Book picks similar to
Hard Love by Peyton Banks
sports
interracial
romance
bwwm
Sensual Secrets
Destiny Davis - 2015
While she manages to rapidly rise to the top of one of the best marketing companies in New York, she’s secretly hoping that someone will sweep her off her feet and break the walls she’d so meticulously carved around her. Heck, she’s never even been with a man before. Tall, with thick bronze hair and a devastating smile that can reduce any woman to a puddle, the dashing billionaire Jared Paul is called by the company to act as a consultant. But the last thing he expected was for someone to finally win his fiercely-guarded heart. An embarrassing wardrobe malfunction, coupled with some devious scheming from a drunk friend, leads to a intensely passionate whirlwind affair that sweeps both Mia and Jared off their feet. That is, until Mia discovers the terrible truth that would send everything crashing down! Is their love strong enough to handle the explosive secrets? And as two fiery personalities clash, will they somehow manage to find their way back to each other again? *Sensual Secrets is a full standalone novel with a happy-ever-after and NO CLIFFHANGER*!
Jane
Michelle N. Onuorah - 2015
Neglected. Hurt and abused. Jane Daugherty has survived what can only be described as the childhood from hell. After years of mental, physical, and sexual abuse, she has become a fiercely independent young woman - closed off from human connection. Unable to trust people or in their ability to be kind, she has vowed to build a new life for herself so that she never has to rely on others again. At 24-years-old, she is fulfilling this vow, successfully working as the youngest tenure-track professor at the University of New York. Brilliant and remarkably accomplished, Jane's life takes an unexpected turn when she is reunited with the childhood friend she protected in foster care. Alexa Masterson introduces Jane to the family that adopted her, a family that includes her older brother, Aiden Masterson. Instantly drawn to each other, Aiden and Jane embark on a relationship that will either destroy them both or shape them into the man and woman they were always meant to be. Can what started as lust transform into love? And what will bring about the transformation that they ultimately need? **Please note there is occasional cursing, mild violence, and unapologetic references to sexuality and spirituality within this work of fiction. Reader discretion is advised.**
The Red Scot
Twyla Turner - 2016
A tragedy that befell his life changed him and made sure that he never felt helpless again. He spent years making a name for himself in the octagon as an alpha beast, but when it comes to the ladies he is a fumbling mess. Always feeling like the unpopular kid. The day that Payton Bailey walks into his gym changes everything.When it comes to men, Payton is as clueless as she is with social cues. She prefers to stick with what she knows: Sci-Fi, comic books, video games and web design. After a heartbreaking incident her freshman year of college, she was never able to look at big muscular men the same way again. So imagine her surprise and absolute fright when she catches the eye of the massive, hulking MMA fighter, who she secretly nicknames The Red Giant.The computer geek has done her best to avoid, ignore, and even maim Bradyn, but the stubborn Scot has no intentions of letting the skittish lass slip through his fingers. And with the help of her three friends, he just might win the fight of his life.The Red Scot is the charming standalone novel and Book 1 of the Curvy Girls Club Series. A series about four inseparable best friends and their individual journeys to each find their Happily Ever After.
Off Sides
Sawyer Bennett - 2013
Maybe it was the impossible expectations I faced, maybe it was my own self-loathing. But I just knew I needed something different to happen. I needed someone... something... to derail me from my current path. Otherwise, I would become lost... a hollowed out shell of a man. So I did it. I approached her, then I pursued her, then I made her mine. And my life was saved...”Ryan Burnham is the privileged son of a U.S. Congressman and captain of his university’s hockey team. While he is on the verge of fulfilling his dreams to play in the NHL, his parents want him on a different course. One he is expected to accept for the sake of his family’s public image.Forced her to abandon her music career after the heart breaking death of her parents, Danny Cross exists on the opposite side of the tracks from Ryan. She is struggling to make her own way, working two jobs, attending college part time and volunteering in a homeless shelter. She is on a mission to build her own success.With a chance meeting, their vastly different worlds collide, causing each to evaluate whether they are truly on the correct path to self-fulfillment and happiness. Can their relationship survive? Particularly when others are against them every step of the way. A lot can happen in just ten short days...
