Book picks similar to
After the Rain by Mary J. Williams
romance
netgalley
sports
contemporary
Intercepted
Alexa Martin - 2018
But there's a new player on the horizon, and he's in a league of his own...Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There's just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team's wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee's return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin's relationship to survive the season.
Wilder
Rebecca Yarros - 2016
He’s Paxton Wilder.Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades.Five time X Games medalist.The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program.He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class.But if I can’t get him to take academics seriously, I’ll lose my scholarship…if I don’t lose my heart first.Six unlikely friends on a nine-month cruise with the Study at Sea program will learn that chemistry is more than a subject and the best lessons aren’t taught in the classroom…but in the heart.
Never Got Over You
S.L. Scott - 2020
~ I’d sworn off men. And then I met Nick Christiansen. Technically, I fell for him, literally, the moment I landed in his quarterback-sized arms and looked into those soulful eyes. I blame the rum. Or was it tequila? Spoiler alert: It was those delectable dimples. Either way, Nick was stupidly handsome and ridiculously charming. He held me like he cared and listened to me like I mattered. Captivated by great conversation and rock-hard abs, Nick had me reconsidering the “No Men” promise I’d made myself. I still regret walking away the next day.~I can’t stop thinking about the one who got away. But then I run right into Natalie St. James. She’s still unwittingly gorgeous, if not more so, and as wildly quirky as I remember. Sidebar: She’s on a date. What do I expect? For her to still be thinking about me? I still regret what happens next. We didn’t get the love story we deserved the first time, then I screwed up our second chance. When the universe shifts and our stars realign, is the third time a charm?
Hard Core
Tess Oliver - 2016
But I'd taken the opposite side of the forked road and headed off looking for even more trouble, like a junkie constantly searching for the next high. Never would I have guessed that turn would lead me to
her
. I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was
an angel, a hard core, bone-fide angel
and in her short life, she'd already had a taste of
hell
.-JACY-Despair. Heartbreak. Silence. That was all I'd grown to know, until
he
showed up next door.The handsome, tattooed stranger had the kind of eyes that were hard to look away from, and he gazed at me as if we'd been friends or even lovers in a different life. He looked at me as if he knew me, and
suddenly I had this flash of feeling as if I was right where I was supposed to be.
Hard Core is a full-length, standalone novel.Contains mature content. Intended for readers 18+
Touchdown
Roxy Sinclaire - 2016
I never wanted him. But if I don’t, my mom will end her relationship with me. I am only interested in the quarterback who I cheered for on the sidelines, even though I hate his guts. Regardless, I can’t deny what my body and heart desired. But we are about to graduate and go our separate ways. What am I going to do? Martin: I’ve always loved her, but I’m poorer than she knows... Playing my last year in college as the star quarterback people thought I was, it was bittersweet. I hope I get drafted into the NFL to be able to help pay my family back for all they’ve done, and get them out of that trailer. But that would mean being far from Alexa. She was the cheerleader I always wanted by my side. But man, she could be so stuck up sometimes! That was until our friends locked us up in the dorm and wouldn’t let us leave til we sorted things out. I have no idea what will happen next… This is a full length bad boy sports novel, with NO cliffhanger, NO cheating, and a happily ever after. For a limited time, includes the full length novel, Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance.
Ditched
R.C. Boldt - 2018
Once the new shine wears off, you may end up with a case of buyer’s remorse.That’s where I come in. I set the backdrop and coach you through the breakup.Don't want overblown drama, hard feelings, or a drink tossed in your face? Then I'm your fairy godmother, child.BECKET JONESAs an NFL quarterback, endorsement ads and the media pandering after me are all part of the game.Ivy Hayes is the first woman who doesn't care about my money and the notoriety that goes along with it.But I'm a long-term guy, and she operates strictly in the now. Which means I need to bring my A-game.Otherwise, I’ll end up getting ditched.**Ditched is a sports romance/contemporary romance with a bit of a twist. It is a standalone, full-length novel.**
The Guardian Groom
Lucy McConnell - 2018
Bree Phelts is shy, enjoys reading, and spends her free time helping her mom. Her biggest worry is figuring out a grand prize for the summer reading program. Her black and white life is splashed with color when Owen Mattox, a professional football player, asks her to step out from behind the refreshment table and dance. He’s wrong for her on so many levels but just what her heart needed to wake up. Devastated when he’s dumped by the only woman he ever imagined marrying, Owen Mattox pulls his heart in tight and doesn’t let go. He’s worked so hard to isolate himself from love—and the pain that comes when it’s lost—that he practically a recluse. He doesn’t even hang with the other Texas Titans players and builds his home outside of Dallas for privacy. The fewer people in his life, the fewer chances of getting hurt. But he can’t deny his interest in the quiet librarian and once they dance, he’s hooked. But Owen doesn’t open his heart easily which means Bree will have to overcome her shyness and be her own hero—instead of reading about one—in order to save the love that’s budding between them.
