Book picks similar to
Rival by M.A. Gray
m-m
mm
sports
sport
Racing into Love
Noah Steele - 2021
Falling for him is a risk. I just have to be willing to take it.My relationship rut ends when pro racer Derrek Luna speeds into my cozy bookstore and crashes the end of a disastrous date. He's way too risky to fall for, but I can't ignore the sudden sparks between us. It doesn't take long before we're head over heels for each other, and we'll need that love to cross the finish line.Lap 1: Derrek wants to settle down and stop racing. The woman who runs his life on the track refuses to lose her star without a fight.Lap 2: The closer I get to Derrek, the angrier my ex-turned-best-friend gets. Is he...jealous?Lap 3: Someone broke into my bookstore. I'm starting to wonder if Derrek's exes ghosted, or if someone convinced them to disappear.But I'm tired of playing it safe, even if being with Derrek is risky for more than just my heart.Racing into Love is a low-angst contemporary M/M instalove romance. Opposites attract in swoony, steamy ways before a guaranteed HEA. It is suggested this series be read in order. Content warnings include: on-page panic attacks.
Love Spell
Mia Kerick - 2015
Nonetheless, he struts his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug-in-all-the-right (wrong)-places orange tuxedo as the winner of this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon Festival. He rules supreme at the local Beans and Greens Farm’s annual fall celebration, serenaded by the enthusiastic catcalls of his BFF, Emily Benson. Although he refuses to visually fade into the background of his rural New Hampshire town, Chance is socially invisible—except when being tormented by familiar bullies. But sparks fly when Chance, Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper (Jazz) Donahue, winner of the Pumpkin Carving King contest. Chance wants to be noticed and admired and romantically embraced by Jazz, in all of his neon-orange-haired glory.And so at a sleepover, Chance and Emily conduct intense, late-night research, and find an online article: “Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love With You.” Along with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure, it becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart. But will this “no-fail” plan work? Can Chance and Jazz fall under the fickle spell of love?'
Loud and Clear
Sierra Riley - 2016
But when his best friend’s wedding makes him realize just how lonely he is, he gives in to one night of reckless passion with a younger man.
"Don't waste your time on me, Professor. I'm the resident screw-up."
As a recovering addict, Matt Graves is no stranger to bad choices… he just never thought a harmless one-night-stand would end up being one of them. But sometimes one taste is all it takes to become hooked.
"You make me feel like I can be something better. Like I can do something better."
When Matt realizes the public speaking class he’s taking is Daniel’s, both men are forced to confront their lingering attraction. Daniel can’t nurture any kind of relationship with Matt, but he also can’t resist teaching a student who desperately needs to be heard. Learning to love, on the other hand, could destroy them both. Can Daniel and Matt overcome their pasts to create a future neither one is sure he believes in?
Given the Circumstances
Brad Vance - 2013
Both men are hungry for connection – Brian needs the acceptance, encouragement and support he never had growing up, and when he finds out his new best friend is gay, it brings his own identity into question. Roger needs a big brother, a best friend, but that will never be enough, especially not when he’s this close to big, strong, handsome Brian. And both men want something more – careers as professional athletes. For Roger, the demands of the closet, the need to reject the love of a man to fulfill his love of the game, will be a crushing burden. For Brian, his downfall will be the substances he uses to get an edge over the competition, and to suppress his gnawing self-doubt and guilt.One set of desires will bring them together, the other will force them apart…
The Next Competitor
Keira Andrews - 2010
I imagine it again and again: Olympic champion Alex Grady. I train harder than my competitors. I’m in the rink morning, noon, and night. The lack of filter between my mouth and brain affects my ability to make friends, but I don’t have time for a social life anyway.As for a boyfriend? Forget it.So what if I’m still completely inexperienced at twenty? The Olympics are only every four years—everything else can wait.But for some inexplicable reason, I can’t stop checking out my boring new training mate Matt Savelli. Calm, collected “Captain Cardboard” is a nice guy, but even if I had time to date, Matt’s so not my type. I don’t even know what my type is!Until I do.Beneath Matt’s wholesome surface, there’s a sexy, tender man who awakens a desire in me I’ve never experienced. This is the worst possible time to be tempted. The worst possible time to let someone get close to me.This is the worst possible time to fall in love.The Next Competitor by Keira Andrews is a gay sports romance featuring grumpy/sunshine opposites attracting, sizzling first times, and of course a happy ending.
The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson
Sean Kennedy - 2016
Well, not so much straight, but you know what he means.Unfortunately the path to redemption is not an easy one. With fights at school and on the football field and an all-round snarky attitude as his number one defense mechanism, will Micah survive the school year and the training camps to achieve his dream of making the national draft and becoming a professional AFL player?His mentor, Declan Tyler, believes in him, but Micah wishes he had the same confidence in himself. Only time will tell if the ongoing reformation of Micah Johnson will be successful.
Road Rules (Rules of the Game: Evanston River Otters, #0.5)
NOT A BOOK - 2022
*Rule #1: Hockey Comes First*As NHL team captain, Zane Murphy’s goal for the upcoming season is simple: take the Evanston River Otters all the way to the Stanley Cup.*Rule #2: Only On the Road*But an unexpectedly hot night with his best friend and teammate Ryan Hartinger throws Zane’s carefully laid plans and his sexuality into disarray.*Rule #3: Don’t Fall in Love with Your Best Friend*When feelings begin to creep in, Zane will have to decide if he’s willing to throw out the rules and risk his career and his friendship for a chance at winning it all.---Road Rules is a steamy prequel to Brigham’s latest series about love, hockey, and what it means for a team to be a family.
