Book picks similar to
Playing the Game by L.M. Reid
sports
sports-romance
dnf
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His Kissing Penalty
Anne-Marie Meyer - 2020
They love me—because I’m an all-American girl and he’s a football star. Plus, we sort of grew up together. Hometown romance sells.We were made to be together, right?Not according to my overprotective family. To them, my brother’s best friend has always been forbidden.I thought I could handle a fake relationship with Jaxson.I was wrong.
Sugar and Spice
Kat Baxter - 2021
I love having so much extended family close by and I love my mail order chocolate company. But what what I don’t love is being everyone’s favorite aunt. It’s like being cock-blocked by the entire town. So when I win first prize in a contest that takes me to New York City for the weekend, I know just what I’m going to do--hook up with the first hot guy I meet who doesn’t aunt-zone me. I think I've got it all figured out, until I meet an enormous, growly professional football player, trying to seduce me and realize I'm loving every minute of it.All he wants is the chance to prove one weekend will never be enough...The world thinks I’m a player on account of my job and that’s okay because people are going to think whatever the hell they want to think. Truth is, I’m not, nor have I ever been a player—that’s not how my parents raised me. They have the forever kind of love and I want that too.I’m not a one-night-stand kind of guy but this feisty curvy beauty has already stolen my heart and makes me want to break all of my rules.
The Not-Outcast
Tijan - 2020
I was an outcast.He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me.His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me.Years passed.I got my life together.Cut went onto NHL stardom.Then there was a text.I was drinking.There was a party.Cut was there...I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him.The only problem? He never knew I existed.
Delayed Penalty
Sophia Henry - 2015
Thankfully, I landed a gig as a translator for a minor-league Russian hockey player. Sadly, the initial enthusiasm was short lived.One glance and I immediately recognized my new client as the same arrogant jerk who came on to me at the bar the night before. Sure, Aleksandr Varenkov was sexy--with his chiseled muscles and alluring grin. That didn’t change the fact that he’s a notorious womanizer. While our working relationship started as friendly as a hard check on the ice, I soon saw a softer side to Aleksandr that left me entertaining thoughts of a trip for two to the penalty box. After all I’ve been through, I can’t risk letting my guard down for a hot-headed player with a bad reputation. Still... how can I resist an attraction hot enough to melt the ice?This is a New Edition of a previously published book. There is exclusive, NEW content.
My Life in Shambles
Karina Halle - 2019
When Valerie Stephens made the resolution to say yes to new adventures, she never thought she’d end up in the tiny town of Shambles, fake engaged to one of Ireland’s top rugby players. But there’s a first time for everything. They say bad things happen in threes. After my boyfriend broke off our engagement, I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can definitely attest to that. They also say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures. So when my two sisters invited me to ring in the new year in Ireland, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. I was going to let “saying yes” be my new resolution. Little did I know I’d spend New Year’s Eve having a hot and dirty one-night stand with Padraig McCarthy, one hell of a sexy Irishman. I also didn’t know that the brooding and intense sex god was one of Ireland’s top rugby players. A rugby player with a proposition for me: Come with him to his tiny hometown of Shambles and pretend to be his fiancé for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind. It sounded simple enough. It was anything but. Not when a town gets up in your business, not when the media hunts you down, not when your past comes back in the picture, not when there are real hearts and feelings at stake. Not when there are secrets that could break you. They say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures. This is my life in Shambles.
Strong Side
Alison Hendricks - 2016
But can they ever be more than friends?Jason Hawkins is about to throw the biggest Hail Mary pass of his career. If he can't turn NFL recruiters' heads this year, he'll lose his shot at the one thing he's ever been good at. But every quarterback needs a man he can count on down-field. For Jason, that man just might be the Tigers' new receiver, Derek Griffin.Four years ago, Derek nearly lost everything after being outed by his teammates.Now he finally has a chance to get it all back as a walk-on for Eastshore College... if he can resist his immediate attraction to the gorgeous and very straight star quarterback.An instant connection during practice leads to an easy friendship that only grows stronger off the field. Derek is convinced friendship is all it'll ever be, but a very confusing moment of impulse leaves both of them fumbling for answers about their relationship.As curiosity gives way to passion and passion gives way to something deeper, Jason and Derek will have to tackle their own personal demons to bring home the win and earn their happy ending.
Down By Contact
Jessica Ruddick - 2021
She’s content to spend her time building up her social media business so she can take it full time after graduation. First though, she has to survive her half sister’s wedding. Just once she’d like to hold her own with her wicked stepmother and walk away not feeling like the redheaded stepchild. Step one—find a suitable date. Enter Justin Olmsted, the friend who’s stuck by her for years. He fits the job description: they’ll have fun, he’s cool with pretending to be in love with her, and he’s hot enough to shut up her stepmom.Justin had a great run as a linebacker for VVU, and now he’s desperate to get a foot in the door—any door—of a college coaching staff. That’s easier said than done, but that’s not the only thing on his college bucket list. He’s had a thing for his friend Layla since they met four years ago, and he’s tired of waiting on the sidelines for the right moment. This wedding is Justin's chance to sweep Layla off her feet. It’s time to convince her that leaving the friend zone is worth the risk.
