Book picks similar to
Portland Storm: The Second Period by Catherine Gayle
sports
hockey
romance
contemporary
Nice Girl to Love: The Complete Collection, Vol 1-3
Violet Duke - 2013
Between teaching, volunteering, completing her PhD, and helping her best friend raise his daughter, Abby never gets the chance to be anything but nice. That is, until the all-wrong-for-her man she's only ever known from afar starts daring her to simply take that chance for herself. His sage advice? Try something wild and fast. Preferably him.An unbridled, hotshot attorney with a not-so-little black book, Connor Sullivan has earned himself quite the bad boy reputation. But in his defense, he's a very conscientious one. He knows far too well that sometimes in life, love isn't enough...or worse, not even a factor at all. To avoid that misery--and repel the drama--Connor has a firm 'nothing over a month' rule. Who knew a nice girl would be the one to make him want to break all his rules?BOOK #2: THE ONE SHE NEVER HOPED SHE COULD HAVE...Abby is well aware that everyone thinks she's in love with her best friend Brian. He is, after all, the type of man a nice girl should be with--the polar opposite of the bad boy--the kind of guy who didn't let his wife's decade-long illness stop him from showering her with a lifetime of love every second until her dying day. But everyone's wrong; she couldn't possibly be in love with him. Because she's never once allowed herself that option. It's taken a while but Brian Sullivan has finally come to terms with surviving the woman he spent half his life loving, a third of it losing. Truth is though, he wouldn't have 'survived' any of it really had it not been for Abby--sweet, incredible Abby--the woman he's never once had to picture his life without, never realized he couldn't truly live without. Until now. Now that he's finally able to love her the way she deserves, the way he knows she wants to be loved...by his brother. Who's giving him exactly one chance to speak now or forever hold his peace.BOOK #3: A DECISION SHE NEVER DREAMED SHE'D HAVE TO MAKE...In this third and final book of the NYT & USA Today bestselling trilogy, Abby must decide once and for all between the two brothers -- between the bad boy wanting to start a life with her and the good guy fighting for the life they've already built.Books in the NICE GIRL TO LOVE four-book series include:-- Resisting the Bad Boy (Serial Trilogy Book #1)-- Falling for the Good Guy (Serial Trilogy Book #2)-- Choosing the Right Man (Serial Trilogy Book #3)-- Finding the Right Girl (Nice GUY spin-off series finale)
The Game Changer
L.M. Trio - 2013
Everything that ever made you feel safe and secure; can be gone in an instant...” Jesse’s world is shattered in that instant…the rest of her life is mapped out by a split second change that she never dreamed could happen. Now she must learn to start living through all of the things that come after. After suffering a breakdown, Jesse, a shy, awkward, soon to be junior in high school, and her father, decide to make a new start in a new town, hoping to find a tiny piece of the happiness they once knew. She never dreamed that the family living across the street from her new home could change her life in ways she never thought were possible… Luke thought he had his life figured out. The soon to be senior, thought he had everything; popularity, looks, charm, girls, and an arm that was the envy of every MLB pitcher in the game. The shy, awkward, but way too beautiful girl that moved into the house across the street, was not in his plans. The story continues with everlasting friendships, love, challenges, and Game Changers that are unexpected in their young lives. Who knew that even after a tragedy, life can give you more than you ever had before?
Delivery Girl
Lily Kate - 2017
Things like pizza.
The very pizzas that I deliver for my dad’s restaurant, Peretti’s Pizza. It’s a temporary job, something to pay the bills until I graduate from school, but it does the trick. In fact, it's working quite well until Ryan Pierce of the Minnesota Stars decides to order a pizza from me, and life as I know it turns upside down. You see, Ryan Pierce doesn’t just open his front door. He opens it buck naked. And suddenly, I’m not the one boasting the biggest, hottest package in the room. However, it’s what happens next that gives me butterflies whenever my phone beeps. Ryan starts to call, and then text, and then fifteen pizza deliveries and one fantastic night later, we’re friends with benefits. So when he asks me to be his fake girlfriend at his brother’s wedding, I’m happy to help. But the longer we pretend, the more I worry that this is one package I might not be able to handle. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** This is a full-length, standalone romantic comedy with an HEA. It is intended for audiences 18+ due to mature content including romance, language, and ridiculously fun times.
