Book picks similar to
Rival by M.A. Gray
m-m
mm
sports
sport
My Only Reason
Leigh Lennon - 2020
And to add more complications, I'm a football player, about to be drafted. We're manly men. We aren't supposed to be gay. But I am and I love the one person I'll never have. Until fate forces us together six years later. It'll be both a fantasy and hell on earth, playing along Crush—the only man who will ever truly own my heart.CrushHe dropped a bomb on me. Then he left, never looking back. Our friendship—ruined until he lands back in my life. His presence is just as big as ever. I never forgot him, or what that one kiss so many years ago still does to my body. He's here, but is he willing to stay.
The Endgame
Riley Hart - 2021
From college, to law school, to the United States Senate representing California, I've done it all as an out gay man. So, when I'm in DC and see a beautiful guy at the hotel bar, I don't hesitate to proposition him...right before he runs out on me, leaving his sunglasses behind like my very own Cinderfella. Anson I've always known I'm gay, but never acted on it. Pretending isn't easy, but it means I can keep playing football. No one has ever guessed my secret until the gorgeous man at a bar in DC. At least he doesn't know who I am--the best tight end in the NFL, playing for the Atlanta Lightning. Though my identity doesn't stay a secret from him for long. Between texts and late-night phone calls, we get to know each other. West's the only person who knows all the parts of me, just like I know his. When he asks for one night together so he can show me what it's like to be with a man, I can't say no. But once isn't enough, and we keep sneaking around together--brief encounters, in California, Georgia, or DC, filled with passionate touches and whispered truths. I never thought I'd have love. West never thought he'd want it. Now we're all in with each other, but he still has time left in his Senate term. I have contract obligations to fulfill, and I'm closeted. We don't even live in the same state. The odds are stacked against us, but if there's one thing I know, it's how to win. He's the endgame in the biggest challenge of my life, the one I'm banking my future happiness on.
The Ugly Post - A love story
Sailor Penniman - 2017
They don’t have it all, but they have all they want—each other and the only relationship that’s ever meant anything to them. The week they met, they didn’t flirt with seduction to see what would happen. They fell in love and proved it the only way they knew how. They’ve never been apart since that first tumble into life as lovers, playful partners, best friends, and soul mates. Charlie has no reason to believe arriving home ahead of Bryce on a random Monday night will change everything between them. But when Charlie logs onto a computer he shares with Bryce, he stumbles into the devastating truth and learns what Bryce really thinks of him. Or does he? Charlie is sure he’s discovered a secret Bryce has kept for seven years, but Bryce swears Charlie is wrong. Blindsided by lies, mistrust, and shattered faith, the two are swallowed into a vortex spinning so fast, it tears them apart. Can they reveal the fiction in the truth and find their way back to each other, or will the black-and-white portrait one man’s words paint destroy them forever?
Player
Sean Ashcroft - 2018
For like three weeks.”Tennis player Isaac Husdon isn’t gay, but when a photograph of him kissing another man makes its way to social media, he doesn’t have the heart to correct the speculation and disappoint all the people it means so much to. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, he decides to play the part and enlists the help of his childhood best friend to be his temporary boyfriend.Julian has been in love with Isaac since they were kids. Knowing his friend was off-limits helped him keep his feelings hidden, but now that he’s supposed to pretend to date him…Well, things are getting a little tricky in the feelings department.After a few surprisingly intimate dates, it becomes obvious that Isaac is less interested in faking it and more interested in trying it.Throw in a few steamy moments, and soon enough, Isaac finds himself falling into bed with his best friend.But can Isaac figure out his feelings in time to see what’s right in front of him? Or will his player past come back to haunt him and take away his best chance at happiness?Player is a stand-alone gay romance with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It does, however, contain: boys kissing, more than one tennis-related injury, the sexy application of various ointments, a Lego car, explicit sex scenes, a heart-shaped tennis trophy, and true love conquering all.
