks similar to
Five-Star by J. Santiago


sports
reviewed
freebie
netgalley

Payback


Amy Daws - 2019
    Her cheating ex deserves to see her living her best life; a one-night-stand with a hot South African soccer player would be the perfect revenge. Right? Wrong. Allie is so, so wrong. ROAN DEWALT HAS ALL THE MOVES. On and off the field he’s at the top of his game. Roan respects hard-work, dedication—and follow through. He’s not a one and done kind of man, and he’s far from being done with Allie Harris. One sexy night and two years later, Allie’s job brings her back to town. An opportunity for the perfect replay Roan has been fantasizing about since they slept together. THE PROBLEM? Allie Harris has a secret; one she’s been keeping from Roan all this time. Video proof of their one night together—taken without his consent. Will Allie’s payback plan come back to bite them both? Or can she erase her past mistake and embrace a new future with Roan?

Textrovert


Lindsey Summers - 2017
    😞 Just her luck that it belongs to Talon, a totally arrogant jock 🏈 who’s just left for football camp—with her phone. Keeley doesn’t know him, but they’ll need to rely on each other to forward their messages for an entire week.Talon is so full of himself, but Keeley quickly discovers he’s funny, too—at least his texts are. 😅 And he listens to Keeley—which is more than anyone else does. Texting Talon, she can be more than just the quiet twin sister of a popular boy. Texting Talon, she can be the outgoing person she’s always wanted to be. Soon the two are falling for each other, hard.But when true identities are revealed and secrets are exposed, will Keeley’s feelings stay the same?

The Bridesmaid & the Reality Show


Kayla Tirrell - 2019
    But when it’s on reality TV and all the details are decided by a competition between the bridesmaids and groomsmen? Let the games begin!Sienna has every intention of winning the perfect day for her sister. The only thing standing in her way is the grumpy best man who’s distracting her in all the wrong ways.Fox wishes he’d never agreed to be best man for his friend’s ridiculous reality show wedding. He hates being in the spotlight and the bride’s annoying little sister is the worst kind of Hollywood fake. But when the cameras stop rolling, he can't seem to stay away from her. Can Fox and Sienna get past the unscripted drama and take a chance on love? Or will one of them end up getting played?Note: the book was previously titled “The Bridesmaid & the Jerk”

Shattered Hearts


Octavia Wildwood - 2014
    Alone. Damaged. After escaping an abusive relationship, Amanda finds work on a remote farm in rural Minnesota. Eager for a fresh start, she tries to will her nightmares away. She also tries to stop daydreaming about her hot boss's hard, chiseled body. She doesn't like him, but he's sure easy on the eyes.Stubborn. Proud. Protective.Hardworking and hard-headed, Nate is determined to save his family's farm and provide for his sister. The last thing he needs is some city girl getting underfoot. Sure, Amanda is a breath of fresh air (and the prettiest little thing he's ever seen) but there's no way he'd ever admit it. Nate doesn't do romance...but he can't stop thinking about doing Amanda!*This is a full-length, standalone novel that contains explicit adult situations.

The Way Back To Me


Anne Mercier - 2019
    The book DOES end on a cliffhanger. My life was charmed. I had the best friends ever. We were known as the Fab Five and our futures were planned out.In a flash, everything was taken from me. I don’t know how to live without them. I don’t want to.I’m broken.When I get to college, I see him.Cameron Stone. Mr. Football. Mr. Popular. He’s definitely hot, but on the inside he’s vile. He made my childhood a living nightmare. I don’t know why he hates me or why he’s suddenly being so nice to me. All the sweet talk in the world won’t work. I know better.So, why am I listening?

The Love Square


Jessica Calla - 2016
    Dylan’s always been a city guy, but can’t resist Clare’s midwestern charm as he shows her the wonders of California.​On the east coast… …Alex Popovich loves being a carefree bachelor and a minor league ballplayer in his hometown Brooklyn. But things get complicated when gorgeous ballroom dancer-slash-office worker Jenna Stecco asks him to take that leap with her from best friend to something more, and he bunts and lets her go. When Jenna and Dylan stir up the dynamic with a night of passion, the four friends must decide whether to accept the new normal, or fight their way out of the wrong corners of their love square and journey to their happily ever afters.

Friday Night Alibi


Cassie Mae - 2013
      In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.   Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black., and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi   “Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play   “A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Gabriel's Album


Sian Ceinwen - 2021
    For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a rock star. And now here I am, about to start my first big tour, when she comes along.Ariana.From the second we meet, she's all I can think about.Asking her to come on tour with me is easy. But she's shy, insecure, and the paparazzi scare her. We live in two completely different worlds.I love her and I know that she's worth fighting for. The problem is, I'm not sure if love is enough.Gabriel's Album is the first book in the Cruise Control Heroes series. It's the companion novel to The Album. Fall in love with Gabriel and Ariana all over again as Cruise Control embarks on their first world tour.

I Like You, I Love Her


J.R. Rogue - 2018
    Before he kissed me in front of the entire school. As he danced with her the night of our senior prom.After his younger brother, Ben, made me smile through my tears.“It’ll never work with him. He will never leave her…”It’s been more than ten years since I let myself fall for the boy whose heart wasn’t mine. And the Prom King’s lips are finally mine to kiss.“When I came back here I wasn’t expecting to see you, and when I did, I felt this tumble…”But he’s still keeping me in the shadows.As his younger brother breaks me open in the day.BenYou shouldn’t covet whom your brother desires.Our pastor father would say he taught me better than that.But I knew over ten years ago my brother didn’t deserve her.And nothing’s changed since she came back into both our lives.“You think what you felt for my brother back then was love, but what I felt can’t be the same?”I’m still the one who makes her laugh—the one who challenges her.And he’s still the one treating her like a dirty little secret.“You really are a watercolor, Severin Thompson. I can read you…”You shouldn’t covet whom your brother desires.This summer, I’ll remind him of that.

