The weather’s getting colder, so why not warm up with a steamy romance novel featuring sports players? Right now the show Heated Rivalry (based on the novel of the same title!) is inspiring some extra interest in hockey romance specifically, but this list features some favorite titles for other sports too. (And if you’re interested in checking out Heated Rivalry the show but don’t have HBO at home, you can request MHL’s Roku with HBO Max access!)
Game Changer
by
New York Admirals captain Scott Hunter takes his pregame rituals very seriously. When a particular smoothie precedes Scott's 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 Grady 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-and more. What goes on between them is 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 or the public's image of what a hockey captain should be. Kip is ready to go all in with Scott-but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?
New York Admirals captain Scott Hunter takes his pregame rituals very seriously. When a particular smoothie precedes Scott's 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 Grady 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-and more. What goes on between them is 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 or the public's image of what a hockey captain should be. Kip is ready to go all in with Scott-but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?
Heated Rivalry
by
Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander's game. Now that he's captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won't let anything jeopardize that--definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate. Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane's not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he's as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him--except Shane. Publicly, they're enemies. Privately, they can't stop touching each other. The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option...
Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander's game. Now that he's captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won't let anything jeopardize that--definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate. Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane's not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he's as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him--except Shane. Publicly, they're enemies. Privately, they can't stop touching each other. The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option...
The Charlie Method
by
College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives--and she's nailing both of them. ... At night, she's Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties. Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his Congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will's dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne ... sometimes share girls in the bedroom. When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she's been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy--fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy.
College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives--and she's nailing both of them. ... At night, she's Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties. Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his Congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will's dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne ... sometimes share girls in the bedroom. When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she's been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy--fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy.
Cleat Cute
by
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team for ten years, even though she's only 26. But when she's sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Twenty-two-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn't: a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival. Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can't keep their hands off of each other. As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with ... different perspectives on their relationship.
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team for ten years, even though she's only 26. But when she's sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Twenty-two-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn't: a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival. Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can't keep their hands off of each other. As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with ... different perspectives on their relationship.
Fumbled
by
A second chance doesn't guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted. Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person. T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on. When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship--
A second chance doesn't guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted. Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person. T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on. When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship--
Icebreaker
by
Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team. Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. Nate's focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team--including Anastasia, who clearly can't stand him. But when Anastasia's skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.
Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team. Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. Nate's focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team--including Anastasia, who clearly can't stand him. But when Anastasia's skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.
A Legend in the Baking
by
In A Legend in the Baking, the new romance from Jamie Wesley, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven--and his best friend's little sister--to help promote his new bakery after accidentally going viral online.
In A Legend in the Baking, the new romance from Jamie Wesley, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven--and his best friend's little sister--to help promote his new bakery after accidentally going viral online.
The Long Game
by
A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children's team in this smalltown love story.
A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children's team in this smalltown love story.
Long shot
by
Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable...but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man--basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival. The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris's perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool's gold. When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris's darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time. Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.
Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable...but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man--basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival. The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris's perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool's gold. When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris's darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time. Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.
Played
by
USA Today bestselling author Naima Simone heats up the page with intensity and wit in this romance between a pro hockey player and a firefighter, both struggling to move on from the past.Being a firefighter isn't easy. Especially for a Black woman. Working with family helps a little. But when somebody from your company doesn't come back from a call, it's brutal--as in, How'm I supposed to go on? brutal.And one death took me to a really dark place.A year later, I'm at the Pirates' hockey training facility. Just another day on the job. Until I find a charred journal. I look inside for the owner's name, but the words on the page punch me in the gut. It's like reading my own thoughts. Reliving my own pain.The journal belongs to Solomon Young, left-winger for the Pirates--a father and widower. When I return it, I'm racked with guilt for the invasion of privacy. The look Solomon gives me is cold as ice.But damn if that man isn't hot as hell.Now he's stuck in my brain. And fate seems intent on making us face off.
