Book picks similar to
Tackle Me by Serena Vale


romance
sports-romance
sports
contemporary

The Practice Proposal


Tracy March - 2013
    Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is. Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked. When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Touchdown: Surprise Baby Romance (Sharks Football Book 3)


Leslie North - 2021
    He’s got his life and career carefully laid out and his focus is entirely on football. But the deaths of his sister and brother-in-law leave him as sole guardian of their triplets, throwing all his plans out the window. If he’s going to make this shift in his life work, he needs a Hail Mary pass. And he finds it with Gillian Collier, the triplet’s aunt, who just happens to stir Max’s blood in a way that’s completely unexpected. And unwelcome—at least at first…The last thing Jill needs in her life is a hot football player whose idea of commitment is going on a second date. She’s been burned by a cheater before and has no interest going down that road again. But she just can’t help falling for Max. He’s kind, intelligent, and the sexiest man she’s ever known. Still, it’s hard to trust a guy who’s happily surrounded with women. Who seems to miss his carefree days as a single guy. Who just might break her heart…

Big Time


K.B. Winters - 2016
     Langston I’m one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL. They call me the Monster of the Midwest because I hit hard—and play harder. Women fall at my feet and wise men step aside. Now I’ve been sentenced to five weeks of community service at a center for troubled youth … and who should I find there but a hot little number named Cassie. I never expected to see her again. Funny thing is, she couldn't care less about my money or my reputation. She’s all about the kids, but I have other plans for her. She needs to be in my bed where she belongs. Begging for more. Cassie Langston who? All I know is, the guy they sent to volunteer with me is the same impossibly sexy man I spent one unforgettable night with. So what if he’s some bad-boy football star. If he thinks he can use working here to redeem his public image—I’ll show him different. My kids deserve better. Mr. Hot Stuff is not my priority, and he’ll be gone soon anyway. I just have to stop thinking about how good that one sultry night was ... and imagining how much sexier he could make me feel if I’d just give him the chance. Big Time is a full-length bad-boy romance with a little bit of football and a whole lot of sexy steamy bad boy, No cliffhanger and a very happy ending. Intended for readers 18+ due to Kindle-melting scenes and other mature content.

Getting the Down


Daphne Loveling - 2016
    Bar none. On and off the field, men want to be me, and women want to be with me. But she doesn’t care about football. All she knows is I’ve been chosen as the public face of the foundation she works for. Which means I’ll be spending a lot of time staring at that tight little a** and plump, sassy mouth. And I intend to make that time very worth my while. She’s in charge of cleaning up my image. But I can tell by the way her cheeks flush and her breath hitches when she looks at me: underneath that prim and proper exterior, sexy little Rinn Blake is all kinds of ready to get down and dirty with me. RINN I’ve worked my a** off for years to get where I am. And I’m not about to let cocky, full-of-himself Jake Ryland screw it up for me. Even though every time he looks my way -- eyes raking down my body like he owns it – I feel like I’m going to burst into flames. It makes me want to risk everything to feel his heat. My career depends on keeping Jake on the straight and narrow, and keeping my brain in the driver’s seat. But Jake Ryland makes me want to lose control. Even if letting go ends up destroying everything I’ve ever worked for. Getting the Down is a full-length, standalone novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a heart-melting HEA. Special bonus novel THROTTLE included for a limited time! This book is intended for readers 18 and older due to steamy situations and explicit language.

In Skates Trouble


Kate Meader - 2017
    . .Addison Williams isn't looking for romance, but when she encounters an eavesdropping stranger on an adjoining hotel balcony, she figures she's due a little fun. She just hadn't reckoned on the "fun" escalating so quickly to "out of control." One minute she's flirting with a whiskey-graveled voice in the dark, the next that same voice is telling her to do things. Hot, wicked things.Cup-winning hockey player Ford "Killer" Callaghan can't believe he let the anonymous woman who blew his mind slip away into the night. He'll track her down because once could never be enough—even if discovering her identity places her strictly out of bounds.Stolen kisses. Secret hook-ups. Deliciously forbidden in every way. Can a passion that started in the dark find a lifetime of love in the light?Originally published in Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology, this sexy prequel to the Chicago Rebels hockey series features an older, curvy woman, a younger, driven hero, and a happily-ever-after you'll swoon over.

