Book picks similar to
Taming Zach by Amy Sparling


romance
new-adult
sports
young-adult

Falling for Mr. Wrong Series: Books 1 - 3


Jenny Gardiner - 2019
    WrongIf lusting after him is wrong, she doesn’t want to be right…Harper Landry sometimes feels like she’s turned into a professional dater. Which might not be such a bad job if it didn’t involve having to spend so much time with a succession of truly undesirable men who were obviously still single for good reason. So she’s elated when she ends up on a blind date with the charming and handsome Danny Greevy, a man who seems too good to be true. But Harper’s starting to think that too good to be true might be downright perfect for her. Particularly when the man who launched her man-drought shows up unexpectedly to throw a wrench in her life yet again.Noah Gunderson is back in town after traveling the world for the past several years. Forced to return home after promising his mother on her deathbed to save the beloved inn that she’d nearly run into the ground, he’s planning to get far away from Verity Beach just as soon as he’s got the inn back in the black. And he’s determined not to let the distraction of Harper Landry, the one that got away, keep him here a moment longer.Falling for Mr. MaybeIf it swells, ride it…Georgie Childress moved to Verity Beach to lick her wounds after her controlling fiancé pulled a runner mere weeks before the wedding. Jobless and desperate to flee his turf, she sought solace in the quietude of the ocean, happily escaping into her own thoughts while surrounded by diving dolphins and cacophonous seagulls. Only when she accidentally runs over some random—and super sexy—surfer dude’s surfboard does she start to wonder if she needs to bring her head out of the clouds and start paying attention to life again.Spencer Willoughby long ago fled his rigid upbringing, shunning the familial expectations of an Ivy League education and Wall Street career in favor of the sun, sand and surf along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Give him a surfboard and he’s a happy man. That is until some nutty lady with a penchant for fender-benders backs into his beloved hand-crafted wooden surfboard, snapping it in half. It’s enough to make a man crazy—crazier still because the kooky blond is making his blood run hot.Just when he finally gets the woman out of his head, Spencer is unwittingly paired off with her at a wedding as a favor to a friend, forcing him to make nice with his board-murdering nemesis who he might just want to ride off into the sunset.Falling for Mr. No Way in HellTaking the plunge…Lacy Caldwell’s mermaid gig at a cheesy roadside beach bar provided much-needed income while she pursues her graduate degree. That is until the beloved owner dies and her greedy nephew announces he’s cashing out by closing the bar and selling the property to a developer who’s going to replace the kitschy charm of the Mermaid’s Purse with ocean-view condos.Cameron Sanders can’t believe his good luck. Struggling financially, he’s thrilled to find out some random, ancient aunt he hardly knew died and left him an inheritance that’ll help take the money monkey off his back. He’s ready to go to the mat in battle when some annoying mermaid from the bar tries to throw a wrench in his plans. But things get complicated when he realizes that she’s a woman he’s started to have feelings for.

Curveball


Jordan Ford - 2017
    He’s driving her crazy. Will they go down swinging or knock it out of the park?Maddie Barlow thought she had everything figured out. But just six months from high school graduation, her dad moves the family to the crummy small town of Armitage. Just when she’s trying to settle in, her dad pressures the all-boy baseball team to make room for her and her two younger sisters. Between her new classmates and the team’s smooth-talking captain, Maddie has made more enemies than friends…Holden Carter just watched his playoff dreams go up in smoke. He’ll stop at nothing to make sure the trio of daddy’s girls ride the bench all season. Even if that means toying with their emotions. When the fiery Maddie comes to her little sister’s defense, Holden wonders if he’s finally found a worthy opponent.Maddie is determined to squash her instant attraction to the handsome, arrogant team captain… and his advances toward her sister. But just as she’s starting to find out that things aren’t what they seem in Armitage, she falls hard for the dashing Holden. When she’s faced with hurting her sister or abandoning a shot at love, Maddie must decide whose team she’s really on…Curveball is the first standalone book in The Barlow Sisters Trilogy, a series of simmering YA contemporary romances. If you like high-spirited sweet romance, relatable characters, and a dash of mystery, then you’ll love Jordan Ford’s sports romance series.

Seeker’s World


K.A. Riley - 2019
    Prove yourself worthy, and you may just save the world.”
 On her seventeenth birthday, Vega Sloane receives a strange and puzzling gift: a key in the shape of a dragon’s head, along with a note that claims she’s destined for greatness. When the handsome and mysterious Callum Drake enters her life, she finds herself inextricably drawn to him, and more questions begin to arise. Who is the boy beyond the exquisite façade and charming smile? Is he an ally, or the very enemy she needs to fight off? Vega soon discovers that she’s being recruited to attend a magical Academy in a world beyond her own—a school where those known as the Blood-Born train and compete to see who comes out on top. The only problem? Everyone seems to want her dead.

