Book picks similar to
False Start by Leigh Lennon


not-interested
contemporary
sports-romance
sports

Rookie Moves


Tarrah Anders - 2020
    They aren’t supposed to play much. They aren’t supposed to attract attention. They definitely aren’t supposed to be getting in trouble. But when Grant Toolson joins the famed Seattle Professional Football team, he’s already made a name for himself, on the field and off.When the team decides he needs to clean up his more than a little rough-around-the-edges image, in steps Emily Masterson, the prim and proper daughter of Seattle's Mayor with a planned meeting. Only, she's not as prim and proper as everyone thinks. Not with Grant and not when it comes to what she wants. Is his image cleaned up and does the relationship work out after hearing hushed conversations? Well, that remains to be seen...

Out of Bounds


Mary B. Moore - 2020
    After his last breakup, he decides to give the dating game a rest and focus on himself, enjoying peace and quiet as well as the ability to drop his dirty laundry just outside of the basket without getting nagged for it. That was until his neighbor’s house was being broken into and he rushed to the rescue. Little did he know, his life was about to change forever, one accidentally painful moment at a time. Ashley Wilkes could never have known that her new job at Because I Said Sew, would take her to a whole new world of football.Shy and reserved, she’d sworn off men in any and all sports professions. That was until she fell onto Kip Sutherland. Literally. And then there was the little problem of being the one to fit him into his official team tuxedo, which went slightly wrong.Will Ashley and Kip find the love they both deserve? Can they deal with the curves that life throws at them or will they both succumb to the pressure?

Lucky Catch


Lea Coll - 2020
    And I have the perfect opportunity when my boss asks me to dig into the rookie wide receiver, Gavin Keller. Coming from a family of football stars, he’s my chance to write a huge story about the newest Keller to go pro. I need to get to know the man under the pads. Is he an arrogant entitled player or is there a side to him no one knows about?The more I watch Gavin at practice and when he mentors young athletes, the more I realize he’s nothing like I thought. He’s a leader, someone the fans can rally behind. The more I see, the more I like him—not the player. And the looks he gives me say he feels the same.As we get closer, I'm tempted to break my no-player rule. But if anyone finds out, it’s my job on the line. Giving in would mean losing everything.GavinI've always had more to prove than any of my teammates. I know what everyone says about me. Since the first time I touched a ball, I've been living in the shadow of my family's football legacy. My life is focused on my game and giving back and nothing else. I'm not giving anyone another reason to talk. That's until the new reporter, Lexie Austin appears on the sidelines in her skin-tight tailored suits and sky-high heels. They say she’s only here because of her looks, just like they say I’m only here because of my name.So what if everyone is as wrong about her as me? She’s more than a pretty face and I’m playing better than ever with her watching. It's starting to feel like she’s my personal good luck charm. She doesn’t care about my last name, my signing bonus, or my star potential. She wants to know me.I want her in my bed, by my side, and in my life. Now I just have to convince her that if she falls, it'll be the luckiest catch I ever make.

Personal Foul


Cala Riley - 2020
    As one of the best offensive linemen in the country, he thought he would start and end his career in New England. When his lifestyle injures the most important person on his team, the unthinkable happens.Traded.Such a dirty word. Starting over in Seattle isn't what he thought he would be doing. Especially not with the only woman who's ever turned him down.Could this trade be a blessing or is it a curse?Reagan Kelly's whole life has revolved around football. All she wants to do is to step out of her family's shadow and create a name for herself in the sport she loves. When Garrett Stone is traded to her team, all her carefully laid plans are blown up.Can she fight her attraction and keep things professional or is she destined to be the next in the very long line to ride the Tank?

Bossy Baller: A Hero Club Novel


Melissa Belle - 2020
    Not the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on…I’m probably not the first runaway bride to get discovered hiding in the back of a stranger’s pickup truck. And Maverick should probably dump me on the side of the road and be on his way. Instead, he agrees to give me a ride across the country. I quickly learn that Maverick isn’t just a sexy football star. He’s also bossy as hell with a surprising sweet side.We’re supposed to stay in separate hotel rooms, not share nights fraught with sexual chemistry. We’re supposed to drive straight to Chicago, not veer off on romantic side trips.So when absolutely nothing goes according to plan, I tell myself that whatever happens on this temporary road trip will be just that—temporary. Nothing lasts forever.The last thing I need is to get attached to a bossy baller whose priority will always be football.But just when I think I’ve got everything under control…Maverick changes the play at the line.

Guarded Hart (Cross Creek, #3)


Kelly Collins
    Or does it?I’ve been keeping a secret. One that could change a lot of lives, including my own. I came to Cross Creek to find my father. He’s the difference between life and death for me. During my search, I found love, only sexy builder Ethan Lockhart isn’t having any of it. I’ve done my best to make him mine, but he’s more slippery than a fish in a brook. I built my life here on a lie, but my feelings for this man are true. Will the secrets I keep destroy what Ethan and I creating?I’m not the guy anyone picks first, so when Angie Sutton started flirting with my brother, I wasn’t surprised—that is until I found out she was doing it to get my attention. But this time, I’m determined not to give my heart away—not until I know who she really is. Letting someone get too close too fast is a blueprint for disaster. No matter how deeply I’m drawn to her, I know she’s hiding something, and until she can be honest with me, we don’t have a future.Find out if the truth can really set you free in Guarded Hart, book three in the Cross Creek Series.

