Book picks similar to
More Than the Game by Jenni Bara
arc
romance
sports
contemporary
That Girl: The Montgomerys
Jennilynn Wyer - 2021
He was that guy; NFL football quarterback and Mr. Popular. He told me he would never leave. He lied. Now he’s back. But I’m not that girl anymore.Aurora St. Claire is that girl. The one who excels at academics. The one from a broken home who lives on the bad side of town. The one with an alcoholic mother who couldn’t care less if she existed. The one with an abusive older sister who would give her bruises instead of hugs. The one who keeps to the shadows, trying not to be seen.Sometimes the best families are the ones you create, not the ones you are born into. Aurora never knows what a true family is like until she has one suddenly thrust upon her at the age of eighteen. It takes a single revelation from a stranger to change her life forever.Then, JD Hallstead comes barreling into her life. He is everything she never thought she wanted, but everything she craves. That is, until the day he destroys her and leaves her heart to burn to ashes in his wake. What is the adage? The flip side of love is hate. Well, her hate burns bright, and it has a name: Jackson Dillon Hallstead.JD Hallstead is that guy. The one who is Mr. Popular and Quarterback King of Highland High. The one voted class president and most likely to succeed. The one who girls go crazy over and guys want to be. The one with a controlling, abusive father who will go to any lengths to keep his son in check. The one with the secrets.Aurora is the girl JD has secretly crushed on for years. It takes a friend’s tragic death to bring Aurora and JD together. It takes JD’s secrets to tear them apart. Aurora tells JD everybody leaves. He promises her he never will.He lied.Now, JD will do anything, fight anyone, give up everything, to get Aurora back. Aurora said JD broke her heart. Who better than him to put it back together?But the thing about secrets is that they always come back to haunt you. The question is: How far will JD go to protect the woman he loves before those secrets destroy them all?Reader’s Warning: That Girl is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance with scorching heat that will melt your Kindle and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen next. It takes place after the conclusion of Broken Butterfly, Fallen Brook Series, Book 3. Even though the book can be read on its own, fans of the Fallen Brook Series will love seeing some of their favorite characters return! That Girl touches upon topics that may be triggering to some readers such as flashbacks to an attempted sexual assault, child neglect and abuse, and violence. The story also contains foul language and sex. Any sexual intimacy between the main characters is consensual. For these reasons, the book is recommended for readers aged 17+.
Simply Complicated
S. Nelson - 2021
Proposition a man and extend a challenge: help me accomplish something I’ve never been able to do before with past boyfriends.But there are rules.He needs to be a stranger and someone who won't judge me if I can't cross the finish line.Luke Sorenson, one of the most famous soccer players in the world, isn't meant to be that man. He's the guy I grew up next door to. The man who broke my heart ten years ago, then moved across the country and never looked back.He also happens to be the one person in the world I can't stand.But as my best friend points out, he's the best option.Besides, it's only for one night. What can possibly go wrong?***The last person I expect to see when I walk into a random corner bar is Olivia Brighton, the one woman I let slip through my fingers when I chased my dream a decade ago.Not only do I run into her again, but I offer to help her out with her dilemma, and she accepts.It's supposed to be a one-time occurrence. One shot to prove my skills in bed.But that one shot turns into a deal, which morphs into something neither of us predicts.One thing's for certain—everything is about to get simply complicated.
Moonlighter
Sarina Bowen - 2019
Two adversaries. Only one bed in their hotel room.I'm at the height of my hockey career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don't even know its name.Pass, thanks. I don't need a summer job.But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she's a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.So guess who's on a flight to Hawaii?It's going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we're torturing each other. It's all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.Moonlighter is a stand-alone novel for Brooklyn Bruisers team member Eric Bayer. No cliffhangers, no prior experience necessary. Expect: a growly hero, a lady boss with no time for his attitude, and a war of wills and hormones. Bonus: a hunk wearing a baby in a sling.
Jock Blocked
Pippa Grant - 2020
And what's working is him keeping his pants zipped and doing all of his scoring on the field.So when I hear he's planning to ditch his V-card now that he's been traded to baseball's lovable losers — aka my home team and my reason for living every March through October — I do what any rational, dedicated, obsessed fan would do.I make a plan to stop him.But the thing about stopping him is that it requires spending time with him.Lots. And lots. And lots of time.And the more time I spend with him, the more I like him. Not as the guy who's going to help save my favorite team and finally bring home a championship ring, but as the guy who's helping me in my quest to bring back the team's old mascot. Who also loves making pancake and bacon sandwiches. And who would do almost anything for his love of the game.But after all this time of jock-blocking him… do I even have a chance?And if I do, are we both destined to a life of celibacy in the name of winning?Jock Blocked is a home run of a romantic comedy featuring the world's most superstitious sports fan, baseball's oldest virgin hero, a rogue meatball, an adorable puppy with a cussing problem, and the best lovable losers. It stands alone and comes with a happily ever after more satisfying than a game-winning grand slam.
