Book picks similar to
Play the Game by Emma Tharp
sports-romance
arc
romance
sports-romance-hockey
Worth the Risk
Karen Monroe - 2020
She’s not a plain-Jane, but she’s also not a partier. When her roommates coerce her into attending a frat party, she can think of a million other things she’d rather do…like maybe wash her hair, or floss her teeth really hard. Fortunately for Cassi, the night’s not a total waste. She winds up meeting the star quarterback for the team...and that’s just the beginning of the night.Griffin Mackenzie knows a good thing when he sees it. Years of spotting his targets on the football field have given him good instincts. His life has been blessed with riches…on and off the field. Girls? Plu-eeze! He only needs to wiggle his finger to get one. He’s at the party because he’s the designated driver. Someone has to keep the yahoos on his team in-line. He’d been expecting to be bored. He never expected to meet someone like Cassi!Can two people who shouldn’t have anything in common survive the pitfalls of new love…especially if that love includes YouTube fame, trending on Twitter, and a crazy stalker? Find out if Cassi and Griff are…Worth The Risk!Author’s note:This is a spicy sports romance. American football, bad language, and the actual sport of football features prominently in the story.
Rookies Do It Better
Heather C. Myers - 2019
Blackmail. Scandal. And they say rookies don't have fun. JackJack Ruby is a fighter - literally.At 19, he's gotten into more fights than he remembers. It probably has to do with the fact that since he was a child, he's been angry. His mother's a drug addict who only talks to him when she wants money, he lives with his best friend since he has nowhere else to go, and he's in love with said best friend's sister.He's screwed.The only good that comes out of this is he just signed with the Newport Beach Seagulls's minor league affiliate, the Irvine Mayhem.If he's good at anything, it's hockey. And sex. And fighting.As long as he stays away from Lily, he'll be fine.But Jack's never been good at playing by the rules.LilyLily Sinclair doesn't get the opportunity to say no when her brother and his best friend move in with her. She's trying to get ready for her first year of college while they're partying, getting into fights, and playing hockey.Must be nice.It wouldn't be so bad if her brother was friends with anyone but Jack Sinclair. The brown eyes, the high cheekbones, that mischievous grin.God, she's in so much trouble.When an ex shows up in her life, blackmailing her over a video Lily hadn't been aware of, she's tells him to eff off.That's when all hell breaks loose in the form of Jack Ruby.Will he ever look at her the same way again?Fans of The Slapshot Series are devouring this new adult sports romance set in the same sunny beach city.
Coached
Hunter Rose - 2021
Rugged. Playmaker. Casanova…All those names apply to Darren Walters. Yes, he’s cocky too.How can you not be when you look and play like him?The beginning of college should be the start of something new.Yet, here I am still stuck crushing on the star quarterback of the college team,and my older brother’s best friend - Darren.I’m sure he’s always seen me as the nerdy younger sister type.Oh, and did I forget to mention that I’m still a virgin and have no idea about guys?I know… I'm hopeless.Darren promised my brother that he’d look out for me and protect me.The best thing I can come up with is to have him coach me how to date.Coach me to say all the right things,kiss the right way,and when we’re alone…Sigh, if only our love story was that simple.
Dirty Point
Amber Thielman - 2020
A promising NHL career, amazing friends, and the best college ice hockey team the state had ever seen. Then one reckless night derailed my entire future. It was an accident, of course, but it doesn’t matter. The accident killed my best friend and destroyed our entire team. How can we ever come back from this? How can I ever come back from this?Ali GarettFigure skater protegee, trained by my champion of a mother. At least, that’s who I used to be until the car accident that changed my life forever. When my father receives a job offer to coach the best college team in the state, they offer me paid tuition into the city’s most prestigious university. Meeting and falling for the charming Ice Hockey Captain of my dad’s new team is just icing on the cake. Nathan Davison is tall, charming, and sexy as sin, and we can’t get enough of each other...Until I find out that Nate was there the night my mother was taken from me in that accident. And he had a bigger role to play than I expected, shattering the illusion I had for our happily ever after.Can we move past this together, or will the night of that accident tear us apart forever?“Dirty Point” is a steamy college sports love story with a hero. If you like your main man athletic, deep and steamy, you’re going to love Nate. As always, it’s a full length novel with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
Hard Edge
Lainey Davis - 2017
She *needs* to keep her tutoring job. What happens if their spark burns the rulebook? Neal Sweeney is the campus golden boy. He works hard and lives hard, but when his grades threaten his ability to play forward for SCU, the math department sets him up with a tutor. Studious, serious, and totally off limits, Dahlia Wardzinski steps into the study lounge and Neal is ready to learn whatever she's teaching. The only problem? Dahlia is a woman who follows the rules. She can't risk her work-study funding to cross a line with Neal. Things heat up when Neal makes a play in the library, and Dahlia finds herself doing things she never imagined. Will Dahlia's boss find out how badly she wants to let him score? Will she wind up just another notch on Neal Sweeney's bedpost? Hard Edge is a stand-alone sports romance with a guaranteed HEA.
