Book picks similar to
Playing to Win by Taryn Leigh Taylor


sports
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance

The Enemy Trap


Maren Moore - 2021
    Hayes Davis is America’s sweetheart, the #1 hockey player in the country, and my fake fiancé.Simple, right? It would be, if my betrothed were anyone else.But it turns out America’s sweetheart is arrogant, selfish, and a guy I have no intentions of letting break my heart again.It was never supposed to happen.But then one night changes everything.Now, he’s not only my pretend fiancé but my very real baby daddy.How can two people who hate each other pull off the lie of a lifetime while figuring out how to raise a child together?Everything between us was supposed to be fake, but I’m not pretending anymore

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*

Naughty or Ice


Sylvia Pierce - 2016
    Where was I supposed to kiss you?” Eva Bradshaw used to have standards. But with Christmas around the corner and a six-year-old daughter to feed, there’s not much the former Olympic figure skater wouldn’t do for some extra cash, even if it means violating her hard limit: hockey players. Like the filthy-mouthed, sex-on-skates hockey god who’s about to slide straight into her penalty box… NHL center Walker Dunn has been stuck on the injured list for months. So when his trainer springs for some one-on-one time with a beautiful woman, Walker’s more than ready to take the edge off… until he realizes the ice princess with the perfect ass isn’t there to handle his stick. She’s there to coach him back into action—whether he likes it or not. Walker puts the cock in hockey. Eva’s a champion ball-buster. Hate-f*cking their way onto Santa’s very naughty list might be their only shot at settling the score. But falling for each other? Never. No way. Not a snowball’s chance in hell…

Game Play


Lynda Aicher - 2015
    That's all it was supposed to be. They'd agreed their first night together would be their only night together—and Minnesota Glaciers defenseman Dylan Rylie was fine with that. Giant hickeys and claw marks on his ass had never been his style, even if the very memory of Samantha Yates's merciless sexual energy gets him hard within seconds. He needs to focus on getting a better contract, not mind-blowing orgasms.One night, one time, nothing more. Fresh off representing the US at the Games and with nowhere else to play, Samantha gave in to one night of frantic passion with the Glaciers' brawny hotshot. She couldn't get hurt—not if she controlled the outcome. And she planned to leave Minnesota soon, anyway. She didn't expect to be recruited to coach Dylan after they'd gotten down and dirty.When brutal on-ice workouts lead to kinky locker room sessions and "one night" falls by the wayside, Samantha insists on keeping things casual, despite Dylan's quiet hope for more. But when Dylan goes down—hard—and his career is in jeopardy, Samantha is the first one by his side. What will it take to keep her there after he's healed?

Anything but Vanilla...


Liz Fielding - 2013
    Even more tempting than ice cream!Sorrel Amery is determined to make her summer event the talk of the town, and she knows just the way into people's hearts—champagne sorbet! It's the perfect strategy… Until the ice cream parlor's owner runs off, leaving Sorrel's plans melting faster than a sundae in the summer sun.All Sorrel wants is to get back into her comfort zone, but when the gorgeous Alexander West arrives to help pick up the pieces her life gets shaken up more than ever before! Especially as this globe-trotting adventurer is determined that nothing in Sorrel's life should ever be boring old vanilla again…

A Hockey Tutor


Mary Smith - 2014
    She’s tired of the memories that refuse to let her go. Now, in her sophomore year in college at North Maple College, she’s ready to focus on school. When she’s offered a job as a tutor for the star goalie on the hockey team, her determined focus waivers.Andrew Moore is on track to become a professional hockey goalie, but being the party loving 22 year old that he is, Andrew finds his dreams at risk when his grades fall, jeopardizing his chances at success. His dad, sick of bailing Andrew out, hires a tutor as a final chance to get his act together.Katie’s independence and Andrew’s stubbornness creates a toxic learning environment. Or, are their passionate arguments the one thing that helps them both find their way?

Holiday Games


Jaci Burton - 2013
    Despite over a year of trying, conception hasn’t been successful. But for a high-achiever like Elizabeth, she must succeed at everything. That means making the very most of every opportunity with her husband. And when it comes to nonstop sex Gavin’s not really complaining. Exhausted, maybe...Unfortunately, this holiday season they’re not exactly given a lot of private time. Elizabeth is hosting the holiday, Gavin’s sister is getting married, and the house is wall-to-wall with family. For Elizabeth and Gavin the nights may be chilly, but the urge is still hot. And they’re not about to let any distraction get in the way of their necessary pleasures during a holiday game that yields so many unexpected surprises.Includes a preview of Jaci Burton's upcoming novels Melting the Ice and Hope Flames.

