Book picks similar to
Coach by Declan Rhodes
mm
hockey
dnf
contemporary
The Blueprint
S.E. Harmon - 2018
He has friends, a wonderful family, and a great job. But his love life has reached a new level of pitiful. Why? Well, his heart decided to break all the rules. Don’t fall in love with a straight guy. And definitely don’t fall in love with your best friend.NFL standout Britton “Blue” Montgomery has pressure coming at him from all sides. From his father, who’s only interested in Blue’s football career. From his coaches, who just want him to play without getting injured again. From the fans. From his agent. And from his mother, who has popped up on the radar after leaving his family years before. And now his relationship with Kelly is on shaky ground, and that frightens Blue more than anything.When Kelly admits he’s in love with Blue, bonds are tested, and Blue has to decide what’s really important. He doesn’t want to lose the number-one person in his life, but the cost to keep Kelly close might be more than he’s willing to pay.It’s a good thing his nickname is the Blueprint—it’s time to draft a new set of plans.
Let There Be Light
A.M. Johnson - 2018
Hard work and drive kept Royal O'Connell one step ahead of his competition. His spot on the swim team, keeping his scholarship, was the only plan that mattered. His world was ebony and ivory. Natural talent and ambition set Camden Morgan apart from the other music majors. His dedication scoring him a full ride. Normally, their paths would have never crossed….But when Royal meets his best friend's new roommate, his big plan and Camden’s controlled environment faces a variable that could destroy it all. Attraction. The world they live in had no room for error. That undeniable pull between them was dangerous and neither one of them could've prepared for the choice they'd have to make. Love isn't always an easy road and, when everything they've worked for is on the line, they'll have to decide if being together is worth the risk. Let There Be Light is a full-length standalone.
Immoral
Nicole Dykes - 2021
I’ve done everything I can to defy his rules. Reckless, destructive, immoral. But after all this, there’s only one thing I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in . . . Him.Ryan A welder's son. I’ve done everything I can to make him proud. Hard-working, loyal, strong. I’ve accomplished all his dreams while denying my own. But there was only one thing I’ve ever wanted . . . Him.
Up and Coming
Andrea Dalling - 2016
Emmett Cross doesn't have time to date. A college quarterback on a path to turning pro, he can't afford distractions, especially with the academic challenges he faces. When he's blindsided by a growing attraction to his friend Jake, he fights it—rumors that he's bisexual could wreck his draft prospects. But he can't stop thinking about the cute blond with the warm heart and gentle smile. Biochem major Jake Schott has had a straight-boy crush on Emmett since freshman year. Emmett's cool logic is the perfect complement to Jake’s sensitive nature. He’s sure nothing can come of his longing—until a scorching kiss turns desire into hope. Although the tall, sexy athlete with the trim waist and thick biceps denies that there’s a chance for them, his lustful looks and stolen touches tell a different story. Passion ignites between them, but Emmett insists on hiding the relationship. When their secret threatens to come out, will Emmett give up Jake to protect his career? Or will he risk everything for love? This steamy friends-to-lovers, straight-to-bi M/M romance is for a mature audience. It's a full-length novel with a happy ending and no cliffhanger. Previously published—expanded edition
Love Fanatic
Peter Styles - 2017
But living and loving in the real world… that’s hard.
Life should be easy for Lance Epstein. He’s the author of a hugely popular young adult fantasy series and he can afford just about anything he could want or need, including his mansion. All he has to do is write and make the occasional public appearance. He’s living the dream. Or at least he would be, if he was doing anything that people expected of him. Instead, after a bad ending to his only relationship, Lance becomes a hermit, spending five years in a state of perpetual writer’s block and depression. But when his agent sets up a giveaway for a fan, Lance is forced to have dinner with his biggest admirer: Sam Lawrence, a handsome and upbeat fanfiction writer who is infatuated with Lance’s work. One passionate night leads to another, and the two embark on a cross-country road trip to Fantasticon together. Soon, even the cynical Lance is taken in by Sam’s talent and enthusiasm. Spending every day and night with one another evokes feelings within Sam that are equally terrifying and electrifying. But the closer Lance finds himself to really falling in love, the more frightened he is, and the more the demons of his past fight to overtake him. Will Lance ever be able to set down of the baggage of his past? And, more importantly, will Sam be able to see past it? In this touching 75,000-word gay romance novel, Love Fanatic, Lance and Sam’s sensual story will leave you breathless. Descriptive, passionate scenes make this novel suitable for adults only.
