Book picks similar to
Hard Fall by Brenda Rothert
sports-romance
sports
romance
hockey-romance
Love & Hockey
Monty Jay - 2020
It seems his entire life all people have done is leave. So what does a man do when he has so little? He pours everything into the only thing that he has left. Hockey. This sport has brought him a family, hope, something to work for, but what was the one thing he never expected for it to bring him? A green-eyed, wild child with a soul that brings him back home.Valor Sullivan was raised on the ice by a single father who inspired her love for hockey. With a mouth that would make a sailor blush, and fiery red hair she is a force to be reckoned with on and off the ice. There doesn’t seem to be anything hard work won’t get her. Well, everything but him. Bishop is her Endgame. The only problem? He’s eight years older and one of her father's closest friends.Fate blurs the lines of past and present to pull these two together. The only question is...Were they always meant to be? Or damned from the start?Love & Hockey is a standalone, age-gap romance. It deals with sensitive material that may be triggering to some.
Change of Hart
M.E. Carter - 2014
As the best defensive lineman in the country, I eat, sleep and breathe football. And I like it that way. I’ve only got a few more years before I’ll have to retire, so expending energy on anything other than football seems like a waste of time.That is, until I have a random meeting with a little boy who just lost his father. We have more in common than you might think and it creates an unlikely bond. As our friendship grows, so do my feelings for his mother.I know Addison, as a recent widow, isn’t ready to date again. But I want to get to know her better, in spite of all her rejections.Is it possible that I, a self-proclaimed bachelor, could be having a Change of Hart?
Interference
Mignon Mykel - 2016
A way to give her the meeting her boss requested, but still say ‘no’ to her pitch.Look, I’ve never wanted the extras that come with an NHL career.Sponsorships, sure.Reality television? Hard no.Except—now that I’ve met the pixie redhead—I find myself agreeing...with one stipulation.She gets to be part of the show in whatever way that allows me to see her again.Twenty female “contestants” be damned.
Second Draft
C.M. Seabrook - 2017
More than just the washed up hockey player, turned sports journalist whose body is almost as scarred as his soul. Layla Harper made me hope again. But life has a warped sense of humor, and I wasn't the only Bennett brother that fell for the girl with the caramel colored eyes. The night I saw Travis with her I knew I'd lost, even before I had the chance to fight. Because one thing I never compete with my brother over is women. Even if the woman stole my breath, and my heart with one single kiss. And damn, what a kiss it had been. Now, she's pregnant with my brother's baby. A baby he wants nothing to do with. And he's asked me to clean up his mess. What he doesn't know is that I'm in love with her, and I have no intention of offering her the deal he's laid out. I have a deal of my own. One that will finally make her mine.
Trick
Laramie Briscoe - 2017
When the divorce papers came, it killed me. When we had to sell our house, it broke me. But then he moved in with his new flavor of the month and told our daughter his new woman wasn’t into children. That pissed me off.Now Riley feels abandoned, and I can’t make it better; no matter how hard I try. I’m desperate to help her adjust to the loss of a male figure in her life. The companion program that matches adults up with children who have loneliness and abandonment issues is my last hope. The counselors tell me he’s doing community service hours, and I ask to sit in on his meetings with Riley. The minute I see him astride the matte black Harley, I know neither my nor Riley’s life will ever be the same again.TrickCommunity Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. The two previous kids I'd been paired up with didn’t work out because their mothers were more interested in getting in my bed. This next match with a little girl is my last hope. Unless this kid works out, I’m destined to serve time.When they push her into the room wearing pink converse with a black dress, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared - of new people, of change, of being pushed aside. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again.What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for.Community service becomes more than a chore, more than time I resent for being taken away from me. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them.Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.
The Rulebreaker
Claire Contreras - 2021
He rooted for me at my soccer games. I cheered for him at his hockey tournaments. Through heartbreaks, new relationships, and failed friendships, we knew we could always count on each other. That's why no one is more surprised--or panicked-- than I am when I start to develop different feelings for him. But Instead of telling him the truth, I agree to help him find a girlfriend. Someone who is not me. Someone who is so opposite of me that I have to make a list for the charade. The problem is, he wants to practice his dating skills with me. The corny pickup lines, the hand-holding, the door opening, the staring. Before this, I thought sharing a house with him was an excellent idea. Who wouldn’t want to room with their best friend? Now, the close proximity is killing me. What’s worse is that I can’t stop looking at him like he’s a Greek god, and he can’t stop seeing me as his virginal little sister. Still, I push it aside, until one night, when he’s lying beside me in bed and I’m the one who forgets the rules and crosses the line between friends and something more. It’s a horrible idea. He’s a player. I’m a virgin. Yet, I can’t seem to stop myself. New item on my list: DO NOT FALL FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND.