Going Down and Man Candy
Elise Sax - 2017
Truly. Honestly. All right... maybe she does want to get nailed, but that's just because her hottie landlord and local diner owner Mack Ryan is confusing her. Can friends become lovers? Especially friends who might not even be friends in the first place? Book 2: Man Candy: Raine Harper is in love with Wade Gates. But Wade likes women who are model thin, and Raine is model thin plus a whole lot of pounds. Desperate to make him love her, she trains just a little too hard and passes out in the arms of superstar movie star Dirk Adams. Dirk thinks Raine’s junk in the trunk is perfect and proposes to make Wade jealous by becoming her pretend boyfriend. Pretend soon seems very real. Is Dirk a great actor, or is something really developing between Raine and the movie star?
Game for Anything
Bella Andre - 2008
. . others are GAME FOR ANYTHING.He’s the Superbowl hero men idolize and women lust after . . . the bad boy quarterback with a dangerous edge. But behind his devil-may-care grin, Ty Calhoun hides a desire that only one woman can ever fulfill—and a memory he can’t shake: high school graduation night . . . and mind-blowing sex with the untouchable girl of his dreams. He would trade every trophy to feel the heat of her sensual, uninhibited lust once more. And he may get that chance . . . because she’s just been hired by the San Francisco Outlaws’ new owner to clean up Ty’s act.The country’s top image consultant, Julie Spencer is a total pro at cleaning up the messes of the rich and famous. Even working with the man who took her virginity and broke her heart ten years ago can’t shake her. Until he touches her again. Because one caress - one hot kiss - is all it takes to spark the same knee-quaking electricity, and soon they’re mixing business and extreme pleasure. But knowing the danger this bad boy poses to her heart, Julie is determined to keep her distance.But Ty has a game plan of his own. The more he misbehaves, the more Julie will have to keep tabs on him—and the more he can give his dream girl some very real thrills, by showing her just how fun it is to be bad. This time around he’s game for anything…especially winning her heart.
The Pilot & the Puck-Up
Pippa Grant - 2018
Tough? Damn right. Smart? Don’t let the hockey uniform fool you. Large and in charge? Honey, I’m the biggest, baddest, mother pucking-est machine to ever own the ice. I shoot. I score. In and out of the rink. I don’t come early, but I come often, if you know what I mean. And I always leave the ladies wanting more. Until that chick last night. I’m no one-thrust wonder, and you’re damn right I’m going to prove to her I can do better. But every time I think I’m finally on my way back into her pants, she one-ups and out-balls me. I should cut my losses, lick my wounds, and walk away. But Zeus Berger doesn’t walk away from anything. Especially when she's the only woman in the world who might be able to handle me.
Game for Marriage
Karen Erickson - 2013
And she’s even more shocked when Jared’s publicist offers her a proposition: a fake marriage to keep Jared out of the gossip mags. Being that close to Jared would be too tempting, so to protect her heart, she insists on secretly including a clause forbidding sex between them.Jared just wants to keep his starting QB job and keep it in San Jose. His reputation as a ladies’ man has landed him in the headlines one too many times, but there’s something about his kind, passionate new wife that tempts him beyond reason. Any sort of intimacy between them is completely forbidden, but as their bodies fall in deep, will their hearts follow suit?
Off the Ice
Julie Cross - 2017
One semester off, that’s what she promised herself. Just long enough to take care of her father and keep the family business—a hockey bar beside the ice rink—afloat. After that, she’s getting the hell out. Again.Enter Tate Tanley. What happened between them the night before she left town resurfaces the second they lay eyes on each other. But the guy she remembers has been replaced by a total hottie. When Tate is unexpectedly called in to take over for the hockey team’s star goalie, suddenly he’s in the spotlight and on his way to becoming just another egotistical varsity hockey player. And Claire’s sworn off Juniper Falls hockey players for good.It’s the absolute worst time to fall in love.For Tate and Claire, hockey isn’t just a game. And they both might not survive a body check to the heart.