Risk
Harlow Layne - 2020
Bromberg's Driven world.There was no turning back once the line was crossed...Callum Crew loved control— on and off the track. It’s what made him the best Formula One driver of his generation. But being the best was a lonely road. In his line of work there was no room for doubt or distractions. It was my job to help him get out of his head. Instead— I risked it all and fell for him. Aspen Belle was under my skin. The beautiful therapist was driven and dedicated, two things I was drawn to.There was no denying the chemistry between us was combustible. I couldn’t get enough. Our romance was reckless— our relationship forbidden. But that didn’t stop us... nothing could.
Fake Fiancée Goals
Barbi Cox - 2021
Move to a small town don't date women that hate my guts.Unless she's sexy, has curves in all the right places and needs a fake fiancee too.Easy Right? Wrong!My usual type. Blonde with commitment issues and a little crazy.The new neighbor that hates me and my loud parties?She's not my type. But my body says that's a lie.I want to see more of those sexy curves and I can use a fake fiancée to get out of trouble with the team.Will she take me up on my offer to fake it?Will she let me convince her she's the only woman for me?A Steamy Enemies to Lovers Curvy Girl Fake Fiancée Small Town Professional Soccer Playboy Romance with a HEA and of course no cheating!
Playboy Pitcher
Cora Kenborn - 2021
It’s the one thing I despised more than him. I’m just here to sell, sign on the dotted line, and get out.Until I’m hit with Dad’s final parting gift—a buyer’s clause.Enter Satan—otherwise known as my ex.I should swallow my pride and just accept his offer. Instead, I tell him where to shove it. It can’t be that hard to turn the major league’s biggest joke into a winning team. Right? With only four weeks to do the impossible, I’ll need more than a miracle. I’ll need a secret weapon. Someone ruthless enough to marry me for my money.Like a playboy pitcher with a wicked curveball.Two quickie vows and one hostile truce later, and it’s game on.Ben and I can do this.I just have to keep my eye on his balls.I mean the ball. The prize.Oh hell. We’re in trouble.
Full Court Press
J. Akridge - 2021
To her, it’s a painful reminder of her past relationship mistakes. But after losing a bet to her sister, she finds herself at an Atlanta Hawks game, hating life. There, she meets basketball star Landon Prince and treats herself to one steamy night with him. Landon sees Kelsi as the kind of girl he could fall for, but it takes a bit of convincing for her to give them a chance. When she finally relents, Landon fully believes he can protect her from the trappings of his fame. He was wrong. One reporter was all it took to catch a picture of them in a compromising position, that could cost Kelsi her teaching job. But when Kelsi’s ex sees the picture, he formulates a plan to exploit the situation in a vicious custody battle. Can Landon and Kelsi work together to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and begin a full court press to their happily ever after? Or will the price of his fame tear them apart?
Earn Your Extra Credit
Meghan Quinn - 2021
I don't normally ask a girl out, have her fail to recognize it's a date, and then give me a high five--as if I'm her wingman--and take off with someone else.No. Normally I'm the one taking the girl home but with Stella, it's been one failed attempt after another and frankly, I'm done trying.But thanks to my best friend getting married in Hawaii right before the school year starts, I'm stuck on a tropical island, watching Stella parade around in what she claims is a bathing suit.Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it, just the tip of the iceberg. Because what I think is going to be a relaxing vacation, avoiding the one girl I can't seem to make it work with, has turned into a spectacle of being recruited as Stella's doting fake fiancé so she can save face with an old "friend" from high school.Now I'm navigating through purgatory while trying not to get turned on by the way she holds my hand or kisses my jaw. It's all fake, that's what I keep telling myself, even though it feels entirely too real.Note from author: This book is a smattering of tropes: Enemies to lovers, turned friends to lovers, and also coworkers to lovers. Not to mention, a fake fiancé romance that takes place in Maui and Chicago. Lots of heat--a balcony scene that will make you blush--absurdly funny pranks, best supporting cast, a surprise "mom" you'll never see coming, and a grumbly guss of a hero who can't stop pining after his girl. Enjoy!