Ignite
Tessa Teevan - 2013
One to the Army; the other in a tragic car accident. Two years after the latter, a ghost from the past reappears, igniting feelings in Alexa she’d thought long dormant.Jace McAllister has spent the last ten years in the Army, defusing bomb after bomb, trying to forget the girl who once set his world on fire. For him, she’s always been the one who got away. After a not-so-chance encounter places her back in his line of sight, he’s locked eyes on target, and won’t let her go without a fight.Ten years ago their chemistry smoldered, and now the sparks threaten to light a fuse leading to an explosion between them even Jace can’t control. Not that he wants to. But when love has slipped through your fingertips before, how can you trust it will once again remain?Will Alexa’s fear of love and loss destroy their second chance at a beautiful future before it can even begin?
Taking A Shot
Catherine Gayle - 2014
Dating his teammate’s daughter might be riskier than going head to head with one of the Portland Storm’s rivals. But time is running out—it’s now or never.High school senior Katie Weber knows all too well the woes of adolescence, but throw in a leukemia diagnosis, and her life just got a lot more complicated. With prom looming and a shiny bald head to contend with, Katie might sit at home on the most important night of her potentially very short life. Unless Jamie Babcock, her ultimate crush, finally makes the move she’s been praying for. But that’s not the only miracle she needs.Now Jamie must show Katie just how important she is and how hard she must fight.Before it’s too late…Previously release as part of the SEDUCED BY THE GAME anthology.
Past Heaven
Laura Ward - 2014
Some just change your life.
Liz Atwater’s
happily ever after was torn from her the instant her husband, Jack, was murdered. She is forced to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and raise her three young sons alone.
Reynolds Carter’s
picture perfect Hollywood life ended the moment the paparazzi got hold of his girlfriend’s cheating scandal. As he watches his life unfold in the tabloids, he comes to a crossroads in his career and his purpose. When Reynolds takes on the challenge of a new project, his world collides with that of Liz. Neither of them expected their professional relationship to evolve into friendship, or love. But life is never simple. Faced with complications from family, friends, and colleagues, Liz and Reynolds are left to decide whether two people from such different worlds can find happiness together. Can they get past the pain, fear, and guilt and risk their hearts to love again? Not every love story is just a happy ending. Some completely change your life.
Chase the Butterflies
Monica James - 2018
I had it all until one fateful evening transformed my life in ways I never imagined.Nine months later, I move to a sleepy little town, hoping to escape the demons of my past. As I attempt to claim back my life, Jude Montgomery enters my world, and things begin to change.I thought running would appease the nightmares, but I soon discover my past won’t let go. Things are not what they seem, and I begin to question the world as I know it. Jude may hold the answers, but will my love for him blind me to the truth?Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? In my case, yes, it does.Will the truth set me free? Or will it imprison us both?My name is Victoria Armstrong, and this is my story…I think.
On the Surface
Kate Willoughby - 2014
After "Bottlegate," he's traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he'll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who's never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim's autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can't get her to see beyond what's on the surface, they'll never last longer than a single season…
The Chase
Elle Kennedy - 2018
And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.And that his best friend has a crush on me.And that I just moved in with them.Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?He knows where to find me.
Game Changer
Rachel Reid - 2018
In this case, it’s not just a lucky smoothie he’s craving—it’s the man who made it.
Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, never mind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?
Thin Love
Eden Butler - 2014
It isn't supposed to leave you bleeding. Kona pushed, Keira pulled, and in their wake, they left behind destruction. She sacrificed everything for him. It wasn't enough. But the wounds of the past can never be completely forgotten and still the flame remains, slumbers between the pleasure of yesterday and the thought of what might have been. Now, sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled. When Kona realizes the trifecta of betrayal—his, Keira's and those lies told to keep them apart—his life is irrevocably changed and he once again takes Keira down with him into the fire that threatens to ignite them both.
Jersey Girl
Rhonda James - 2016
Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love. And then he meets her. There's just one problem. She's the sister of his best friend, and he’s been warned that she’s off-limits…Cassie Rivers is a musician desperately in need of a do-over. Leaving the past behind, she transfers to GLU in search of something, or someone, that inspires her. And then she meets him. Her brother's best friend and teammate. But according to the Bro Code he's supposed to be off limits…You’ve heard what they say about forbidden fruit… One taste is more addictive than one of them is ready to admit. Will he keep skating away from love? Or has this player finally found his Jersey Girl?