Hard Luck
Liv Morris - 2016
Hot shot. MVP.I've been called it all.I was the real deal, baby.The diamond was my battlefield.Women were the victory celebration.My "Lucky" streak was a given.On and off the field.Then I slept with the wrong woman,And she cursed me.Literally.Turned my game upside-down,In the ballpark...and bedroom.Now my team is paying the price.My last hope is Cali Jones,A smart and sexy physician assistant.Her Midas touch may fix my swing,Repair my equipment.But will it be enough to cure my hard luck?
Cocky Chef
J.D. Hawkins - 2017
But when you're the best at what you do and have the hottest restaurant on the west coast, with enough Michelin stars to make Gordon Ramsay's head spin, you've earned the right to your confidence.When I give an instruction in the kitchen, it's not a suggestion--it's an order. So when a new chef thinks she can do things her way, and dares to say so to my face, even her sharp wit and gorgeous pouty lips don't make it okay. But I have to admit, she's got talent. She's creative in the kitchen and not even that double-breasted chef jacket can hide her perfect body. As I get to know her, I can't help wanting to know everything she thinks. I've never met a more talented chef. And I've never met a sassier and sexier woman in my life. There's only one way this push and pull can end.With her in my bed, begging for more.
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.
Game Changer
Amelia Whitmore - 2016
Hunky seatmate Aiden, who is heading to a buddy’s nuptials, is a sweet distraction from her fear of flying, but she expects her flirtation with the pro football player to end with the flight. In the airport, they discover that Emily’s sister is marrying Aiden’s friend. As the two wedding attendants spend time together in the days leading up to the nuptials, Emily finds herself falling for Aiden—until a pregnant woman crashes the wedding and claims that Aiden is her fiancé and the father of her baby. Emily rushes home to Houston, where she tries to become a hermit, if only her friends and brother would let her. How could she know how much her life would be transformed before her next trip to Cancún?
Rush Me
Allison Parr - 2013
Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school.But when Ryan's rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday-night dinners for half a dozen football players.Over pancake brunches, charity galas and Alexander the Great, Rachael realizes all the judgments she'd made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love—even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.89,000 words
The Friend Zone
Sariah Wilson - 2019
Now the Texas star player with a bad temper has a new option: Seattle’s EOL College—as in End of the Line, to his fellow misfit recruits. It’s Logan’s last chance. If he can follow the rules. No parties, no fighting, no swearing, and oh, no dating the coach’s daughter, Jess. Simple. Yeah, right. For Logan, there has never been a rule he’s more tempted to break.The deal is “just friends.” The pretty, confident, and fiercely smart math whiz is fine with pizza, tutoring, and keeping Logan in line. But the closer Jess gets, the more receptive she is to his warm heart and spirit—not to mention his irresistible off-field passes. With defenses down, they’re both heading into the danger zone.It’s more than thrilling. It’s love. It’s also a game changer that could sideline Logan’s NFL goals—and more important, a future with Jess. But dreams are worth fighting for, right?
The Plan
Karla Sorensen - 2022
Especially if he's anything like Erik Wilder: former football player, world class know-it-all and unapologetic grump. To be clear, I didn't want a bodyguard (hence the fake dating idea). Most days, I can’t figure out why he wants the job either. We drive each other insane, probably because we’re as opposite as two people can be. He’s suspicious, never talks about his past and has the comfort skills of a cactus. I’m a happily ever after kinda girl who knows exactly what she wants out of life. Erik’s words might say that the lines have to stay firm between us, but those dark eyes of his? They tell another story when he looks at me. He’s just as stubborn as I am, but when our fake dating plan starts to feel a lot more real, it's only a matter of time before his professional walls come crashing down. I just have to hope my heart doesn't get buried in the rubble.
I Love You, I Hate You
Elizabeth Davis - 2021
Elizabeth Davis just became an auto-buy author for me' Annette Christie, author of The RehearsalsVictoria and Owen are bitter rivals.Nora and Luke are friends online.Who would believe these two couples have anything in common?Of all the decisions brilliant lawyer Victoria Clemenceaux has made in her life, an unforgettable one-night stand with her opposing counsel Owen Pohl is either the worst...or the best.One thing is certain: these long-standing rivals aren't going to let their searing attraction stop them from winning the biggest case of their careers. Thankfully Victoria and Owen have someone to vent to about their nemeses. But they have no idea that their online 'friends', Nora and Luke, are the very people they hate in real life.As Nora and Luke grow closer online, and Victoria and Owen find their undeniable attraction harder to resist, the lines between love and hate blur. When the truth comes out, will their online chemistry work in the real world, or will their constant rivalry sever their connection?