Book picks similar to
Hard Stick by Paige North


sports
romance
contemporary
sports-romance

Dirty Player


Gwyn McNamee - 2020
    Only one word can describe Sebastian “Bash” Fury…DIRTY.He’s dirty hot.A dirty talker.And a dirty player.On the ice, he truly earns his nickname.He bashes opponents without regard for the rules or safety.Which is precisely why I can’t have him on my team.As the first female head coach in the NHL, all eyes are on me, waiting for me to fail.A man like Bash Fury is a liability who could ruin my career.Even worse, he’ll destroy my willpower.I should despise that cocky bastard.But something about his swagger and quick smile make him irresistibly charming.Despite my best efforts, things are heating up and the ice around my heart is starting to melt…All because of this dirty player.

The Ninth Inning


J. Sterling - 2020
    If he doesn’t get drafted this year, he’ll be forced to hang up his cleats for good. It's not something he’s ready to do. To prove he’s serious about his final season, he’s given up girls. No more casual hookups, dates or one-night stands. But there's one girl who has always refused to give up on him. One girl who has been there since the start of Freshman year. One girl he stupidly assumed would always be waiting for him when he got off the field, no matter how long it took. Christina's had enough of Cole pushing her aside for baseball. She’s grown tired of waiting for him to see what she’s known since they were freshmen… that they are good together. She’s finally moved on- for good this time. Cole has other ideas, but she refuses to cave. It’s not her problem if he wants her now. Too little too late. There comes a point in your life when you have to stop the incessant merry-go-round and just get off the ride, right? Try telling that to Cole.

Delayed Penalty


Shey Stahl - 2013
    As long as the non-offending team maintains possession, the referee allows play to continue and signals a delayed penalty by raising his arm.I’m Evan Mason, an NHL hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks. I spend my nights roughing up two hundred pound defensemen and, at times, spend more time in the penalty box than I do on the ice.That’s my job. One night changed everything I thought I once knew about my life on, and off, the ice. A girl. A brutally beaten girl left to die in an alley.I don’t know why or how but something made me stay that night after taking her to the hospital. I didn’t know her, nor did I have an obligation to stay but something inside of me rooted me there telling me I should stay. Saving a life is worth something. At least I thought so. And I wouldn’t have been me if I just simply left her there. Any man who put his heart and soul into a game of hockey couldn’t just walk away when someone needed them. She had no one else right now. The same guy who saw determination where there was desire, now saw hope where there was once despair.I couldn’t leave. That wouldn’t be me. No, not a man that put all he had into something some called just a game. I couldn’t walk away from her holding onto life, weak and powerless to something she had no control over.So I stayed. In a room full of family members praying for their loved ones to pull through, I prayed for a girl I didn’t know and had never met before, to have a beating heart. While others’ sorrows turned to grieving pain, I sat waiting on the words of the unknown.No bond is stronger than the ones you’ll bleed for.

Love Under Quarantine


Kylie Scott - 2020
    With a career-ending scandal on his back, Evan hides out in his best friend’s empty San Francisco home, the full city shutdown locking him in a lonely twenty-story apartment in the sky.Romance writer Sadie Walsh is having the worst case of writer’s block ever…until the incredible, muscular stranger staying next door gets her muse going strong. The pair of loners, never expecting to find a friend in all the madness, meet each day out on their balconies like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet.Each new day brings unique challenges for the pair as they navigate the unknown and find solace together. They quickly figure out that as long as they have one another, they can handle anything.Even falling in love under quarantine.

Crush: A Valentine's Day Romance


Aubrey Wright - 2019
    She’s my childhood enemy. And very off limits. We were eighteen when we first met. She was stepping out of the pool. A goddess rising from the water. I was the cocky prick that said everything wrong. My attempt to hide my real desire. We didn’t act back then, but now we’re all grown up. And a blind Valentine's date is about to throw us into the fire. If the wrong people find out about our relationship, we’re screwed. My enemy just stepped into the lion’s den. And this lion’s hungry.