Unleashed Desires (Bad Boy Fighter, #1)


Ella Cox - 2015
     Julia nervously accepts the inevitable, but acceptance doesn't mean tolerance for things that aren't right. Nolan will have to prove to Julia that he can let go of people that continue to pull him back into a world he'd rather forget, and is capable of loving without abandon. Can Julia conjure up the courage to take a chance at love in spite of every obstacle? Find out what happens in part one of Unleashed Desires. Intended for mature audiences. 18+ Cliffhanger.

Endless: Ty & Zoey


Kaylene Winter - 2021
    “She ripped out my heart and threw it away.” Tyson Rainier had only one way out - leading his band Less than Zero (LTZ) to the top.Stardom, success, touring the world – all his dreams were about to come true until Zoey Pearson gave him a new dream.And passion beyond anything he thought possible.Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for it to end.Abruptly.Definitively.Crushingly.His songs of heartbreak made LTZ the biggest band in the universe, as Ty does anything he can to put the life he had with Zoey behind him.Will Ty forgive Zoey for nearly destroying him? “I left the only man I’ll ever love.” Beautiful bookworm Zoey Pearson’s love for music led her to Ty.The gorgeous, sweet rocker was made for her.When the man Ty trusted most told her to break it off, she does.Painfully.Regretfully.Selflessly.Now he’s the hottest rockstar in the world because of the songs that eviscerated her.Ty’s fully immersed in a life of excess and debauchery.Zoey doesn’t even recognize him as the man she loved more than anything in the world.Will Ty’s past come back to destroy Zoey?When circumstances throw them together eight years after breaking up, the fireworks are explosive, but their hearts are fragile.Can Ty and Zoey prove that true love is ENDLESS?

Heartbreaker


Kat Bastion - 2016
    Simple.Only instead of Darren Cole becoming her one-night stand, he taunts her with a challenge. Then while she’s trying to best him at his own game, he turns out to be the last thing she’s prepared for: someone she wants to keep.Which means all he can ever be…is a friend.Darren Cole never allows a girl to get close—not close enough to matter.Then storms in Kiki Michaelson, a beautiful, fearless temptation that rocks his world off-balance. But he fights their attraction, unwilling to gamble something physical with their close ties. Until the passionate sculptor exposes her heart and breaks his wide open.In that moment it becomes clear: she could never be just a friend.Sometimes what you run from…is exactly what you need.***HEARTBREAKER is a standalone, full-length new adult romance told in dual POV. Due to mature themes and adult language, this book is for those 18 and older.***

Hate Mates


Mickey Miller - 2020
    Or the one about his father, the head football coach. Or even the one about his special talent between the sheets.I’m talking about the one where he has a female roommate in an all-male dorm.I can’t speak to the first three, but that fourth one is true. I know because that girl in his room is me.Because of an error by the college, I’m placed with Mr. Campus Celebrity in the traditionally male dorm.Is he panty-meltingly handsome with an attitude to match? Sure.Do I accidentally fanaticize about him one (okay, maybe two) times? Fine, I’m honest enough to admit it.None of that matters, because we’re opposites in all the ways that are important for getting along as college roommates:He comes from a perfect life and old money. I come from a broken home and bowls of ramen.He’s at Greene State to party. I’m here to study.He’s a popular jock. I wouldn’t be caught dead playing sports.To say we get off to a rocky start would be an understatement.Ironically, that’s what causes our sizzling attraction to boil over one night. But even that comes at a price.Because our story has a twist neither of us could see coming.One that changes both of our lives, ‘till death do us part.

Crave


Violet Vaughn - 2014
    Determined to get over Jason and find a man that wants a family, she moves to Breckenridge, Colorado.Landing a job skiing every day, Casey finds Blaine Johnson - a wish come true. A hunky surfer turned ski instructor, he checks off every requirement on her list.Except for the one she forgot to add.Blaine has a secret. A secret so big it keeps intimacy smoldering, when Casey needs fire. No matter how hard she tries, the embers won’t ignite. Can she live without passion to get the family she craves?When Jason comes to town, Casey questions everything she wished for. Their consuming love threatens to explode and ruin her dream. Will she have to choose between a family and the love of her life?

The Trouble with You


L.A. Cotton - 2019
    Cocky football players, school rivalry, and the girls who get in their way. Get ready … The Raiders are coming! Hailee Raine only has to survive one more year. One year of life in her football obsessed town. One year of nauseating school spirit. Just one more year of her cruel step-brother Jason; and his cocky, arrogant, football-playing friends. She hates them. Especially, Cameron Chase, the guy she thought was different. Cameron Chase has the world at his feet. He has it all; good looks, talent, and the charm to go with it. He has colleges lined up at the door, all wanting a piece of Rixon Raiders star wide receiver. Until something threatens everything he's ever worked for, and only one person can quiet the war raging inside him. But he's supposed to hate her; his best friend's sister. She's off-limits. Untouchable. She's trouble with a capital T. Then Hailee finds herself in the middle of a football prank gone wrong... And suddenly hating each other never felt so good.