Tangled in the Laces


Toni Aleo - 2014
    Lacey Martin is coming back from a hard fight against cancer and is terrified of him but the attraction is too much to ignore. Soon their love is so intense, neither of them see the rest of their lives without the other. Will Karson prove that he will protect her heart at all costs, or will he leave Lacey to pick up the pieces of her life once again?

Not Just Friends


Kate Hoffmann - 2012
    (With boys!)For the great outdoors. (Where you can find yourself in nature. With boys!) For adults-only activities. (Best shared with men!)For venture capitalist Adam Sutherland, attending Camp Winnehatchee's reopening was a no-brainer. He's even reuniting with former camp counselors to chip in and help revive the camp. What he isn't expecting is to find a girl sleeping in his bunk. Or that the girl is none other than Julia McKee, who went from shy and awkward Good Girl to scorching-hot babe….But the good girl is all gone…and she's headed off to Paris! But before she goes, Julia intends to show her bad-boy childhood crush just how to put the "wild" back into the wilderness! And this time, he'll be the one left wanting more….

My Lucky #13


Piper Rayne - 2021
    I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games and my team owner is talking about trading me. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game—that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about it.I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me. She’s going to learn that I didn’t become a professional hockey player without having to fight for what I want.

Mister Hockey


Lia Riley - 2017
    . .Jed West is Mr. Hockey. The captain of the NHL’s latest winning team, the Denver Hellions–and the hottest player on the ice—at least according to every magazine. . .and Breezy Angel. Breezy has been drooling over Jed at games for years, and he plays a starring role in her most toe-curling fantasies. But dirty dreams don’t come true, right?Then Jed saunters through the doors of her library, a last minute special guest for a summer reading event, and not only is he drop dead gorgeous up close, his personality is straight up swoon-worthy. He even comes to the rescue when she has an R-rated “Super Book Worm” costume malfunction. But when he mistakenly assumes she’s more into books than pucks, she’s too flustered to correct his mistake. And then comes a big kiss, followed by a teensy-tiny problem. Jed’s dating policy is simple: Never date a fan.So what’s a fangirl going to have to do to convince her ultimate crush that he’s become less of a perfect fantasy, and more like the perfect man. . .for her?

Sacking the Quarterback


Samantha Towle - 2016
    So when he's arrested for drug possession, lawyer Melissa St. James knows that something doesn't add up. It's clear he's hiding something, though he denies it. But there's one thing he can't deny--he wants Melissa.

Black Ice


Mickey Miller - 2020
    Recklessly cocky. Brutally handsome. Exceptionally Talented.  Utterly Ruthless.  Meet my childhood crush, everybody.Except "little" Shane North is all grown up now, and he's out for revenge...on me.Before I moved away, Shane was my best friend's older brother. But Shane isn't the lanky, spindly boy I used to know. He's been replaced by a handsome man with broad, muscular shoulders and hockey scouts lining up to get him to play for their team.When he "accidentally" sends me a selfie one night after a chance phone call, then shows up at my house per my mother's request, a passion ignites inside me that I've never felt once in my life.But there's one big problem: Shane is holding onto an enormous secret. Something everyone in town seems to know but won't tell me. My father was the richest man in Black Mountain, and had his share of enemies, as reading his diary informs me.The more I fight my attraction to Shane, the more I fall for him. Despite his secrets, recklessness, and temper, he's got a protective streak a mile wide for those he cares about. Which, after one very hot night, includes me.My attraction to him comes on strong and without warning. But this is no fairy tale. This is a nightmare.I just pray the big bad ice wolf known Shane North is on my side.And before I make it out of Black Mountain, I'm going to have to confront the secrets about my father this town has tucked away.Or should I say, if I make it out of this town.

Skating on Thin Ice


Jami Davenport - 2014
      Ethan Parker, a billionaire determined to bring professional hockey to Seattle, will stop at nothing to realize his dream. After signing an agreement to purchase another city's team, Ethan plans to make the move to Seattle, but a gag order by the League forces him to keep the sale a secret until the season ends, leaving him no choice but to go undercover as a consultant to study his team during the playoffs.   Lauren Schneider, Assistant Director of Player Personnel for the Giants hockey team, gets no respect from the team's testosterone-loaded staff. So when Ethan bursts onto the scene, full of charm and genuinely interested in her opinions, she shares the team's weaknesses and discovers a weakness of her own--for Ethan. But when his true identity is revealed, and he starts cleaning house based on her unwitting input, his betrayal cuts deeply on both a professional and personal level. Bound by an employment contract, Lauren reluctantly moves to Seattle to work for the newly christened Seattle Sockeyes and her sexy, infuriating boss.  Lauren and Ethan must come to terms with their passions--for the team, for hockey, and for each other. Will their situation build a frozen wall between them, or will their love burn hot enough to melt the ice shielding their hearts?

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.