Book picks similar to
False Start by Marianne Rice


sports
contemporary-romance
contemporary
romance

Only for Him


Cristin Harber - 2015
    He’s the stuff high school crushes are made of, Mister Popular, and captain of every team. She’s artsy, cute, and not in his league, though fully aware of Summerland’s "I Dream of Dating Grayson Ford" support group.I can’t say no. The girl’s had my heart since before I knew it went missing.He hides a life of hell. His father hates him, his mother’s gone. Emma is his only savior, yet she doesn’t know her power over him. She’s the only girl he wants, the only one he could ever tell—though he won’t.I’m stronger, bigger, more of a man than he’ll ever be, but because I ruined his life, I’ve taken his crap, his attacks, the vulgar nature of his existence.Until she discovers Gray’s embarrassment, his humiliation. Emma fights for him, for a chance. Theirs is a Cinderella story that she believes impossible. But as the layers peel back, it’s just a guy who needs a girl in order to keep breathing.My mind is already doodling Mrs. Grayson Ford in imaginary notebooks. He has no clue where my head is at… But, given that I didn’t see what just happened coming, maybe I have no clue where his head is at either.______* ONLY FOR HIM is the first book in the Only series, all of which will release in Spring 2015.

Happy Pants Cafe


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2014
    And what are they searching for? It’s not coffee. And it’s not pants. It’s true love, and everyone who goes, finds it!So what, exactly, is the café’s big secret? Harper Branton, a columnist for the San Francisco Tribune, who’d sooner believe in unicorns than in true love, is about to find out. And it’s the perfect story to save her train wreck of a career.Too bad she’s got competition. He’s sexy, he’s arrogant, and he thinks she’s crazy. ("What kind of person doesn’t believe in love?") And this coming from a man!When these two rivals go head to head, it's more like a WWF smackdown. A shared history binds them in wonderful, terrible ways quickly turning their duel into more than just a fight for a story. Will they tear each other apart for the win or end up as two more satisfied Happy Pants customers?Note: Stand-alone story

Wanted by You


Steph Nuss - 2014
    Carter was captivated by Ellyson Evans the moment he laid eyes on her, but she was the one girl who didn't beg for his attention.He wanted her.Ellyson vowed to never fall in love, because love can destroy you, but then she met Carter Jennings.She wanted him.Unwilling to risk their comfortable friendship, neither confessed their desires.Losing touch after college, a chance meeting reconnects them.They want each other.But love in the city is never quite that easy.

Summer with a Star


Merry Farmer - 2015
    The grand Victorian on the beach of Summerbury, Maine was the object of her childhood fantasy and her standard of romance—and it was finally happening. Her dream summer is ruined, however, when she arrives in Summerbury to find that Hollywood superstar Spencer Ellis has muscled his way into the house instead. His offer that they share Sand Dollar Point is not only infuriating—it’s insulting. He’s a celebrity—and one she’s determined to hate. Spencer’s summer in Maine was supposed to help him get his head screwed on straight. One look at Tasha, however, made that impossible. She’s beautiful. She’s angry. She doesn’t care who he is. She doesn’t care about his fame. In fact, she doesn’t even like him. She’s irresistible. He’s only got the summer. She’s only got her heart. They’ve only got each other.

The Curve


Leslie Pike - 2018
    He’s got timing and a natural rhythm in life that serves him well. The sexy Memphis Mavericks catcher is passionate about his career. Everything else requires little effort from him. For the Swift dynasty, baseball runs in their blood. It practically gallops. Sidelined by an injury, he spots a woman across the room at a signing. And she’s paying him no attention. Her focus is on a shy teenage girl. Charlotte Bay is dedicated to her responsibilities. And even though she dreams of romance and love, no man has gotten close enough to figure that out. Because above all, Charlotte’s a single mother whose goal is to raise a happy, confident child. Daughter Mallory has scars, emotional and physical. Both mother and child are a little broken, but even personal trials have an expiration date. And maybe their time has arrived.

