Book picks similar to
Ember by Emma Renshaw


romance
sports
single-parent
contemporary-romance

Perfect Pitch


Mindy Klasky - 2014
    All she has to do is follow the pageant's rules - no smoking, drinking, or "cavorting" in public.That's fine, until D.J. Thomas - God's gift to baseball - throws her a wild pitch. He slams her in an interview, and the video goes viral. Sam's no shrinking violet. She parlays D.J.'s apology into a national T.V. appearance - and a very unexpected, very public kiss.Soon, paparazzi catch the couple in a steamy make-out session, and Sam's music program is on the block. The blazing hot relationship is threatened even more when D.J.'s son begs to trade in Little League for music class.Can Sam and D.J. sizzle past the sour notes and find their perfect pitch?

Your Love Is Mine


Bella Andre - 2019
    Until his dark past comes crashing back when he learns his long-lost sister has passed away--and he has a six-month-old niece named Ruby. Flynn vows to give the little girl who now means everything to him a better childhood than he or his sister ever had. So when he finds out that Ruby's nanny is trying to sell their story to the press, he takes his niece as far from Hollywood as he can.One of seven siblings in Bar Harbor, Cassie Sullivan has always been grateful for the love and support of her tight-knit family. Because of them, she had the courage to create a successful candy confection business. So when a friend of her cousin needs a place to stay with his baby for a few weeks, she's happy to offer him her cabin in the woods. But from the first moment she meets Flynn and Ruby, her heart is lost to the gorgeous man and his adorable little girl.Flynn has never met anyone as cheerful and open as Cassie. Instantly drawn to her, he finds himself telling her things about his past that he's never spoken of to anyone--things that make him certain he could never be worthy of her. Only, Cassie isn't about to let the pair who have stolen her heart go without a fight--using all the light, love, and laughter she can give them. Will the nightmares from Flynn's past continue to haunt him and and steal away the joy of a future with Cassie? Or will Cassie's love, and the support of her big family, be powerful enough to help him face his long-buried demons and conquer them at last?YOUR LOVE IS MINE is part of Bella Andre's New York Times and USA Today #1 bestselling series about The Sullivans. While it can easily be read as a stand-alone story, you'll likely enjoy reading the other books, too.

Edge of Glory


Magan Vernon - 2016
    I'm Lia and I'll nguhhhhhhhhhhhhh". I froze. Directly facing me was Olympic swimmer, Jay Morningstar… and I just made an idiot of myself. The rest of the table looked up to see me standing there with my mouth practically gaping. His coach, who I recognized from TV interviews, and even two other swimmers from the Olympic team... they didn't say anything, they didn't even blink. "Uh… I mean…" I couldn't even put together my words and Jay Morningstar was just staring at me with that Wheaties box smile and those icy blue eyes. What was I supposed to say? "Sorry I just made a weird noise, it's just that I have a poster of you on my wall where you are wearing nothing more than your gold medals, a smile, and a pair of man panties?"

Too Tempting


Bethany Lopez - 2017
    He combined his passion for football with camping and is now the owner of a football camp for teens. His summers are dedicated to spending time with family and teaching his campers about the sport he loves. Zoey Zahn is a quirky, introverted writer and self-proclaimed geek. When she's asked if she’ll accompany her nephew, Christopher, to camp, Zoey agrees, envisioning quiet evenings of writing in the great outdoors. After she stumbles upon Gabe, however, quiet evenings alone are the last thing on her mind. The chemistry between Gabe and Zoey is undeniable, but as camp ends, a brewing storm causes their blooming relationship to fumble. All Gabe knows is that Zoey is Too Tempting to deny, and he's determined to overcome the obstacles between them to be the man she deserves. Too Tempting is the first in an all-new small town romance series by Bethany Lopez. Follow the Lewis cousins of Cherry Springs, the kind of place where there are festivals for every occasion and everyone knows your business, as they learn about love and loss.More Cherry Springs:Too Tempting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 1) Too Complicated (The Lewis Cousins, Book 2)Too Distracting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 3)Too Enchanting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 4)Too Dangerous (The Lewis Cousins, book 5)Too Enticing (A Cherry Springs Novelette)