Scoring Slater
Susan Scott Shelley - 2020
His popular social media accounts and open relationship with the fans have made him one of the most beloved players in hockey. They've also earned him a spot in the All-Star game, and an invitation to be a bachelor at a charity auction. For all his living in the spotlight, he's hiding a secret... He's in love with his best friend and keeping quiet grows harder each day.Noah Alzado is the newest addition to the team, and has spent the last few months joined at the hip with his best friend Slater. Slater is everything Noah wants, but won't let himself have. They are best friends, roommates, and teammates, that's three complications too many. Plus, Noah guards his private life as fiercely as Slater shares his own. His best option is to keep his head down, help his team win, and not do anything stupid... like kissing Slater again.Everything comes to a head during All-Star weekend, where the best in the league compete for ultimate bragging rights, and at the auction, where temptation is hot enough to melt the ice. The chemistry between Slater and Noah is scorching, but can they lower their defenses enough to make a play for love?
Mr Nice Guy (Hot Boy Summer)
Joe Satoria - 2021
Man shows Boy what he's been missing. A daddy.Broke student, Dorian Lanter, is pet sitting for his aunt in Spain. That's where he spies a man undressing from the balcony. Does he dare take a closer look?Nearing forty, Roscoe Stone trains hard and keeps himself harder. He doesn't mind being watched, even by the guy in Mrs Gould's apartment. Can he entice him over?A virgin desperate to find love. A Daddy searching for passion. Can they find what they're looking for in each other? Or will it all be too much?MR NICE GUY is an age gap gay romance with light bedroom age play. HEA. This is a standalone book in the Hot Boy Summer age gap romance series.
Waiting on Life
Parker Williams - 2020
In fact, he usually got too serious before they were ready. One day, upon returning home from work, Toby finds a young woman kneeling to pick up mail she’d apparently dropped. Taken with her red hair and slender body, he says hello as he grabs his own mail. The woman jumps and bangs her head against the open door, then lets loose with a string of expletives. She turns around and Toby discovers…the person he’s been ogling isn’t a woman at all, but a man.Kyle Roga’s heard it all before. High school was filled with taunting classmates who could tell Kyle was far too fabulous to be straight. And now, here he was, being pawed at by a man who stole Kyle’s breath away. He ticked every box Kyle had, and a few he didn’t even know he wanted ticked. The problem? Kyle’s been burned before by straight men who think you’re good enough for sex, but not for a relationship. He’s been bitten way more than once, and he doesn’t want to go down that path again.Two men, each with a different way of looking at love, find themselves having to reexamine what they always believed about themselves. Will it be enough to bring them together? Will each discover what they’ve been doing isn’t living, but waiting on life?
Triumph
Avery Ford - 2018
In the ten years since he’s graduated, he’s opened a bookstore and made it his mission to bring diversity and inclusion to Silver Lake while working hard to maintain the small town charm that he loves so much. The only thing missing is someone to share his dreams - his once best friend, who left Calvin behind with a broken heart. Jack Roberts has the life he’s always wanted. He left Silver Lake ten years ago for college in Boston and hasn’t looked back since. If it wasn’t for the occasional holiday trip to visit his parents, he’d happily forget all about that town and all the memories it holds, especially Calvin Berry, who despite trying, Jack’s never forgotten. When Calvin and the other business owners in Silver Lake are on the verge of getting pushed out in favor of nameless corporations, Calvin knows he has to do something. He wants to turn Silver Lake around, and he needs as much help as he can get—even if that means asking for it from the man he used to call his best friend. Can Calvin and Jack get over the hurt from their past and take a second chance on each other? Will they be able to move forward and discover that despite the distance between them, their feelings for each other only grew stronger?
Strong Side
Alison Hendricks - 2016
But can they ever be more than friends?Jason Hawkins is about to throw the biggest Hail Mary pass of his career. If he can't turn NFL recruiters' heads this year, he'll lose his shot at the one thing he's ever been good at. But every quarterback needs a man he can count on down-field. For Jason, that man just might be the Tigers' new receiver, Derek Griffin.Four years ago, Derek nearly lost everything after being outed by his teammates.Now he finally has a chance to get it all back as a walk-on for Eastshore College... if he can resist his immediate attraction to the gorgeous and very straight star quarterback.An instant connection during practice leads to an easy friendship that only grows stronger off the field. Derek is convinced friendship is all it'll ever be, but a very confusing moment of impulse leaves both of them fumbling for answers about their relationship.As curiosity gives way to passion and passion gives way to something deeper, Jason and Derek will have to tackle their own personal demons to bring home the win and earn their happy ending.
