Book picks similar to
False Start by Julianna Marley


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Million Baller Baby


Rie Warren - 2017
    He’s the star quarterback of a tanking team. When she takes ownership, balls will roll . . . and the truth will out.Rafe Macintyre—the rocket-armed Carolina Crush quarterback—has nothing to lose and everything to prove. All because of one woman . . . Miss Peyton Fox. When the tough-as-nails chick takes over as team owner, Rafe is ready to turn the epic-fail season into a Super Bowl championship. But the winning has to start with Peyton’s love. No stranger to playas on and off the field, Peyton Fox is born and bred NFL royalty. Been there, done him, and called the plays even before she took up the Carolina Crush crown. She has zero time for a love life and even less time for games unless they happen between the endzones. Unfortunately, Rafe Macintyre has one hell of an arm, and he’s full of hot southern charm. He’s not too bad to drool over either, but it’s been five years since she tangled with him—a mistake she doesn’t plan on repeating. The consequences of one night of rebellion will last a lifetime. It’s all fun and games until someone gets knocked up.

MVP


Rachel Van Dyken - 2019
     I was the golden boy. America's Quarterback. I was everything to everyone. Always available. Solid. I can remember how something felt wrong that day. And I haven't been able to get that feeling to go away. Not when I buried my child. Not when my fiancé looked at me like I'd been the reason for it all. Not when I look in the mirror and scream at the top of my lungs. Football kept me sane. But I've lost everything. And then I got a phone call. She was in an accident. She remembered nothing. A gentleman wouldn't fight for her, wouldn't remind her of the pain. So, I let her go. I let her live her happily ever after and I took all the darkness, all the pain, all the anger. Only, the universe had a sick sense of humor. She bumped into me. She pursued me. The beautiful woman I used to call mine. She said she wanted to make me smile. She didn't know she's the reason I stopped.

Game On


Olivia Lancaster - 2016
    Or maybe it's just me. But either way, I've always got girls lined up around the block, just waiting to jump into bed with me.And what can I say? I'm pretty good. Both on-field, and off.But when I met Danielle... damn. She was cute as hell, and smart as a whip to boot. One look and I knew I had to have her, and I'd do whatever it took to get her in bed with me. And I had a feeling once just wasn't going to be enough, this time.When Danielle figured out the owner of my team was trying to screw me over, and he started trying to keep her quiet, I knew I'd do anything to protect her.The guys going after her had better watch out. Because there's not a thing in the world I won't do to stop them.DANIELLEAs a sports journalist, working my way up the world, I'd met my fair share of arrogant douchebags who think they're God's gift to women.But Kieran Michaels was by far the worst.And just when I thought I'd finished with the brash, infuriating, cocky asshole, he offers me the opportunity of a lifetime, and I just can't say no.What I don't realize is that this good girl's about to get into a whole lot of trouble... *** Game On is a safe, full-length novel with a HEA ending. For a limited time, it also includes TKO by Olivia Lancaster as a bonus. ***

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.

Edge of Retribution


Jacob Chance - 2018
    But when I see Nash Garrison after six long years, my world is thrown completely off its axis. He was my only friend and confidant during the worst days of my life, and I fell hopelessly in love with him. No eighteen year old girl could resist his protective nature and charming grin. I was no exception. Now, together, we’re about to bring down the man responsible for my parents’ deaths. Revenge has been the driving force fueling every decision I’ve ever made - except for Nash. What is it about him that sends the most rational parts of my brain into a tailspin? And how do I balance on the edge of retribution without tumbling into heartbreak once more? This is a full length, romantic suspense standalone.

Puckboy


Mickey Miller - 2019
    Young, rich, handsome, and talking smack about my profession, he was the walking stereotype of a speak-before-I-think hockey player.The second time I met him, I was sad and he made me smile.The third time, we got married.His proposal took me by surprise, to say the least. But Dustin needed a marriage to save his image. And as a bonus, it put an end to my visa issues.Thing is, now we've got to play like we're truly married and in love. Turns out there's this thing called marriage fraud and it can land you up to five years in prison if they catch you. We'll have no problem faking our way through this relationship, right?Except every day we spend together, the more real our connection seems, and we start to fall in love for real.If only it wasn't for those pesky skeletons in both of our closets.And the twist that neither of us could have imagined coming.

Teasing Destiny


Melanie Shawn - 2015
    A heart that, with time, learned to heal and guard itself. But when Jefferson James Briggs returns to their small hometown of Wishing Well, Texas, memories of that unforgettable night come back with him.... JJ Briggs knew he had started something he couldn't finish four years ago. But now, he was back to set it right. The sexy Major League pitcher never forgot about his fiery redhead. The love and passion he felt for his “Pip” never faded. They say old wounds cut deep...will JJ be able to heal the pain he caused all those years ago? Or will history repeat itself, keeping his Destiny just out of reach?

The Exception


Adriana Locke - 2014
    Following the rules she's given herself is easy enough, until she meets HIM. He’s gorgeous, cocky, and everything she needs to avoid, but that’s easier said than done. Cane Alexander has his own set of rules, a plan to keep his life simple and free of complications. But Jada is a temptation he can't resist.As their lives entwine, they realize one thing about rules... There is always an exception.

