Recommendations based on "Make love and play football"

"There are a lot of things I learned in our time together, but the biggest lesson my husband taught me is what it feels like to be loved for the first time in my life." REAL READERS LOVE THE WINDY CITY SERIES: 'SWEET MOTHER. . . literally left a mark on my soul'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I laughed and cried and swooned'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I can't believe it's over. I want to turn back to page 1 and start all over again'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Each and every book in this series has left an imprint on my heart' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I lost count of the amount of times this book made me cry' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'They have quite literally stolen my heart and I am totally okay with that' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The spice was spicin and the romance was *chef's kiss*' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book took my heart, shattered it, healed it and embedded it back in my chest' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ KENNEDY I'm the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors baseball team, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I'm desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago. But a Las Vegas run-in with the team's shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand. Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I've ever met, but thanks to Isaiah's scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake. Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He's also my brand-new husband. They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas... sometimes it follows you right back home. ISAIAH As the shortstop for Chicago's professional baseball team, I've had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman. I've crushed on the team's athletic trainer for years. I've flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favourite redhead in my bed. We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I'm using our time together to prove to her I'm husband material. Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it's one I refuse to lose. So come on, wife... play along. Play Along is the fourth book in the sensational Windy City series which has gripped over a million readers across the world. But don't worry if you're new round here, you'll still love it as a standalone! TROPES: 🌶️Boy obsessed 🌶️Drunken marriage, turned marriage of convenience, turned... 🌶️ (Step) brother's rival 🌶️Perfectionist FMC + goldren retriever MMC 🌶️He falls first 🌶️Workplace romance 🌶️Family trauma 🌶️Dual POV 'Everything I want in a romance novel: simmering tension, incredible banter, and vulnerability that will make your chest ache . . . When it comes to love stories that stick with you, Liz Tomforde knows exactly what she's doing' LYLA SAGE

"Rachel Reid's hockey heroes are sexy, hot, and passionate!" —#1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren BlakelyFrom the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Game Changers series comes a merry and bright hockey romance about finding your place, finding your people and finding your way back to the one you love the most.For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.

The first book in the delicious, icy-hot Campus Diaries series, a spinoff of BookTok sensations Off Campus and Briar U, by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy.Hockey's golden girl just made a deal with the bad boy . . .Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women's national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father's shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine - a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude . . . and sexy as hell. But he's still the enemy.Briar's new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men's team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another's guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he's angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they're trying to ignore. It's a dangerous game they're playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Attraction takes off ten thousand feet in the air between a flight attendant and a professional hockey player in this spicy TikTok sensation.Chicago hockey isn’t complete without Evan Zanders—everyone’s favorite player to hate. He knows his role, and he plays it well. In fact, he thoroughly enjoys spending the majority of his game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on his arm. What he doesn't like is the new flight attendant on the team’s private plane, who seems utterly unimpressed with him.Stevie Shay's been a flight attendant for years. She thought she'd seen it all, but when her new job lands her on a flight working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, she starts to second guess everything. Including the promise she made to never hook up with an athlete again…no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.Every away game blurs the lines between Zanders and Stevie a little more. Stevie is starting to believe he's more than the media portrays. And Zanders can’t figure out if he’s pushing the flight attendant call button just to push her buttons or if there’s more to it.

Once bitten, twice shy …The mantra I live by so no one can hurt me in the same way my parents did.I’m Tommy Schneider, the most feared player in the NHL with a last name to match my bad boy reputation. Only, I’m the better, stronger, faster version of my estranged dad. Everything in my life I control with expert precision—from the hits I land in fights to the tattoos covering my body. Nothing and no one can get the better of me. I’m impermeable, a wall of steel that’s as cold as it is opaque.So when my trade to the New York Blades is met with controversy, it’s fair to say I’m unbothered. The recently appointed General Manager expects a brutal enforcer, and that’s exactly what he’ll get.But what I didn’t expect when I landed in Brooklyn? Jenna Miller. And the way she unceremoniously turned me down. I shouldn’t let her rejection weave it’s way under my skin, and I definitely shouldn’t have punched her brother when he tried to defend Jenna’s honor.Instead, I should heed my mantra and walk away from the girl who hates my guts and grates on me with her bratty smile and backtalking mouth. If I don’t, I know someone will eventually get hurt. But each time I back off, I wind up standing outside her apartment door again.I’m in the fight of my life, with so much more at risk than just broken bones and bruises …This time, it’s my heart on the line.