The End Game
Kate McCarthy - 2015
They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.”The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do. What started out as a promising career in college football, spiraled into scandal and shame. But being a hero is easier said then done. Especially when there are those who expected to see the great Brody Madden fail. I craved nothing except being the best—willing to do anything to prove them wrong. But I went too far, and I tried too hard, and it broke me.“At the time of going to print, Jordan Elliott was unavailable for comment.” I met Brody Madden in my senior year of college. An Australian native on an international scholarship, I was the female soccer sensation with stars in her eyes and no room for a hotshot wide receiver with a chip on his shoulder.But a heart bursting with ambition and a driving fire to succeed isn’t made of stone. I became his strength, his obsession, and the greatest love of his life. Only I wasn’t there when he needed me most.This is a story about love and a game that takes everything. Where the path to glory is paved with sacrifice. Where pressure makes you, or breaks you, and triumph is born in the ashes of failure. Where two people’s end game will change everything.
The Player
Claire Contreras - 2016
With flashy cars and enough media attention to put the Royal Family to shame, I’m the definition of Most Eligible Bachelor. I've never met a man who doesn't want to be me or a woman who doesn't want to tame me. Until I meet Camila. From the moment I lay eyes on her, I know I have to have her. She wants to keep me at arm's length.I want her naked in my bed. She thinks our worlds are too different.All I want her to think about is screaming my name. She says I’m bad news. I have three weeks to prove her wrong.
Tyed
L.J. Shen - 2015
Blaire, an underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you) needs something from Ty. Mixed Martial artist Ty, a soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area, wants something from Blaire. But Ty has a secret. And Blaire can barely even handle his truths. Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?
Incarcerated: Letters from Inmate 92510 (Love and War #1)
Inger Iversen - 2014
He never considered himself racist, but that didn’t stop him from falling in with the wrong crowd—who celebrated hate as much as he fought it—or from ending up in prison for eight years on an armed robbery charge. A successful, educated black woman, Katie Andreassen was tired of being accused of betraying her own race. Her lonely isolation, coupled with her grief over losing her mother, inspire her to create a new pen pal program at Capshaw State Penitentiary, where her father is a warden. The program brings the unlikely pair together, but Logan and Katie soon find themselves forced to overcome past fears and prejudices. Their friendship doesn’t come easily … threatened by a crooked lawyer with a grudge and a best friend who betrays her promise to help. When faced with a world that forces them apart, Logan and Katie must show everyone else what they have discovered: that love is, in fact, colorblind.
Southern Hearts
Ava Thorn - 2014
His album has gone platinum, and he's about to marry the woman of his dreams. Or is he? When Austin meets Chef Farrah Rue, there is an instant attraction between them. All Farrah Rue wants to do is concentrate on making Southern Rose Eatery successful. When Austin offers her the job of catering his wedding, Farrah knows it's the opportunity of a lifetime for her growing business. When the attraction between her and Austin heats up, Farrah does everything in her power to keep their relationship professional. Will the two manage to maintain their distance, or will they give in and submit to their hearts' desire? Southern Love is a steamy romance about life, loss, and learning to love again.
Breakaway
Vera Roberts - 2015
Coming back from a family emergency, he would rather be relaxed at his home in Manhattan Beach, California, and getting his head back into the hockey game. Instead, he’s stuck at the worst airport in all of America – Chicago’s infamous O’Hare. At least the company he’s keeping isn’t too bad to look at. He only needs to convince her there can be something more if she wants it – and if she doesn’t kill him first. Sydney Walker hates weddings. And she really hates weddings that she’s the bridesmaid in. Returning from her third wedding in a year where she has perfected the role of bridesmaid, Sydney only wants to get back home in San Francisco. A snowed-in flight and every hotel room booked to capacity, Sydney is forced to share a room with a gorgeous man from Southern California. She’s not necessarily worried about him making a move on her but rather, if she could keep her hands to herself. Breakaway is a sensual New Adult romance series that deals with trust, long-distance relationships, and finding yourself again.
