Book picks similar to
Rule Play by Elizabeth Perry
sports
sports-romance
romance
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His Five Night Stand
Emma Thorne - 2015
At least that’s what Callie’s neighbor promises when Callie moves into The Holiday apartment building. Devastated by her fiancé’s confession that he’s in love with another woman, Callie can’t imagine anything could heal her broken heart. Tragic love has brought Theo to his knees before, so he knows just how to repair Callie’s shattered confidence. After five nights in his arms, she’ll leave her heartache behind, give voice to her deepest desires, and be ready to forge a real, lasting love with someone new…it just won’t be him. Theo can give Callie back her voice and teach her to ask for what she wants from her new lover, but what if she asks for more than he can give? Will he break his only rule—no falling in love—for her?
Exes and Goals
Heather C. Myers - 2017
She has one.Harper Crawford is a big fan of the Newport Beach Seagulls, despite their abysmal previous season. It's been a year since Ken Brown's murder and Seraphina Hanson, Ken's youngest granddaughter, just survived her first year as the new owner and manager of the national hockey team. Barely. The last year was dismal to the point where Seraphina is making drastic changes. Like hiring Harper as their official blogger. Harper gets to travel with the team, write character pieces, critiques, game summaries, and the like. It's her dream job.Another change? Putting together practically a new team, including Zachary Ryan, first line center. At six foot four and two hundred and twenty pounds, he is tall, dark blond, and solid muscle. He's arrogant and direct and the minute he sees Harper at Taboo nightclub during a team bonding session dressed in a plaid shirt and converse sneakers, he has to get to know her better.Except there's a problem from her past that won't go away. Harper has an ex that won't stay in her past - where he belongs. He starts showing up at her place, reminding her of all the wrong choices she made, bringing up things she wants nothing more than to forget. When Zachary gets involved, things get heated and his notorious temper flares.Harper doesn't want to get involved with a hockey player - especially with an overzealous ex who won't leave her alone - but Zachary plans to change her mind. No matter what the cost.
Kickoff: The Originals
Jami Davenport - 2019
Her first assignment is to help Derek get his game back. While working with him on the field, she succumbs to the chemistry between them and spends a forbidden night in his arms.The next day Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious career. Soon Derek and Rachel are racking up nights in bed, and the team is racking up wins. They're risking it all, but they can't resist each other. Not only is Rachel his coach, but Derek knows the truth behind a secret that destroyed her father years before. Rachel and Derek are torn between love and duty, and the clock is winding down. It's fourth and goal, one second left in the game. The next play Derek makes must be for Rachel's heart.Previously published as Fourth and Goal in 2011. This version has been extensively updated, re-titled, and edited.
Dominic
Kat Mizera - 2016
Dom Gianni takes a lot of punishment in the hockey rink, but when he sees Molly McCarran getting beaten up by her husband, he’s ready to throw down his gloves and fight for her. But Molly isn’t about to trust another man—and Dom is already skating on thin ice with his NHL-mandated probation. Besides, how could a hotshot player like Dom really care about a woman so much older than he?Then a kidnapping ups the stakes. If Molly can’t believe in Dom, and if he can’t dig deep to save her, it might be the final buzzer for them both.
Bury the Hatchet
Catherine Gayle - 2015
Now he needs to prove to the watchful eyes that he’s changed for the better. But cozying up to Little-Miss-Perfect-Gone-Bad isn’t his idea of making amends.Agreeing to marry a hockey star to clear her “bad girl” reputation is the worst idea Oklahoma’s former sweetheart, Tallulah Belle Roth, has ever heard. With cameras constantly in their faces, Hunter and Tallie need to prove their sickeningly-sweet, do-good lives are the real deal—just to Bury the Hatchet once and for all.But when the cameras are off, desire burns hot. Can fake and just for show turn into something real and forever?
Down for Her
Melissa Chambers - 2021
Turns out the unit was double-booked. All Kylie wants is to take her glorious new job as pool girl and prove to herself that she doesn’t need to go crawling back to her two-timing ex or her controlling dad. But with only twenty bucks to her name, no credit cards, and no place to live, she’s as good as fish bait. With the hunky, now-clothed Brett offering his bed for the weekend, she might have a reprieve. She just needs to keep the resort’s biggest player out of her heart.Occupational Therapist Brett Hargrove may spend his days working with kids, but his nights and weekends are dedicated to charming the ladies…and to helping his mom care for his sick grandmother. The last thing he’s looking for is a relationship, until a housing mix-up has the captivating Kylie standing in his living room with her suitcases. His life is not set up for a girlfriend—that’s bitten him in the ass before. He’s got to stay strong and make sure Kylie understands his heart is off limits. Otherwise, this thing between them is certain to detonate.Welcome to Destiny Dunes, where the only thing hotter than the Florida sun is the romance between this resort's employees. Each book in this steamy series focuses on your favorite romance tropes. Once you enter the gates of Destiny Dunes, you'll never want to leave!
Finding Alexei
Kendall Ryan - 2018
He’s also a pro athlete who needs to focus on winning games and staying out of the headlines.I’m fiercely independent and need a man like I need a second period each month.So when our worlds collide, I never expected him to be the one to jump in and save me. Especially not when my roommate disappears, leaving me with her baby.I’m clueless about babies—and it shows. Good thing Alexei isn’t. With six nieces and nephews and an apparent hero complex, the dude is both sexy and more than capable. It’s a combination that makes it easy to forget we’re just playing house.
