Book picks similar to
Squeeze Play by Aven Ellis


romance
chick-lit
sports-romance
sports

Searching for Glory


Hunter J. Keane - 2012
    She's on a hit television show and engaged to one of the most desired men in Hollywood. Her life is perfect. But then she gets a letter in the mail that changes everything. The past she has been trying to forget for so long has finally come back to haunt her. Gloria Star hasn't always been an A-list celebrity. She used to be just a regular Midwestern girl named Glory Stark. Now she is forced to reconcile her two lives because Johnny Carter, the only man she ever loved, has asked her to return to her hometown, and she can't say no. Ten years ago, one night changed everything for Gloria and Johnny. Not only did Gloria lose Johnny, but she also lost herself.Now she's headed back to Princeton, Missouri, to reconnect with her sister and make amends with Johnny. She quickly realizes that returning to Glory Stark's life isn't going to be easy. As she faces painful truths about her past and an uncertain future, Gloria learns that forgiveness is essential, family is everything and love is forever.

Puck Buddies


Tara Brown - 2016
    Sami Ford has it all. Looks. Money. Happiness. Her life is perfect. But only if one doesn't look too closely. Matt Brimley is a sports god. Hockey fans adore him. Girls everywhere want to worship at his skates. He’s living the dream. If the dream involved everyone expecting you to be nothing but a jock. These two rich kids could be the perfect couple. If he didn't think she was a spoiled princess, and she didn't think he was a dumb puck, they might be. But hating someone doesn’t mean you can’t want them.

All I Want For Christmas


Tracey Mayhew - 2018
     Three years on, she returns to help Holly Richards, her best friend and business partner, through her own rough patch and quickly finds herself falling back into village life as if she’s never been away. But a chance meeting with a handsome stranger soon has Jess confronting her own ghosts of Christmases past and she finds herself accepting his offer to help her rediscover her Christmas spirit. Can friendships, both old and new, help restore Jess’ faith in Christmas and will she find love along the way? Discover the wonder of Christmas with this endearing romance, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Debbie Macomber, Trisha Ashley and, of course, all things Christmas!

A Game Like Ours


Marissa J. Gramoll - 2021
    To the outside world, Bobby Anderson is an attractive, charismatic baseball star. But inside, Bobby holds secrets—including his closeted sexuality—and each secret alone has the power to destroy his carefully-constructed life.When his best friend Cody dies, Bobby is thrown into the unwitting role of supporter for Cody’s grieving fiancée, Lexie. The issue? Bobby has long-harbored feelings for her that he never allowed to surface. Torn between his growing attraction for Lexie and devotion to his deceased friend, Bobby is forced to re-examine his life and concern about divulging his sexual identity. Another secret spoken by Cody during his final moments eats away at Bobby’s conscience, driving the wedge of Cody’s death deeper. Once these secrets come to light, will Lexie ever be able to forgive them? Can she accept Bobby for who he is? Will she ever want anything to do with him again?

The Lost Art of Reverie: (Aveline Book 1)


Rae Walsh - 2019
    A long-forgotten dream. A new life in a spacious place.Corporate life has not been treating Katie Grace well. Suffering from extreme anxiety due to a recent incident at work, she learns that she has inherited her late grandmother's Victorian house in the lake town of Aveline, in the rolling hills of the Los Padres National Forest. Maybe a new start will be exactly what she needs.Hardware store owner Sam Grant remembers Katie from when they spent summers together, years before. Sam has determined never to get involved in a relationship again, but working on Katie's house renovations might put that resolve to the test.In Aveline, Katie allows herself to dream again, finding solace in creating food and a space for her new friends to gather. As members of the town welcome Katie, her heart begins to find safety, but will the events of the past repeat themselves?The Lost Art of Reverie is the first book in the Aveline Series, a collection of inspirational romantic stories with quirky, lovable characters, set in a fictional lake town in California. Perfect for fans of Jan Karon, Katherine Center, or Elizabeth Berg.

New Orleans Rush


Kelly Siskind - 2019
    Even worse, she can't pay for damages.Huxley Marlow believes the sprite of a girl tearing up the side of his Mustang is a sign. One that reads: Free labor. He’s tasked with fixing his family’s crumbling theater or losing everything they own. Luckily, he has a way to earn fast cash on the side, even if it's not entirely above board. Unluckily, he now has an unbearably sexy, glass-half-full-of-sunshine woman working as his assistant, driving him to distraction.Beatrice never expected to fall for her grumpy boss, but the imposing man is secretly caring under all that gruffness. Huxley can’t believe he’s met the woman of his dreams at the absolute worst time. If Bea learns what he does at night, she might never look at him the same way again.Praise for NEW ORLEANS RUSH“The romance in New Orleans Rush will leave you smiling and filled with optimism.” ~ USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang“New Orleans Rush is full of humor, explosive chemistry, the fun backdrop of New Orleans, and a couple I truly rooted for. This is a must read!” ~ USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Blackwood“Kelly Siskind knocks it out of the park with her evocative voice in this story of family, fun, and falling in love—you don’t want to miss the magic of Beatrice and Huxley!” ~ USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh

