Book picks similar to
Playing the Game by J.L. Paul


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Incognito


Siobhan Davis - 2018
     Dakota’s dreams of attending Juilliard were shattered the night tragedy struck her family. Now she’s now enrolled at a local university trying to piece her life back together. Shawn is one of the world’s most famous faces, having lived under a spotlight since his star exploded when he was a young teen. Jaded by an industry forcing him to perform music he no longer enjoys, he craves normalcy and the opportunity to rediscover his muse. When a crazy stalker gets too close, and death threats start mounting, Shawn’s management team comes up with a plan—one which will allow him to work on his latest album while staying incognito on a college campus. Romance is the last thing on Dakota’s mind, but after she crosses paths with a hot, prickly cutie with rock-hard abs and smoldering good looks, she can’t shake him from her thoughts. Shawn can’t afford to bring any girl into his fucked-up life, but the gorgeous blonde with the sad blue eyes captivates him in a way no girl ever has, and he finds himself falling hard and fast. But outside forces are conspiring against them. When danger draws closer, and secrets are revealed, will their love survive?

Fighter


Tijan - 2015
    Wanting out of that life, she left for college, but on her first morning back home for the holidays, she’s back to chasing after a bail jumper. When she realizes the jumper is her ex-boyfriend, Jax, Dale gets dragged into helping him evade her brothers so he can win an underground fighting competition. Jax has to win the competition to help his sister, but soon sparks fly between Jax and Dale. Old wounds are reopened, and Dale may need help herself because she’s close to falling back in love with her Fighter. Novella*

Coach Me


Shanora Williams - 2020
    When I met Amber Lakes, I had no idea that she’d become a shining star in my dark, miserable life.Her smile was never supposed to warm my heart, and the sight of her tears was never supposed to make me want to hunt down the person who’d caused them.We were never supposed to touch, or kiss, or do so many dirty things on campus that I knew could jeopardize my career...None of it was supposed to happen because she’s the student—my athlete—and I’m her college track coach.I could lose everything by being with her, but I’ve fallen too damn hard, and despite how big the risks are, it’s too late to turn back now.

Jersey Girl


Rhonda James - 2016
    Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love. And then he meets her. There's just one problem. She's the sister of his best friend, and he’s been warned that she’s off-limits…Cassie Rivers is a musician desperately in need of a do-over. Leaving the past behind, she transfers to GLU in search of something, or someone, that inspires her. And then she meets him. Her brother's best friend and teammate. But according to the Bro Code he's supposed to be off limits…You’ve heard what they say about forbidden fruit… One taste is more addictive than one of them is ready to admit. Will he keep skating away from love? Or has this player finally found his Jersey Girl?

Out of Play


Nyrae Dawn - 2013
    But the last place he expected to do it is in Seldon, Alaska. And the last person he wants to do it with is Penny Jones.Fiery, headstrong Penny has zero in common with the cocky, too-hot-for-his-own-good Bishop, and she'd like to keep it that way. But the more Bishop gets under her skin, the more she wants to let him in. And the more Penny lets him see, the more Bishop wants to know this stubborn girl with the killer body and soulful eyes.The simmering heat between them won't go away, no matter how hard either of them tries. Their time together in Alaska may be running out—but so is their resolve for not taking a chance on love.

Strings


Kendall Grey - 2013
    The vile, base language and shocking, unholy sexual acts contained herein are not condoned by anyone with a lick of sense and should certainly not be reproduced without proper training and protection. The potty-mouthed and perpetually horny "heroine" (the term is used loosely) of this book does not resemble a normal, well-adjusted, or remotely believable person in any way, shape, or form. The author acknowledges that the characters in this book are shallow and two-dimensional; the plot is both ridiculous and insipid. She makes no apologies for any of it.* Readers are strongly advised to wear latex gloves whilst reading to minimize contamination risks.Free-spirited musician Letty Dillinger adheres to a strict, “no strings attached” policy when it comes to men. After a wild night of unabashed sex in a fancy hotel room, she never expects to see the adventurous stud she dubs “Shades” again. When her all-girl rock trio books a tour at the last minute as the opening act for their archenemies, Letty’s shocked to discover she knows the competition’s new lead singer. Intimately. Shades is no longer a one-night stand. Now he’s the guy she has to one-up on stage every night for the sake of her career.Sharing close quarters on a bus with her sexy nemesis and his bad-boy buddies puts Letty’s Golden Rule to the test. On this tour, guitar strings aren’t the only things being played. And when heartstrings are pulled too hard, they’re bound to snap sooner or later.

Cherry Beats


Vicki James - 2019
    Bryan Adams. Presley West. My favourite men of music. Only one of them within reach. The night before Presley West was due to leave our small town of Hollings Hill, all of my high school fantasies came to life. He finally wanted me. Eight years I’d spent pining, and now I, bar-tending Tessa Lisbon, was going to make damn sure I made that night count before the music industry stole him. Never screw your idols. That’s what they say, right? Well, I did, and I did it well. So well, I somehow managed to screw my own heart in the process. He gave me one night to convince him to stay. In the end, I begged him to go. Forever. But that’s the thing about rock stars: they do what they want, when they want, and forever didn’t end up being as long as I expected. Presley was back, and with his face, voice, and music now everywhere I turned, I officially had nowhere left to run.