Taming Mad Max


Theresa Ragan - 2011
    Believing his life will be cut short, Max tries to live every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? When Max discovers he has a thirteen-year old daughter though, it throws all his years of planning and preparation for an early death into a tailspin.Nutrition expert, Kari Murphy, used to think Max Dutton, aka Mad Max, was to die for, but she’s older and wiser now. The last time Kari reacted with her heart instead of her brain, she conceived the thing she loves most in life…her daughter, Molly. As much as she dislikes Max Dutton for taking her declaration of love and throwing it in her face fourteen years earlier, she knows that if it wasn’t for him her life would be meaningless. And that really ticks her off, especially when she’s hired by the NFL franchise to follow Max around for a couple of weeks and give him healthy-eating advice, foolproof facts about carbohydrates and tasteful tips on cooking and shopping smart. Kari doesn’t want to be anywhere near the man, but what choice does she have? Her career is on the line.Taming Mad Max finaled in RWA’s 2008 Golden Heart competition under the title, Better Late Than Never.

Reading Between the Lines (Between the Sheets Book 4)


Serenity Woods - 2021
    Darcy, life is never going to be simple… Tess Barker is having a rough time. She enjoys giving tours of the Northland of New Zealand, but her endometriosis makes the long days a challenge, and now she’s gone and insulted one of her best friends by mistake. She’s secretly liked Finn Brennan – the gorgeous Mr. Darcy lookalike – for years, but he’s never made a move on her, and now not only has she hurt his feelings, but they’re both interviewing for the same job – #awkward. Finn likes his position in the Education Department at Waitangi, but recent events have made him restless, and he’s ready for a change. The move to Exhibitions Director at a museum in Christchurch might be just what he’s looking for, but he’s up against the younger, dynamic, beautiful Tess. When she apologizes for upsetting him, a kiss is a natural way to prove there’s no hard feelings. They agree to work together on their presentations for the interview and to let the best man – or woman – win. Time spent together soon reveals a sizzling attraction that turns into deep passion. Things come to a head on their return to the bay, when Finn realizes he can’t escape his past troubles if he stays. But it’s only when Tess falls ill that he has to make the ultimate decision to fight or fly.

Winning the Cowboy Billionaire : A Chappell Brothers Novel


Emmy Eugene - 2020
    Oh, and did Olivia Hudson mention his money?He's got a ton of that too.As the oldest son in the Chappell family, it's up to Spur to lead his brothers into the next generation of raising and selling championship racehorses. He loves it with his whole heart and soul, but a horse can't keep him warm at night.So when Olli Hudson, one of his neighbors, asks him to be her arm candy for one night to woo an investor, the worst he thinks can happen is his eyes might get permanently stuck up in his head for how often he rolls them.He wasn't expecting to be swept off his feet by the five-and-half-foot powerhouse of a woman with a nose that can sniff out the purest scents...and all of his hidden feelings for her.Will Olli be able to win over the cowboy billionaire? Or will she lose everything--including her heart?Start this brand-new series by Emmy Eugene and meet the Chappell family of cowboys in the beautiful Kentucky Bluegrass region!

The Hard Way


Katie Ashley - 2016
    Because of his talent at football, coupled with his father’s wealth, he’s always gotten his way. But when a night of drunken debauchery lands him in hot water with the college athletic board, neither his influential father nor his charming grin can save him. He finds it a total buzz kill when he is sentenced to community service with troubled youth at an inner-city shelter. But his nightmare is only beginning when his greatest high school regret is the very one in charge of the program, and she has him by the balls in more ways than one.For Avery Prescott, senior year was a nightmare of epic proportions, and Cade Hall played the lead villain. After she fled her small town for college in the bright lights of Atlanta, she thought she had escaped the painful memories of her past. She never could have imagined Cade would waltz through the door of the outreach program she presided over. But Avery has news for Cade--she isn’t the same shy, doormat of a girl she was in high school. Since she holds Cade's football future in her hands, she’s more than ready to make payback a real bitch.Will the two stay in the defensive zone or discover that sometimes life's greatest lessons are learned the hard way?

Offside


Juliana Stone - 2012
    Not because Billie's talent is in question, but because Billie is a woman. And though these are modern times, some of the local guys still have a problem letting a girl into their 'men's club.'Soon, Billie is at the center of a small town battle of the sexes, with everyone choosing sides. Her sisters. The townsfolk. Her friends. And yet, the only person whose opinion she cares about doesn't seem to care much at all. Logan Forest, the man who broke her heart when she was eighteen and the man she now shares the bench with every Friday night. She's got a lot to prove and though Billie Jo Barker scores on the ice, will this girl ever score with the man of her dreams?