Major Misconduct


Kelly Jamieson - 2015
    The apartment he shares with his teammate and best friend, Duncan, is a refuge from the pressures of fame. But when the sexiest woman he's ever seen interrupts his early morning coffee wearing only a skimpy cami and matching panties, Marc can't exactly say that he minds. Their chemistry is off the charts. Unfortunately, this girl's no random puck bunny. She's Duncan's little sister, and she's moving in. Lovey Armstrong could stare at Marc's chiseled abs and listen to his French-Canadian accent all day. She just has no idea what's going on inside his head: When he's not charming her pants off, Marc makes a Zamboni machine seem warm and cuddly. Lovey knows that the team's bro code says no messing with sisters, but all these mixed messages are hard on a girl's self-esteem, especially since she's finally getting her new life together in Chicago. She decides that he's worth another shot . . . because if anyone can melt the ice around Marc's heart, it's Lovey.Contains mature themes.

Turn the Paige


Roseanne Beck - 2018
    Paige Ellis has worked hard to make her dreams come true. But somewhere along the way, she lost something important--herself.Luckily, her dead grandmother is still looking out for her.When Paige returns home to fulfill her Nana's last request, she comes face-to-face with an annoying blast from her past. Not only does Nick Collins know just which buttons to push to make Paige crazy, but he also might be the one thing Paige has convinced herself she doesn't need.Can Nana and Nick persuade an overachieving workaholic that love might be the best medicine after all?If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers RomComs, you'll fall for TURN THE PAIGE. Because love hurts. But it's kind of funny.

Fate


Elizabeth Reyes - 2013
    But this wasn’t just any guy. This was the exciting, sexy as sin, way out of her league black sheep of his family--Vincent Moreno. Even more surprising, this heart-stopping bad boy seemed interested in her. Fate always had a way of interfering in Vince’s best-laid plans. His forced attendance to his annoyingly perfect cousin’s baby shower was no different. He was sure to be bored out of his skull, but instead, he met sweet little Rosie Zendejas. What begins as a unlikely friendship between two very different people turns into one of the most intense and passionate relationships that neither ever saw coming. But just like it had so many times in Vince’s troubled past, Fate steps in once again, threatening to take away the one thing he can’t seem to even breathe without now—Rose. Mature YA - New Adult. Fate is a Moreno Brothers spinoff series. All books in the series are stand alone and can be read separately without the need to read the others in the series.

Blindsided


Amy Daws - 2019
    Midfielder Maclay “Mac” Logan is a loud-mouthed, tattooed ginger content with focusing on football. But when an adorably-freckled seamstress comes barreling into his life, he finds Netflix-And-Bickering with her to be his new favorite pastime. Freya Cook is used to being the invisible woman with a needle and thread, offering cheeky punchlines as she helps dress London’s finest. She’s plus-sized in body and spirit, and other than her friendship with Mac, talking to the opposite sex is one skill she never mastered. However, after one innocent game of Never Have I Ever, Mac offers to play Love Coach for Freya. What neither of them see coming are the feelings that develop when the clothes come off. Now they’re both about to learn the biggest lesson of all: Don't fall in love with your best friend.Blindsided is a full length (97,000 words) contemporary rom-com standalone with a sports theme.

Take a Chance on Me


Jaqueline Snowe - 2017
    Their relationship had always been easy. Both of them loyal to a fault, they had been there for each other through everything: heartbreaks, hangovers, and tragedy. So when Kate needs a place to stay for three months, Brody doesn’t think twice about agreeing. After all, they had known each other forever. What could go wrong living with his closest and oldest friend? Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy. One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.

Broken at Love


Lyla Payne - 2013
    A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure.College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think.But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts?Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him.To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good.

Never Date Your Brother's Best Friend


Jules Barnard - 2014
    My friend needed a date, and my brother's best friend was single. Problem solved.Until I saw Jaeger for the first time in years, and sparks flew in the wrong direction.Jaeger has grown up and bulked up. But that shouldn't matter, because I have the perfect life. Really.Only my plans are beginning to unravel and now visions of Jaeger's hard abs, broad shoulders, and intense green eyes fill my head.I should hold back in case my friend is interested. Or in case of a million other reasons. But if Jaeger isn't willing to play by the rules, I don't think I can either.

The Worst Best Man


Mia Sosa - 2020
    Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning —absolutely off-limits — ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own. But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...

Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance: Enemies to Lovers


Laura Olsen - 2021
    It's my fault for falling for a filthy rich and obscenely handsome Manhattan type.Silly of me to think Preston had something more beneath his immaculate suit than just a chiseled body.But what a body. I still wake up sweating from dreams about the night we shared.I thought knowing I'll never experience one again was torture enough. I was wrong. Because working with him every single day is definitely worse. I hate that he thinks he can order me around or that he still thinks I belong to him.And I really hate that he stays late in the office when I try to bury myself in work to stop thinking about him.Most of all though, I hate seeing glimpses of the man I once believed he was.Hints of true passion and charm beneath Mr. Billionaire's stone-cold demeanor. But it doesn't matter how many evenings we spend together in the office. There is absolutely no way I'm falling for him again. No cheating, no cliffhangers. HEA guaranteed!