Chance Encounter (Polar Bear Alaska)
Harlow Layne - 2021
Everything about him rubbed me the wrong way and still does. In high school, he was always trying to one-up me either in class or out on the ice. Much to his disappointment, I was always the winner.The competition between us was fierce, and even though we’d been out of school for over a decade, Chance Reed was still always trying to one-up me.Today he finally got his wish. The man I hate with a passion saved me, and now I owe him and he’ll never let me forget it.What was once hatred has turned into an attraction I’m not sure I can deny, not now that he’s got me right where he’s always wanted me.Do I give into what my body wants, or do I fight him like I’ve been doing from the moment we met?Polar Bear, Alaska’s days are short and chilly. And the nights, well, they’re long and frigid. The small, isolated town known for its yearly icy swim is overflowing with hunky, lonely men. These Mountain Men are waiting for their special soulmate to come along and heat things up. This December, take the plunge with nine of your favorite Instalove authors as we introduce you to your new Mountain Man book boyfriends. 12/1 - Loni Ree12/3 - Frankie Love12/6 - Logan Chance12/8 - Heather Dahlgren12/10 - Harlow Layne12/13 - Kelsey Cheyenne12/15 - Evie Mitchell12/17 - Sarah Curtis12/20 - KL Donn
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?
Egotistical Puckboy
Eden Finley - 2022
What more could a gay NHL player want?If it weren't for Anton Hayes, my life would be perfect.Not that he affects my life in any way. At all. That would imply I care what the winger from Philly thinks of me.Which I don't.Not even a one-night stand with him can thaw his misplaced animosity toward me.He says I'm the one with the ego, but he can talk. He rivals me for most egotistical puck boy in the league.I hate him as much as he hates me. Even if I crave a repeat.ANTONWhen it comes to hockey, I'm all about the game.I've worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and l've done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids.My hockey image is one I've carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all.He's cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he's the sexiest man I've ever known.We'll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens.That doesn't stop us from falling into bed together over and over again.
Born for Leaving
Jude Munro - 2020
Too bad distractions, like the hot little convertible he has his eye on, cost megabucks. And Oliver is flat broke. Renting the spare bedroom in his rundown beachfront cottage is his only option to pick up the cash he needs--a risky proposition, as Oliver is the polar opposite of a people-person. When he responds to a bizarre ad in the Waterfront Gazette seeking summer housing, he gets more than he bargained for. But Oliver can cope... After all, how much harm can a single quirky tenant do to his tightly guarded life in three short months?Where Oliver is a loner by design, urban cowboy Bodie is a loner by necessity. A family dispute long ago dropkicked him onto the path of a lifelong wanderer. This changes when Bodie moves into the tiny beachfront cottage and starts working the door at Oliver's bar.Despite Oliver and Bodie's nearly paralyzing instinct to avoid commitment, they fall into a wary romance. And to their surprise, life as a couple is sweetly satisfying; that is, until their jealous boss devises a cruel plan to destroy the tentative bond they've built. True to form, Bodie hits the road, leaving Oliver to lick his wounds alone.Can these wounded souls defy their urge to flee and fight for love?**Trigger Warning: discussion of childhood sexual molestation of adult character, graphic physical violence, off-page coerced sexual relationship
The Boxer
Alec Stark - 2017
Until the night Sean is hired to dominate a boxer who might be more than he appears to be. What happens in the dungeon is supposed to stay in the dungeon. But now the boxer is asking for more... A steamy BDSM novella about two men who find love in the most unexpected place. This steamy gay romance features safe, sane, consenting activities between men over age 21.