Contessa


Lori L. Otto - 2012
    As she grew up, her parents made good decisions for her, raising “Livvy” to be an intelligent and creative young girl. Now sixteen, three people influence many of her choices: her first love, her second father, and a third man who speaks to her through his artwork.Livvy’s father is practical and steadfast; even-tempered and quietly observant. She’s an artist who acts on her emotions and thrives on attention. Unhappy with their differences– and misunderstanding her father’s methods– Livvy chooses to focus on the similarities she shares with an enigmatic painter from her mother’s past. Her overactive imagination leads her down an obsessive path– one that only stands to hurt everyone around her.The distraction of a new boyfriend has the potential to end her search and reunite her family, but his involvement in her life could be just as devastating, taking Livvy away from her father for good.Mature YA for limited sensual content.

Making the Play


Robin Bielman - 2019
    She’s just as career-focused as he is and has resolved to never succumb to the notorious charmer no matter how handsome or quickly they click. But then Chloe lets her guard down one drunken night and confesses she’s cursed. All her boyfriends meet their true soul mate when they date her, so she’s given up dating for good.Star baseball player Finn Auprince isn’t looking for romance, especially with his smart and sexy new media manager. She’s a distraction he can’t afford, but when Chloe confesses her secret, Finn’s competitive side emerges, and he can’t resist the challenge…or Chloe. One date is all he needs to prove that he and Chloe can have a good time without his soul mate popping out from around the next corner.It’s game on…but can they play the game of love and both come out on top? First Published as Heartthrob

Thirty Days Have September (Thirty Days, #1)


Bibi Paterson - 2013
    Shy and unassuming, Abigail James loves to bake. She dreams of opening her own dessert café but instead she spends her days working as a data analyst and sneaking in her cakes as the company’s ‘diet assassin’ on the side. Taylor Hudson, the enigmatic owner of Hudson International, has been captivated by Abby’s innocence and quiet charm since the day she started working for the company. However, his history with women is marred by personal circumstances and he has vowed to stay away.A chance meeting sees Abby’s world turned upside down when, drawn in by Taylor’s chocolate brown eyes and unexpected kindness, she starts on a journey of attraction that will see her heart and soul laid bare. While their attraction is mutual, both Abby and Taylor have their own inner demons that they need to overcome if their relationship can move forward for them to find their own happily ever after.Due to the nature of the content this book is intended for mature audiences.

Chasing Forever Down


Nikki Chartier - 2013
    Instead, she finds a mysterious stranger who plays by his own rules and chases his own dreams, and he's definitely cute enough to disappear with for the night. Convinced that he can help her escape the perfectly corporate future that's been planned for her, Haley agrees to meet him the next day. However, Mr. Mysterious is a no show.Determined to track him down, Haley enlists her best friend Linzi to help, but according to the local newspapers, the guy she met has been dead for years. Knowing he's very much alive, Haley and Linzi follow clues on a scavenger-hunt-style road trip that ultimately lands them in the surf town of Crescent Cove, California, where her mystery guy is no mystery at all. He's living as Colby Taylor, the west coast's biggest professional surfer.But talking to the surf star again is nearly impossible when he's guarded by a hierarchy of beach bums who are determined to send Haley back to the east coast. Haley is up for the challenge of submerging herself in their world, from wild summer nights and beach parties to ocean air and secret kisses in the dark, but when the lines blur between the ocean and the shore, she isn't so sure she's here for Colby anymore. Sure, being thrown off a jet ski sucks, but falling in love with one of these California boys might just be worse.(This is book #1 of the Drenaline Surf series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.)​​

Out of the Red


Arell Rivers - 2021
    Well, maybe he does—he’s never encountered a riff he couldn’t handle, a treasure he couldn’t score, or a woman he couldn’t conquer. No one, especially not a buttoned-down rule-follower like the band’s new tour accountant, is going to change him. Accountant Sara Anderson is an unabashed stickler for the rules… Sara’s worked nine long years to make partner, and only one thing stands between her and her goal—Hunte. Now she’s going on their tour to whip the band into financial shape. So long as she gets them out of the red, the promotion will be hers. Those bad boys of rock will be tamed, no matter how yummy their lead singer is. When rebellion confronts discipline, fireworks explode. Passions collide, and lives are permanently altered, in this enemies-to-lovers, slow burn standalone romance set in the mid-1990s—when grunge ruled the airwaves and women partners were as uncommon as those new mobile phones.

Pass me By


Kyra Fox - 2020
    Zoe Lawrence has given up on finding a man who isn’t afraid of her IQ. So, when charming, melt-your-panties-with-a-smile Mac asks her out, she agrees with full intention of using him to scratch an itch and move on.What they thought would be one night of fun quickly turns into a heat-filled whirlwind romance.While Zoe is falling fast, Mac’s insecurities about his self-worth cause him to push her away, leaving Zoe wondering if he will ever trust her love enough to let her in or if their fragile bond was doomed from the start.A steamy and emotional romance series, perfect for lovers of Melissa Foster and Roni Loren.*Pass me By is the first book of the BFF Series and can be read as a standalone.

