Book picks similar to
More Than the Game by Jenni Bara
arc
romance
sports
contemporary
Heartbreak Hitter
Kimberly Readnour - 2021
I’m tasked with winning over the scorned fans.I thought my batting average would speak for itself.I was wrong.When my off-the-field actions collide with my on-the-field goals, I have no choice but to devise the persona of being a committed man.The task is impossible until I meet my neighbor, Hailey LaCroix. Goal-driven and refined, she’s the perfect woman to help pull off this ruse.I need a fake relationship. She needs an exclusive interview.The very ones I refuse to do.I didn’t earn the Heartbreak Hitter title by being a saint. There are reasons I keep my past a secret and stay single.But there’s more to Hailey LaCroix than her good looks and smoking hot curves. She’s pure and real. She makes me believe I have more to offer than swinging a bat.And the longer we stay together, the more I want to confess all of my secrets.The very ones that will destroy me.Heartbreak Hitter features Rick Bosley from the Cessna U Wildcat series and Hailey LaCroix from Park Avenue Player.
Family of Blue (The Weight of the Badge #1)
Kaylee Rose - 2021
For Kellie Bryant it came in the form of her niece Rory. Kellie knew raising a three-year-old came with big responsibilities, but she never thought she’d lose herself in parenthood. The only fairy tales she sees in her future now lie between the pages of the picture books she reads to Rory at night. However, Deputy Lance Malloy, the officer who helped in the change of guardianship with Rory made mental notes that fateful day. His ex-girlfriend couldn’t handle life with an officer, but something about Kellie made an impression that officer Malloy can’t shake. Could Kellie be the answer to his dream—a partner who understands the weight of the badge?FAMILY OF BLUE IS BOOK 1 OF 3 IN THE WEIGHT OF THE BADGE SERIES. THESE BOOKS MUST BE READ IN ORDER.
This Is Crazy
Natasha Madison - 2019
Zara Stone All my life, I’ve said I will never date a hockey player. I know better because I’ve seen and lived it all. My father is a hockey god, my brother is the captain of the most successful NHL team in the world, and my brother-in-law also plays in the league. Their lives are complicated, so I went in the opposite direction. I fell in love with a scholar. But instead of proposing marriage, he broke up with me. Three months later, I saw his engagement picture on Instagram. I couldn’t let him get away with that. No, it didn’t matter what, I was going to make that man see that I did not need him. Evan Richards I was in the running to pass my point record from last year, ready to claim the number one spot in the league. On top of my game, I was riding my career high wave. Then, Hockey’s Princess, Zara Stone tweeted me. She wanted me to crash her ex’s wedding. The worst that could happen? A PR nightmare. The best? A fun night with a beautiful woman. It started out as a game—something I’m good at. Her crazy idea twisted into something I wasn’t looking for, something neither of us wanted. When push comes to shove, one thing runs through my mind: This is Crazy. Also, this is crazy right.
Beyond the Bases
Kaylee Ryan - 2018
He's sexy and irresistible. I've done my best to ignore the magnetism that flows between us. I don't need complications in my life. I can't get wrapped up in his world, the last thing I need is to get attached to a professional athlete. I don’t have time for heartbreak.
Something about her pulls me in. I want to get to know her. I want a chance to show her I'm more than just my career, my paycheck. I'm the man for her. I know I am. No matter how much she resists this connection between us. It doesn't change the fact that she’s my grand slam.
Here Comes The Fake Bride
Summer Brooks - 2020
My fake fiancé turned almost fake husband.Before this mess, he was just a guy that I casually hated. Zach is the typical rich dude who is so clueless about people’s feelings that I wonder how no one has slapped him across the face yet. That gorgeous face. But his stone-cold heart also made him the most eligible candidate for this drama. The plan was simple. Say my fake vows. Fulfill my dad’s dying wish.Meanwhile, Zach gets his inheritance and tosses me some cash.We’ve gone to great lengths to orchestrate this. So why am I secretly wishing that he’s in love with me when he says, “I do?” And more importantly, am I in love with him too?Enjoy Clara and Zach's adorable love story and HEA! All the books in this series can be read in any order!
