Book picks similar to
Hard Ball by Heather Stone


romance
sports
novella
sport-romance

The Pickup


Nikki Ash - 2019
    The world decides for us. But I disagree.I believe love is a decision. Who we love, how we love. It’s in our control - in our hands.I grew up having no clue about the true meaning of love. Money. Cars. Houses. Status. Fame. That’s what love means to the people around me.It wasn’t until the woman I picked up in a bar came back into my life and showed me love can be so much more.So, what’s the problem?The woman I’m falling in love with believes in fairytales. She compares everything to a storybook and wants the happily-ever-after.So while she’s stuck on recreating stories that have already been told, page by page, I’m showing her it’s time we write our own book.Nobody ever said the journey of falling in love would be easy, just that it would be worth it. The Pickup is a standalone sports romance.

I Want You Back


Lorelei James - 2019
    Despite the signs she'd like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance...Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she's hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It's not that Lucy doesn't trust Jax...she's just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he's been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy's shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?

Almost Wrong


Aubrey Parker - 2016
    I hated him at first sight, in my teens, when my mother met his worthless father. I hated when Bill moved in with us, dragging Hunter like bad baggage. I hated when Mom and Bill made it official, turning the delinquent a-hole in the next room into my brand-new stepbrother. I hated when I fell for Hunter, and Hunter fell for me. It killed me when he left us behind, shed like dead skin on his way to the top. And now that Hunter is a hotshot music producer on every magazine cover, I hate him even more. I hate his money. I hate his fancy toys. I hate that he thinks he owns me … or worse, that he OWES me. I hate that he’s back. That he’s soiled our ghetto with his pristine suit, his fancy black limousine. My heart hurts, I hate him so much. And it scares me that my heart might keep loving him in the end, beneath it all.

Until It Fades


K.A. Tucker - 2017
    It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.For a time.But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

Third Base


Stella - 2017
    Second base: above the waist. Third base: below the waist. Home run: no explanation needed. Every baseball player knows to keep their eye on the ball and swing for the fences. Each base counts, but a home run is the goal. No one wants to strike out. This is true both on and off the field. Ellie had been my best friend since we were born, and we had a plan—get out of the tiny Alabama town we’d grown up in and go to college…together. But even life’s best-laid plans could throw a powerful curveball. Rather than attend classes, I was now the starting pitcher for a Major League team. While my game-day stats were impressive, my record with women was less desirable. I was the professional baseball player who hadn’t been able to make it past third base since the one and only night I’d played hardball with my best friend. When the bottom of the ninth came to a close on my career, I had to decide if our friendship was worth more than a few extra innings.

Second Chance Hero


Kimberly Readnour - 2017
    Back in college, I had them both. But after graduation, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I let Lacey go.Five years later, I can't complain. A Cy Young winner, I've achieved what I set out to do--pitching in the Major Leagues. Life is great.Until it's not.And the day it all went south? The day Lacey Stark appeared at my post press conference. The reality of not having her slams against my chest. Lacey's still sexy as hell, sporting more curves and a little more sass. Pitching in the Majors isn't the only thing I want anymore. Now, it's time to go after what I've denied myself all these years. I want Lacey and will stop at nothing until I make her mine.Lacey seems determined to stay away, but we belong together. I know this. I just need to convince her to give me another chance. Because one thing is guaranteed, I won't stop until she's back in my arms.Second Chance Hero is book one in this new standalone sports romance series. If you like sexy, alpha baseball players, click to download Zach in this hot, new series.

Rounding Third


Michelle Lynn - 2016
    I gave up my scholarship.I fled from Beltline.I left the girl behind.Now, I’m back.

Distraction


Angela McPherson - 2014
    The longing for him to love her back is something she keeps well hidden, even from herself. No matter how many miles apart they are, regular phone calls and texts keep them close…until the day everything changes.Wide Receiver Tristan Daniels has a good thing going. Much to his, and every single woman’s surprise, he’s in a committed relationship. The possibility of going pro looks more than promising…until his spur of the moment transfer to a rival college is approved. Now, Tristan will be forced to be in the presence of the woman he’s secretly loved for as long as he can remember. Elle.Being away from one another was enough to keep Tristan and Elle distracted, but angst, confusion, and troubled secrets launches them into a breathless, heart pumping story you won’t want to miss!Recommended for ages 18+

Undefeated


Stuart Reardon - 2017
    Nick Renshaw is the golden boy of British rugby. When a serious injury threatens his career, he starts to spiral downwards, a broken man.Abandoned and betrayed by those closest to him, he fights to restart his life. Maybe there’s someone out there who can help him. Maybe he can find his way back toward the light. Maybe … not.Dr. Anna Scott might be the one person who can help Nick, but she has her own secrets. And when Nick’s past comes back to haunt them both, the enigmatic doctor is more vulnerable than she seems.Broken and betrayed, the struggle to survive seems intolerable. Who will give in, and who will rise, undefeated?

