Book picks similar to
Cocky Contender by J.M. Kelley


cocky-hero-club
sports
romance
contemporary

Grinder


Samantha Whiskey - 2016
    Time heals all wounds...but the heartbroken single dad has more than his share of trust issues. The playboy only lets one girl close to his iced-over heart—his pint-sized daughter who’s the center of his world. She’s the only thing more important to him than hockey, and he trusts no one with her...except me. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and I love his daughter like she’s my own, so what’s the easiest solution to help Gage out? Move in and be his live-in nanny for the season. As far as she goes, the arrangement is perfect. But her drop-dead-sexy father? Frustrating on every possible level. There is a thick, professional line drawn between us by his own hand, and despite understanding the terms, my body is practically begging him to cross it. Our chemistry is off the charts, but one misstep, and we could hurt the one person we love most. This game is all-or-nothing. Can I risk my heart on a guy who is known for the shut-out, on and off the ice?

Stone Rules


Samantha Christy - 2016
    Her mother was a monster. And when Charlie left home, there wasn't always a warm bed, food, or a hot shower.She figured out how to get by on her looks.When her mother dies and she comes home to put that part of her life behind her, she finds the diary. It fills her with rage.She's out for revenge.But along the way she meets him. Ethan DOES play by the rules. And at the top of his list is "Don't get involved with clients."Will he break his rules for Charlie?

This is Falling


Ginger Scott - 2014
    Then, I had to learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart went along with it. When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how. And then I met Nate Preeter. An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t. My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He showed me everything I was missing. And then he showed me how to fall. *This is a standalone in a three-part series that will focus on different characters. Each book can be read on its own.

Heavy Hitter


Stacy Borel - 2019
    Already the perfect daughter and a straight A student, what more could be asked of her? Breaking out of the mold deemed to be her future was never even in her sights. Until she met her cousin’s new roommate. With his chartreuse yellow eyes and chiseled abs, Crew Evanston was everything she didn’t know she wanted, and everything her father despised. Crew came to Athens, Georgia, on a wing and a prayer. Working under his asshole uncle as a mechanic and living with a complete stranger, he was directionless. But when a cute little brunette with pouty lips and bedroom blue eyes barged in on him, being here suddenly seemed to take on a purpose. What happens when two mismatched puzzle pieces somehow fit together? Can the good girl get up to bat when life throws her a hardball, or will she forever stay on the bench?

Fluffy


Julia Kent - 2019
    Of course it did. I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits. Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait. See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term. Until it was too late. The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day. The perfect job! Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch. They arrange other soft, round-ish objects. The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard. Oh, man… And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental. By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete. My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined? Having all my dreams come true.

The Perfect Play


Jaci Burton - 2011
    But a sexy, determinedly single mom just might be the one to throw him off his game...For years Mick has been taking full advantage of the life available to a pro athlete: fame, fortune, and a different girl in every city. But when he meets and beds confident, beautiful event planner Tara Lincoln, he wants much more than the typical one-night stand. Too bad Tara's not interested in getting to know football's most notorious playboy any better.As the single mother of a teenage son, the last thing Tara needs is the jet-set lifestyle of Mick Riley; even though their steamy and passionate one-night stand was unforgettable. Tara's life is complicated enough without being thrust into the spotlight as Mick's latest girl du jour. Tara played the game of love once and lost big, and she doesn't intend to put herself out there again, especially with a heartbreaker like Mick.But when Mick sets his mind to win, nothing will stop him. And he has the perfect play in mind.

Scoring Her


Max Monroe - 2016
    The end of the Billionaire Bad Boy era, the series comes to a close. From Kline and Benny to Wes and Winnie with Thatch and Cassie in between, spend time with the characters that have stolen the hearts of both each other and readers alike, and meet the men of the upcoming spinoff series Mavericks Tackle Love.

Lawton


Sabrina Stark - 2016
    But in his own private torment, he's the guy who lost his only chance at her – the one exceptional girl he can't quite forget. He's a bad boy billionaire with a terrible reputation. She's a plucky nice girl who wants to play it safe. How can Lawton, who built his empire on raw badness alone, win the heart and mind of the sweetest thing he'd ever known?In Unbelonging, we heard the tale from Chloe Malinski, the girl-next-door who captured his heart. Now, at last, Lawton tells his side of the story. Fans of Unbelonging will love this humorous and heart-wrenching retelling, which includes a few surprises along the way. New readers are in for a special treat, because this is a bad-boy, good-girl story that will capture your imagination like no other. A full-length novel, this new adult contemporary romance features mature content, sexual situations, and adult language. It's not advised for under-age readers.

Once Perfect


Cecy Robson - 2014
    Hers wasn’t supposed to be this hard. They come from different worlds, but fate lures them together in a way neither expected in Cecy Robson’s raw, steamy New Adult debut—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn. Evelyn Preston’s future once looked perfect—until her wealthy father was caught in an embezzlement scandal and took his own life. Alone and struggling to pay her college tuition and bills, Evelyn finds a job as a waitress at the ultra-hip nightclub Excess, where she used to have more in common with the privileged private-school clientele than her fellow staff members. But something attracts her to the sexy six-foot-four bouncer and underground MMA fighter Mateo Tres Santos. Although they’ve led different lives, their troubled pasts bonds them in both survival and love. Mateo is ex-army who wound up in prison for assaulting the man who harmed his sister. Now he’s feeling the same protective impulse for this petite blond waitress. When Evelyn experiences a panic attack at the club, Mateo comes to her rescue. And when Mateo is wounded shielding her from a brawl, Evelyn returns the favor and comes to his aid. As their attraction intensifies, Mateo is determined to find out what nightmares are lurking in Evelyn’s past—even if that means tackling his own to save her.