Cowboys & Starlight


Jacqueline Winters - 2018
    She doesn't plan to stay. Ronnie Ross has spent the past three years working unthinkable hours as an interior design assistant. With a promotion one important project away, an ill-timed mistake costs her everything. Hoping to lay low for a couple of weeks, she takes her brother up on his invitation to visit him in Starlight, Wyoming. This could be the break she needs -- until an irritatingly handsome cowboy gets in the way. Colten Livingston swore he'd never fall for another city girl who'd leave his broken heart in her dust trail. Not after returning home two years ago when his dad fell ill cost him the wife who couldn’t handle country living. Now that his dad’s gone and his mom plans to sell the family home, there's nothing holding him back from returning to his dream job at Glacier National Park. Except the alluring city girl his mom's hired to complete the renovations. Best friend’s little sister or not, she’s definitely hiding something. Colten's determined to uncover her secret before she returns to Chicago. Which would be easier to do if a single touch from Ronnie didn’t make his pulse race. The last thing he thought he wanted might be the very thing he needs the most. Heat Level: Sweet/Mild Other Sweet Romances By Jacqueline Winters Starlight Cowboys Series 1. Cowboys & Starlight 2. Cowboys & Firelight 3. Cowboys & Sunrises 4. Cowboys & Moonlight 5. Cowboys & Mistletoe 6. Cowboys & Shooting Stars (Coming Soon) Sunset Ridge Series 1. Moose Be Love (releasing Feb 25th) 2. My Favorite Moosetake (coming soon) 3. Annoymoosely Yours (coming soon) Standalones 1. Hooked on You

Keeping Score


Shannon Stults - 2019
    Years later, Logan is back in her small hometown and ready to prove to everyone (especially herself) that she's not that same girl anymore. But the new life she's so carefully constructed starts to tear apart the second she runs into Cole Tucker. Logan thought she'd put her childhood rival and their adolescent games behind her, but it takes her only one night before she’s forced into one final game, a series of hilariously immature challenges that has the whole town keeping score. A game that, should she lose, could destroy everything she's built her new life around.

Excuse Me, First Love (College Daze 1)


Danielle Burton - 2016
    How could she tell her best friend that he'd stolen her heart? Especially when their friendship was coming to an end. Three years ago Jayson Adams lost his best friend. She moved half way across the country, shattering his world. He spent months in a deep depression, cursing the universe for ripping her away from him so cruelly. When their worlds collide again, old wounds are torn open. Gabrielle fights against a one sided love, forced to watch the man she desires in the arms of another.Jayson, on the other hand, is determined to hold onto his friend this time, even if it means denying his heart what it truly wants.

Every Little Piece


Kate Ashton - 2013
    A story of love, hope and healing.** Needing the truth… I wanted to spend the night before graduation making out with Seth, but one of my best friends had the whole night planned. Lucky for me, we ran into him and his friends playing pool where we made some silly bet over a game, and the losers had to run through town in nothing but their underwear. A year later, I wish more than ever we’d just made out at Raker’s Bluff instead, because maybe the night would’ve turned out differently. Now Seth’s back, the guy who broke my heart, the guy I’m still in love with…I just hope he doesn’t break me all over again. Desperate for redemption… No one wants to fess up to having a screwed-up family. When my parents dropped the big divorce bomb on me, I decided to keep it a secret. Just the thought of the pity-stares and pats-on-the-back made me feel sick. I’d tell Haley and my friends another time. Except, I never got the chance. Stuff happened. Stuff that totally sucked and changed our lives forever. Instead of telling my truth, I took the coward’s way out, and I’ve regretted it ever since. But I’m back, determined to tell Haley everything, down to the last gritty detail, if she’ll give me the chance…even if it means losing her forever.

Dancing by the Moonlight (A Carlisle Bay Novel)


Angie Ellington - 2018
    Dancing was her life. Chasing performance dreams is all she's ever known or planned for. Now, she is starting anew. She didn't expect to be a boutique manager at thirty-one, but it's better than spinning out into the abyss of the unknown. Being in Carlisle has brought solace to her listless soul. Brady Carlisle has recently returned to Carlisle Bay; his hometown. He has spent the last decade in California, designing and patenting surfboards, playing guitar and singing for anyone who cared to listen. Becoming his own man, without relying on the Carlisle name and money is all he's ever wanted. He now owns a bait and tackle store by day and spends his evenings playing guitar on his deck or sailing along the bay or over the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic. They discovered love for the first time thirteen years earlier when Olivia spent the summer before college living with her aunt in Carlisle Bay. Will the pain of the past keep them apart or will moonlit summer evenings lead them back to each others' hearts?

Head Above Water


Emma Chamberlain - 2020
    Blonde and unpolished, Zoe struggles to fit in with the high-caliber rich crowd at Brentwood High. A scholarship honey, her athletics carry her far. Ryan Astor, on the other hand, has all the money and all the brains, but she can't seem to overcome her emotional struggles after a brutal year of disappointments and a disastrous summer away.When a random party lands Ryan in Zoe's lap, Zoe can't seem to shake her new addiction to the somewhat shy and obviously beautiful girl.