Book picks similar to
The Bust by Jamie Bennett


romance
frustrating
januar-22
needs-a-lot-of-improvement

Black Diamond


Ali Dean - 2016
    Not even the boys. Still, Roxie was shocked when she received a scholarship to Stark Springs Academy, a boarding school that churns out Olympians in each graduating class. Entering as a high school junior, Roxie can’t wait to learn from renowned coaches and train with the fastest ski racers from all over the globe. But, upon arrival, Roxie discovers that Stark Springs lives under its own set of rules, and it appears one boy plays dictator. Ryker Black is not friendly and Roxie cannot fathom why everyone wants to be his friend. Sure, he’s gorgeous and rides a snowboard like it’s his fifth limb, but he’s cold, ruthless, and holds way too much power over the Stark Springs population. Roxie won’t put up with it. She’s here to train, and she doesn’t care about impressing anyone off the slopes. The only problem? Ryker Black doesn’t permit defiance. Not without consequences.

Skating on Thin Ice


Jami Davenport - 2014
      Ethan Parker, a billionaire determined to bring professional hockey to Seattle, will stop at nothing to realize his dream. After signing an agreement to purchase another city's team, Ethan plans to make the move to Seattle, but a gag order by the League forces him to keep the sale a secret until the season ends, leaving him no choice but to go undercover as a consultant to study his team during the playoffs.   Lauren Schneider, Assistant Director of Player Personnel for the Giants hockey team, gets no respect from the team's testosterone-loaded staff. So when Ethan bursts onto the scene, full of charm and genuinely interested in her opinions, she shares the team's weaknesses and discovers a weakness of her own--for Ethan. But when his true identity is revealed, and he starts cleaning house based on her unwitting input, his betrayal cuts deeply on both a professional and personal level. Bound by an employment contract, Lauren reluctantly moves to Seattle to work for the newly christened Seattle Sockeyes and her sexy, infuriating boss.  Lauren and Ethan must come to terms with their passions--for the team, for hockey, and for each other. Will their situation build a frozen wall between them, or will their love burn hot enough to melt the ice shielding their hearts?

Skater Boy


Kay Manis - 2013
    Avoiding surprises and keeping people at a distance is the only way she has to protect herself from the painful scars and shattered memories of her past. When Hindley is offered a new position at her prestigious Austin law firm as sports agent for pro skateboarder, Rory Gregor, she’s ready for the new challenge but completely unprepared for the man who captures her heart. Suddenly, Hindley is thrust into a world where protecting all their secrets could cost her everything; her family, her career, and maybe even her life. Professional skateboarder and X Games royalty, Rory Gregor knows what it’s like to be at the top. But after two years of bad decisions and one-night-stands, he’s having to make a comeback he never anticipated. Hiring a new agent may be what his team thinks he needs to rebuild his career, but what if it costs him his heart in the process? Just when he thinks he’s posed for a comeback, secrets from his past threaten to ruin his chance for gold and a new love. In a sport where trust means everything, this time... it may not be enough.

Unruly


Cora Brent - 2015
    At the end we found each other.Along the way we found everything else.” After a humiliating betrayal, Claudia Giordano heads home only long enough to watch her irresponsible father, Jack, marry her old high school nemesis. Claudia doesn’t believe in love stories anymore. But she never planned on connecting with a wild young baseball player named Easton Malone. She tells herself Easton is cocky, careless and a bad choice on every level. The only option is to forget the hot, reckless week they shared, no matter what her heart says. ***Jack Giordano thinks that after all the mistakes he’s made since becoming a teenage father he’s finally found his happily ever after with sweet Anya. Jack believes love can conquer anything. But he didn’t understand how the joy of building the perfect family would dissolve into agony as he watches the girl of his dreams fade away. *** In the midst of one couple’s tragic ending, another will find a new beginning. And it turns out the most unruly collision of two hearts might have been fated all along…

Smart Tass


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2017
    She’s the smart girl he loves to pick on.And now that they’re all grown up, things are about to get geekin’ ugly…My name is Tass. I’m smart, I’m driven, and I am determined not to let prankster Hunter Johnson continue raining on my parade. When we were little, he’d pull my hair and call me names. When we were teenagers, he’d throw food and tease me for being a flat-chested virgin. But now that we’ve ended up at the same college, he’s out of his hot head if he thinks he can keep messing with my life. It’s like he’s fixated on me or something. Well, guess what, Mr. Amazefootball? I’m not that geeky little girl anymore and you do not screw with a smart woman. So what’s my plan? It’s definitely wild, and he’s about to find out…

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.

