Books like 'Final Lap'
Readers who enjoyed Final Lap by Erin McCarthy also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary athletes sports friends to lovers cruel hero teacher-heroine m-f
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Saving You by Kelly Elliott
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsWhat happens when your head and heart contradict each other regarding the one person you’ve always wanted? Growing up, Luke Johnson and Libby Hayes thought they would be best friends forever. One kiss changed everything. Fearing his love for Libby could cost him their friendship, Luke chooses to listen to his head—instead of his heart...Categorized as:
friends to lovers cruel hero m-f contemporary new adult cowboys college length-medium -
Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter, Jacob Morgan
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsListening Length: 5 hours, 6 minutesWe’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for any of us.But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field... -
Power Play by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsPosey Adler is coming home. After a devastating journey for what she mistakenly thought was true love, she is saying to hell with men and love forever. As the Nashville Assassins’s new assistant coach for special teams, Posey is ready to focus on her job and have the attention on her for a change... -
Kade by Tijan
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsI have fought. I have bled. I have wreaked havoc for my family. Anyone who threatened us, tried to break us, I broke them instead. Then, there was peace. Marriage. Children. Life was good. Life was great.Until my phone rang one night. Retired, I was no longer in the NFL. We'd recently moved back to Fallen Crest.So I should’ve known. I should’ve remembered. There is no peace in Fallen Crest... -
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Hard to Lose by K. Bromberg
I know finding and signing a military vet to the agency is a long shot--but it’ll be good press just letting him try out. That’s what I tell my family, rather than admit I can’t get the letter he wrote us five years ago out of my head. But what I tell the bartender in his hometown is a lie. I know veterans protect each other. So I pretend to be a graduate student. Sparks. Flame. Fire...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f contemporary military tortured hero baseball explicit-open-door -
Tacker by Sawyer Bennett
I am not okay. Fifteen months ago, my life was turned upside down when the plane I was piloting went down. Injured and trapped in the wreckage, I had to watch my fiancée die a painfully slow death, which is something that can really mess with your head. Since that day, I’ve had little desire to do much of anything. Except play hockey, that is... -
Saved by Love by Toni Aleo
Evan Adler can’t get out of his own head.Worthless.Broken.Failure.Those are just a few of the words he uses to describe himself now. Medically retired from the NHL before he even had a chance to live up to the Adler legacy, Evan has returned to his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, to focus on his mental health... -
Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsGreen Lucas doesn't know what's about to hit him. Complete Standalone Romance Wanted A woman with grit and fire who will help me get my son’s head out of his ass. You must be self-sufficient and not looking for a gravy train. Common sense is a plus, book smarts are optional. Cannot have red hair, as my son seems to go for that type and he needs something to shake him up... -
Playing Mr. Perfect: Clay Braden by Melissa Foster
Quarterback Clay "Mr. Perfect" Braden is determined to show sexy scientist Pepper Montgomery the benefits of hands-on research in PLAYING MR. PERFECT, the first book in the Bradens at Ridgeport series by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melissa Foster. Loaded with heat, humor, and heart, this steamy, small-town, opposites-attract standalone romance is unputdownable... -
Just One Look by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLuka Darkovic has some tackling skills. He hadn’t planned on using them to bring down a runaway dog the size of a Shetland pony, though, especially not when his neck is already buggered. At 33, a rugby forward protects his vertebrae.. He’s even less happy when the dog’s incompetent owner turns up in his hospital cubicle the next day with a plan to fix those vertebrae... -
Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAsher Pryce hides behind a wall of secrets he's spent most of his life building up. How else is the adopted child whose birth parents run a drug cartel supposed to fit in? He's notorious for his overconfident swagger and total lack of patience for bullshit - a master of masks. The one thing in his life he can't fake? His feelings for his best friend's twin sister... -
Hold Me Forever by Layla Hagen
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsTyler Maxwell's story will be released on January 18th.As the leagues’ top goalie for the Chicago Blades, I stay disciplined and follow three principles:1. Keep a pristine image.2. Play smart and hard on the ice.3. Stay out of relationships... -
Rogue Wave by J. Bengtsson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA love story that survives the test of time. Keith McKallister is the king of the stoners. You know the type. Every school has one – the hot, fun, dopey guy beloved by the student body but despised by, well, just about everyone else. He spends his early mornings in the ocean and his days trying to get to class on time... -