Puck Buddies
Tara Brown - 2016
Sami Ford has it all. Looks. Money. Happiness. Her life is perfect. But only if one doesn't look too closely. Matt Brimley is a sports god. Hockey fans adore him. Girls everywhere want to worship at his skates. He’s living the dream. If the dream involved everyone expecting you to be nothing but a jock. These two rich kids could be the perfect couple. If he didn't think she was a spoiled princess, and she didn't think he was a dumb puck, they might be. But hating someone doesn’t mean you can’t want them.
Noah
Elizabeth Reyes - 2012
After disconnecting with the world two years ago to be at the side of her dying mother, she’s left alone, unemployed, overweight, and feeling a decade older than her twenty-eight years. When her best friend coaxes her into joining the local gym to ditch her depression and rejuvenate her life, she meets Noah. Assigned to help Veronica lose weight, Noah is everything she expected a young trainer to be—perfectly chiseled, supportive and motivating. Add to that, he’s incredibly sexy. He’s everything she’s ever looked for in a man. What she least expected was for him to fall for her, but he has. There's just one glaring problem: Noah is eight years younger.Noah Quintanilla has his eye on a boxing title—someday. Down for a few months with an injury, his maintenance-boy pay at 5th Street Gym won't cut it. He’s finally given the opportunity to train. The catch? His trainee is an out-of-shape woman with a free week pass. Taking on the challenge, Noah stumbles into one of the closest friendships he’s ever known, and before he knows it, he’s in love. But Veronica’s not having it—the age difference is too much. Their platonic relationship means having to watch her date other men—something that would make him crazy. Believing he's the man for her, Noah sets out to prove that age is but an illusion, and there's more to him than just a number.
Interference
Mignon Mykel - 2016
A way to give her the meeting her boss requested, but still say ‘no’ to her pitch.Look, I’ve never wanted the extras that come with an NHL career.Sponsorships, sure.Reality television? Hard no.Except—now that I’ve met the pixie redhead—I find myself agreeing...with one stipulation.She gets to be part of the show in whatever way that allows me to see her again.Twenty female “contestants” be damned.
Full Measures
Rebecca Yarros - 2014
That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead." Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart. Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction. Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.
Inhibitions
Kimberly Bracco - 2015
She walked in on her boyfriend with another woman, leaving her needing a new place to live and a mountain of debt. As if that wasn’t enough, her ex convinces her that his infidelity is her fault for being unadventurous in bed.Deep down Ashley has always had the desire to be wild but has been held back by her own insecurities. She’s desperate to break free, but she's fearful of how people will judge her if they know her inner desires. She wants nothing more than to lose herself in sex that pushes her to the limit, but she hasn’t found anyone she trusts enough to take her there until she meets Tanner.Tanner doesn’t trust anyone outside of his inner circle easily. The infamous, media proclaimed playboy, quarterback is tired of people using him for money, connections and to get their fifteen minutes of fame. Determined to protect his image and himself, he makes sure to keep most people at arm’s length until Ashley is thrown into his life. He’s inexplicably drawn to her, and she needs his help in more than ways than one. But to help her, he’ll need to let her in.There’s an immediate attraction and connection that neither can deny, but can both of them get past their inhibitions and find what they are looking for in each other or will everything backfire in their faces?
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.
Dirty Secret
Mira Lyn Kelly - 2019
Something about my chronic case of resting prick face and that thing with the captain when the season started. My fist, his jaw. Yeah, we go back and not in a good way. Coach says no more “confrontational BS” or I don’t play at all. And that’s a hit my career in the NHL can’t take. So the plan is simple. Keep my head down and finish out my contract with my fists checked. There’s just one problem. Allie. The girl from Vancouver eight months ago. The one with the sexy, shy, and sinfully bold smile and the sweetest, wettest mouth I ever tasted. The girl who blew my mind and then blew out of my life without giving me her number. Turns out she’s the captain’s little sister. And even though my career depends on it... I can’t stay away from her.