USA Today bestselling author Naima Simone heats up the page with intensity and wit in this romance between a pro hockey player and a firefighter, both struggling to move on from the past.Being a firefighter isn't easy. Especially for a Black woman. Working with family helps a little. But when somebody from your company doesn't come back from a call, it's brutal--as in, How'm I supposed to go on? brutal.And one death took me to a really dark place.A year later, I'm at the Pirates' hockey training facility. Just another day on the job. Until I find a charred journal. I look inside for the owner's name, but the words on the page punch me in the gut. It's like reading my own thoughts. Reliving my own pain.The journal belongs to Solomon Young, left-winger for the Pirates--a father and widower. When I return it, I'm racked with guilt for the invasion of privacy. The look Solomon gives me is cold as ice.But damn if that man isn't hot as hell.Now he's stuck in my brain. And fate seems intent on making us face off.
The Prospects
by
Gene Ionescu, a gay trans man in his third year in the minors with the Beaverton Beavers, is a solid shortstop, but he's no one's idea of a major league prospect. He's just happy to be here, though, getting underpaid six months of the year to play the sport he's loved since childhood. ... But his plans go awry when Luis Estrada--Gene's rival since their college days--gets traded to his team--and promptly takes Gene's position. After Gene's coach forces him over to second base, he and Luis can't manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it--a major issue for the team since their two positions make up the critical keystone combination on the infield. But when Gene finds Luis having a panic attack in their shared hotel room, he offers to start extra practices together. After all, the better Luis plays, the more likely he is to get called up to the majors and out of Gene's life. However, as they grow closer and the Beaverton Beavers gain playoff traction for the first time in over a decade, Gene's private dream of playing in the major leagues becomes a threat to his team's success-as well as his burgeoning relationship.
Gene Ionescu, a gay trans man in his third year in the minors with the Beaverton Beavers, is a solid shortstop, but he's no one's idea of a major league prospect. He's just happy to be here, though, getting underpaid six months of the year to play the sport he's loved since childhood. ... But his plans go awry when Luis Estrada--Gene's rival since their college days--gets traded to his team--and promptly takes Gene's position. After Gene's coach forces him over to second base, he and Luis can't manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it--a major issue for the team since their two positions make up the critical keystone combination on the infield. But when Gene finds Luis having a panic attack in their shared hotel room, he offers to start extra practices together. After all, the better Luis plays, the more likely he is to get called up to the majors and out of Gene's life. However, as they grow closer and the Beaverton Beavers gain playoff traction for the first time in over a decade, Gene's private dream of playing in the major leagues becomes a threat to his team's success-as well as his burgeoning relationship.
Thrown for a Loop: A New York Legends Hockey Romance
by
Zoe Carson, former figure skating queen, needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach. An NHL gig with the New York Legends is her big chance. Unfortunately, that means facing off against the star player who broke her heart ten years ago. Chase Merritt knows his game is off, and he's on the verge of losing sponsors. But he doesn't need the ice princess from that intense college summer showing up and telling him what he's doing wrong-even when she's right. On the ice, they're magic. Off the ice, they're nothing but heat and stubbornness, and everyone on the team is enjoying the show. But when an old video of Zoe and Chase's figure skating routine goes viral, they're forced to work together more intimately than ever before. Can the two get it right this time or will the whole world watch them crash and burn?--
Zoe Carson, former figure skating queen, needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach. An NHL gig with the New York Legends is her big chance. Unfortunately, that means facing off against the star player who broke her heart ten years ago. Chase Merritt knows his game is off, and he's on the verge of losing sponsors. But he doesn't need the ice princess from that intense college summer showing up and telling him what he's doing wrong-even when she's right. On the ice, they're magic. Off the ice, they're nothing but heat and stubbornness, and everyone on the team is enjoying the show. But when an old video of Zoe and Chase's figure skating routine goes viral, they're forced to work together more intimately than ever before. Can the two get it right this time or will the whole world watch them crash and burn?--
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
by
Vanessa Mazur has worked as the personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization for two years, and she's had enough. It's a thankless job, and she refuses to feel bad about quitting. So she's rather surprised when Aiden Graves, the Wall of Winnipeg, shows up at her door begging her to come back. She's even more shocked when he explains that her job description as personal assistant is about to take personal to a whole new level.
Vanessa Mazur has worked as the personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization for two years, and she's had enough. It's a thankless job, and she refuses to feel bad about quitting. So she's rather surprised when Aiden Graves, the Wall of Winnipeg, shows up at her door begging her to come back. She's even more shocked when he explains that her job description as personal assistant is about to take personal to a whole new level.