The Changeup
A.M. Williams - 2019
Tall. Handsome. Compassionate. Confident. He makes me feel things I haven’t in years.There’s just one problem: me. He can’t stand me and I’m getting to where I can’t stand him either.The glares stiffen my resolve to forget about my dream man and concentrate on my new job.Except...eventually those stares turn to something more. More heated. More promising. More everything.ChaseEmma Carlisle is what I didn’t know I needed in my life until I saw her.I don’t want her in my life, though. I have too much riding on my shoulders to concentrate on a relationship. A sick mom. A team owner who’s breathing down my neck to win a baseball championship.It’s easier to ignore her and pretend like she doesn’t exist than to think about how pretty she is or how I feel alive whenever she's around.But one surprise kiss and I’m left wanting more. One glimpse into what love could be like and I can’t think of anything else.We have to decide if it’s worth tempting fate and the flames of desire to see what love might be like.The Changeup is the first book in A.M. Williams Boys of Summer baseball romance series. It’s a workplace, enemies-to-lovers romance that features two perfectionists struggling to come to terms with the curveballs life has for them.If you love men in tight pants and the sassy women they fall for, this series is for you.This book was previously published as Coached in Love. It has been updated with new content and re-edited.
Block & Tackle
Elise Faber - 2017
. . basically act as a wife-on-steroids.(4) THE IMPORTANT ONE: Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with Devon Scott—demanding boss, former NHL player, and all-around gorgeous specimen of the male persuasion.Job performance:Failing. Absolutely failing at number four.Off Guard by Stephanie FournetLife couldn’t be better for Charlie Woodruff.After a year of holding out, she’s finally landed the job she’s always wanted in the city of her dreams. An apartment she can afford and new friends at work make the transition easy.When she meets a gorgeous stranger who makes her laugh and steals her breath, it seems like the icing on the cake...Until Charlie discovers he’s a client.Hutch Barlow — newly drafted wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders — looks like an avenging angel, hangs on her every word, and is completely off-limits. The trouble is he also refuses to take “no” for an answer.And if she’s being honest, Charlie doesn’t want him to.But seeing him means she could lose everything — including her heart.Off Limits by Kristin VaydenEverything about Ava screams off limits.To want her is to invite disaster.To pursue her is to risk my job.To kiss her might cost me my best friend.But all those risks seem small in light of the first problem.She hates me.To her I’m a sell out, choosing to advance my career rather than protect my biggest client.Her brother.And my best friend.She hasn’t spoken to me in over a year, but that ends now.Because I’m done with holding back.To hell with the consequences.Wish me luck...
Fletcher
Victoria McFarlane - 2021
I should have known that just one night would never have been enough.Not when Peyton Mckenna has been the only girl I’ve ever dreamed of.We were friends once, best friends but to me she was always the girl I couldn’t have. It didn’t stop me wanting though.But then everything changed, our worlds exploded and I pushed her away, too caught up in my grief and confusion of still wanting the girl that belonged to someone else.For three years I avoided her as if everything that happened that night was her fault, but the truth was, the guilt of seeing her, still wanting her was tearing me apart but I was becoming weak. Weak enough to let her back in. Weak enough to hold her.Weak enough to take that taste I’d always denied myself. It was a betrayal.But never a mistake.And now I want more. Our paths were too tangled, our lives forever on a collision course.This was my destruction and we had always been destined to fail.