The Ninth Inning
J. Sterling - 2020
If he doesn’t get drafted this year, he’ll be forced to hang up his cleats for good. It's not something he’s ready to do. To prove he’s serious about his final season, he’s given up girls. No more casual hookups, dates or one-night stands. But there's one girl who has always refused to give up on him. One girl who has been there since the start of Freshman year. One girl he stupidly assumed would always be waiting for him when he got off the field, no matter how long it took. Christina's had enough of Cole pushing her aside for baseball. She’s grown tired of waiting for him to see what she’s known since they were freshmen… that they are good together. She’s finally moved on- for good this time. Cole has other ideas, but she refuses to cave. It’s not her problem if he wants her now. Too little too late. There comes a point in your life when you have to stop the incessant merry-go-round and just get off the ride, right? Try telling that to Cole.
Clutch Player
Nikki Ash - 2020
Landon was my entire world, and I thought he would be my forever. But I was young and dumb, and with one error in judgement, I destroyed any chance of a future we could've had together, along with our hearts.Twelve years later and I'm going through the motions of life but not actually living. Which is why I let my friends, Bridget and Simon, set me up on a blind date. Turns out, it's not so blind after all. Because the man sitting in front of me is the same man who's held onto my heart all these years.LandonThey call me a clutch player because I'm good under pressure and quick on my feet. I was also quick to fall in love. The first time it was with baseball, the second was with Harper. And for a short time I had them both.Until I lost Harper and all I had left was baseball.For years, I focused on my career. I had accepted that baseball was my one true love.Until I saw her again. I never imagined we'd ever get a second chance, but now that she's sitting right across from me, I know there's no way in hell I'm going to let her go again.
Southern Seducer
Jessica Peterson - 2020
But sleeping with my best friend tops the list. Annabel and I have been close since college. When I left school to play pro football, she was there. While I collected Super Bowl rings and cars worth more than the house I grew up in—she was there. I always assumed we’d end up together. Everyone did. But by the time I retired from football, Bel was married. I thought I’d missed my shot at love. So I buried myself in my new job as CEO of Blue Mountain Farm, a five-star resort my family and I built in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. It seems like a good place to be alone with the secret I have to keep from her. Now Bel is a divorced single mom, struggling to raise her daughter on her own—and it’s my turn to be there for her. So I invite her and the baby up to the resort for some much needed R&R. Then, in a moment of bonfire-and-bourbon induced weakness, I kiss her. And the fallout could ruin everything.SOUTHERN SEDUCER is a full length, standalone novel. It is the first book in the all new North Carolina Highland series.
Man Eater (Fémmes Féroces #1)
January James - 2021
Founded my media company at sixteen. Billionaire at twenty-five. No-one could stop me. Not even my arch-enemy, who tried everything in his power to bring me down. I was heading for global domination.Until I met her.I was mesmerised. I was obsessed. I needed her like I needed the earth beneath my feet. As my life and business fell apart, piece by piece, she held me and made me forget it all. And then she was gone.I was a child prodigy.I knew the answer to every question.Except one. Who is Jade Bardot?JadeI had no idea who Quinn Sullivan was. That should have made it easier.I was supposed to ruin him.My aim was to uncover his secrets, unveil his weaknesses, unearth his flaws.My task was to rip his world apart.My weapon was seduction.They all see beauty, but the beast is in my heart.I was supposed to ruin him.But what I did was so much worse.
Defenseless
Amy Jarecki - 2021
Help his team win a bowl game, 2. Ace his exams and, most importantly, 3. Women are completely, utterly, and irrevocably off-limits.Strait-laced accounting major, Vivian Ellis, hasn't watched a complete game of football in her life. And when she receives her tutoring assignment, the last student she expects is Cade. Not only has the football star earned a reputation as the best looking heart-breaker on campus, his recent trial has made him notorious.But Cade is done with his past and he wants to prove it. When his teammates invite him to a celebration in his honor, he asks Vi to come along to keep the party-girls at bay. Except when Vi shows up without her glasses, she's as sexy-hot as a runway model. Worse, his tutor is as off-limits as any woman can get. As the season continues, sparks fly while their chemistry darts from simmering to scorching. Until everything is blown to hell. Challenged by hateful rumors and a devastating injury, will these star-crossed lovers find the mettle to get back in the game?
Chasing Fire (Gilded Knights, #2)
Emilia Finn - 2021
Chasing Fire is Nixon Rosa's story.The Gilded Knights Series takes place - chronologically - after Checkmate, but before Stacked Deck.Full blurb coming soon.