The Quarterback
Mackenzie Blair - 2017
Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden. Until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him. In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ever after for both of them.
Princes of the Universe
Serene Franklin - 2019
I’m bad at many things, but love is so far down the list that it would be funny if it weren’t so tragic. At twenty-eight years old, I’ve had my fair share of partners, and each hasn’t hesitated to tell me that I’m incapable of loving. I love my dog, though I guess that’s not the same thing. Every woman I’ve dated can’t be wrong, right? So I’ve given up on love and resigned myself to a solitary life.Everything is going all right until he walks through the door at my office. He’s the one person who knows my deepest secret—I just know everything’s going to change.BryanI didn’t think I’d ever see him again. It’s been ten years—and I’d long ago given up all hope—though I never forgot about him. The last place I expected to find him was in the ad agency I’m considering for the launch of my bakery, yet here we are. I can’t lie and say I’m not excited at the prospect of working closely with him. This feels like a second chance, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to earn his trust and find out what happened to him all those years ago.Hopefully my heart survives in the process.
Ace in the Hole
Ava Drake - 2016
A huge one. The US senator he works for has run away with his latest mistress on the eve of a make-or-break fund-raising event, and it’s up to him to cover his boss’s irresponsible tracks.Stone Jackson, the senator’s new bodyguard, looks enough like the senator that, with some extensive grooming, he might pass for Senator Lacey. Christian and Stone hatch a plan to fool everyone by substituting Stone for the senator, but Miami madness and the incendiary heat between them are throwing obstacles in their way. It’s a race to find the senator and pull off the con of the century before the attraction between them spins completely out of control.
My Theory for Love
Ashlynn Mills - 2020
Working at the coffee shop barely pays the bills as it is, but when all my life savings is stolen from me leaving me floundering about, I have no choice but to take on a second job.I never expect to see the guy I locked eyes with at the coffee shop again, but not only do I keep running into him everywhere I go, he also ends up hiring me to tutor his son. The lines between casual and professional begin to blur. How can I focus on my job when the gorgeous straight older man has me losing not only my train of thought but my heart as well.
Down Low
Parker St. John - 2020
It allowed him to escape a small-minded town and the pain of his troubled youth, fleeing to bright lights and big city fame without looking back.One trip on the horns of the wrong bull changed everything.Cal is forced to come crawling back home for the first time in ten years, his body broken and riding days behind him. But not everyone is happy for the return of their local celebrity.Eli Jackson was once the tall, dark, and sinful preacher’s son who had Cal wrapped around his little finger. Now the steely-eyed sheriff of Sweetwater, Eli is hell bent on running him right back out of town. He’s never forgiven Cal for the spectacular implosion of their relationship. Even though the lingering tension soon has them burning up the sheets, he refuses to be tamed.Cal is surprised to find himself rising to a new challenge: breaking the bull that is Eli Jackson.He might have run out of luck, but he’s not out of miracles… yet.
Fight
Kelly Wyre - 2014
Telling the truth has gotten him nothing but heartache and pain; so lying about who he is and what he wants seems to be the only path to job security and friends. Hell, it even brings him a hollow kind of happiness.Except, that's not much of a life for any man. Especially one with Nathan's passions. Nathan's attempts to distract himself from his problems lead him to a mysterious, intoxicating man named Fury. The Mixed Martial Arts fighter knows a thing or two about lies and pasts better left buried. He and Nathan have something else in common - they both want to be with someone who lets them be themselves.Together, they undertake a journey that proves honesty is more dangerous and more difficult than either of them could have imagined. And as they combat addiction, thugs, guns, and their own inner demons, Nathan and Fury can only hope that their battle to be together will be worth the bitter fight.
Finding His Place
Nic Starr - 2017
Despite striving to win his father's affection, a confrontation that has been years in the making leaves Kieran devastated to realize he will never be good enough. Jealous of the half brother he's never met, and who most likely doesn't know of his existence, Kieran vows to find out what makes his brother so special in their father's eyes.Darius Jensen manages a nightclub. He loves his job, but is reluctant to commit when given the opportunity to become a partner. His previous foray into business ownership with a boyfriend had disastrous results, and Darius is still paying the price, both financially and emotionally.When Kieran starts working with Darius at Sparks, Darius shows him it's not too late for Kieran to realize his dreams--the fulfilling career, a loving family, and someone who loves him for who he is. If only Kieran can convince Darius of the same thing. But before Kieran's and Darius's dreams can come true, Kieran needs to come clean with his brother and deal with the resulting fallout... which threatens his relationship with Darius.Note: This book was originally published as part of the Memories with the Breakfast Club Kindle World. The text remains unchanged.
Jake's Regret
Shawn Lane - 2009
Now, all these years later, Damian shows up at Jake's father's funeral. After a reunion night of making love, Damian is hoping for a renewed relationship with Jake, but when a woman from Jake's hometown sees them together, a still-closeted Jake panics and leaves Damian with only a note once more. Now, when Jake's small town turns against him and his life goes from bad to worse, he realizes he needs to take a chance with the man he has never stopped loving. Will Damian forgive him or has he moved on from the man who keeps breaking his heart? Genres: Gay / Contemporary / Sports / Athletes / Interracial / Multicultural