Book picks similar to
False Start by Julianna Marley


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The Italian


T.L. Swan - 2019
    Travel the world. And fall hopelessly in love. I aimed to do all three. I went to Italy to find myself. But he found me. It was like a story book, our eyes met across a crowded room. He asked me if I needed help reading the menu. We ate, we laughed, we danced, and I fell. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and we parted ways. Two years later, our eyes meet across a room again. Only this time I was on a date with another man. He went crazy in a jealous fit. But the man I met then is different now. He’s colder, harder, and officially one of the most powerful men in Italy. Dare I say it, even more enticing. But if you dance with the devil, you get burnt. And the fires in Italy are scalding hot.

The Hardest Route


A.S. Teague - 2019
    I couldn’t handle a baby. I was Griffin Rockwell, the best wide receiver the league had ever seen. But what choice did I have? My baby girl was coming whether I was ready for her or not.Brooke turned out to be an amazing woman and mother. For seven years, we were the MVP of co-parenting—and even better friends.That all changed when tragedy struck our makeshift family and I was faced with the terrifying possibility of losing the one woman I was quickly realizing I couldn’t live without.I was at the height of my career and on the path to becoming the greatest of all time.But keeping my family together, with Brooke by my side, might prove to be the hardest route of all.

I Want You Back


Lorelei James - 2019
    Despite the signs she'd like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance...Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she's hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It's not that Lucy doesn't trust Jax...she's just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he's been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy's shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?

Kiss My Putt


Tara Sivec - 2020
    Needing some place to hide, to lick my wounds and figure out what I even want to do with my life once this blows over, I can only think of one place I need to be. Summersweet Island, where everyone treats me like one of their own, and they’ll all be happy to have me home again.Well, except maybe one person. It’s been two years since I last set foot on Summersweet Island or spoke to anyone there. But I’m sure Birdie Bennett, my best friend since I was 15 and the clubhouse manager of my favorite golf course, has had plenty of time to forgive me for that tiny little misunderstanding where I blocked her on social media and blocked her in my phone. Oh, and I guess I kind of, sort of accused her of being a stalker. It’s fine!Once my sexy, spunky, former best friend gets over the shock of seeing me again and stops trying to drive a 9-iron into my skull, I can finally let her know I’ve also kind of, sort of always been in love with her...

Not Yet


Laura Ward - 2014
    Lesson #1: Nothing goes the way you plan.Lesson #2: You can’t trust men. Especially not the pretty ones.Lesson #3: Turns out, appearances are almost always deceiving.Emma thinks she has life all figured out, and what she knows isn’t good. For years, she’s put her big sister, who was born with Down syndrome, first. Now Emma’s ready to start her own life, but fate has other plans. To do the right thing for the sister she loves, Emma’s dreams will just have to wait.She doesn’t plan on meeting Landon — a rich, flirtatious jock, who never has to wait for anything. Not for attention, not for money, and certainly not for girls. Meeting Emma marks the first time in his life that he’s had to fight for something. And Landon doesn't know how to lose.Emma has no interest in wasting her summer with a superficial guy like Landon. But very soon she realizes she is wrong about him. The question is, can she trust him? Or will he let her down like every other guy in her life? But most importantly, can Emma trust herself enough to live the life she's always dreamed of?Life has a way of sneaking in the most important lessons when you aren't looking. And once the heart gets involved, that's when the real learning begins. *** This book is intended for mature audiences. 18 and over!

Wingman


Tess Oliver - 2017
    The fountain in the park, once the town's pride and joy and the scene of jubilant town celebrations, sputtered to life with the usual trickle of murky green water. Its withering neighbor, the ornate town pavilion, choked quietly on rust. The tall spindly weeds that had found a permanent home in the cracked channels of the sidewalk stood firmly in place. The townsfolk shuffled to their destinations, as always, dragging their broken hearts along behind them. And I pedaled my bicycle to the corner market to start my work day.They came out of nowhere. Two strangers, one tall with dark hair and a smile that could melt a frozen heart, and one with four white paws and a tail that never stopped spinning. Just a guy and his dog. It had started like any other day in Butterfield ...

Sweet Spot


K.B. Winters - 2016
    Luckily for me—I’m unbreakable. They accuse me of being a baby daddy, a bad boy, a drunk and a playboy. Then I get traded from my all-star baseball team in beautiful Southern California, to a startup team in Oklahoma City where I’m expected to be their saving grace. Only because I know how to hit a ball and I might have hit it out of the park on their star pitcher’s debut game. Yeah, he’s still reeling. Oh, I can hit a ball. And I find that juicy sweet spot every damn time. I can promise you that—even in Cow Country, USA. Josie Crawford is the little fireball reporter covering my trade and she’s the sweetest, hottest reporter with a devil-red smile and legs that won’t quit. In cowboy boots, no less! Unfortunately, she doesn’t want anything to do with me—or so she thinks. But, she sure as hell has me at attention. Literally. When another scandal rips through my already tattered reputation, all eyes are on me, including Josie's--but for all the wrong reasons. Just when I gain her trust—my whole life blows up. And everything I know is in jeopardy. My career, my fame, my money...and my future. Remember that promise? The Sweet Spot? Yeah? So does Josie—and i'm about to make her mine.. Sweet Spot is a full-length bad-boy sports romance with no cliffhanger and a happy ending. It's got a tiny bit of baseball and a whole lot of sexy hotness! Filthy talking athletes who will melt your panties in thirty seconds or less! In fact...you should probably just leave them at the door! Intended for readers 18+ due to Kindle-melting scenes and other mature content.

