Book picks similar to
The Captain by Josie Blake


sports-romance
sports
college
fake-relationship

Juicy Rebound


Toni Aleo - 2019
    However, his marriage has gone up in flames… literally. He’s resigned himself to the single life and being the best dog dad he can be, but he still holds out hope that one day he’ll find “The One.” So, imagine his surprise when he runs into “The One Who Got Away.” Amelia Justice.His best friend’s baby sister.AKA: “The One Who Is Totally Off-Limits.”Amelia is broken. The punches that life, and her ex-husband, have thrown at her have her down for the count. She’s cut herself off from her family and friends as she works to rebuild her self-esteem and her spirit. Hidden away in a small town, she never expects to reconnect with “The One She Should Have Chosen.” Chandler is so much more than he was in college: more handsome, more muscular, more tattooed… It was supposed to be a casual fling while Amelia and Chandler worked to put the pieces of their lives back together. But as every good hockey player knows, a rebound can turn into one hell of a goal.

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?

The Rulebreaker


Claire Contreras - 2021
    He rooted for me at my soccer games. I cheered for him at his hockey tournaments. Through heartbreaks, new relationships, and failed friendships, we knew we could always count on each other. That's why no one is more surprised--or panicked-- than I am when I start to develop different feelings for him. But Instead of telling him the truth, I agree to help him find a girlfriend. Someone who is not me. Someone who is so opposite of me that I have to make a list for the charade. The problem is, he wants to practice his dating skills with me. The corny pickup lines, the hand-holding, the door opening, the staring. Before this, I thought sharing a house with him was an excellent idea. Who wouldn’t want to room with their best friend? Now, the close proximity is killing me. What’s worse is that I can’t stop looking at him like he’s a Greek god, and he can’t stop seeing me as his virginal little sister. Still, I push it aside, until one night, when he’s lying beside me in bed and I’m the one who forgets the rules and crosses the line between friends and something more. It’s a horrible idea. He’s a player. I’m a virgin. Yet, I can’t seem to stop myself. New item on my list: DO NOT FALL FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND.

Power Play


Alley Ciz - 2019
    if they’re on your brothers’ team. The last time Jordan did that, it ended in disaster. It was easy to promise her brothers she'd never date another one of their teammates again. Until she meets Jake. The spark she feels when she spends time with him makes her promise harder and harder to keep. Surely her brothers would understand breaking this promise if it means following her heart. Wouldn't they? Never sleep with a teammate’s sister. This is the universal rule of athletes everywhere. Until he meets Jordan. As soon as Jake sets eyes on her, he wants her. The goalie's job is to see missed shots and failed opportunities on the ice. This is one shot he's not going to miss, no matter what obstacles get in his way. POWER PLAY is a flirty, swoon worthy sexy rom-com and the first book in the BTU Alumni series. It can be read as a stand alone. If you like hockey boys, sarcastic friends, matchmaking K9’s, too-cute-to-handle kindergarteners, fierce heroines and swoony hot as puck Alpha heroes, then you want to get to know these cast of characters. One puck head and a HEA guaranteed.

Jackson: Against the Boards


Zoe Beth Geller - 2020
    He's not looking for a committed relationship but when he meets Olivia in a country bar, he is scrambling to make the night last longer than expected.Olivia's is always on the defensive with men. But her list of college experiences still has a box that hasn't been checked off. She's still waiting for her first boyfriend.Meeting Jackson has her sliding off her barstool and she decides there's no harm in a hot fling, she may never get this opportunity again. She'd love to have a boyfriend, but she'll take what she can get as graduation is right around the corner. Besides, Jackson is a jock, and surely, he has plenty of other girls lined up after her. But one thing leads to another.Graduation is looming around the corner and he hasn’t said those three little words that she’s been waiting for or defining where they stand. To complicated matters more, his parents fly into town for a family get together bringing his old high school sweetheart with them. What could possibly go wrong?Against the Boards is a passionate romance between the sexiest player on the college team and Olivia, the Denver native who is searching for her first boyfriend. This is a standalone novel in The Sin Bin Hockey Series.

All In


Bella Matthews - 2020
    Not her twin brother. Not the threats of a jealous ex. Not even myself. Now I just need to convince her.She’s it for me. She’s the end game.I’m all in.

Breakaway


Ali Parker - 2016
    He’s hard-hitting, rough and puts up with very little. He’s kept to himself throughout his years at Providence University, but it’s time to train the next man up in line for his position. His second on the Hockey team has a twin sister that catches everyone’s eye and leaves most of the guys acting like idiots, but Lucas isn’t interested. Girls are too needy, too catty and a pain in butt. Plain and simple. Aubrey Moore’s had her eye on the captain of the hockey team for the last few years since her brother, Jayce joined the team. He’s known for being a complete jerk, but Aubrey’s had the pleasure of seeing around the edges of his personality and wants to know him more. Now she just has to figure out how to help him breakaway from being so jaded and join her in the best adventure anyone could embark on -love. 18+ Explicit sexual content, possible foul language and violence. **HEA - these novels are all within the Pro-U series, but are about different couples at the university and should stand-alone.

