Book picks similar to
The Backup Plan by Jen McLaughlin


romance
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contemporary-romance
sports-romance

Pretty When She Cries


A. Zavarelli - 2020
    Ours was baptized in fire.I was the new girl trying to find her place.Landon was the brooding neighbor I tutored over the summer.I didn’t know he was a legend at Black Mountain Academy.I didn’t know they worshipped him like a religion.But I fell for him before I knew those things.To me, he was just the tortured soul who drew me in like a magnet.And then he did something so unspeakable, so unforgivable, it shattered me.I ran away then because I was weak, but I’ve shed my tears.He stole my heart and my dignity, and I’m here to take it back.The only problem is… he’s not giving it up without a fight.

First Comes Love (Love & Marriage, #1)


Emily Goodwin - 2016
    Then comes marriage. Then comes a—Hold up. You’re joking right? As if life works off a neat little list like that, moving down, checking things off before jumping to the next task. We’re not married. We’re not lovers. Hell, we’re hardly even friends. Noah Wilson isn’t exactly “life partner” material, and he sure as hell isn’t “father material”. He’s my older brother’s best friend, and has been off limits, sworn off, locked in the highest tower and out of reach since we met over ten years ago. With his devilish good looks, tattoos, motorcycle, and trail of broken hearts and tears, I’ve had good reason to stay away from the bad boy my mother warned me about.Until one night. One stupid, regrettable night that changed both of our lives forever. And now I only have nine months to decide our fate, to see if Noah’s rebel heart is capable of anything more than a one night stand.This isn’t a love story. This is a life story. And life doesn’t go according to plan.

Black Diamond


Ali Dean - 2016
    Not even the boys. Still, Roxie was shocked when she received a scholarship to Stark Springs Academy, a boarding school that churns out Olympians in each graduating class. Entering as a high school junior, Roxie can’t wait to learn from renowned coaches and train with the fastest ski racers from all over the globe. But, upon arrival, Roxie discovers that Stark Springs lives under its own set of rules, and it appears one boy plays dictator. Ryker Black is not friendly and Roxie cannot fathom why everyone wants to be his friend. Sure, he’s gorgeous and rides a snowboard like it’s his fifth limb, but he’s cold, ruthless, and holds way too much power over the Stark Springs population. Roxie won’t put up with it. She’s here to train, and she doesn’t care about impressing anyone off the slopes. The only problem? Ryker Black doesn’t permit defiance. Not without consequences.

Breaking Rules


S.B. Alexander - 2017
    She’s a talented artist. He’s sworn off girls. She’s fighting to protect her honor. Brooding, high school quarterback, Train Everly, was on the fast track to play football at the University of South Carolina until one misstep at a party put his chances in jeopardy. Now in his senior year, he’s sworn off dates, no steady relationships and definitely no sex. The last girl he’d fallen for tore out his heart and stomped on it with stiletto heels. But a new school year brings new students and one girl in particular, Montana Smith. He can’t seem to shake the blonde, curvy, and feisty girl who blows into computer class like a category five hurricane, causing his pulse to race for the end zone. Still, beauty, boobs, and curves are a recipe for disaster. He can’t afford to hook up with her. Not if he wants to protect his heart, and his spot on the USC football team.Graffiti artist and rebellious eighteen-year-old, Montana Smith has been expelled from high school more times her mother cares to count. So when Montana gets expelled for defacing school property, Montana’s mom decides it’s time to get out of the big city and find a southern sleepy town where Montana surely can’t get into too much trouble. But the small town is ripe with temptation more than Montana or her mom even realize, especially when Montana meets the star quarterback, Train Everly. She’s drawn to his sea-green eyes, and his quiet personality. What she isn’t ready for is his moodiness that seeps under her skin so much so that she decides to make a fool of herself. But she’ll take the stares and whispers over her pathetic performance rather than tango with Train’s ex-girlfriend who will do anything to get Montana out of the picture. As a relationship between Train and Montana ebbs and flows, both will be tempted to do things that could lead to trouble and broken hearts.Intended for audiences 18+ Strong language and sexual content.

Go Deep


Bella Love-Wins - 2016
     I'm not riding a wave to the NFL. I am the wave, and everyone knows it, including my fans, opponents, coaches, every NFL agent who matters, and the hot little chicks who follow me around. I'm the whole package...with a package that leaves chicks wanting more. There's just one exception. Cassidy Greyson. She is the uptight cheerleader, my brother's best friend, and a fellow student in a few of my courses. Getting a piece of her is now my informal senior year 'pet' project. Little does she know she's about to be owned. Cassidy Greyson 
I worked my butt off for three school years and two long summers so I could graduate early and get the hell out of my backwater life in Louisiana. Sure, I stuck to the cheerleading, but only because it was a family tradition that my mother insisted I keep up. Just because my older sister, Caroline, fell for the 'be-a-cheerleader-to-marry-an-NFL-star' trap, doesn't mean I want to follow in their footsteps. This is why Slade 'Slaughter' Clark doesn't have a chance in hell. I've avoided falling for the arrogant jock up until now, and there's no way I'll let him in. My business professor may have thought he was doing us both a favor when he forced Slade and me to partner up for a major project. I just wish I didn't have to stare into his sexy hazel eyes or watch him flex his tight, bulky muscles while we work together. *Author's note. Go Deep is a full length, standalone story with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger. This story is light on football and heavy on steamy romance.