Kiss and Don't Tell
Meghan Quinn - 2021
Steamy and unapologetically witty.Five hockey players, a cabin in the woods . . . and little old me, Winnie Berlin.Sounds like the start of a fantasy, right? But it's not. It's my reality.It all started when I got lost in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. A wicked thunderstorm sent my car mud sliding into a ditch and for a girl whose survival skills involve finding the nearest Starbucks, I was in deep trouble.Forced to abandon my car in search of help, I stumbled upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Soaking wet, irritated, and in desperate need of a hot shower, I knocked on the door for help only to be greeted by five boisterous, burly, and insanely attractive men.Not just men.Professional hockey players.I hit the motherload of fantasies, right? Wrong.Because as it turns out, one of them is my ex-boyfriend's half-brother. And when I end up crashing in their spare bedroom for the night, things take a very unexpected turn.I'm not sure any amount of survival skills can protect my heart from Vancouver Agitators star goalie, Pacey Lawes. But as long as we kiss and don’t tell, maybe everything will be okay . . .
One More Shot
Victoria Denault - 2015
He was crazy in love with her, and had finally told her so. They shared an amazing night . . . and then everything fell apart. Jessie tries not to think about the night she gave herself to Jordan—or how he broke her heart. She tries not to think about it, but she does. Especially now, when she's staring into his sky-blue eyes for the first time in six years. After so much time and torment, she can't tell if she loves him or hates him. But Jordan has learned enough to know a connection like theirs is rare. He was lucky to find Jessie once. No way will he lose her again.
Taking Shots
Toni Aleo - 2011
That is until she meets Shea Adler. After doing a promotional shoot for the NHL team, the Assassins, she meets the hunky hockey player who shoots a puck, shattering her world.Shea Adler was tired of the life he was living outside of the rink. The girls, the money blowing, the drinking, everything had to stop and it all did when he met Eleanor Fisher. He had never met anyone like her. She was feisty, witty, shy, and simply gorgeous. When he laid eyes on her, it was as if he was taking the hardest hit of his life into the boards, and he had to have her. Elli is a little skeptical of Shea, but he knows that they were meant to be together, and he needed her in his life. Can Elli throw her insecurities out the window and love Shea with everything inside of her, or will she let a past relationship, and her family ruin any chance of her being happy.
Blindsided
Amy Daws - 2019
Midfielder Maclay “Mac” Logan is a loud-mouthed, tattooed ginger content with focusing on football. But when an adorably-freckled seamstress comes barreling into his life, he finds Netflix-And-Bickering with her to be his new favorite pastime. Freya Cook is used to being the invisible woman with a needle and thread, offering cheeky punchlines as she helps dress London’s finest. She’s plus-sized in body and spirit, and other than her friendship with Mac, talking to the opposite sex is one skill she never mastered. However, after one innocent game of Never Have I Ever, Mac offers to play Love Coach for Freya. What neither of them see coming are the feelings that develop when the clothes come off. Now they’re both about to learn the biggest lesson of all: Don't fall in love with your best friend.Blindsided is a full length (97,000 words) contemporary rom-com standalone with a sports theme.
Blindsided
Emma Hart - 2015
Two agendas. Two games.What happens when the out-there It-Boy of football meets the secret It-Girl of fashion?As the daughter of Hollywood’s sweetheart, Leah Veronica can’t even buy a coffee without finding her face on a magazine stand, so it’s no wonder she’s launching her first fashion line in secret. With it debuting at New York Fashion Week in just under a month, extra time in the spotlight is the last thing she needs.The son of the best quarterback the league has ever seen, filling legendary shoes as the L.A. Vipers’ quarterback was inevitable for Corey Jackson. So was meeting Leah Veronica—the first girl to hand him his ass without putting a hair out of place.Getting the handsome, prickly blonde into his bed becomes his number one goal. But getting the sexy, over-confident footballer the hell away from her becomes Leah’s—at least until she realizes the best way to do that is to give him what he wants.If only it was that simple.When Corey discovers who she is, and private photos of Hollywood’s finest find their way online, everything they thought they knew is thrown into disarray.And when secrets are exposed and hearts are shattered, they have to figure out if they’ve been blindsided by love or reality, and if it’s worth running the extra yard to win the game they never meant to play.