The Champion by Shey Stahl
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA powerful love story of tragedy, love, and commitment. The fourth book in the Racing on the Edge series submerges you in the lifestyle of a champion of a sport that dominates America. Through smoke and methanol, you learn the good, the bad, and the secrets no one wants you to know... -
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Tight Laced by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOne of us will have to give up the future we’ve dreamed of if we’re going to make this work. It’s not going to be me. We can’t both have that same thought if we want to stay together when our contract ends.But the more I see him struggle against the things his mother does to him, the harder I fall. The more his ex tries to get in his way, the more I want to stand up for him...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f age difference forced proximity contemporary siblings-bff length-short -
Grand Slam by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlexis’s father tells me he’s going to ruin me. He does not want his pop star daughter or her brand associated in any way with the bad boy of baseball.I make it my mission to prove to her father that I’m not the bad guy he thinks I am. But he takes things a few steps too far, causing major issues that will affect my upcoming baseball season... -
Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWe’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for Jaxon, Addison and myself. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field... -
Delayed Call by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsVaughn Johansson is the Nashville Assassins' star player. He's brash, cocky, and talented. And he isn't afraid to let anyone know it. He lives his life on his own terms, never forming romantic attachments, and only allowing his very closest to see his true, caring self. Brie Soledad has the weight of the world on her shoulders... -
Dump and Chase by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsShelli Adler has known what she wanted since she was eleven years old. Aiden Brooks. But Aiden has always had other ideas. After spending the early years of his life without his dad, hockey legend Lucas Brooks, Aiden is determined not to settle for anything less than true love. When he’s ready. Now he’s living the fast life of an NHL bachelor... -
Made to Love You by Megan Smith
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJaylinn McCormick had finally found the man who makes her life complete. After putting the most terrifying night of her life behind her, she’s moving on. Suddenly, unexpected life altering events have Jaylinn spiraling in an unknown direction. Will she be able to survive? Cooper Cahill finally found a balance in his life... -
Tight Hold by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe pro football player I’m faking a relationship with has the perfect solution to my career woes. He’s encouraging me to lean into the pseudo-celebrity life I was born into instead of trying to outrun it, and for the first time in my life, someone sees me for me.I feel like he’s falling for me, too.And then my ex shows up... -
Born to Sin by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBeing sentenced by a woman in a black robe is not a meet-cute.Quinn Jeffries follows the rules. A judge in small-town Sinful, Montana, doesn’t have much room for missteps, and when you spend your childhood training for the Olympics, you don’t have time for anything but discipline anyway. And, see? It’s worked! Her life is just fine... -
Only One Forever by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom The Something So Series and the This Is series comes Only One Forever.DylanMy dreams came true when I was adopted at ten.I was the best on the ice. Living the life of what every kid dreams of.We’ve been best friends since then. Even when she was the annoying little sister following us around.I would do anything for her.It is another family vacation; except this time it feels different...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes m-f contemporary new adult forced proximity forbidden love -
Tight Fit by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s okay to admit I’m scared.Outside forces are working hard to tear us apart, but we’ve teamed up against them. It’s the internal struggles we’re battling that could spell the ultimate end.When Ben makes a public show to prove how committed we are, I’m left confused as I struggle to figure out whether his feelings for me are real or if they’re part of the act...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f age difference forced proximity contemporary length-short -
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Southern Seducer by Jessica Peterson
I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff in my life. But sleeping with my best friend tops the list. Annabel and I have been close since college. When I left school to play pro football, she was there. While I collected Super Bowl rings and cars worth more than the house I grew up in—she was there. I always assumed we’d end up together. Everyone did... -
Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAllison Titov and Asher Brooks have been best friends their whole lives. Brought up together as part of the Assassins family, they might as well be related. But... Ally has never felt anything sisterly toward Asher.In love with Asher since she was a teen, Ally has gone pro at keeping her feelings a secret. It’s been easy.. -