Pretty Little Puppet
L.J. Woods - 2021
𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰.𝑅𝒶𝓎𝓃𝑒Christian Perez thinks he’s entitled to my attention but he’s as delusional as this elite small town.Doesn’t matter how sparkly his eyes are, or how chiselled his body is.I hate that bully and everything he stands for.But when he finds me in the worst position imaginable, there’s nowhere left to run.Being the coach’s daughter won’t help me now. Fake-dating the star hockey captain is my only solution.Now I’m his puppet. Perez property who must bow to his demands.Every want, every desire, I’m at his beck and call.But something tells me this campus “King” won’t stop until he owns my all.𝘍𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩’𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺. 𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓷I have one rule on campus. Don’t get distracted.But Rayne Rose is the sultriest, sassiest distraction yet.She’s also the coach’s daughter and that’s one line I can’t cross.That is until she’s everything I need to save my future NHL career.Fake-dating the enemy is my only solution.She’s burned me once and I won’t let her do it again.I’m not a bully, I’m determined and for three months, Rayne is mine.She’ll do what I say. Even if it breaks her.But when secrets unravel, my career isn’t the only thing on thin ice.I’ll have to risk my heartAnd my life.Love rich alpha possessive bad boys? This book is for you! PLP is a full-length new adult college sports romance novel with mature themes that include bullying. This enemies-to-lovers romance is recommended for mature readers.Authors note: This is a standalone book that can be read as part of an interconnected series. PLP is a spin-off of Elite Royal Academy with characters and storylines that overlap. That said, prior reading is NOT required.
First Down Darling
Tabatha Kiss - 2022
Follow the syllabus.2. Don’t date the undergrads.Easy enough. I’m a science nerd with a Graduate thesis to write. My weekend plans don’t exactly include doing keg stands at the Alpha Delta Xi house.But when the fastest halfback in college football shows up in the front row of my chemistry class, the rules start to seem... a little more like guidelines to me.Hello, John Kirby.Farewell, my V-card.If anyone finds out about us, I could lose a lot more than my inhibitions.But John isn’t like any guy I’ve ever dated. He’s clever. And loyal. And ripped like a sheet.I can believe him when he says he’ll never hurt me. Right?We broke the rules.I never expected him to break my heart, too.First Down Darling is a steamy stand-alone sports romance guaranteed to tug your heartstrings. It was originally published as Johnny Deeper and In Too Deep. This new edition includes brand-new and extended scenes not available in the original version.Want more Chicago North University? Don’t miss the first book in the Kings of Chicago North series Touchdown Baby!
Boyfriend Bargain
Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2019
Broke and desperate, Sugar Ryan has no use for arrogant, bad boy athletes . . . until she’s forced to bargain with the cockiest of them all.If only he knew she was alive. Her mission? Get on this hockey player’s radar any way possible. Zack Morgan is the king of the ice and the bedroom—but nothing prepares him for the mystery girl who shows up everywhere he does—frat parties, his favorite bar, and finally his front door with an offer he can’t refuse. The only rule in her boyfriend bargain: no falling in love.But after one (um, two) smoking-hot hookups, he’s done with pretending and vows to make their fake relationship real. Too bad she can’t trust a player with a reputation for breaking hearts. Will this hockey star score his forever girl or will their Boyfriend Bargain end in heartbreak?
A standalone hockey romance.
Player
E. Cleveland - 2020
Or that he's a legend on skates.And, yeah, I know it's a double entendre. I'm well aware of his reputation for hooking up with half the girls at Westbury. I've had a front row seat to the bunny parade.Still, I won't call him Player. That's not who he is to me. That's never who he's been to me. He's Noah Foster. My best friend. The boy I grew up with. The guy who knows me better than anyone.Well, except there is one secret I've never told him. I haven't exactly been open with him about how I'm still a card carrying member of the V-card-club.But, when Noah needs me to tutor him for his exam, I get an idea. What if I teach him a little science, and the Player teaches me how to play?
Pucking Parker
Jillian Quinn - 2020
In the men’s locker room, of all places.As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, Mr. MVP gave me one of his killer smirks, right before dropping his towel in front of me. Just to prove a point. That no woman can resist him. Not even me.Now, he keeps finding ways to see me, touch me. And I find myself wanting to break my dad’s rules about his players. Rules I never break for a reason. Because falling for a player like Parker… was never part of the plan.
Getting Lucky Number Seven
Cindi Madsen - 2015
While every other college student is out having fun, Lyla is studying. With her cat. Well, she's played it "safe" quite enough, thank you. So she creates a "College Bucket List"―with item #7 being a night of uninhibited, mind-blowing sex...But she needs some help from her man-whore best friend.Hockey player Beck Davenport thought Lyla's transformation would be subtle. Man, was he wrong. With every item she ticks off, Beck finds himself growing seriously hot for his sweet, brainiac best friend. And if he's not careful, he'll end up risking their friendship in order to convince Lyla that he might just be her lucky #7...