Book picks similar to
Roughing by Jillian Quinn


sports
romance
second-chance
sports-romance

Winning the Player


Leesa Bow - 2014
    Now she's finally home again and ready to move on with her life. Until she runs into Hunter Stone on her first night out, the only guy who's ever meant anything to her - and the last person she wants to see.Since she ran out on him two years ago, Hunter hasn't been able to get Aubree off his mind. The sexy football star has had girls all over him for years, but Aubree is the only one to have ever seen behind the cocky persona he puts on for the crowd.Despite her attempts to keep her distance, Aubree is unable to resist the strong attraction between them and it isn't long before they fall into a passionate relationship. She has never been afraid of a challenge, but Hunter's arrogance and inability to trust are testing her to her limits. Aubree must decide whether to follow her heart and lower her guard...or risk losing the best thing that's ever happened to her...Intended for readers 18+Winning the Player is book 1 and a companion book to:Charming the OutbackJardineCaught OutWinning the GamePlaying for Time

Tackled


Sabrina Paige - 2016
     
Cassie 
I can’t stand jocks. And I don’t know the first thing about football.
 So it’s just my luck that the tutoring job I take to get me through graduate school involves making sure a dumb jock passes his classes.
 Now, I’m babysitting Colton King, a spoiled arrogant player who’s as famous for his bedroom antics as he is for his football skills.
 The tight end with the filthy mouth tells me he’ll show me that everything’s bigger in Texas. 
And heaven help me, I just might be considering it. 
* * * 
Colton 
My life is one big party, and that’s never going to change.
 Not even if my coach finds me a nerdy tutor he thinks will keep me in line. Miss Goody Two Shoes is uptight, high-strung, and unimpressed by the fact that I’m a campus legend.
 Even worse, the hot little tutor is as pure as the driven snow. 
Debauching her and making her mine is the ultimate challenge. And I always rise to the occasion. *This is not a football-heavy story, so if you're not into sports, don't worry! It's light on the sports and heavy on the steam!*

The Project


Amber Heart - 2017
    Tall, confident, too handsome for his own good. You know the type I’m talking about. All the girls practically worship the ground he walks on. Any one of them would kill to be as ‘lucky’ as me. Who wouldn’t want to be forced to spend the next six weeks with him? But I’ve got enough on my plate without having to worry about falling in love with a smoking hot football pro. I’ve just got to hold myself together and not get distracted by his toned, muscular body… Ahh, it’s happening already! If he thinks I’m going to do all of the work, he’s got another thing coming. Just because he’s good at throwing a football around, it doesn’t mean he’s getting a free pass with me! The professor will fail us both if he doesn’t pull his weight. How do I get this bad boy to cooperate? More importantly, how do I stop myself from falling for his irresistible charm? The Project is a football romance with a very HEA. For a limited time, this story features 3 bonus novels: Our Secret, Money Eyes, and Trust Fund Bad Boy!

Loaded


Teagan Kade - 2016
     Asher Slade, AKA ‘Slugger’. Hellcats captain, shameless womanizer, and grade A as*hole. I can’t stand his kind, so imagine my joy when I’m tasked with babysitting Sir C*ck-A-Lot during his college-imposed community service. He thinks I’m easy, that I’m going to fall to my knees the same way his opponents do. But he’s wrong. I have dreams. I’m going places. The last thing I need is a walking hard-on getting in my way. Problem is, I’m already picturing him… between my sheets, my legs, his dirty mouth doing dirty things. I should be running a mile, so why can’t I stop thinking about those coral eyes and cut body? I’m not going to fall for him. Promise. So why does it feel like my bases are already loaded? Small on sport, big on steam, Loaded is a full-length bad boy romance with a happily ever after and no cheating. Includes bonus book.

Kings of Rittenhouse


Maya Hughes - 2018
    What's the worst that could happen? Long live the Kings...

Wildcat


Max Monroe - 2018
    Mile-high courting and an intense pursuit to win her heart are just the beginning.Attention, fame—even, public scrutiny find their way into the mix. It should be simple, right?Wrong.Because, in the end, not everyone wants to see the small town girl find love with the superstar.Good thing Quinn Bailey knows how to win.Game on, baby.From the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of TAPPING THE BILLIONAIRE comes a hilarious and sexy standalone about chance encounters and finding true love.

Better Than Perfect


Kristina Mathews - 2014
    Known for his legendary control both on and off the field, his pristine public image makes him the ideal person to work with youth players in a preseason minicamp. Except the camp is run by the one woman he can’t forget…the woman who made him a “monk.”Alice Harrison’s three strikes include an unexpected pregnancy, a marriage of convenience and young widowhood. She once traded her dreams so Johnny could have a chance at making it to the Majors. Johnny comes back into her life just as she’s ready to resign as foundation director and pursue her own dreams of finally earning her teaching credential. Her plans may go on hold, though, depending on the reaction when she confesses she may have kept a major league secret from Johnny and her son.With the minutes ticking by until Johnny will leave for spring training, they’ll need to let go of the past and work together in order to win the game of love.CONTENT WARNING: Some strong language, consummated love scenes

Hustle


Ashley Claudy - 2015
    College was supposed to be Brook's chance to escape the rumors and the harassment that plagued her at home, but she hadn't planned on meeting Andrew Fayden. Now, she's finding it hard to think of anything else or anyone else. She's determined to wipe him from her mind though because he is the definition of unavailable. He's got an on and off again girlfriend always on the sidelines and a flood of girls willing to take over that position.And his popularity makes it hard to keep a low profile, something she needs to do if she doesn't want to be pulled back into the drama of her past.Despite all the warnings, she's finding it hard to resist—and he's making it hard to say no.