He knows how to win her surrender ...She Wants What He's Got . . .Valerie Parker is desperate to win the affection of her emotionally distant father and land a promotion at his advertising firm. Her biggest obstacle is junior partner Steven Crennell, a dazzling former NBA star who scores all the big accounts. But Valerie's attempt to outshine her charismatic rival unexpectedly leads her straight into his arms.She's Everything He Needs . . .Steven hopes to dispel the playboy stereotype left in the wake of his NBA career. Between battling his ex-fiancée and focusing on his work, finding his soul mate isn't on the agenda - until he meets his match in Valerie. And when competition leads to explosive passion, he learns that the game of life - and love - involve a very different set of rules.Praise for Heated Rivalry"The age-old romantic conflict of opposing lovers is fresh and exciting in the skillful hands of Patricia Sargeant. Heated Rivalry steams the page from the beginning to the satisfying end." - Donna Hill, Essence best-selling author"When ex-NBA star Steven meets advertising executive Val, The Taming of the Shrew never read so well - or so sexy." - Shirley Hailstock, best-selling author"Patricia Sargeant not only touches the heart, she touches the soul of the reader." - Karen Kelley, USA Today best-selling author"Heated Rivalry sparks with sexual tension." - Janice Maynard, USA Today best-selling author"An absorbing ... emotional journey with broad appeal." - Publishers Weekly"Heated Rivalry by Patricia Sargeant lives up to its title with a riveting plot and memorable characters." - Romance In Color"Drama with a hint of humor is rife in Sargeant's latest. Readers will savor this right to the end." - RT Book Reviews"There were several storylines happening simultaneously, and Sargeant does a great job of weaving them all together." - Urban Reviews"HEATED RIVALRY is a treat and worth the read for the true romantic." - The RAWSISTAZ ReviewersExcerpt: Heated RivalrySteven finished his burger. "Tell me about volunteering at Miami Children's Hospital."Valerie placed her napkin on the table. "What do you want to know?""Everything. What do you do there?""I volunteer in the recreation room. I'm the Crayon Lady." Valerie laughed and her features lit up. Her full lips parted, showing perfect white teeth. Her eyes twinkled and danced.A warm feeling started in the pit of Steven's stomach. He could listen to her laughter and gaze at her smile for years. "Let me guess. You draw with them.""Once or twice a week since high school.""When I was in high school, I went to every basketball camp in Miami-Dade County.""I saw you when you played for the Miami Waves. You were like art."Steven watched Valerie return her dishes to the cart. He stood to do the same. "I don't think anyone's ever said that about me."Valerie turned, almost bumping into him. She was caught between his body and the cart. Steven held his ground. Her heat drew him closer. He breathed her scent, lavender and vanilla. He wanted to bury his hand in her ebony hair. Her eyes mesmerized him. Steven reached around Valerie and laid his dishes on the cart."What type of art?" His voice was husky. He hadn't intended it to be. What was she doing to him?"Modern." She answered without hesitation. "Bold and powerful. Full of energy and contrasts.""Funny. That's what I feel around you. Restless energy and conflicting reactions."She searched his gaze. "What conflicting reactions?"He couldn't resist any longer. Steven reached out and filled his hands with her hair. It was soft and warm. "Your vulnerability draws me closer, but your temper makes me want to run and hide."Her smile teased him, tempted him. "Do I frighten you?" She reached out and squeezed his left bicep. "A big, strong professional athlete?""Sweetheart, you bring me to my knees."Steven leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family's issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it's my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I'm good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine-no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother's weekend. Innocent enough, I guess...until I see her. She's the biggest competitor I've ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It's hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore. *** I don't lose. I can't. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I've worked too hard. I've been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win. We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It's not easy. Love isn't something you can control. It isn't like a puck that can be handled by a stick. No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants. Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don't know if there is a way to score, especially when you're being Clipped by Love.

Abby Gossman is unstoppable. An Olympic champion, she’s now blazing a trail for women in baseball as the first ever female coach for an MLB team. All of her dreams are coming true, even if one of them has to stay in the shadows. Because if anyone found out she was dating Jake Landon, an All-Star catcher from another team, it would ruin her reputation.But then Jake gets traded to the Longhorns, and just like that the relationship is over. As madly in love with her as he is, he won’t ask Abby to sacrifice her career for him. She matters to him more than anything, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. Even if it’s killing him not to have her in his arms and in his bed. Even if he wants to throttle any other man who looks at her.It doesn’t matter how hard she tries, Abby can’t seem to stay away from sexy, charming Jake, and before long, they’re sneaking around, desperate for each other. Hot hotel hookups, clandestine meetings after dark, forbidden rendez-vous whenever and wherever they can. Because as much as they’re together, it’s never enough.But what’s in the shadows has a way of coming to light, and when the spotlight shines on their forbidden love, Abby will have to choose between Jake, the man of her dreams, and the career she’s sacrificed everything for. ***Keywords: contemporary romance, sports romance, baseball romance, forbidden romance, steamy romance, baseball, sexy romance, Dallas, Texas, MLB, series, sports romance series, contemporary romance series, modern romance, urban romance, big city romance, Texas romance, wealthy, city romance, smart romance, hot romance, sexy, love, love books, kissing books, emotional, wealthy hero, sassy, strong heroine, captivating romance, swoon, HEA, alpha, summer, secret relationship, star crossed, female coach, forbidden love

I’d wanted her from the first moment I’d seen her.But Billie Rose hadn’t liked me.Not that I could blame her—I’d just been another of the annoying hockey players seemingly out to ruin her town.Thankfully, I’d finally gotten her to see me. To want me.But Billie was the most together person I’d ever met, and she regularly took on fixer-uppers of both the human and inanimate variety.I didn’t want her to see me as a project. I wanted her to see me as me.As the man she wanted.As the man she loved. *This is book 2 in Joel and Billie Rose's story

A SUNNIE READS SELECT • Fantasy meets sports romance in this sizzling slow-burn novel in which the disgraced star of a brutal magical sport must team up with the rival who destroyed her career, from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho. “Fourth Wing-meets-rugby is something I didn't know I needed in my life, but now I’m obsessed. The Winged Game is going to be the next big thing for sure!”—Ruby Dixon, New York Times bestselling author Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league. So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse—even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place. It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in common: their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other. Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league—putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake—the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . . Anything, that is, but their fake-for-the-cameras relationship to maybe, just maybe, become something real after all.