Tight Spot
Lisa Suzanne - 2022
I want nothing to do with the ones who play on the same team as my brothers, and I certainly avoid the ones who spend more time in strip clubs than kids’ clubs.So why do I suddenly find myself faking a relationship with Ben Olson, the bad boy tight end who fits every descriptor on my naughty list?He’s in a tight spot, and I’m intrigued by the illicit under the dinner table action that proved to me he’s nothing but trouble. He’s hot and I’m bored. He doesn’t do relationships, and I’m just looking for some fun.Except fun is taking a quick turn into real feelings, and now I’m in a tight spot of my own.
Finding His Redemption
Melanie A. Smith - 2022
Smith comes a standalone steamy contemporary romance about a rock star, a former fan, and the real meaning of redemption. Kristoffer “West” Westberg is just out of rehab and ready to reclaim his rock-god status. But when his return to fame is threatened by a former fan turned rock magazine writer — and huge critic of him and his band — West is forced to reckon with the reality that he’ll need to prove himself before earning his redemption.Max Marshall is feisty, a little too honest for her own good, and so not here to babysit a fallen rock star. And nobody has fallen farther in her mind that Kristoffer Westberg. So when she’s forced to catalog his so-called “apology tour,” she has little hope that it’ll be anything but a headache dealing with the entitled, washed-up rock star she used to worship before she knew better.If West hopes to have a snowball’s chance in hell of changing Max’s — and his fans’ — minds, he’s got some serious groveling to do. Will he manage to fake it till he makes it, or will he be exposed as the lost cause everyone is convinced he is? And will he learn the real meaning of redemption in time to win Max’s trust and her heart?
Ashes
Gail Haris - 2021
Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Worlds project. Featuring Collins from Combust. All that remains are ashes…Fighting fires is in his blood. It’s more than a job—it’s part of who Carter Collins is. Everything was going according to plan until one fateful night. With only his brothers at the Sunnyville Fire Department and his grandmother to answer to, Collins is content with life the way it is. His heart of ash isn’t capable of being in a relationship—but then she comes along. Natalia Vasquez took a position at the Sunnyville Hospital to leave her old life behind with hopes to escape the permeant ache in her chest. When a fire her destroys her apartment, a strikingly handsome firefighter comes to her rescue.With no choice but to move again, Natalia isn’t thrilled to find that the heroic ass is her new neighbor.She is determined to find herself. He longs for peace from his inner demons.Will the tension burning between them be enough to rekindle the ashes that smolder inside of them?
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?
Boyfriend Bargain
Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2019
Broke and desperate, Sugar Ryan has no use for arrogant, bad boy athletes . . . until she’s forced to bargain with the cockiest of them all.If only he knew she was alive. Her mission? Get on this hockey player’s radar any way possible. Zack Morgan is the king of the ice and the bedroom—but nothing prepares him for the mystery girl who shows up everywhere he does—frat parties, his favorite bar, and finally his front door with an offer he can’t refuse. The only rule in her boyfriend bargain: no falling in love.But after one (um, two) smoking-hot hookups, he’s done with pretending and vows to make their fake relationship real. Too bad she can’t trust a player with a reputation for breaking hearts. Will this hockey star score his forever girl or will their Boyfriend Bargain end in heartbreak?
A standalone hockey romance.
The Fine Art of Pretending: A Fake Relationship, Falling For Your Best Friend Romance
Rachel Harris - 2014
Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date-Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy's biggest hottie and most notorious player.With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school's second biggest hottie, and now Aly's pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from funny friend to tempting vixen is only a matter of time.But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable break up leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can't explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.