A Soft Place to Fall


Barbara Bretton - 2001
    All she needs is courage, and time. The last thing she needs is a handsome, charming next-door neighbor...

His Rules


C.C. MacKenzie - 2015
    And for the fans of Nico and Bronte - we meet them again in this fast-paced, hilarious read! Ambitious, workaholic Anastacia Morgan runs Ferranti Communications with a cool-head and an iron will. Her latest project is ensuring sports star Olivier Conti does what he's told in a series of adverts. Olivier is impossible with a huge ego she's more than able to handle. His smile may do wonderful things to her libido, but Ana is determined to succeed where other women fail and resist the gorgeous soccer star. However, in this game there are no rules and Olivier's never missed scoring a penalty, yet.

Her Country Star Cowboy


Taylor Hart - 2020
    She wants to keep her secrets. Will true love take them both off track?Aspiring country music star, Shay Summerville, only wants to be writing and singing his music, so when his boss at the auto body shop—aka—his father, tells him it’s his turn to pick up the snobby, Harvard stranded princess who needs a tow, he does everything he can to get out of it.Spending her summer at her family’s lake house wasn’t on Jaycee McCade’s happy list. Frankly, not much had been on that happy list since her mother passed away three months before. When a tow truck spirals out of control and nearly hits her, she never imagined she’d be kissing the guy driving the truck. And she really never imagined liking it.When summer love captures both of their hearts, they have to make a choice—give up on their dreams or create a new one together.

High Stakes Seduction, Book 1


Ami LeCoeur - 2014
     But her father wasn't faring well. Between his binge drinking and gambling, he didn't have much time or energy left for his daughters. When threats started coming in, demanding payment for the debts he'd racked up, he took off, leaving the two girls to fend for themselves. Several months later, Angela receives a call that changes their lives forever. The call closes the door on their father's disappearance, but sets in motion a new set of dangers and complications, including the powerful, and mysteriously connected fashion mogul, Antonio Mancini. Antonio is attractive, remote, and very much in control. He quite literally holds the key to their security and wellbeing in his hands. Surprisingly he offers Angela a job, and the means to repay her father's debts... but the conditions require her to step way outside her normal boundaries. When Angela accepts the new challenges before her, she must battle her growing attraction for Antonio, and conquer her own fears and secrets. The stakes are high - she and her sister could lose everything if she doesn't follow the rules to this game he's set up. This steamy novella is book 1 in the ongoing serial that concludes with book 5. It contains adult material suited for 18+ year olds.

Secrets Exposed


Lisa Renee Jones - 2004
    Her enemy is her passion, her passion is her enemy.Lindsey Paxton was once the number one defense attorney in New York. She fought for those who were innocent, but charged. Her instincts were her lifeline, never failing her, as they guided her in her choices of who to defend. Or so she thought. Until she won a case she would forever wish to have lost. Her client, an accused rapist, kills and rapes a woman only a day after being set free. Destroyed by her role in the woman's death, Lindsey blames her father's controlling ways for what she has become, and runs from her career and life. Years later - the past becomes the present . . . Her father has cancer, and Lindsey is forced to leave her career with the Washington branch of the FBI. She finds herself facing the responsibility of running her father's law firm with the reluctant help of hotshot attorney Mark Reeves, a man who sparks her temper while also managing to tempt her body, her mind, maybe even her heart. With his help she finds herself fighting the emotional battles of the past, tempted to trust both him and her instincts. Now, faced with a case inherited from her father so similar to her career-ending one, she now must decide if her instincts will lead her down the path to saving an innocent man or setting free another killer. But while she fights her own battles, someone watches, wanting from the past what he had failed to get the first time . . . Lindsey.NOTE: Previously released as Hidden Instincts. Title change to indicate prelude to the new TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY trilogy coming in late 2011. I wrote this in 2004 and it was published by a library publisher and is in hardback in many libraries. You will meet the first Walker Brother-- Royce

Homecoming King


Jami Albright - 2020
    But that ain’t happening. Which is just the cherry on top of the crap sundae that is his life.His football career is hanging by a thread.His mom isn’t speaking to him.His hometown is out for his blood.And Tiger Lyons, the girl he did wrong in high school, is supervising the renovation of his new home … and living in his pool house. How’s the league’s premier quarterback supposed to rehab his battered body and regain his starting position, when the woman who still owns a piece of his heart—and now hates his ever-loving guts—is in his face 24/7? Don’t miss Homecoming King—a hilarious enemies-to-lovers, arrogant football player with a heart of gold, sassy heroine rebuilding her life, small-town sports romcom.