The Last Shot


Sara Hubbard - 2015
    Tossed aside until my maternal grandmother came to claim me. Life got better after that, and it got better still when I met Ethan Michaels, the boy down the street who was determined to make me feel like I mattered. At first he was my friend, but then he became much more. But love isn’t real. Not in my world. When Ethan left to pursue professional hockey I had to make a clean break. I couldn’t wait for him to find someone better, couldn’t wait for him to break my heart. It’s better to leave than be left. But now he’s back, and I can't run from him anymore. Worse…he won't let me. Ethan: Annie Fraser owned me as a kid. She owns me still. When I got my first contract to play professional hockey I asked her to come with me, but she wouldn’t leave Rawdon, not while her grandmother was sick. I understood. Still, I wanted to stay together, do whatever I could to keep her. But she wanted to run. I loved her enough to let her. Now I’m back in town and I’m pissed. I think I hate her. I’m sure of it. Until I see her… and those old feelings come rushing back. I won’t let her walk away again. I don’t care what it takes.

Decker: Changing the Play


Kayley Loring - 2022
    Star quarterback for the Boston Tomcats. Two-time Super Bowl MVP...a decade ago. Nickname: Decker the Panty Wrecker. I get tackled for a living by men who are built like rhinos. I could take the wings off a fly with a football from 30 yards away. (I wouldn’t, but I could.) Being a veteran quarterback means I’m a mentally alert, fine-tuned athletic machine who can make split-second decisions. It’s my job to anticipate what’s going to happen next and adapt. But I couldn’t have anticipated the death of our beloved team owner. His estranged daughter Hannah Strong is a finance nerd from New York. She knows less than nothing about football. Know what she didn’t anticipate? Inheriting the Boston Tomcats. She’s stubborn, uptight, infuriating, and wrong about absolutely everything—from pizza to how to run my team. And I don’t want to talk about how good she looks in a skirt. Or daydream about how good she’d look out of it.Really, I don’t. I’m not Decker the Panty Wrecker anymore—I’ve changed. I can’t stop arguing with her. Or thinking about her. I thought I had a winning play.But Hannah Strong changed everything.

Remembering Us


Stacey Lynn - 2014
    I followed it, begrudgingly, because it’s what was expected. And then one day, everything changed. I woke up. Different. Independent. Free from all the rules that had surrounded me. Only I have no idea how I got to where I am. I have no memory of graduating college. No memory of Adam, the boyfriend I live with. He loves me. And I love him. At least that’s what everyone says. Except when my memories return to me as dreams, I see a different man than the one everyone claims is perfect for me. He terrifies me. He makes my heart race and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I have no idea if I want to welcome the emotional roller-coaster that his piercing brown eyes and messy black hair puts me on every time I get a glimpse of him, or if I want to run back to the safe shelter of the scripted life-plan that used to be mine.

One


Jewel E. Ann - 2016
    She’s also a bit sexually-frustrated. Until … God bestows a breath of mercy upon her in the form of Minnesota’s NFL starting quarterback. But this gift is no stranger. Lake met Cage Monaghan three years earlier. It was one day. One moment. One kiss that resurrected her dreams of finding love. His dimpled smile distracts from his imperfections, which include: a love for country music, fishing, and a feline-hating girlfriend. When life finally gives them their chance, it’s a humorous and heart-wrenching journey to find their place in the world. "We would be Cage and Lake. We would be unpredictable. We would be reckless. We would give normality the middle finger.” ***This book is a standalone. However, it is HIGHLY recommended that any readers who have not, but may consider, reading the Jack & Jill Series, do so before reading this book. It contains spoilers to Jack & Jill.

The Rebound


Winter Renshaw - 2018
     I told him I’d wait for him. He promised to do the same. But life happened. I broke my promise long before he ever broke his—and not because I wanted to. We never saw each other again … Until ten years later when Nevada unexpectedly returned to our hometown after an abrupt retirement from his professional basketball career. Suddenly he was everywhere, always staring through me with that brooding gaze, never returning my smiles or “hellos.” Over the years, I’d heard that he’d changed. And that despite his multi-million dollar contracts and rampant success, life hadn’t been so kind to him. He was a widower. And a single father. And rumor had it, he’d spent his last ten years trying to forget me, refusing to so much as breathe my name … hating me. But just like a rebound, he’s back. And I have to believe everything happens for a reason. AUTHOR'S NOTE: For a limited time, this book contains one bonus book, which means THE REBOUND ends around 50% on your Kindle. Rest assured that it is still a full-length novel. :-)

5 Years Later


Jaxson Kidman - 2017
    and there's a knock at the door. He's back, again. And this time he's not alone. * Full length standalone romance with guaranteed HEA and no cheating *

The Hard Way


Katie Ashley - 2016
    Because of his talent at football, coupled with his father’s wealth, he’s always gotten his way. But when a night of drunken debauchery lands him in hot water with the college athletic board, neither his influential father nor his charming grin can save him. He finds it a total buzz kill when he is sentenced to community service with troubled youth at an inner-city shelter. But his nightmare is only beginning when his greatest high school regret is the very one in charge of the program, and she has him by the balls in more ways than one.For Avery Prescott, senior year was a nightmare of epic proportions, and Cade Hall played the lead villain. After she fled her small town for college in the bright lights of Atlanta, she thought she had escaped the painful memories of her past. She never could have imagined Cade would waltz through the door of the outreach program she presided over. But Avery has news for Cade--she isn’t the same shy, doormat of a girl she was in high school. Since she holds Cade's football future in her hands, she’s more than ready to make payback a real bitch.Will the two stay in the defensive zone or discover that sometimes life's greatest lessons are learned the hard way?