Lines


Anna B. Doe - 2018
    For the shy, nerdy girl-next-door that she is, high school is torture and all she wants is for it to be over. Having her heart broken by a popular, womanizing boy all those years ago doesn’t help the matters. Nor does his best friend who still has a habit of mercilessly teasing her. Now, she only has one year left, one year to be invisible before she can move on with her life.Derek King doesn’t do drama, but his life is all about drama once Maximillian Sanders steps foot into his town, his school, and into Amelia’s life. Max is always around, and he is making her smile again. But the boy who once broke her heart isn’t ready to let her go. Older and wiser, Derek isn’t about to let someone take away what he wants, and he wants Amelia.She's set on not believing in him and on not getting her heart broken once again. He is set on showing her wrong.She says she hates him, but maybe the line between past and present, love and hate is thinner than she ever realized.

Admit You Want Me


Taylor Holloway - 2018
    Oops. He’ll never hear me confess how incredible he was that night or how much it hurt to lose him.Did I mention we'll be working side by side at his bar all summer long?I hate how much he still makes me blush and squirm, but I can't deny the feeling I get when he's protecting me from handsy drunks and evil ex-boyfriends.The longer I'm around his penetrating gaze, easy smile, and alpha attitude, the more likely a relapse becomes. Can I look into those arrogant, knowing eyes without admitting how much I want him?Admit You Want Me is a sweet and sexy second chance romance featuring a bold alpha hero who’s about to meet his match in a feisty, smart-mouthed heroine.Each Lone Star Lovers book shares locations, events and characters, so don't be surprised if you see your favorites show up again in a new couple's story! While they are written in order you can still read each as a standalone. This is the first book in the series.

Warning Track


Carrie Aarons - 2020
    Except she never expected her father would have to go to prison for the role to become hers.The public, and even her own family, are counting on the first female to wear the title to fail. Hoping to wipe the slate clean and clear the club’s name, Colleen vows to put her job above everything else. Friends, a social life, her well-being, and most of all, love.Until she meets the team’s new star player. Their chemistry is instant, igniting the stadium and her heart. But the last thing she needs is a distraction, much less a surly God of the clay diamond who seems to despise her.Fate has other plans, though. If they’re found out, it could mean the end of both of their careers. Except hurtling so close to the danger zone has never felt more right.Hayes Swindell would prefer hell over the place he ended up.After a series of bribes and blackmail gone bad, the league’s most desirable veteran superstar finds himself playing on a team that he wants no part of. The family who runs this dynasty is corrupt, and he’s spent his career avoiding limelight exactly like this.With a chip on his shoulder and the intention to hightail it out of Pennsylvania as soon as his one-year contract is up, he has no plans to fall for the very woman he should stay away from.In his ten years in the league, he’s never once gotten bit by the love bug. But the moment he lays eyes on her, Hayes can see his days are numbered. When the forbidden happens, he has a decision to make.Should they head for disaster together, risking it all, or course-correct and save themselves the ultimate price of heartbreak and scandal?

Bedroom Rodeo


Sarah J. Brooks - 2017
    But now I want her in my bed… In my billionaire empire, business always comes first. But as a single dad, this is a real issue. I have to be away for a while and I need help. And that help is Summer Edwards, my new, gorgeous as sin nanny. She takes great care of my kids, but I want her to take care of me too. She makes my children happier than they’ve ever been. And for that I want to make her happy. So happy that she screams my name in ecstasy. But will she let me? She only wants to stay for 30 days… *** Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride! This is a steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***

Hooked


June Winters - 2017
    Or you will be fired." As the newest "ice babe" for the Colorado Blizzard, I'm not too worried about breaking that rule. I know a thing or two about fending off hockey players looking to score. At least, that's what I thought ... until I caught the eye of Blizzard captain and heart-throb Hunter Rockwell. No matter how many times I turn the troubled star down, he's convinced I'm just playing hard to get -- and he doesn't care how much hot water his flirting lands me in. If I were being perfectly honest? Sure, I'd love to spend a few minutes in the sin bin with the chiseled stud ... but I'd never risk my job for a filthy rich athlete with a dirty reputation. But with Hunter stepping up his game on and off the ice to win me over, telling him no is getting harder than ever. It doesn't help that everyone already suspects there's something between us. And maybe they're right. Hunter swears no one will find out ... but I know we're bound to get caught. And then he'll toss my broken heart to the ice, just like all the others. So why am I letting myself get hooked on Hunter? Hooked is a 50,000 word hockey romance! This stand-alone novel is the first entry in the Colorado Blizzard series. Narrated in alternating first person. No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed.