Hopeless Romantic
Julie Capulet - 2019
Introverted and studious, she plans on spending most of her time holed up in the library working on her novel and keeping to herself. But when she gets dragged along to a school football game by her fun, football-mad new roommate, the hot alpha quarterback almost drops the ball at his very first sight of her.Bo McCabe is saving himself. A hopeless romantic at heart, he’s holding out for the real thing. As soon as he lays eyes on the shy stranger with the striking gray eyes and the angel’s face, he’ll stop at nothing to find out if she’s the one he’s been waiting for all along. Millie thinks Bo's insta-obsession is insanity and wants nothing to do with him. But Bo is determined. Because, somehow, Millie has already stolen his heart … and he is now utterly obsessed with winning hers.Can Bo convince Millie he’s the man of her dreams? Hopeless Romantic is a sexy standalone novella, starring an obsessed hero and the love of his life (includes three hopelessly romantic HEA epilogues!). This book is a tribute to love at first sight and insta-everything (because it happened to me :). Book #1 in the McCabe Brothers series
Wrecking Ball
P. Dangelico - 2017
How else would you describe losing your husband, your job, and your money all at once? Desperate times call for desperate measures. So when salvation comes in the form of one intolerable jerk, she has no choice but to accept his offer as a nanny for his eight year old nephew. Now all she has to do is find a way to ignore him for the next three months. Which is easier said than done.NFL quarterback Calvin Shaw has zero interest in women. It’s not that he doesn’t like women. In fact, he loves women. He just doesn’t want anything to do with them. What he needs to do is focus on winning another Super Bowl before he retires. Problem is, the woman living in his house is a major distraction. And he doesn’t know what’s worse, that he promised to be civil, or that he’s attracted to her.Best laid plans are going to get wrecked when a reclusive football star is forced to live with a reluctant nanny.
The Perfect Game
J. Sterling - 2012
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day. They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together. Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...This is a MATURE YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT novelSuitable for ages 17+ Contains strong language, sexual situations and references
Play to Win
Kelly Jamieson - 2019
From USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson, the first novel in a new series is a total win-win. After an injury forced Théo Wynn to give up professional hockey, he turned to his second love: numbers. Now, as the general manager of his grandfather’s NHL team, the Los Angeles Condors, Théo is dying to prove to the rest of his family — especially the brother who betrayed him — that he’s just as successful as the rest of them. If only Théo had a gorgeous woman on his arm to complete the picture... Lacey Olson needs to get out of Las Vegas right now, thanks to her no-good, crooked brother. When a handsome stranger who’s out partying with friends comes to her rescue in the cocktail lounge where she works, they strike up a conversation that leads to a crazy plan: her leaving with Théo for L.A. tomorrow. A few drinks later, the idea gets even crazier: a quickie marriage that works for both of them. But back in California, Lacey immediately turns Théo’s precise, well-ordered life into one big beach party. And before long, she’s tempting him with her smart mouth, sexy body, and sunny charm. The last thing Théo needs is a real relationship to distract him. Because he only plays to win...
Heartless Player
R.C. Stephens - 2021
He could have any girl he wants... and he wants me. He sees beyond my surface. The way his stormy blue eyes watch me... I feel beautiful for the first time since my accident. Little by little, he tears down my walls, exposing a passion that leaves me breathless and a vulnerability that could leave me shattered. But all my scars aren’t on the outside, and the ones inside whisper that a guy like him will never fall for a damaged girl like me. Turns out Wolfe is just as broken as I am. He might be a heartless player, but that won’t stop me from playing his game.Wolfe Rebel thinks she’s invisible, but I see her... even when she doesn’t want me to. Even when I wish I could get her out of my mind, because falling for her is a complication I can’t afford. My reputation proceeds me, but Rebel is a game changer. And if I get too close, I’m afraid she’ll see right through me. Behind the person who my family and teammates expect me to be, to the person who’s been keeping secrets. With every scorching touch, every unapologetic kiss, the rules change, and the truth unravels around us. If only we could go on living this lie, then I wouldn’t risk losing the only girl I’ve ever loved.
Saint
Lisa Lang Blakeney - 2016
Say anything. Don't hide from me. Ever.” -Saint Stevenson.I hate sports and he is football royalty.I like quiet and predictable, but he's sex and swagger personified.I didn't particularly care for Saint Stevenson the first moment I laid eyes on him.But his warped brain seemed to process our initial meeting as foreplay.I don’t care that he’s filthy rich.Or that I can’t stop staring at him.Or that I need to remember to breathe when he’s in my presence.He is nothing but a distraction.From my five-year master plan.That’s why I’m going to hate every minute of this.Right?
Hate Mates
Mickey Miller - 2020
Or the one about his father, the head football coach. Or even the one about his special talent between the sheets.I’m talking about the one where he has a female roommate in an all-male dorm.I can’t speak to the first three, but that fourth one is true. I know because that girl in his room is me.Because of an error by the college, I’m placed with Mr. Campus Celebrity in the traditionally male dorm.Is he panty-meltingly handsome with an attitude to match? Sure.Do I accidentally fanaticize about him one (okay, maybe two) times? Fine, I’m honest enough to admit it.None of that matters, because we’re opposites in all the ways that are important for getting along as college roommates:He comes from a perfect life and old money. I come from a broken home and bowls of ramen.He’s at Greene State to party. I’m here to study.He’s a popular jock. I wouldn’t be caught dead playing sports.To say we get off to a rocky start would be an understatement.Ironically, that’s what causes our sizzling attraction to boil over one night. But even that comes at a price.Because our story has a twist neither of us could see coming.One that changes both of our lives, ‘till death do us part.