The Perfect Pitch


Samantha Lind - 2020
    Learning to play ball. Falling in love, Marrying an incredible woman and starting a familyBecoming a starting pitcher for the Indianapolis Lightning. Everything I ever wanted... Until I struck out. The same success that gave me the life I dreamed of, Took it all away. I'd do anything for a second chance, Even throw the perfect pitch. Jillian A signature on a piece of paper...It binds you to someone, or it can tear them away. It broke my heart to file the papers. Gutted me to sign them. But this isn't the life I envisioned.Tired of competing to be his number one priority,I had to walk away from the man I loved.I needed to be strong for our girls, for me.Life goes on.People can change. Now he wants a second chance. But can I forgive the man who threw it all away, and trust that he won’t do it again?

Pride & Joie : Part 1


M.E. Carter - 2017
    THE COMPLETE SERIES IS NOW AVAILABLE ON ALL VENUES*****ONE COUPLE. THREE STORIES. THREE HAPPILY EVER AFTERS. Joie Stevens put all her dreams on hold the day she became a mom. As a natural caretaker, it never bothered her. But now that her son is grown, she has some new goals in sight and nothing is going to get in her way. Except maybe an attractive football coach. Who very literally gets in her way. As assistant football coach for the Flinton State University Vikings, Jack Pride really has nothing to complain about. He has a job he loves and friends he enjoys. Certain he had his one true love in his late wife, the last thing on his mind is dating. Until he runs into a beautiful non-traditional student. Who he very literally runs into. This first part of the Pride & Joie trilogy reminds us love can be better the second time around. And that it’s not just players in the game…

Back to Me


Lindsay Paige - 2016
    When he finds her at the airport, he realizes she's changed, and she's struggling with things she doesn't want to tell him about. Noah also realizes just how much she scarred him when she left. Meredith Quick has always planned everything out. She chose her tennis career over love in order to better succeed, but her plan dissolves when an injury threatens her career and her fiancé leaves her. Struggling through pain and the uncertainty of her future, she realizes her first misstep was walking away from Noah. She impulsively decides to go back to him while she attempts to put her life back together. Reacquainting isn't easy when Noah doesn't quite trust Meredith to stay and Meredith struggles with overcoming the pain she's endured without him. Can they work through their issues and move forward, or will their past ruin things between them forever?

The Boy Next Door


Ella James - 2017
    That’s what he was. Dash Frasier—my hero from the day we met, when I was six and he was nine. His sister was my best friend, the three of us one happy crew. Then one sweaty summer night changed everything. No one understood me like Dash. No one made me feel so loved. That’s why, when he skipped town, it wrecked me.Now I’m older. Wiser. I’ve just snagged my dream job, writing at a film studio. The lead animator on my project? You guessed it.He’s not the boy next door. Not anymore.I’m guarding my heart this time. But Dash has secrets that could break us both.

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.

Destiny on Ice


S.R. Grey - 2016
    Uh, nix that last one. Brent has the talent and skill that should have his career soaring. But something is wrong. He’s lost his hockey mojo and can’t get it back. Enter Aubrey Shelburne, life coach to the stars. Aubrey’s worked with some difficult celebrities, but she’s never encountered a guy quite like Brent Oliver. Or has she? Seems a reckless night of partying, one that had Aubrey waking up in a strange man’s bed, is about to bite her in the ass. That is, if Brent doesn’t first. Fighting an off-the-charts attraction, Aubrey and Brent must learn to work together. But it’s not an easy task when they’re at each other’s throats every minute. Is this relationship a disaster in the making? Or is it destiny? Washboard abs and sex toy mishaps aside, Destiny on Ice is a fun and irreverent romp that’ll have you swooning on one page and laughing on the next.Sports Romance/Romantic ComedyNOTE: **STANDALONE NOVEL** **EACH BOOK IN THE BOYS OF WINTER SERIES WILL FEATURE A DIFFERENT HOCKEY PLAYER'S STORY**

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!

On the DL


Laramie Briscoe - 2018
     Slater "Savage" Harlow Winning the MVP award for the Birmingham Bandits last year was the highlight of my baseball career. It was the culmination of childhood dreams, calculated adult decisions, sacrifice, and a hell of a lot of focus. Tearing my ACL in spring training? Not what I expected at all. Now I'm home, in small town Georgia, rehabbing in the comfort of my own home, with people I know. I'm connecting with friends I haven't had time to talk to in years, spending days at home with my parents, and getting to watch my little brother play minor league baseball. What I don't expect is to see Malone Fulcher walking into Del's Diner one morning while having my coffee and egg whites. She's the old flame, the one who got away, and the woman I compare all others to. Malone Fulcher Spending the summer in my hometown wasn't what I had planned, but it's what I need. Recovering from a hard year, both personally and professionally, I need to reconnect with who I am. When my mom encouraged me to come home and do some soul searching, I can't say no. Memories are all over this small town, from the Baptist Church to the east field on my parents farm, to the diner. On my second day in town, I decide to go in, memories be damned. I lost my breath as soon as I saw "Savage" Harlow sitting alone at a booth. Our eyes lock, my heart flutters, and my hands shake - all the same way they did back in high school. But back then we couldn't make it work. Going our separate ways to differing colleges, we decided we weren't meant to be. A decade later, as soon as our eyes meet, I'm wondering if we were right, because those green eyes of his do nothing but take me to a past that I can see being my future. Author's Note: This does end in somewhat of a cliffhanger!