Emerge


S.E. Hall - 2013
    And though change is an inevitable, scary part of life, just lying in wait around the corners and milestones you thought you had a lock on, there's no way I could've known just how much change, that would never change back, I was driving right toward. But... by shutting the door to my old life, the door to my new one opened- and in strolled Dane Kendrick, awakening the wildest of dreams, delights, and desires, that I never even knew slept inside me. And now, it's time to let the real Laney Jo Walker emerge.Evolve & Full Circle Series suggested reading order:*Emerge*Embrace*Entangled*Entice*Sawyer Beckett's Baby Mama Drama Guide for Dummies*Endure*Sawyer Beckett's Guide for Tools Looking to Date My Daughter*Entwined*Embody (Full Circle Series/Spinoff from Evolve Series Book One)*A Crew Christmas*Elusive (Full Circle Series/Princess Presley Duet Book One)*Exclusive (Full Circle Series/Princess Presley Duet Book Two)

Extreme Love


Abby Niles - 2013
    But when the MMA fighter meets pretty Caitlyn Moore, he seems to be striking out left and right. The more Cait denies his advances, the more intrigued he becomes by the sharp-tongued beauty. She's a challenge he cannot resist.Comfortable with the average Joe, Cait doesn't get it when the ultra-masculine Dante walks into her life and expresses an interest in her. Sure, she's shed eighty pounds and her confidence is building, but there's nothing spectacular about her. Certainly not enough to hang onto a ripped babe-magnet like Dante, whose violent profession, catty groupies, and cruel competitors are already making her life a living hell. Dante's light-hearted pursuit quickly becomes a battle to win her heart as they find themselves thrown together again and again and it's affecting his training. Cait won't let him lose the biggest fight of his career because of her, but when her plan to keep him focused lands her in the dangerous clutches of Dante's vicious opponent, there is more at stake than just the championship belt.

Keep Me Still


Caisey Quinn - 2013
    When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls, but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her* This special edition of Keep Me Still includes the novella, Let You Leave:Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that will either bind them together or tear them apart.

In the Penalty Box


Lynn Rush - 2021
    But one unlucky injury and now I’m down...but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab—a boatload of rehab—and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team?Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.BrodieHockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships—hopefully in front of major college scouts, too—so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie?Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.

Body Check


Elle Kennedy - 2009
    Awesome-night-in-the-sack potential? Check! Hayden Houston is breaking out of her good-girl mode. It's time for a one-night stand--and she's found just the man for the job! She spent her childhood being dragged from rink to rink by her hockey-coach father. Now Hayden craves stability. And she's determined to get it--after this one night....When hockey star Brody Croft sees the sexy brunette at the bar, he's riveted. He's ready to shed his bad-boy ways and settle down. And after a mind-blowing night in bed with Hayden, he knows she's the one.Now all he has to do is convince her....

Elements of Chemistry: Attraction


Penny Reid - 2015
    Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?Where to read more of the Hypothesis SeriesBook 1 ATTRACTION (ends in a cliffhanger!)Book 2 HEAT (ends in a cliffhanger!)Book 3 CAPTURE (no cliffhanger)Book 4 MOTION (ends in a cliffhanger!)Book 5 SPACE (ends in a cliffhanger!)Book 6 TIME (no cliffhanger)

Perfect Summer


Katie Graykowski - 2013
    Her alarm clock didn’t go off, she accidentally backed over the rosebush her grandfather gave her grandmother right before he accepted defeat against prostate cancer, she’s wearing clothes she picked up off the floor, and when she opens the door to her classroom, the lights from the TV cameras nearly blind her. She's won Teacher of the Year. But unlike the past winners, she doesn't get a new car or a Hawaiian vacation or even new school supplies, she wins an over privileged quarterback with a bright smile and questionable intentions. Clint Grayson is an NFL quarterback in need of a reputation makeover. If he has any hope of landing a hundred million dollar endorsement deal, it will take some pretty impressive PR to clean up his bad boy image. In an attempt to polish his tarnished reputation, Clint agrees to be a high school class mentor. When these two get together all hell breaks loose and they both learn that all is fair in love and football…and winning is just the beginning.

Finding Me


Stephanie Rose - 2016
    . . Abandoned by a father who didn't want me. Cherished by a stepfather, though I wasn’t his. Shattered by a boy who swore he loved me. But I belonged nowhere, to no one. Then I met Owen, the sweet-talking hockey player who made me love him. He gave me the courage to trust in someone besides myself. He showed me a love I longed for. When an unwanted ghost comes knocking on my door, my heartbreaking history threatens to repeat itself. But where do I turn if I lose everyone? And how do I find where I belong, when I’m still Finding Me? Finding Me is a spinoff from the Second Chances series and can be read as a standalone.

Hands Down


Mariana Zapata - 2020
    Including those your once loved ones might have unintentionally given you. (Those just take longer.)She thinks she’s ready when a call has her walking back into her old friend’s life. Or at least as prepared as possible to see the starting quarterback in the National Football Organization. Before the lights, the fans, and the millions, he’d been a skinny kid with a heart of gold. Waltzing out of Zac Travis’s life should be easy. Just as easy as he walked out of hers.

Deal Breakers


Laura Lee - 2015
    But she was also the hottest chick I had ever known. I thought it would be simple. I thought we'd have a good time, then pretend like it never happened. It turns out, I was an idiot. Now, she wants nothing to do with me, but I'm determined. I've spent the last five years without her and I refuse to waste another day. I have a solid plan. All of my figurative ducks are in a row. I'm going balls to the wall, and I'm not stopping until I win back the only girl I've ever loved. Too bad for me, Devyn Summers has been sitting on a secret that nothing could've prepared me for. *Deal Breakers is filled with lots of laughs, a sexy romance, and an overflowing swear jar. It's the first installment in the Dealing With Love series, but each one can be read as a standalone.