The Nearness of You


Iris Morland - 2017
    When she returns to her hometown, she vows to create a happy life for her son and to rebuild her life after a painful divorce. Yet when she meets her son’s new doctor, she can’t deny the spark of attraction that heats between them. The problem? He’s Harrison Thornton, the oldest son of the illustrious Thornton family. His family would never accept a woman like Sara, a woman who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. She tries to ignore the whispers of her past, but she soon realizes secrets can never stay hidden for long. Especially from the man claiming her wounded heart. Growing up in the rich and powerful Thornton family, Harrison has lived a charmed life. A renowned physician, the last thing he expects is to desire the mother of one of his patients. Sara is beautiful and intelligent, and she’s completely devoted to her son, something that only deepens his attraction to her. He doesn't want a single night of passion, though: he wants forever. Yet there are forces at work and people determined to tear them apart. Even Sara turns from him, certain she's unworthy. Harrison refuses to let Sara slip away, and soon, he’s fighting the greatest battle of all. The battle to win the heart of the woman he loves.

Dare To Resist


Carly Phillips - 2020
    Ex football player. Sports agent. And as of this morning? Father. Finding a baby on his doorstep should have been a joke but the pink sticky note and baby carrier she came in is deadly serious.What’s an out of his depth bachelor to do? Call his tempting and beyond gorgeous executive assistant and beg her to move in.Quinnlyn Stone agrees to help Austin until he can straighten out his messy life. It’s just another item on her very long To-Do list. It’s absolutely not because she’s attracted to her very single and extremely handsome boss.Close quarters. A baby. Undeniable chemistry. What could possibly go wrong?A complete standalone novel!

Second Chance Charmer


Brighton Walsh - 2018
    She’s small town royalty. Their love was doomed from the start.Finn spent his childhood living so far on the wrong side of the tracks, he couldn’t even see them through his trailer window. When he moves back to his small, southern hometown to open the first bar in a formerly dry county, he’s no longer the boy who left—he’s a man with something to prove. As long as he doesn’t allow himself to get sidetracked by the only girl he’s ever loved.Willow learned a long time ago to protect her heart at all costs, so her walls are firmly in place when her ex comes strolling back into town, all cockiness and charm. When they're thrown together on the job, she knows better than to give in to the tug of attraction that still simmers between them. She might be drawn to him, but she certainly doesn't trust him. It's time for her to prove she's not the brokenhearted girl he left behind.There’s no room for second chances in Havenbrook. And Willow’s daddy—the mayor—will do anything to keep it that way.

Change of Hart


M.E. Carter - 2014
    As the best defensive lineman in the country, I eat, sleep and breathe football. And I like it that way. I’ve only got a few more years before I’ll have to retire, so expending energy on anything other than football seems like a waste of time.That is, until I have a random meeting with a little boy who just lost his father. We have more in common than you might think and it creates an unlikely bond. As our friendship grows, so do my feelings for his mother.I know Addison, as a recent widow, isn’t ready to date again. But I want to get to know her better, in spite of all her rejections.Is it possible that I, a self-proclaimed bachelor, could be having a Change of Hart?

Stirred


Charity Ferrell - 2020
    I can't do this. That's what my ex said after our son was born, leaving me a single dad. These days, my world consists of two things: Noah and my bar. Until her—the woman I want—but can never have. My ex’s sister wasn’t supposed to be stirred into the mix. Even though I try to push her away, my son falls in love with her. As much as I want to keep my distance, I can’t break his heart.Lines become blurred, and fighting our attraction becomes nearly impossible. Even though we know it’s wrong, desire doesn’t always fade away.As soon as we cross that line, nothing will be the same and everything will fall apart. And it does.