Damaged: A Contemporary Romance Box Set


R.R. Banks - 2018
    These hot alpha males will have you begging for more.  Book 1 - DamagedI was alone on my mountain.Till Charlotte came...I saved her, but she can't remember her past.And I can't forget mine.Trapped together by the winter storm.But I'll keep her safe and warm.Someone wants to harm her...He doesn't know who he's f*cking with.I'll protect her, no matter the cost. Book 2 - His PropertyThe mafia made me what I am.Men bow down to me. Women submit to me.Harper was supposed to be collateral. Now she's mine.A strawberry blonde virgin with curves that could kill.They want to sell her, but I already own her.They said they're coming for me.I can lose my life. But I won't lose her... Book 3 - ForbiddenOne kiss sealed her submission.I marked her. Possessed her. Taught her.Now that she is carrying my baby...Can I protect the two of them... or will I lose it all?Book 4 - The Wedding ProposalShe's my best friend's little sister.I wanted to protect her in the past, but I f*cked up.Years passed. She's my new secretary.I gave her a proposal. We made a contract.She thinks our marriage has an expiration date...Will the past ruin my future with her and my child? Book 5 - Holiday HeatCristina showed me what I was missing.Now, the holidays will never be the same. Warning: This box-set contains 5 steamy full-length standalone romance novels. Be prepared to be hooked til the very end.

On the Surface


Kate Willoughby - 2014
    After "Bottlegate," he's traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he'll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who's never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim's autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can't get her to see beyond what's on the surface, they'll never last longer than a single season…

Rekindled


Ashlee Price - 2017
    She's feisty yet sweet.Innocent but f#ckin' sexy.She can be so intoxicating.Her touch is sweet like honey.Each time I see those eyes, those lips, that body...I just want to make her mine. (again and again and again)Leaving her was a mistake. Now I'm back to win her over.And I won't take no for answer.Rekindled is a stand-alone surprise baby, second chance, billionaire romance with a guaranteed HEA. Also includes an exclusive never before published dirty fairy tale romance: Sinderella.

Love & Hockey


Monty Jay - 2020
    It seems his entire life all people have done is leave. So what does a man do when he has so little? He pours everything into the only thing that he has left. Hockey. This sport has brought him a family, hope, something to work for, but what was the one thing he never expected for it to bring him? A green-eyed, wild child with a soul that brings him back home.Valor Sullivan was raised on the ice by a single father who inspired her love for hockey. With a mouth that would make a sailor blush, and fiery red hair she is a force to be reckoned with on and off the ice. There doesn’t seem to be anything hard work won’t get her. Well, everything but him. Bishop is her Endgame. The only problem? He’s eight years older and one of her father's closest friends.Fate blurs the lines of past and present to pull these two together. The only question is...Were they always meant to be? Or damned from the start?Love & Hockey is a standalone, age-gap romance. It deals with sensitive material that may be triggering to some.

Long


B.B. Hamel - 2016
     Gibson Evans is the best college football quarterback in the country. He’s tall, broad, tattooed, and so incredibly handsome. And he got me pregnant. It was supposed to be just one night, but a broken condom changed all of our plans forever. People treat him like a hero, but I think he’s a total prick. Gibson gets whatever he wants, and now suddenly he wants me. But I have enough to deal with. I have to stop daydreaming about his hands between my thighs and concentrate on having this baby while still managing to graduate on time. He wants to make a deal. If I promise to spend time with him, he’ll help me with my final biology research. That means an entire semester of studying Gibson’s body. I’m not sure I can do this. One second I can’t stand to be around him, and the next I’m touching his ripped muscles and trying to suppress my excitement. I’m terrified he’ll ruin everything if I let this become more than just work. Long is incredibly steamy and features some very dirty language. It’s only recommended for audiences 18+. Long is a standalone, full-length novel. No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA. **For a limited time, Long includes Smash: A Stepbrother MMA Romance**