Burning Love


Jacie Lennon - 2019
    Spending his days fighting flames in Nashville, TN, his best nights are spent at home with his favorite girl—his daughter, Livie. With no time for distractions, he has no room in his life for other females—not even a sassy blonde-haired beauty and the first woman to spark his interest in years. Ezra doesn’t have the time to get involved. So, he walks away without getting her name, or giving his… HANNA HAS NO INTEREST IN SETTLING DOWN. She can’t even commit to a hair color, an address to call home, or a man. Too busy with her career as a traveling nurse, a relationship is the last thing she needs or wants. So, it’s inconvenient when she falls—literally—for the one person as uninterested in love as she is. At least that’s what she’ll keep telling herself. Will a spark turn into a wildfire, or will their love go down in flames?Burning Love can be read as a standalone, has steamy scenes and an HEA.

Made for Us


Samantha Chase - 2015
    And Aiden has managed pretty well so far. But his father is starting to worry he’s neglected himself. At the age of thirty-four, he is successful and handsome, and he still has no grandchildren!Aiden’s met plenty of attractive women over the years, but who has the time? It isn’t until he meets Zoe, a designer on one of his jobs, that he starts realizing he wants something more...

Last Resort Love


Holly Cortelyou - 2018
    No more cheating exes or downsized jobs. With fingers crossed, she lands in Colorado, but right off a storm flattens her dream cabin. But disaster turns delicious when irresistible Nick Olin saves the day. And now Vail’s sexiest resort developer is her landlord and next door neighbor.Nick’s career is on the line…Nick’s silky brown curls and teasing smile melt her heart, but Krissa can’t shake the ache in her soul and won’t trust in love. Too bad for Krissa, Nick has other ideas. With her luscious curves and vulnerable amber eyes, Nick is oh-so-distracted from his empire building. Every time Nick makes a move, Krissa bolts. Can Nick prove he’s trustworthy and just the man to heal her heart? Or will Krissa run out on her chance at love?If you love the charmingly sexy romances of Susan Mallery and Addison Cole, you’ll melt into the arms of the swoon-worthy heroes of Holly Cortelyou. Come meet Nick Olin of Wescott Springs, your next book boyfriend…

Yours to Have


Kelly Collins - 2014
    She’s only helping her friend. But when the menu offers such sweet passion, who can say no to seconds?Wealthy LA nightclub owner Damon Noble won't risk another painful relationship betrayal. Preferring to keep everything strictly business, he pays for company with no strings attached. But when his latest hire proves absolutely unforgettable, he's ready to order another helping…Katarina Cross has a big heart and even bigger tuition expenses to cover. So when a school friend asks her to stand in for an escort double-booking, she wants to say yes to the cash despite her misgivings. Once Katarina confirms she'd only be there as arm candy, she agrees to the gig and lays eyes on a client who's witty, street-smart, and gorgeous…As their attraction grows and Damon offers to pay for another date, Katarina isn't sure she’s that kind of girl. But when they both discover they're reading the same steamy book, the student considers indulging her sweetest fantasies. Will Damon and Katarina move on to the next course, or will old wounds ruin a recipe for love?Yours to Have is a delicious selection in The Pure Decadence Series of moving contemporary romances. If you like heartwarming honesty, compelling characters, and romance with a slow burn, then you'll love Kelly Collins’ engaging treat of a novel.Yours to have was originally published as Just Dessert.