Fired Up
Riley Hart - 2019
If it hadn’t been for that one teenage slipup where I kissed Beau Campbell, I’d be able to keep fooling myself. Football is the one thing I use to distract myself from the truth, and when I screw-up and lose the game I love, I find myself right back in Fever Falls. And right back face-to-face with Cranky Campbell, who hates me even more than he did when we were kids. Whatever magic he held over me then is still there. As much as I fight it, I still want him. And I always get what I want…well, except with Beau, who constantly calls me on my crap. Why do I like that so much? BEAU I might’ve spent years watching Ash live out my dream—without the off-field antics and orgies with women, at least—but I’ve made a good life for myself. I’m a firefighter, and I coach my brother’s football team for those with developmental disabilities. But when Ash swings back into town armed with his monster ego and an arsenal of stupid nicknames, everyone is in awe of him. Nope, not me. I don’t care if our kiss years ago was responsible for my sexual awakening. I won’t fall for Ashton Carmichael. Though that resolution would be a whole lot easier if he wasn’t so tempting. Once he finds his way into my bed, I’m screwed—in more ways than one. But there’s more to Ash than meets the eye, buried beneath his ego, sarcasm and how we burn up the sheets together. Soon, it’s more than a game. We don’t just get each other fired up, we just might win each other’s hearts. Too bad things are never that simple…
The Game Changer
Kay Simone - 2016
A gay physical therapist. Love is out of bounds… Right? Malcolm Rodgers loses everything in one week.The quarterback is benched with an injury the same week his fiancée breaks off their engagement. Lost, hurting, and stuck on the sidelines, Malcolm must spend his days in physical therapy with the one person who refuses to let him get back in the game: cocky Vance Coberly.Vance is out and proud in the macho world of pro football. As the top physical therapist in his field, flirting with football players is strictly out of bounds.But the rules of play all change when Vance meets Malcolm.Malcolm can’t deny what he feels for Vance — but Vance won’t be someone’s one-time fling. Can a Hail Mary gesture save the deepest love Malcolm has ever felt?
My Only Reason
Leigh Lennon - 2020
And to add more complications, I'm a football player, about to be drafted. We're manly men. We aren't supposed to be gay. But I am and I love the one person I'll never have. Until fate forces us together six years later. It'll be both a fantasy and hell on earth, playing along Crush—the only man who will ever truly own my heart.CrushHe dropped a bomb on me. Then he left, never looking back. Our friendship—ruined until he lands back in my life. His presence is just as big as ever. I never forgot him, or what that one kiss so many years ago still does to my body. He's here, but is he willing to stay.
Bat Boy
Christina Lee - 2020
Except, things have never come together for me in the romance department. Until Kellan Crawford walks onto the field as the team’s newest bat boy. Bells and whistles go off in my body, and just like that, I’m totally crushing on a guy for the first time in my life. Too bad he’s the coach’s son and officially off-limits.Kellan CrawfordI’m working toward my statistics degree, so landing the bat-boy position with the Easton U Pirates is right up my alley. It keeps me close to the action on the field, even if that means hauling equipment, picking up sweaty jockstraps, and putting up with the players’ antics. My dad’s the coach, and his number-one rule is never to play favorites…which probably includes getting too friendly with the team captain. But Brady Donovan’s annoyingly perfect smile and protective nature are making that nearly impossible.When something shifts between us at an away game, everything is thrown off-kilter. Donovan’s never been with a guy before, and I certainly don’t want to be his test case. But I can’t seem to help myself. He’s sweet and hot and somehow charms the baseball pants right off me. If Coach ever catches wind of this, he’ll bench us both. Disappointing my dad might kill me, but so would losing the guy who makes my heart pound harder than a home run in the bottom of the ninth.So much for not playing favorites.
Ignite (Set on Fire #1)
Rebecca James - 2021
And although he knows it's going to be difficult to go back to the real world, he can't help but get a little lost in the act. Funny thing is, before this trip Luca would have sworn he knew everything about his best friend. But before they leave Miami, Michael reveals something that Luca never expected.Tropes: Fake boyfriend, friends-to-lovers, bi-discovery, virgin, tall/short.