Snatched


Harper James - 2016
     Recent transfer, new quarterback, rumored bad news, and my new tutoring student. He’s cocky as hell, smart-mouthed, and thinks he owns me the way he owns his opponents on the field. But he’s wrong. I have plans. Goals. And I’m not about to get deterred by some sexy football player who screws anything that walks. Except…before I know it, his cocky, dirty mouth is whispering nasty things in my ear. And soon our tutoring sessions are becoming less about me teaching him math, and more about him teaching me how good his mouth feels between my legs, how to get him off, how hard and fast he can make me come. I’m determined not to fall for him. But off the field, Finn Thorne only plays dirty… *SNATCHED is a standalone sports romance with a guaranteed HEA*

Playing for Keeps


Kendall Ryan - 2019
    Elise Parrish, my teammate's incredibly sweet and gorgeous younger sister, should have been off-limits, but my hockey stick didn't get the memo. After our team won the championship, our flirting turned physical, and I took her to bed. Then shame sent her running the next morning from our catastrophic mistake. She thinks I don't remember that night - but every detail is burned into my brain so deeply, I'll never forget. The feel of her in my arms, the soft whimpers of pleasure I coaxed from her perfect lips....And now I've spent three months trying to get her out of my head, but I'm starting to understand she's the only girl I'll ever want. I have one shot to show her I can be exactly what she needs, but Elise won't be easily convinced. That's okay, because I'm good under pressure, and this time, I'm playing for keeps.Get ready to meet your new favorite hot jocks in an all new stand-alone novel. If you like sexy, confident men who know how to handle a stick (on and off the ice), and smart women who are strong enough to keep all those big egos in check, this series of athlete romances is perfect for you!

Wildcat


Max Monroe - 2018
    Mile-high courting and an intense pursuit to win her heart are just the beginning.Attention, fame—even, public scrutiny find their way into the mix. It should be simple, right?Wrong.Because, in the end, not everyone wants to see the small town girl find love with the superstar.Good thing Quinn Bailey knows how to win.Game on, baby.From the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of TAPPING THE BILLIONAIRE comes a hilarious and sexy standalone about chance encounters and finding true love.

Just Say Yes


Samantha Lind - 2017
    He gets to fulfill his dream playing professional hockey, has a loving family, and a tight group of friends. But the one thing missing in his life is a partner to come home to. He knows exactly who he wants to fill that position– the only woman he has ever loved. The one who got away, who constantly consumes his every thought. What it would take to get her to Just Say Yes to a second chance? Becca Phillips is an independent woman who has made her career as an ER nurse a priority in her life. She has a loving family and a best friend by her side, but she can’t seem to get over her first love, Scott. Insecurities led her to break up with him years ago when he started climbing the ranks in professional hockey and, for eight years, Becca has avoided Scott when he returns home each summer. Can she overcome her fears and allow love back into her life? All she has to do is Just Say Yes to the one and only man she has ever loved.

Dirty Curve


Meagan Brandy - 2021
    She does.  But I don’t want to steal her time anymore. I want to earn it. If anyone can do that, it’s me. I’m Tobias Cruz, the king of the curveball. I don’t lose. Not the game, and surely not the girl. Little did I know, this girl has a secret...and it’s the dirtiest curve yet. ___From USA TODAY & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes an all-new standalone romance set in college about a hotshot pitcher and the girl who never saw coming.

Till It Hurts


Cora Brent - 2021
    Expect hate banter, plot twists, scorching chemistry and all the feels of a small town romance.No one would say that our story is pretty.But we were in love before we hated each other. And we were friends long before that. Growing up, I saw Jace Zielinski every day. He lived next door. I cheered him on at football games. I gave him advice on girls. He was my brother’s best friend and the three of us were inseparable. I didn’t realize I’d already fallen for Jace until the hot summer night when we kissed for the first time. Our magical season felt like destiny. And then came the disaster that tore us all to shreds. I lost Jace. I lost my brother. In many ways I lost myself. Ten years later, Jace is untouchable in a world of pro athlete fame and glory. I never wanted to see him again and I’d definitely never pick him to be my hero.Not even when I’m broke and terrified and running for my life. But it seems I have no choice. Somehow we’re both back in the same place where we started.I have nowhere else to go and Jace refuses to leave.We’re no longer the same kids who fell in love years ago.Since then, we’ve become something cruel and terrible.That doesn’t mean we’ll keep our hands to ourselves.If anything, I want Jace more than ever.And we’re foolish enough to repeat our own turbulent history.Both the parts that felt crazy good.And the parts that hurt the most.

Player


E. Cleveland - 2020
    Or that he's a legend on skates.And, yeah, I know it's a double entendre. I'm well aware of his reputation for hooking up with half the girls at Westbury. I've had a front row seat to the bunny parade.Still, I won't call him Player. That's not who he is to me. That's never who he's been to me. He's Noah Foster. My best friend. The boy I grew up with. The guy who knows me better than anyone.Well, except there is one secret I've never told him. I haven't exactly been open with him about how I'm still a card carrying member of the V-card-club.But, when Noah needs me to tutor him for his exam, I get an idea. What if I teach him a little science, and the Player teaches me how to play?

Outmatched


Kristen Callihan - 2019
    When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she’d be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are “settled.” Thankfully, she’s found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother—Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she’s stuck with the manipulative jerk.Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he’s trying to hold together his late father’s gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker’s boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he’ll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym. Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn’t so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have? They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.