Smart Jocks: Books 1 & 2
Rebecca Jenshak - 2021
these are the things I knew about him. What I didn't know is that he is a seriously smart jock.WesWhat's the best way to get rid of the peppy and unrelenting girl that keeps asking me to tutor her? If I knew, I wouldn't be staring at her tan legs and attempting to teach her statistics.Sorority girl, fine as f**k, determined, ball buster... these are the things I knew about her. What I didn't know is that she is all the things I didn't realize I wanted or needed.Or that one semester with her would change everything.Book 2 - The FadeawayHe thinks we're playing the longest game of hard-to-get ever. We're not.JoelThe hottest girl on campus won't go out with me. I know, I know, that sounds presumptuous, but this girl... this girl has gotten under my skin, and I can't seem to walk away.Every Thursday, I show up at the café where she works. She's fed me every excuse in the book. I should give up and bang one of the many girls blowing up my phone. I'm not.Even when she says no, Thursday is my favorite day of the week.KatrinaThe hottest guy on campus won't stop asking me out. I know that sounds like a good problem to have, but this guy... this guy has no idea how complicated my life is trying to juggle being a single mom and college student.Every Thursday, he shows up at the café where I work. His cheesy pickup lines and arrogance should have me completely annoyed. I'm not.I can't say yes, but Thursday is my favorite day of the week.
Roughing
Jillian Quinn - 2017
But he can’t get the one thing he wants. Two years ago, Bash lost the only girl who ever made him feel something. And he wants her back.Tori Reynolds hates football. But she hates Bash even more. After a not-so-chance encounter at a game, Bash has another shot with the girl who got away. While Bash might be a different person than before, Tori is hesitant to let him back into her life.Bash has never turned down a challenge, and when it comes to Tori, he’s willing to go the distance, and this time, he’s not just looking to score.
Game Player
B.J. Harvey - 2016
Matt Taylor’s motto:“I’m the king of the cut ‘n’ run. I wine them, dine them, then slide inside them, making sure I get up, get dressed and get out before they can even utter the words “second date.” Mia Roberts’ motto:“I’m queen of the chase. I meet them, greet them, date them and leave them. A social butterfly, I’m happily single and happy to stay that way.”The players have been found. The challenge has been set. Whatever happens, they’ll soon find out that playing the game can get you played in the best possible way.
The Practice Proposal
Tracy March - 2013
Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is. Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked. When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?
The Billionaire Deal
Lori Ryan - 2020
Neither bargained for the danger their marriage-of-convenience brought on.
CEO Jack Sutton isn't about to be backed into a corner by the stipulations of his mother's will. She might have wanted to be sure he was married by the time he was thirty, but that doesn't mean he needs to give in. As the head of a powerful venture capital firm, there’s one thing he’s learned. There’s always a way around anything standing in his way. This marriage clause is no exception. Kelly Bradley got into the law school of her dreams, but the financial aid she was counting on didn’t come through. When she finds out Jack Sutton is looking for a wife in name only, she propositions him to get the funding she needs. What could be the harm in linking herself to a well-respected businessman for a year? It’s not like he’s hard to look at or tough to be around. But will her fix end up costing a whole lot more than either she or Jack had bargained for? When her life is on the line, Jack finds himself racing to save the woman he's fast losing his heart to. Steamy romance meets heart-stopping suspense in the Sutton Billionaires Series. This is the first book in the series but it can be read as a standalone story with no cliffhangers. A shorter version of this book was previously released as part of the Sutton Capital Series.
Taming Mad Max
Theresa Ragan - 2011
Believing his life will be cut short, Max tries to live every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? When Max discovers he has a thirteen-year old daughter though, it throws all his years of planning and preparation for an early death into a tailspin.Nutrition expert, Kari Murphy, used to think Max Dutton, aka Mad Max, was to die for, but she’s older and wiser now. The last time Kari reacted with her heart instead of her brain, she conceived the thing she loves most in life…her daughter, Molly. As much as she dislikes Max Dutton for taking her declaration of love and throwing it in her face fourteen years earlier, she knows that if it wasn’t for him her life would be meaningless. And that really ticks her off, especially when she’s hired by the NFL franchise to follow Max around for a couple of weeks and give him healthy-eating advice, foolproof facts about carbohydrates and tasteful tips on cooking and shopping smart. Kari doesn’t want to be anywhere near the man, but what choice does she have? Her career is on the line.Taming Mad Max finaled in RWA’s 2008 Golden Heart competition under the title, Better Late Than Never.
The Play
J.H. Croix - 2017
Falling in love is complicated.I want her. There’s just one problem. She’s my doctor, and she says it’s a no-no. I’ve never been one to play by the rules.But she’s not falling for me. Olivia is the challenge I have to beat.With her lush curves and her by-the-book attitude, all I want to do is show her exactly what she’s missing. Again and again and again.I’ll bring her to her knees…in more ways than one. I didn’t count on her bringing me to my knees.
*A full-length standalone sports romance.
When We Were Us
Tawdra Kandle - 2016
That’s who we’ve been since birth: Nate, Leo . . . and me, Quinn, the token girl. Our mothers met in a prenatal class and became best friends, which meant that the three of us hit every milestone together, from the first day of school to the very first kiss. And beyond.I’ve always been caught in the middle between the two boys. I’ve been in love with Leo since I was eight, even though he doesn’t see me as anything but his pal. And I know that Nate’s hung up on me. I see the look in his eyes. I wish I could say I felt the same, but I don’t. It's getting harder and harder to keep him in the friend zone, though. Things between the three of us aren't easy anymore. Leo’s popular, the football team’s star receiver, and the object of every girl’s fantasy. I know he doesn’t mean to leave us behind, but now Nate and I are just people he used to know.What used to be so simple is suddenly messy and complicated. Leo is all I’ve ever wanted, but even if I had the chance to be with him, how would Nate would handle it? When that chance does come along . . . in the most unexpected way . . . I’m helpless to resist Leo. What was always meant to be is finally happening . . . but will it come at the risk of losing both my friends?