Russian Boss's Secret Baby: A Secret Baby Mafia Romance


Bella King - 2021
    A gorgeous Russian mafia boss stole me from my home,Sculpting new desires within me with his rough hands and piercing eyes.Wicked desires,Shameful things that no woman should ever want done to her,Things that would leave me broken and weak.And yet, I crave the punishment only he can give.With thick, rippling waves of lust distorting my perception of reality,I drop deeper into his cold and unforgiving world,Blind to the bitter consequences that will ensue.It was all just a game of desire, fated to end the moment it began,But with the appearance of two little red lines, that game has become a shocking reality.I’m pregnant,And that monster in my bed is the father.Russian Boss’s Secret Baby is a standalone mafia romance that contains adult themes and dark content.

Pick Six


S.A. Clayton - 2021
    The next, I'm the talk of every gossip channel imaginable.Why did the mystery guy who sat next to me on the plane home have to be a professional football player?And why did he make me fall for him before everything fell apart?She wasn't from my world.Being a pro athlete has its advantages, like asking the world at large to help me find the mystery girl that sat beside me on my flight home.But with the perks also come a mountain of disadvantages.It was easy to fall for her.It was simple to forget the cost of fame.Until I lost her.

Coached


Hunter Rose - 2021
    Rugged. Playmaker. Casanova…All those names apply to Darren Walters. Yes, he’s cocky too.How can you not be when you look and play like him?The beginning of college should be the start of something new.Yet, here I am still stuck crushing on the star quarterback of the college team,and my older brother’s best friend - Darren.I’m sure he’s always seen me as the nerdy younger sister type.Oh, and did I forget to mention that I’m still a virgin and have no idea about guys?I know… I'm hopeless.Darren promised my brother that he’d look out for me and protect me.The best thing I can come up with is to have him coach me how to date.Coach me to say all the right things,kiss the right way,and when we’re alone…Sigh, if only our love story was that simple.

Just a Kiss


J.H. Croix - 2021
    Brainy brings bossy to his knees.Eve Slater is brilliant. She’s also my former intern, one I did my best to ignore because she was off limits and waaaay too tempting.She’s even more delectable now and the reigning queen of gaming tech in Seattle. Our chance encounter at Club Temptation ignites a fire between us.It was just a kiss. Nothing but a kiss, and it nearly brought me to my knees. She’s not off limits any more, and I’m not about to let her slip away.I’m accustomed to money, power and influence getting me what I want. Except Eva doesn’t care. Before I know it, I’m fighting for her, fighting to win the only woman who wants me for everything except my image.

Endless Blue Seas


Annie Dyer - 2019
    The first time I saw Anya I was shirtless and holding an axe.It was June, the weather balmy and Anya was beautiful, but that didn’t matter because I was drowning in my own grief.Anya wasn’t meant to be my saviour.I wasn’t meant to be hers.A perfect summer, an idyllic island, a stream of stolen nights.All bandaids on an open wound.If we were going to live again, she deserved more than the fractured shards of the broken creature I’d become.She deserved love.Endless Blue Seas is a standalone summer romance, guaranteed to melt your heart and other items.

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 Exception


Mickey Miller - 2021
    Turns out your first order of business is dinner with a new player who just signed with the team. But he’s not just any new player. He's Dallas Connelly, Super Bowl champion. Through a series of coincidences, he was also your steamy rebound a few months ago in Hawaii. You can look, but you can't touch. Because the consequences of hooking up with one of your players would be nothing short of national scandal and complete embarrassment. Is Dallas panty-meltingly handsome with a too-cocky attitude I'd like to smack off his pretty mug? Sure.Do I have one, fine, maybe two fantasies about him sneaking into my office for a late-night kiss? Sure, I admit it. None of that matters though. Because Dallas is off-limits. To say ours is smooth, easy romance would be a lie. I never thought I would fall in love with a man like Dallas and break all of my rules. I certainly never imagined Dallas would be the exception. … or that I would be his.

A Hundred Wishes (Band of Sisters)


Marianne Rice - 2022
    She has found a sense of inner peace through her sewing, crafting, and teaching children online. Jobs that keep her at a distance from everyone but her sisters.Arson inspector Bryce Cambridge has never been shot down so quickly or so curtly as he is by the woman with gorgeous brown eyes selling quilts. Luck is on his side when he runs into her at a bowling alley the next day. He’s intrigued and turned on by her smart mouth. The chemistry is explosive between them, and even though she tries to resist, the spark between them is too hot to ignore.Those blue-grey eyes and charming smile have Gina lowering the wall she’s built around her heart. But as their relationship grows more serious, Bryce wants to see all Gina is hiding. The puckered, scarred skin and the shrapnel buried in her flesh are just the surface layers of the wounds Gina tries to keep hidden. But her deepest, darkest secret may be too repulsive even for someone as strong as Bryce.Because his fears are her reality.

I Like Me Better


Susan Renee - 2021
    Stabilize the family bakery business following the death of my father, and then get back to the city. It would have gone flawlessly had I not run smack dab into Hadley Hutton on my first night back. That spit-fire competitive girl was my college nemesis, always one-upping me, until she mysteriously didn’t return for our senior year.So, imagine my surprise when I’m introduced to the bakery’s newest manager and it’s her! Now I have to work closely with her nearly everyday. Words fly and tempers flare between us, just like they did in college, except something is different about her now. There’s more to Hadley Hutton than her sweet looks and salty attitude.Maybe if I can figure her out, she’ll see I’m not the jerk she thinks I am.Or maybe I’m just creating a recipe for disaster.This book is a full-length interconnected standalone! The books in the Bardstown series can be read in any order as each one features a different brother in the Fox family. These books are adult in nature and should only be read by those 18+ years old.