Lovable Lawyer
Karen Deen - 2020
A split second in time that completely blindsides you. Lex is a cut-throat lawyer.Always focused and in control. There are no colors in his life. Black and white with no in between.Cold and ruthless in his work, his life is sorted, and his path is clear.Then the unthinkable happened.One night my armor slipped.I met the real him.And I let him meet the real me.It was wonderful. Breathtaking Except happy endings have a way of escaping me.And sometimes epiphanies cause heart break.Which means for Lex to find his happiness,I may have to sacrifice mine.
Sugar Bright
Ali Dean - 2021
Too bad he's not who she thinks he is. Complete with unforgettable characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and a dash of Dean's signature sports writing, this small-town romance delivers an uplifting vibe that will make your heart happy.Mia’s plans implode when, on their three-year anniversary, her boyfriend announces that he’s moving to the other side of the country instead of proposing like he was supposed to. She had a vision of small-town bliss that included marriage and children and now she’s fallen off her timeline. Fortunately, Mia’s friends have a tried-and-true breakup recovery process that will get her back on track. Unfortunately for Mia, training for a marathon relay is part of this process. She’s used to being the clumsy nerd amongst super athletes, but if it means the hot new guy in town is going to coach them, Mia is willing to subject herself to the torture of training.When Jamie escapes big city corporate life to take over as the P.E. teacher in rural Vermont, he isn’t sure he’ll fit in. To his surprise, the locals welcome him with open arms, and he starts to think this might not be a temporary hiatus after all. Once he meets Mia, Jamie can even see himself in Sugarville for the long haul, with her at his side. However, Jamie is hiding a secret that not only threatens to make him an outcast in town, but will destroy any chances of a future with Mia. What happens when Mia finds out Jamie isn’t who she thinks he is?
Clutch Endgame: A Baseball Romance
Tarrah Anders - 2019
Done or accomplished in a critical situation, dependable in crucial situations. The Ultimate Fan Experience, I won it. Would I say that I am? No, I just got lucky at an event and now I get to spend the day with one of the San Diego Hornets players, Gunnar “The Gun” Reynolds. The overly gorgeous catcher for the team! The known playboy and all-American good guy. I’ll act indifferent. I’m not really that huge of a baseball fan after all. Who am I kidding, I’m a sucker and he ducked me right in. However, the media is spreading lies and Gunnar seems to care less – or does he? When rumors leak out about a trade, Gunnar and Sawyer must make some heavy decisions. Will they stay together or go their separate ways? Can they overcome what the tabloids say? You met Gunnar and Sawyer in the short story in Rounding Third, A Baseball Anthology. The story that you may have previously read is new and improved and come find out what happens between Gunnar and Sawyer four years later.
Dancing in the Rain
Kelly Jamieson - 2017
Drew Sellers is drowning in broken dreams and empty beer bottles. Hockey was his world, until a bum knee reduced him from superstar to has-been. Then he learns that, thanks to a one-night-stand back in college, he’s the father of a preteen girl with major issues. Her protective aunt sees right through Drew’s BS, but “Auntie P” is no stereotypical spinster. With her slender curves, toned legs, and luscious lips, she has Drew indulging in fantasies that aren’t exactly family-friendly. At another point in her life, Peyton Watt would have been all over a cocky alpha male who pushes all her buttons like Drew. Right now, though, she needs to focus on taking care of her niece during her sister’s health crisis, all while holding down a job and keeping her own head above water. Besides, Drew’s clearly no father of the year. He’s unemployed. He drinks too much. And he’s living in the past. But after Peyton gets a glimpse of the genuine man behind his tough-guy façade, she’s hooked—and there’s no going back. “Kelly Jamieson is my go-to author for hockey romance.”—USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport The Aces Hockey series: MAJOR MISCONDUCT | OFF LIMITS | ICING | TOP SHELF | BACK CHECK The Bayard Hockey series: SHUT OUT | CROSS CHECK (Coming Soon!) And don’t miss her Last Shot series: BODY SHOT | HOT SHOT Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.