Puck Daddy


Cass Kincaid - 2018
    That is, until Faith walks into my life and proves just how wrong I am. I shine on the ice, and off. At least, I used to. I’ve got my reasons for holding things in and keeping to myself. Besides, being a single dad isn’t for the faint of heart. So, when the nanny I hired doesn’t get what she wants—which happens to be me—she leaves my kids stranded at the arena. It not only infuriates me and puts my career comeback in jeopardy… It leads me to Faith Wilson. She’s innocent, sheltered, and sexy as sin. She’s also looking after my kids while I attempt to lead our team to the playoffs. I’ve never let myself touch the nanny before…until now. But one fleeting taste isn’t enough. And though I might score, this might be a game I’m bound to lose. **Puck Daddy is a steamy standalone romance with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA**

The Cheat Sheet


Sarah AdamsSarah Adams - 2021
    The first step is admitting, right? Except, I can never admit it to him because he clearly doesn’t see me that way, and the last thing I want is for things to get weird between us.Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for us! Everything is exactly how I like it! Yes. Good. (I’m not crying, I’m just peeling an onion.)Our friendship is going swimmingly until I accidentally spill my beans to a reporter over too much tequila, and now the world seems to think me and Nathan belong together. Oh, and did I mention we have to date publicly for three weeks until after the Super Bowl because we signed a contract with...oops, forgot I can’t tell anyone about that! Bottom line is, now my best friend is smudging all the lines and acting very un-platonic, and I’m just trying to keep my body from bursting into flames every time he touches me.How am I going to make it through three weeks of fake dating Nathan without anything changing between us? Especially when it almost-sort-a-kinda seems like he’s fighting for a completely different outcome?Send help.XO Bree

Tackle Me


Serena Vale - 2020
    Unlike all the other students in the dorm who just like to party, she’s there to learn and actually get ahead in life. But she never expected Rick to come into her life. Star football player and the famous campus bad-boy, he’s all the things Jenny hates. But soon she realizes he might not be what she think he is, and now she’s getting much more of an education than she bargained for…

With a Twist


Staci Hart - 2015
    She’s spent six years pirouetting and pliéing her way up the ranks of the New York Ballet with her eye on the prize and love in the back seat. But now that Blane Baker -- Lily’s long time crush -- is finally single, she’ll throw her rules out the window without thinking twice. Reality with Blane isn’t as epic as the fantasy she imagined, and the truth sends her spinning straight into the arms of the man she never knew she’d always wanted. West Williams has been friends with Lily since the day she moved into their building and he saved her armoire from a swift, sudden death by staircase. Their friendship has always been easy, the boundaries clearly defined. With neither of them willing to risk their relationship, they’ve drifted happily through the years as companions, never considering more. That is, until they do. And that realization changes everything.

Fumbled Hearts


Meagan Brandy - 2017
    I'm the impassive new girl with nothing left to give. Things are about to get complicated...After months of refusing, I finally agreed to make the move to Alrick Falls. My family thought it was best - that a new scene would be good for me—and I was sick of having the same conversation. So here I am, and the plan is simple. Smile through each day and avoid her at all costs. It's perfect. Until the cocksure quarterback comes into play. The last thing I want is his crooked grin and dark brown eyes focused on me. Yet here he is, constantly in my space, pushing me, daring me to care. Telling me what I think and feel, as if he knows. He doesn't know anything. And  I plan to keep it that way.

#Nerd


Cambria Hebert - 2014
    He wants to stay on the team. An awkward alliance doesn't even begin to cover Rimmel and Romeo's relationship.But that's about to change.It starts with a dare. An initiation. A challenge.Quickly, it turns into more. But when you're a victim of your status, there is no room for anything real. The rules are clear and simple.Stick to your circle.And never fall in love with anyone on the outside.