Rookie Mistake
Baylin Crow - 2021
One, Logan's straight. And has a girlfriend. That alone makes anything between us impossible.Two, living in the guesthouse with my family on his parents' estate, I'm really just the unnoticed lawn guy. Our social status difference is night and day.Those reasons are now irrelevant, because I'm determined to get over this pointless infatuation I've harbored for Logan Kelley for years. He's more of a jerk than I realized.Logan:There are three things people know about me. I'm a Saints tight end. My bank account stays fat with cash. I have a girlfriend, Jules.What they don't know is that I'm gay, and Jules is actually my childhood best friend who's been doing me a solid in a mutually beneficial arrangement.Colton Lockhart has been the one person I've wanted, but he doesn't know that. When I come home for a week during the summer, I'm ready to tell him and have it all planned out. Except I immediately blow my shot with him.It's safe to say that although years of playing on the field have made me a seasoned athlete, in relationships… Well, I have zero experience in dating. Or anything else for that matter.I hope he'll chalk it up to a rookie mistake and give me another chance.Rookie Mistake is a low angst, high heat Sugar Land Saints novella that takes place where book three ended
Chasing the High
Beth Michele - 2016
Dumped. Abandoned. Jilted.That only happened in books. Fictional disasters like the kind I wrote. It wasn’t supposed to happen to me, Sam Stone. My life was supposed to be orderly. Organized. Perfect. But I had no control over my fiancé’s decision to leave me.What better place to be alone while nursing my broken heart than in paradise, right? Two weeks of sandy beaches and tranquil waters to quietly rethink my life.That's what I thought anyway--until Drew Mariano came along and shook everything up. He shook me up. He made me feel high on life.But I was afraid...the higher I got...the harder I was going to fall...**This is a steamy mm for readers eighteen and over due to language and graphic sexual content.**
Bet on Me
Saxon James - 2020
With only a few years left to play, I decide to throw my full focus into the game. Then I meet Elliot. The flirty texts are immediate, trusting him comes easily, and when we’re together, I’ve never experienced something so explosive. Until he drops a real bomb on me. He’s a bookie. And suddenly, being closeted is the least of my worries. Elliot I have a plan. Make a large amount of money in a short amount of time, set myself up for life, and then get the hell out of bookmaking. Good at it or not, it’s illegal, and that’s a very gray line I’d prefer not to keep crossing. Especially when I meet Taryn. He’s the first guy who’s been able to steal my focus away from my goal, and I’ll do anything to deserve him. Even quit. But the thing about illegal jobs is, they’re not always so easy to walk away from.
Playing the Point
Ashley K. Broome - 2017
It happened. But even he couldn't predict that he'd be going from Seattle to their biggest rival, the Sioux Falls Martens. It didn't keep him from happily packing his bags and moved to a team that, hopefully, wanted him there.With plans to keep his head down and to prove to the Marten's organization and his new teammates that he was a worthwhile trade, Henny thought he was ready.Until he met Matt.Matt Doherty, the captain of the Martens, had Henny throwing any plans he'd made out the window. Their chemistry was instantaneous, on the ice and off it. Getting his mind off the captain and on the game was near impossible. There was something about how Matt treated Henny that made it too easy for him to think there could be something more than friendship between them.As the season progresses, the temptation becomes harder to resist. For the first time, Henny started to think that he could have both hockey, and love.
Crashing the Net
Samantha Wayland - 2014
He’s broke, bruised, and covered from head to toe in cheap lube, but he isn’t going to let that stop him. All he needs is a place to live and some time to figure out how to reconcile who he really is with who everyone wants him to be.Dumping three gallons of lube on the new kid is just another day at the office for Alexei. He knows exactly who he is: a goalie on the ice, a prankster in the locker room, and a man who knows better than to share his private life with anyone. He’s let people in before and it’s taught him that if he can’t have what he really wants, it’s better to be alone.Despite their apparent differences, an unlikely friendship grows. Neither of them could ever have guessed how much they really have in common.
The Blueprint
S.E. Harmon - 2018
He has friends, a wonderful family, and a great job. But his love life has reached a new level of pitiful. Why? Well, his heart decided to break all the rules. Don’t fall in love with a straight guy. And definitely don’t fall in love with your best friend.NFL standout Britton “Blue” Montgomery has pressure coming at him from all sides. From his father, who’s only interested in Blue’s football career. From his coaches, who just want him to play without getting injured again. From the fans. From his agent. And from his mother, who has popped up on the radar after leaving his family years before. And now his relationship with Kelly is on shaky ground, and that frightens Blue more than anything.When Kelly admits he’s in love with Blue, bonds are tested, and Blue has to decide what’s really important. He doesn’t want to lose the number-one person in his life, but the cost to keep Kelly close might be more than he’s willing to pay.It’s a good thing his nickname is the Blueprint—it’s time to draft a new set of plans.