Book picks similar to
Pompous Player by Brenda Rothert


sports-romance
cocky-hero-club
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romance

Canuck


E. Cleveland - 2021
    Set some time aside, because you’ll devour this book in one sitting!Canuck. What a weird name. It’s like calling someone The American. It might make sense down at Westbury, where he’s a superstar goalie for the college. In the Great White North (land of maple syrup and Tim Hortons) not so much.He’ll always be Liam Frazier to me. My best friend. The same guy who told me I looked like a tasty piece of chocolate when he tried to pick me up in grade six. That was a fail. One I still like to give him a hard time about ten years later. I still remember him, looking like a horse, with his lanky legs and crazy mullet.Now, he’s gone from colt to stallion. It’s hard not to notice all the ways he’s… filled out. His broad shoulders, cut biceps not to mention the places where I’m not supposed to look! And I don’t look. Usually.Liam is more than the amazing body he’s grown into, impressive as it is. He’s the guy who can make me laugh — even when my life is falling apart. He’s not Mr. Big Time Goalie to me, he’s my best friend. He shows up when I need him, whether it’s moving an apartment full of stuff, or trying and failing to show me up in a dance off.He’s irreplaceable.An irreplaceable friendship isn’t something you should mess up. Not by sleeping with them. Not by living with them. And definitely, 100% not by falling in love with them… so why am I doing all three?

IOU


Kristy Marie - 2020
    I, Ainsley James, am crazy.Desperate and crazy. It’s the only explanation as to why I’m nauseous, standing outside Maverick Lexington’s door.I mean, it’s possible the stories about his deck of playing cards—with the words IOU scrawled across the back—are just rumors of the ruthless quid pro quo deals he barters. But the flutters in my stomach know better. Maverick is as cold as they come. But, I need one of those cards. I NEED to owe Maverick Lexington a favor… Whatever the terms, I’m willing to pay. Because, at this point, I have nothing left to lose.

Game Changer


Rachel Reid - 2018
    In this case, it’s not just a lucky smoothie he’s craving—it’s the man who made it. Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, never mind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

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.

Magnetic Medic


Alexa Padgett - 2021
    I’m pregnant with another man’s baby. What a time to fall in love… Coming home seemed like a good idea at the time. My ex-fiancé split, I was almost done with my master’s degree, and I was already working at the family architecture firm. When I move in next door to pediatrician Ryder Mackay, I’m not expecting the connection—or the passion in his eyes that I feel deep in my soul. He’s the best doctor for my baby, but he’s not the guy I need. Still, the way Ryder looks snuggling my puppy—and my infant daughter—to his rock-hard chest makes me wish this sexy, smart, compassionate man was mine. Maybe, it’s pregnancy hormones. Or...maybe this magnetic pull is forever.

Wordless


Sabrina Stark - 2019
    Within hours of meeting him, he assaulted my roommate (okay, the guy was a scuzz-bucket), flashed me his amazing abs (sure, not on purpose), and practically dragged me away from the condo I'd been sharing with the aforementioned bucket. And now Mr. Billionaire Hottie has informed me – not too nicely, mind you – that I'll be working for him for the whole summer, supporting his national book tour. But the funny thing is, the tour doesn't make much sense. The odd cities, the late-night excursions, the secrets simmering between us – they're all making me a little crazy, especially when he gives me one of those looks. You know the kind. He's up to something. I just know it. And I'd love to find out what. There's just one tiny problem. With his movie star looks and devious mind, he's distracting me to no end. And just maybe, I'm distracting him, too. But the worst thing? I'm pretty sure I like it. ***Wordless is a fun, full-length new adult billionaire romantic comedy with a guaranteed happily-ever-after!***

Someone You Love


Kristen Granata - 2021
    They didn’t make it all the way through the list before she died, but she made Charly promise to finish it and live her life to the fullest.Spending the summer in a coastal mountain city in Maine is next on her list. The scenic town is perfect for finding adventure, and the quirky inn owner makes her feel right at home in the guest house.Except for the fact that her new living quarters belong to the owner’s grump of a grandson.Bryce Holden was an NFL player before sustaining a career-ending spinal injury. The people he thought would stand by his side left him when he was no longer a football star. Now, he prefers to live his life as a recluse, keeping outsiders at arm’s length where his heart is safe.The last thing Bryce needs is to fall for a beautiful woman who will leave him like everyone else. But when he sees Charly’s incomplete bucket list, and the bruised heart she wears on her sleeve, he resolves to help her on her journey.Even if it means losing her at the end of it.