Sinker


Colleen Charles - 2017
    I'm filthy rich, filthy mouthed, filthy on the mound and in the mound. I've never met a woman who didn't worship at the altar of my cleats. Opposing batters eat my smoke and scream for their mama as they swing through dead air. They'll never be running the bases on my watch. But with the lovely ladies...I'll take them around the bases and drive for home all day and all night long. I get everything I want whenever I want it.But not her.Beautiful, smart, Brenna Sinclair. My arch nemeses. She's a reporter for Sport Taste magazine and she's been charged with hating my guts. She relishes every single hit piece she writes about me containing a sensational headline in bold, black letters. And I give her plenty to write about. RHETT BRADSHAW TAKES NEW YORK BY THE CROTCH. Yeah, that one was my favorite. But she got beamed with my baseball. And now she doesn't remember anything. In spite of the fact that I know it's wrong, payback's a bitch. I'll make her fall madly in love me. And she'll squeal my name. BrennaYankee's pitcher, Rhett Bradshaw, is a chauvinistic,immature playboy. An embarrassment to mankind. Women lift their shirts at games and throw their panties on the field. Their panties. What self-respecting woman does that? There's nothing I relish more than announcing to the world what I think of him and his juvenile antics. Threesomes in a limo? Check. Blow jobs in a back alley? Check, check. He disgusts me. Bad decisions happen when money and talent meet those panty-melting good looks. I'd love to know if there's any semblance of a decent human being underneath his pinstripes. I have the journalistic world by the tail and I'll write anything I want whenever I want to.But not about him. No, not anymore. I'm done with Rhett Bradshaw. Until an errant Sinker from his glove knocks me for a loop. Now, I don't remember anything from the recent past. And like an angel sent from heaven, there's this gorgeous baseball player hovering, worried about me. And before I know it, I'm thinking about what's underneath his sexy uniform. He's rich. He's talented. He's charming. For the first time in my life, I want to throw caution to the wind and just take what I want. Besides, what could possibly be wrong with letting myself fall?This full-length alpha billionaire romance by best-selling author Colleen Charles is meant for mature audiences. For a limited time, a FREE copy of Colleen's #1 Second Chance Romance novel, Wasted Love, is included. Colleen's books are always FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

Kiss and Cry


Keira Andrews - 2022
    Everyone loves him—judges, fans, coaches.I hate him.Now he’s invaded my training center, and I have to see him every day as we prepare for the Olympics. I’m going to win gold if it’s the last thing I do. I’m going to beat him.But the strangest thing is happening. I’m peeking under his happy-go-lucky exterior and discovering there’s more to Theo than I imagined.This is a mistake. I can’t trust him.I can’t be falling in love.TheoMy mom’s convinced training with Henry Sakaguchi will distract me heading into the Olympics. No way—Henry’s epically boring and cold. He might as well be carved from ice.But when I need help, he’s there. He tries to keep me at arm’s length, but it’s no use. He’s too kind. Too generous. He’s caring and gorgeous and hot, and I’ve never wanted anyone like this.I might want Henry more than a gold medal.Am I falling in love?Kiss and Cry by Keira Andrews is a steamy gay sports romance featuring grumpy/sunshine opposites attracting, secretly soft-hearted boys, hurt/comfort, and of course a happy ending.

Poetry in Motion


Samantha Wayland - 2019
    He knows his days on the ice are numbered, but he’s happy with the Moncton Ice Cats and he’s still got some time to figure out what comes next. He’s been taking college classes online and thought he knew what he was doing, but then he made the ultimate rookie mistake. It turns out the poetry class is not the easier way to get his required English credits. Barnaby Birtwistle has exiled himself to the wilds of New Brunswick, leaving London, his so-called friends, and his cheating ex behind. His life is finally getting back on track, and he's going to keep it that way, even if it means living like a monk. Travis is expecting a bookish nerd to help him pass his staggeringly boring class; Barnaby is expecting a meathead hockey player who struggles to string two words together, let alone appreciate poetry. Turns out that they both have something to learn.