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.

Making the Play


Robin Bielman - 2019
    She’s just as career-focused as he is and has resolved to never succumb to the notorious charmer no matter how handsome or quickly they click. But then Chloe lets her guard down one drunken night and confesses she’s cursed. All her boyfriends meet their true soul mate when they date her, so she’s given up dating for good.Star baseball player Finn Auprince isn’t looking for romance, especially with his smart and sexy new media manager. She’s a distraction he can’t afford, but when Chloe confesses her secret, Finn’s competitive side emerges, and he can’t resist the challenge…or Chloe. One date is all he needs to prove that he and Chloe can have a good time without his soul mate popping out from around the next corner.It’s game on…but can they play the game of love and both come out on top? First Published as Heartthrob

Quick Trick


Skye Jordan - 2015
    If he has to be off the ice for three weeks of recovery, he‘ll do it on his back—breaking in a new wanna-be cowgirl every night. But pressure from the team’s owner and Grant’s parents land him in his hometown of Holly, North Carolina instead. Things look up when he learns the hometown beauty who was once so out of his league is now single, and sexier than ever. Determined to slip in a night with her while he’s in town, Grant is shocked to discover one will never be enough. Faith Nicholas has no interest in the newest Saber-son gossip. After losing her father just months before, she is now on the verge of losing their family hardware store—which is also her home. She couldn’t care less about the Saber’s big money or flashy toys. But she can’t seem to keep Grant out of her store--or her dreams. His magnetic charisma is impossible to ignore, and the longer he stays in town, the more she finds to love about a man who isn’t as superficial as he’d like others to believe.With a struggling store, four-hundred miles and a rigorous hockey season looming between them, Grant will have to pull out his very best moves if he’s going to make this quick trick last forever. ROUGH RIDER HOCKEY NOVELSQUICK TRICKHOT PUCKDIRTY SCOREWILD ZONE

Commitment


T.K. Leigh - 2018
    After all, she's my sister's best friend. Not to mention, she buried any animosity she held toward me and helped raise my two little girls when my ex split without a single glance back.But when I learn the man she's been dating has proposed, I'm faced with a decision.Do I finally tell Brooklyn the reason I betrayed her trust all those years ago?Or do I watch her marry another man to protect her from suffering any more heartache?
Commitment is the first book in the Redemption Duet. Binge-read this angst-filled second chance, best friend's brother romance today!

Barely Breathing


Pamela Clare - 2016
    Now, here she is—over thirty, out of a job and with little choice but to move back in with her father. Lexi knows it’s just a matter of time before she runs into Austin Taylor, her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak. She’s determined to show him she’s over him—until he steps out of a pickup truck and back into her life, looking sexy as hell in his mountain ranger uniform.As far as Austin is concerned, Lexi can turn her snazzy little convertible around and drive back to Chicago. After all, she ripped his teenage heart apart and turned her back on the town he loves. But from the moment he sees her again, he can’t get her out of his mind. Even her smile messes with his head. When an evening of conversation turns into something else, Lexi and Austin agree to be friends again—with benefits. But as Lexi starts making plans to return to the big city, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time unless he can show her that what she’s searching for has been right here all along.Note to readers: This is straight contemporary romance, not romantic suspense.

A Perfect Mess


Zoe Dawson - 2012
    He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing horror novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker. Returning to Hope Parish to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.A Perfect Series: Three perfect girls, three perfect secrets, one unholy trinityA Perfect Mess, Book #1 – the girl most likely to succeed, an unpredictable Outlaw, and a dangerous secret that could be the death of her.A Perfect Mistake, Book #2 – A preacher’s daughter, a reckless Outlaw, and a secret that will change her life forever.A Perfect Dilemma, Book #3 – The town’s poor little rich girl, a sweet-talking Outlaw, and a secret that will ruin all that she holds dear