Break Point


Rachel Blaufeld - 2017
    Traumatized by hazing at her last school, all she wants is to attend classes, win tennis matches, and be left the hell alone.She should have known her coach, Drew King, would be a problem from the moment he flexed his sexy-as-hell forearms.What happens when you mix a pissed-off woman with a bunch of snooty teammates and a hot coach? A heated match, complete with team politics and a forbidden game of singles with the coach.It’s reckless and hot until one of them taps out.Unable to admit she may be better off as a double, Jules is convinced she needs to play the game of life alone. Then life throws her a lob and she runs smack into her past.Coach King is back, and he wants to take control of the game. But she’s not certain she wants his advice when it comes to the life she’s built.The power struggle is on, but this time off the court.

A Numbers Game


Tracy Solheim - 2014
    Back in college she fell hard for a football player, only to be devastated when she discovered he’d been duping her all along—dared by his teammates to score with his bookish tutor. Now, after her back-stabbing fiancé breaks off their engagement, Merrit flees to Baltimore to escape the fallout.After eight years in the pros, a series of concussions have forced Heath Gibson out of the NFL. The transition from player to coach for the Baltimore Blaze hasn’t been smooth, but finding himself face-to-face with Merrit Callahan makes the ride even rockier. He’s been filled with regret ever since a stupid team prank caused Merrit to run away from him a decade earlier.Merrit’s stunned to reconnect with Heath. And despite the authenticity of his reignited feelings this time around, Merrit’s got her mind set on payback. She’ll give Heath a night he won’t forget and then walk away. But Heath’s hold on her heart—and the rest of her body—is difficult to break…Includes a preview of the next Out of Bounds novel, Risky Game.

Perfect Pitch


Mindy Klasky - 2014
    All she has to do is follow the pageant's rules - no smoking, drinking, or "cavorting" in public.That's fine, until D.J. Thomas - God's gift to baseball - throws her a wild pitch. He slams her in an interview, and the video goes viral. Sam's no shrinking violet. She parlays D.J.'s apology into a national T.V. appearance - and a very unexpected, very public kiss.Soon, paparazzi catch the couple in a steamy make-out session, and Sam's music program is on the block. The blazing hot relationship is threatened even more when D.J.'s son begs to trade in Little League for music class.Can Sam and D.J. sizzle past the sour notes and find their perfect pitch?

Kiss To Conquer


Anna B. Doe - 2020
    Hayden thinks he knows all about Callie’s life before Blairwood and he’s not ready to let go of the past, much less forgive her for what she has done three years ago.One thing’s for sure… it’s going to take more than a kiss to conquer their broken past.Note: Kiss To Conquer is an enemies-to-lovers sports romance and it can be read as a standalone novel.

Breakaway


Ali Parker - 2016
    He’s hard-hitting, rough and puts up with very little. He’s kept to himself throughout his years at Providence University, but it’s time to train the next man up in line for his position. His second on the Hockey team has a twin sister that catches everyone’s eye and leaves most of the guys acting like idiots, but Lucas isn’t interested. Girls are too needy, too catty and a pain in butt. Plain and simple. Aubrey Moore’s had her eye on the captain of the hockey team for the last few years since her brother, Jayce joined the team. He’s known for being a complete jerk, but Aubrey’s had the pleasure of seeing around the edges of his personality and wants to know him more. Now she just has to figure out how to help him breakaway from being so jaded and join her in the best adventure anyone could embark on -love. 18+ Explicit sexual content, possible foul language and violence. **HEA - these novels are all within the Pro-U series, but are about different couples at the university and should stand-alone.

Jersey Girl


Rhonda James - 2016
    Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love. And then he meets her. There's just one problem. She's the sister of his best friend, and he’s been warned that she’s off-limits…Cassie Rivers is a musician desperately in need of a do-over. Leaving the past behind, she transfers to GLU in search of something, or someone, that inspires her. And then she meets him. Her brother's best friend and teammate. But according to the Bro Code he's supposed to be off limits…You’ve heard what they say about forbidden fruit… One taste is more addictive than one of them is ready to admit. Will he keep skating away from love? Or has this player finally found his Jersey Girl?

The Play


J.H. Croix - 2017
    Falling in love is complicated.I want her. There’s just one problem. She’s my doctor, and she says it’s a no-no. I’ve never been one to play by the rules.But she’s not falling for me. Olivia is the challenge I have to beat.With her lush curves and her by-the-book attitude, all I want to do is show her exactly what she’s missing. Again and again and again.I’ll bring her to her knees…in more ways than one. I didn’t count on her bringing me to my knees. *A full-length standalone sports romance.