On the Mend


Tina Gallagher - 2018
    Now it seems that goal depends on this one assignment. Yes, our relationship happened ten years ago, but my heart still winces when I think about him. He was my first love after all. But I’m older and wiser now, and I won’t let anything stand in the way of snagging my promotion. Not even one sexy player who thinks we’re going to kiss and make up. …but he’s full of surprises. Back in college, I loved two things… Sabrina Kelly and baseball. The baseball has worked out great. Sabrina, not so much. I know I broke her heart, but I’m not that guy anymore. I’ve wanted to reach out to her for years, but it was never the right time. Busting my knee may keep me off the field this season, but it’s also given me the chance to get her back into my life. Sure it’s just as my physical therapist, but that’s a start. Now that she's here, I just have to convince her to give me another chance. On the Mend is the first book in a steamy new baseball series. If you like hot athletes, sizzling romance, and second chances you’ll love the first installment of the Carolina Waves series.

Love Hurts


Mandi Beck - 2015
    I’m at home, in my element, inflicting pain onto men trained to hurt me just as badly. Making them submit, knocking them out, maiming them, because it’s them or me. And I choose them. Outside the Octagon, my only weakness is a five-foot-two, classy as fuck woman that I’ve loved for most of my life. She’s the one that brings me to my knees, fills my arms, my heart, and one day soon, my bed. She makes me reckless. Volatile. I drink too much and try too hard to fuck my way out of feeling—all because of her.Frankie De Rosa is my girl, my best friend. I haven’t earned her yet, but I won’t stand by and let anyone take her from me. She will be the greatest fight of my life, but she’s worth the battle. Love hurts, but anything worth having does, right? I’m Deacon “The Hitman” Love — Welcome to the Cage.

Interference


Harlow Cole - 2019
    It’s true. Ask anyone. I threw my first curveball the day I was born. The whole damn town is waiting on me. To live up to my father’s famous name. To reach for the stars. All I want to reach for is her. But Ashley is the sweet addiction I can’t afford. She’s my best friend’s sister. Hell, she’s practically my little sister. For years, I’ve protected her from guys that want one thing. What happens now that I’ve turned into one of them? Who’s gonna shield her from the way I was made, from my little white lies and from what I’m about to become?My game plan sounds simple: Pitch my way into the Major League draft and stay out of Ashley Foster’s pants. That first part may be statistically difficult. The second feels damn near impossible. Ashley: From the moment we met, I knew he was trouble. The kind my mother sent me to find. The type that ruins you for any other brand. When we were young kids, I didn’t know what to call the frogs and butterflies that danced in my belly whenever Brayden came near. Now I know they have a name. Those three little words that could heal or destroy him. Before Brayden, my life was normal. And then it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. Ever again. How was I to know stealing his seat would change all our lives?Anger and forgiveness share two halves of the same coin.Our story might make you choose sides.

Rookie Move


Sarina Bowen - 2016
    But on the first day he’s called up to the newly franchised Brooklyn Bruisers, Leo gets checked on both sides, first by the team’s coach—who has a long simmering grudge, and then by the Bruisers’ sexy, icy publicist—his former girlfriend Georgia Worthington.Saying goodbye to Leo was one of the hardest things Georgia ever had to do—and saying hello again isn’t much easier. Georgia is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when a press conference microphone catches Leo declaring his feelings for her, things get really personal, really fast....

Game On


Katie McCoy - 2015
    Rumor has it Nathan is going to be drafted to the Major league, and yet he still fits an intense training regime around volunteering at a animal shelter. He's a prodigy with a heart of gold, as American as apple pie and has an ass that deserves a trophy all its own. He may be the country's heartthrob, but Sophie isn't going to fall for that. She just has to remain objective and cover the story. But she didn't bet on Nathan's gorgeous green eyes or the way his arms flex with muscle when he's holding a bat. And she certainly didn't think he'd be witty and smart and caring. Nathan is completely untouchable, but she can't help it if those lingering gazes turn into something more. How could she not fall at the thought of the hottest guy she's ever met devoting his limited free time to saving kittens?When Sophie's scoop turns into Nathan's scandal, Nathan needs her more than ever. With both of their careers on the line will they strike out - or hit a home run?

Play Thing


Kira Blakely - 2017
    but only if I can make a woman truly fall in love with me. Women are toys in my billionaire dollar world, and I have no time for love. Regardless, my new assistant, Abigail, is the perfect candidate. It should be easy. A sweet word here. A caress there. At least, I think it will be... until I see her coming down the stairs dressed like a goddess. Who knew she was hiding such perfect curves and such confidence. Sure I want to sleep with her, but I didn't plan on actually falling in love. If she finds out our relationship is based on a wager, it could ruin us and my business. Well, f@ck business. Deal or no deal, her ass is mine. I want my cake... and her. And I'm going to eat them both! Settle in and buckle up. This steamy billionaire romance is full steam ahead, and the happily ever after will have you all hot and bothered!