Just Say Yes by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsSome fires warm you up. And some burn you down. Kevin McNicholl may be a brutal force on the rugby field, but off the field, the star New Zealand All Black is a famously nice guy. His new tenant, though, arouses more than his protective side. She sets him on fire. Pity he’s evicting her. Every woman deserves her dreams. Chloe Donaldson can’t afford dreams, so she's given them up... -
A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sweet and sexy conclusion to New York Times bestselling author, Monica Murphy’s standalone Callahan series, bringing readers along for the ride as fan favorites, Jake and Hannah get married! Hannah Walsh. Gorgeous. Intelligent. My first love. My high school sweetheart. My everything. And now my fiancée...Categorized as:
athletes friends to lovers sports m-f alpha male contemporary new adult found-family -
The All-Star Antes Up by Nancy Herkness
“No strings, no rings.” That’s Luke Archer’s motto. As the champion quarterback for the New York Empire—not to mention a self-made billionaire—Luke has given up on serious relationships. Women only want him for one thing: the thrill of being with a superstar. And he likes it that way too... -
Let Me Be the One by Bella Andre
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsHow far would you go for a friend? Back in San Francisco preparing for her big art show, Vicki Bennett needs help protecting herself and her career from the unwelcome advances of one of the judges. She knows that her longtime friend and baseball star, Ryan Sullivan, will know just how to handle things, and he's the only person she can imagine asking for help...Categorized as:
athletes friends to lovers sports m-f contemporary second chances alpha male fake relationship -
Delayed Call by Toni Aleo
Vaughn Johansson is the Nashville Assassins' star player. He's brash, cocky, and talented. And he isn't afraid to let anyone know it. He lives his life on his own terms, never forming romantic attachments, and only allowing his very closest to see his true, caring self. Brie Soledad has the weight of the world on her shoulders...Categorized as:
sports athletes m-f contemporary from hate to love independent heroine explicit-plentiful -
Rafe by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsI was living my dream until one phone call changed everything. As the second line center for the Arizona Vengeance, my mind has been on one thing—helping my team bring home a championship. But that all changed when I found out my dad had cancer and only months to live. In that moment, nothing mattered more than getting home to North Carolina to be by his side... -
Off Limits by Chelle Sloan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsProfessional football has an actual rulebook, but it’s the unwritten rules that come with the harshest consequences.The biggest one of all: don’t date your teammate’s sister. And if you do, don’t you dare fall in love with her.I never meant to fall, but when it comes to Brenna Donald, I never stood a chance. She’s everything I’m not--a light-hearted wild child who shines brighter than the sun...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes forbidden love contemporary humor siblings-bff length-medium -
Hot Shot by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Fort Lauderdale—where the days are hot and the Knights are hotter.Wolf:I’ve been in love with the same girl since we were seventeen. Back before our careers took off and pulled us away from one another. No amount of fame, money, or puck bunnies could ever replace Scarlett. But she has a mind of her own, and dreams that don’t include me...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes contemporary pregnancy alpha male hockey length-medium -
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Smokeshow: A Hockey Love Story by Raine Miller
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBe "just friends" with a smokeshow like her? That's pretty much a p#cking impossible ask.—Tyler Lockhardt, VEGAS CRUSHI'm just over here minding my business playing hockey for the Crush when the SMOKESHOW of my dreams turns up and seriously rocks my world.For real.Beautiful, smart, and so incredibly sweet I cannot help myself from wanting to get to know her a whole lot better... -
Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe way she looks, smells, laughs is killing me.I fell in love with my sister’s best friend. To top it all off, she’s brilliant. And I’m failing Chemistry.Of course, when I get her help, she’s laidback about it. Charming and helpful as always, like she doesn’t know how much I want her. I’ve got to play it cool and let her see a different side of me... -
Whiskey Throttle by Riley Hart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsLincoln I’ve done a good job getting over my past. I’m not only proud of who I am, but revel in it. Still, I don’t let myself get too close to people. With closeness comes questions and those pesky feelings, and I’m having none of that. I’ve got a great job, friends, I’m cute and twinky, and my bed’s never empty. What more do I need? Except I can’t stop sleeping with Rush Alexander...Categorized as:
friends to lovers athletes sports m-m contemporary praise-kink friends-benefits queer -
Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel by L.P. Dover
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA steamy, second chances novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, L.P. Dover. Can be read as a STANDALONE. One Taste, the prequel to Last Chance, has been added at the beginning with all new scenes. One last chance. That's all Luke Collins, local bad boy and motocross champion, has to not only find his redemption, but win back the girl he lost...Categorized as:
athletes friends to lovers sports new adult suspense contemporary second chances length-medium -
Fake Start by Jasmin Miller
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou know that awkward moment when your agent tells you to fake date your best friend’s sister so you can get the endorsement deal of your dreams? No? Call me crazy for considering it, but why not? Daisy’s my friend, after all, and I’ve gotten quite close to her and her two awesome boys over the last few years since her douche-nozzle husband divorced her... -
My Scorned Best Friend by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsXavier and Clara kissing in a tree…When your best friend growing up is a girl, that’s the song your classmates taunt you with over and over again. But it was never like that… until now.It’s always been Clara and me. She’s the only one who truly knows me. After I was drafted into the NFL and ended up the starting quarterback for the San Francisco Kingsmen, I begged her to come with me...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes m-f contemporary humor from hate to love sassy heroine -
Camden by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCamden Poe is the last of The Lucky Three, the surviving Pittsburgh Titans who weren’t on the team plane the night it went down. By all outward appearances, he’s adjusted to post-crash life well but inside he’s wrestling with the guilt of living. The catastrophe that killed the Pittsburgh Titans changed my entire world. My teammates were more than my friends—they were my brothers...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes contemporary single-mother forbidden love death hockey -
HOLDING by Alexandria House
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsChildhood neighbors, enemies, best friends, lovers, enemies, Sires lineman Terrence Ford and his ex-wife, Krystle, have meant all these things to each other. Once believing their union was indestructible, they find themselves unhappily apart. Maybe what they see as an ending is really the beginning of a stronger bond and a deeper understanding of what love really is...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f black-mc contemporary love triangle hockey length-short -
When I Fall in Love by Susan May Warren
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsHawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime. Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen... -
Broken Ties by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom bestselling author of the Rixon Raiders comes a new spin-off next generation series. More angst...More drama...More Raiders...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sports athletes high-school contemporary angst new adult length-long -
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The Fake by Rebecca Jenshak
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsI've made a lot of dumb mistakes but none dumber than losing her.Senior year. I should be partying and living it up with my friends before graduation, but one more mistake and I'm off the team.Enter Chloe. She comes into my life at a low point, but she becomes the bright spot I reach for every day. She's the kind of girl who makes a guy want to be a better man... -
On the Fly by Catherine Gayle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsInjury after injury has put Brenden Campbell's NHL career on hold for years. Now he's playing for the Portland Storm and determined to make it stick. Few things in life drive him more than being told he can't have something he wants, and what he wants most is to prove he belongs. Brenden also wants Rachel Shaw, the cute, little redhead who just got hired as the general manager's new assistant... -
Ghost Dance by Catherine Gayle
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsUSA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novel in the sexy Tulsa Thunderbirds hockey romance series. He had it all. And lost it in an instant. The night Dmitri Nazarenko won hockey’s Holy Grail, he lost more than he ever bargained for. With a world of guilt weighing him down, Dima can never forgive himself for his tragic misjudgment... -
Them by Carey Heywood
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFirst comes love, then comes marriage, then comes… As Will and Sarah Price settle into being Mr. & Mrs., they meet a stumbling block neither of them anticipated. All of their friends are starting families of their own, but not them, and not for lack of trying. For them, their dreams of a happily-ever-after always included a baby... -
Slow Burn by Pamela Clare
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsVictoria Woodley is done with men. Fresh off a dating nightmare, she flies from her home in Chicago to Scarlet Springs to take part in her best friend’s wedding. Who picks her up at the airport? Eric Hawke. Of course. She made a fool of herself over him last time she was here. He’s cocky, charming, and sexy as sin...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f contemporary small town cheerful heroine rich heroine length-medium -
Tapout by J.C. Valentine
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsHistory brought them together. Circumstances may keep them apart. Alyson Blake’s past left her with scars. Scars that she tried to fix the only way she knew how—by helping others. But actions have consequences, and Alyson is about to find out that being naïve is no excuse. Fighting is Jamison Weston’s passion. Alyson is his obsession...Categorized as:
friends to lovers athletes sports cruel hero contemporary bad boys alpha male fighters
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