Royal Player


Katie McCoy - 2017
     He's a beast on the courts, and a wild animal in bed (according to all the tabloids). Girls are lining up for chance at his crown jewels, and when I stumble into the wrong Wimbledon dressing room and catch a glimpse of his game, set, AND match, I can see why.So what's a little good luck kiss between f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶s̶ strangers?I know better than to get involved with a bad boy like Charlie. But now he's on a winning streak, he thinks I'm his lucky charm - and you know what's luckier than a kiss?Everything.Suddenly, I've got paparazzi on my trail, exes coming out of the woodwork -- and you don't know 'cutthroat' until you've seen a pack of hungry socialites set loose near the Royal Family.I'm in way over my head, and even worse - I'm falling in love. Can this American girl win her Prince Charming? Or will we both crash out of the championships in flames? Wimbledon-meets-The Prince and Me in this hilarious, sexy new rom-com from Katie McCoy!

Bound


Brenda Rothert - 2013
    But just when she's learned to adjust, heartache threatens to break her apart.Pro hockey player Jason "Ryke" Ryker has it all: adoring fans, a promising career, and a beautiful wife. But when his seemingly perfect life is shaken by tragedy, he's left questioning whether having it all is ever more than an illusion.When circumstance brings Kate and Ryke together, they discover they don't have to hurt alone. Bound by a grief that haunts them both, they must rely on one another to survive heartbreak. But that grief is more powerful than they realize, and the tie that binds them together may ultimately tear them apart.

Juked


M.E. Carter - 2016
    /jook-t/A slang soccer term meaning: faked out, deceived, confused your opponentSee examples Daniel Zavaro and Quincy Watson:As the rising star in Houston, Daniel has found fame as Captain of his Pro soccer team and the city’s most eligible bachelor. Daniel has everything – except someone special – and that suits him just fine. He doesn’t want, or need, complications.Quincy has baggage, and lots of it. After a tragic accident spins her world on its axis, she finds herself as a single mother, raising a newborn nephew she never knew she had. Between parenthood, her full-time job, and dealing with the suffocating grief of losing her sister, every day is a struggle. When they begin to cross paths unexpectedly and often, an unlikely friendship starts to evolve. Feelings change. Lines get crossed. What happens next surprises them both...Before they know it-- they’ve been Juked.

After the Blitz


Savannah Adams - 2020
    A shy friend from his past. Do they stand a chance when a surprise rival comes to town?Chip Inman’s life trajectory was always meant to lead him straight to the NFL. But a nasty head injury during his last college home game threw him into uncertain territory where memories were hard to come by.Greta Griffin, a shy dog groomer with aspirations to train service dogs, was instrumental years ago in helping Chip Inman graduate high school. She’d had feelings for the star quarterback for as long as she could remember but didn’t run in his circles.When Chip’s father hires Greta and her therapy dog to help Chip regain his memory, her feelings for him intensify. But when a woman claiming to be his girlfriend appears, Greta is reminded just how out of place she would be in Chip’s fast-paced football world.Can Greta help Chip regain his lost memory in time for the NFL draft? And if she does, will Chip choose the life others have planned for him or the one he wants with Greta?You’ll love After the Blitz if you’re a fan of sweet and clean reads, sports romances, and amnesia stories with a happily ever after.After the Blitz is the first book in a new series by Savannah Adams, author of the Love Stories from Magnolia Grove series. Each book in this clean sports series is a complete story with overlapping characters and can be read in any order. A swoon-worthy ending guaranteed!

Pump Fake


Lila Price - 2017
    The madam’s little black book with his name in it… The crazy late night bar fights… The trail of broken hearts he’s left in his wake… But nothing could have prepared me for actually coming face-to-face with Eli Brennan, hotshot wide receiver for my city’s professional football team. With his bulging muscles and rock-hard physique, Eli is every woman’s dirty little fantasy, but never in a million years did I think he could be my reality. Because I’m nobody. I’ve always been the girl without a date to the school dance, the girl who had to study to get a scholarship, the one who was working instead of drinking and partying with boys… In short, I’ve always been invisible to people like Eli Brennan. But suddenly, the most notorious bachelor in Las Vegas sees me. And when Eli propositions me to become his fake fiancé and help get him out of his latest public relations nightmare, I can’t refuse. I just have to make sure that I don’t take this too seriously, because Eli Brennan isn’t serious about me. He isn’t serious about anything. The whole thing is crazy. But in my heart, I know that this relationship isn’t as fake as it’s supposed to be. The way Eli looks at me, the way he touches me, the way he makes me feel. In fact, it turns out that this pump fake romance might be the realest thing that’s ever happened to me… Pump Fake is a standalone romance with a guaranteed HEA