Shameless King


Maya Hughes - 2018
    Voted Biggest Flirt. Highest goal scorer in Kings of Rittenhouse Prep history. Everyone’s impressed, well except one person…After a blow out in high school, Makenna Halstead and I were happy to never have to cross paths again. Except life has a way of knocking you straight in the teeth with a puck when you least expect it. She hasn’t just returned to my life, she crashed into it like a wrecking ball...into my college kingdom, into my class, and smack dab into the seat next to mine. My new lab partner to be exact. For years we hated each other... I may be King on the ice, but she is the Ice Queen. She has no problem calling me out, doesn’t back down, and her piercing blue eyes have me picturing more than than just my arms wrapped around her. Now we’re stuck with each other and there’s no getting around that fact that we have to work together. My hockey career hangs in the balance. Problem? Oh, yeah.I can’t deny it. I want her. More than I ever thought I could want a woman. I’ve got one semester–only four months–to convince her everything she thought about me was wrong. Will my queen let me prove to her I’m the King she can’t live without? Only one way to find out...

Hold My Breath


Ginger Scott - 2016
    One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell.I would know.They say the average person can hold their breath under water for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger brother Evan be the one to shine.Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds—and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

Only When It's Us


Chloe Liese - 2020
    Why she hates me, I don't know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I'll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.  Willa Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence. I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it's war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet. Only When It’s Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, college sports romance about a women’s soccer star and her surly lumberjack lookalike classmate, complete with a matchmaking professor, juvenile pranks, and a smoking slow burn. This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

Rock My World


Sharisse Coulter - 2013
    Or so she thought. From rock star heiress to knocked-up has been, she turned it all around, marrying the punk rock baby daddy love of her life. The perfect Hollywood fairytale. Until the day she walked in on him kissing her best friend.As she struggles to find herself and redefine the world around her, she faces the challenges of raising her over-achieving teenage daughter, the heartbreak of losing her best friend (backstabbing aside), and emerging from the shadows of two famous last names to find her own identity. Oh, there’s also the tiny issue of her husband’s record label, backed by an anonymous mogul whose morally ambiguous creative direction may ruin them all.But she doesn’t know about that yet.

Kozart


J. Nathan - 2019
    At twenty-five, he's got it all. Money. Fame. And the adoration of fans everywhere. He thought that was enough to make him forget his past. Enough to transform his distrusting heart. Turns out that's not how it works...Then he meets a bridesmaid hiding out in a hotel bar. Probably the only girl on the planet who doesn't know who he is. But she seems to be the one girl who can give him something no one else can.College senior, Aubrey Prescott, is trying to escape humiliation. While drowning her sorrows in a hotel bar, she meets a handsome stranger. One who quickly makes her forget why she's there. One who, after an unforgettable night, disappears without a second glance.But you know what they say about things that disappear...They have a way of reappearing when you least expect them to.STANDALONE #1 in the Savage Beasts rock star series.

Rise


Karina Bliss - 2015
    Acclaimed literary biographer Elizabeth Winston writes about long-dead heroes. So bad-boy rock icon Zander Freedman couldn’t possibly tempt her to write his memoir. Except the man is a mass of fascinating contradictions–manipulative, honest, gifted, charismatic and morally ambiguous. In short, everything she seeks in a biography subject. When in her life will she get another chance to work with a living legend? But saying yes to one temptation soon leads to another. Suddenly she’s having heated fantasies about her subject, fantasies this blue-eyed devil is only too willing to stoke. She thought self-control was in her DNA; after all, she grew up a minister’s daughter. She thought wrong. Rock star Zander Freedman has been an outlier–many would say an outcast–for most of his life. But there’s no disaster he can’t overcome, from the breakup of his band to the inevitable damage to his reputation. His Resurrection Tour is shaping up to be his greatest triumph–if his golden voice holds out. Contracting a respected biographer is simply about creating more buzz. Elizabeth’s integrity is the key to consolidating his legacy as one of rock’s greats. All the damn woman has to do is write down what he tells her. Not force him to think. Or encourage the good guy struggling to get out. And certainly not make him fall in love for the first time in his life. Turns out he is scared of something: being known.

Swinging Strike


Kimberly Readnour - 2020
    That same cocky attitude is what landed him in my anonymous gossip column. Believe me, I, Cara Gonzalez, don’t want anything to do with him.But he’s everywhere.In my class.In my dorm.In my mind.I left this type of drama back home. Transferring to Cessna University is my chance for a redo.And regardless of his rock-hard abs and panty-dropping smile,Arguing with an athlete isn’t one of my goals.My instincts betray me, though.This attraction feels different.Stronger.I have no choice but to stand my ground. Because this time, I’m afraid I’ll not only be hurt. I’ll end up gutted.Book One in the Cessna U Wildcats series, Swinging Strike is an enemy to lovers, stand-alone romance. If you like sexy, hot baseball players, add Braxton Smith to your TBR list.

Unwritten Rules


M.A. Stacie - 2011
    Jonah Quinn is withdrawn for good reason; he harbors a dark secret. Can one night of passion between the two of them lead to more than casual glances exchanged at their mailboxes? Will Elle be strong enough to help Jonah with his personal demons. And will Jonah break his silence regarding a past that haunts him? The Rules for this relationship are Unwritten. A story of longing, love, and forgiveness.