Bishop


Sawyer Bennett - 2018
    They’re burning up the ice—until a one-night-stand with the coach’s daughter freezes one player in his skates.Bishop Scott, co-captain. Not too shabby, huh? It’s all part of my fresh start with the NHL’s latest expansion team, and that means new teammates, a new coach, a new city, and a big new contract. Basically, I cannot f***ing wait to show my old squad what they’re missing.But first, I decide to check out the town before the grind begins. Turns out Arizona chicks are totally smokin’, and I’m fortunate enough to meet one who’s looking for the same thing I am: a night of anonymous, unforgettable, no-strings-attached sex.Fast forward to the Vengeance arena. It’s the last place I expect to see her again—let alone in her own office. Then bells go off and I finally realize who this girl is: Brooke Perron. My new coach’s daughter. All of a sudden, we’re picking up right where we left off, which means our hands are all over each other. That’s when her dad—my boss—walks in. And before I can get a word out, Brooke’s introducing me as her fiancé.Sure, she just saved my ass. So why do I get the feeling Brooke’s going to turn my world upside down? Maybe it’s because this fake relationship feels way too real. . . .The Carolina Cold Fury series from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett can be read together or separately:ALEXGARRETTZACKRYKERHAWKEMAXROMANLUCASVANREEDMAREKThe Love Hurts series features sexy standalone novels:SEX IN THE STICKSJILTEDAnd the Sugar Bowl series is one treat you’ll want to read in order:SUGAR DADDYSUGAR RUSHSUGAR FREEIncludes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

The Billionaire and the Virgin


Jessica Clare - 2015
    Fans of Maya Banks, Melody Anne and J. Kenner will be dazzled by the scorching-hot chemistry of this New York Times bestseller.You met the six bachelors of the Billionaire Boys Club... Now it's time to pair up some filthy-rich billionaires with lucky ladies in waiting and enjoy the spoils... Marjorie Ivarsson is the picture of naivete. A hardworking waitress raised by her grandmother, an evening playing bingo is her sort of socialising. But when she's invited to be a bridesmaid at her friend Bronte's wedding, she enters a whole new world. Whisked away to the billionaire groom's private island, Marjorie is awe-struck by the glitz and glamour. But what dazzles her most is notorious playboy and hot-shot TV producer Robert Cannon. After Marjorie saves Robert from drowning in the island's turquoise lagoon, she can't help but feel drawn to him. But she's not the only woman intrigued, and with his wild and womanising ways, they couldn't be more wrong for each other. With the blistering attraction between them becoming hard to ignore, and the idyllic, irresistibly romantic island as their playground - will opposites attract?

Seek


Mia Sheridan - 2018
    She's even more heartbroken and confused when a hired private investigator tracks him half a world away, to a seaside town in Colombia. But the country has recently been ravaged by a massive earthquake and deadly tsunami, shutting down outside communication and making travel all but impossible. Still, Olivia is determined to make it to Colombia to find the answers she so desperately seeks. What she needs is a guide—a mercenary.The man named Thomas arrives in shadows, an unmistakable air of danger about him, promising to help lead her through the ruined, crime-infested country. But when Thomas and Olivia find themselves fighting an undeniable attraction, danger takes on a whole new meaning. Then again, in the lush jungles of South America, all the rules are different and Thomas and Olivia are about to discover that sometimes the thing you seek, isn't necessarily the thing you find.Seek is a STANDALONE novel with a small, fun connection to the Sign of Love Collection

Tristan


Cora Brent - 2019
    He says this is his town and that I don’t belong. He says I’ll get eaten alive here. He’s arrogant and condescending and insanely sexy. He’s also a criminal. I knew better than to start something with him. I did it anyway. Tristan might shatter my heart. He might destroy my future. And there's something dangerously explosive about the way we are together. You can warn me about him all you want. Everyone else has. Just don’t be surprised when I won’t listen. Whether I'm ready to admit it or not, I'm already his. **Tristan is the first story in a brand new series of interconnected stand alones from NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Cora Brent.**

Pucked Under


Helena Hunting - 2016
    But even they have their challenges, mostly outside of the bedroom. With the off-season coming to a close and the boys gearing up for training camp, one more weekend of fun is the perfect way to welcome the new season. The entire crew piles into vehicles and drives to Alex and Violet’s Chicago cottage for a few days of relaxation—and hopefully a chance for Randy to shake the anxiety that’s been plaguing him. Accidental wardrobe malfunctions, typical Violet inspired overshares, and a whole lot of private time round out the perfect weekend getaway.But the moment they return to the city all of Randy’s angst resurfaces with the arrival of a surprise houseguest.