Books like 'On the Ropes'

Readers who enjoyed On the Ropes by Christa Cervone also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  athletes  bad boys  fighters  multicultural

  • The Legend by Shey Stahl

    The Legend by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    In a lifestyle of speed, adrenaline and desire, one racer has sacrificed everything for the sport he loved. In turn, he will fight for his name, his family and now his life to be the legend he’s been portrayed to be. You can be everything you set out to be if you want it bad enough. You can be that record breaker you said you’d be. You can be that hero you always thought you would be...
  • Southern Heartbreaker by Jessica Peterson

    Southern Heartbreaker by Jessica Peterson

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    He was the bad boy I fell for in college. Now he’s a sexy single dad and Charleston’s most successful venture capitalist. Dominant and decisive, Ford Montgomery is used to getting what he wants. And he just set his sights on me... Ford Montgomery was my first everything. First love. First guy I slept with. First heartbreak when he dumped me without explanation...
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  • Actually Love - Jessie & Zach by Melanie Shawn

    Actually Love - Jessie & Zach by Melanie Shawn

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Real or fake. As VP of public relations for SPC, the beautiful and talented Jessie Sloan, knew the difference. The order and control she had in her life was real. Love was fake and she didn’t have time for fake. Win or lose. Sexy, sculpted boxing champ Zach Courtland has had his share of losses in life, but inside the ring, he knew nothing but wins...
  • Thunder by Susan Fanetti

    Thunder by Susan Fanetti

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Thorin “Thunder” Vaduva is a journeyman MMA fighter—toiling in the shadows, a set of strong shoulders to lift other fighters toward stardom. After years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s trying to get his life on track—be a good father to his teenage son, get his fights in, do his work, keep his head down, keep his demons at bay.Nina Rodriguez is trying to get her life started...
  • Reno Gabrini: A Man in Full by Mallory Monroe

    Reno Gabrini: A Man in Full by Mallory Monroe

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Vegas casino owner Reno Gabrini just wanted to take it easy. His beloved PaLargio was back in business and turning profits like the good old days. His headliner act, pop sensation Shay Grayson, was packing the house and making amends for her diva ways...
  • Prez by Rae B. Lake

    Prez by Rae B. Lake

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    He thought he had lost his world...She was there to pick up the pieces... Alex-I was the president of a small motorcycle club, Wings of Diablo. My word was law and I had a crew that would put their very lives on the line if I asked. I did, and I was wrong. I was blinded by my own pride. I couldn't see that I was in over my head and that hubris was enough to cost me everything. My club. My brother...
  • Bad Boy by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

    Bad Boy by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A Bad Boy trying to be good, a Good Girl driven to be bad and a five year old who wants to rule the world… Being good is so freaking hard. And boring. Flynn Boyle has only been doing it for a couple of hours and already he’s had enough...
  • A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera

    A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    It's Christmas in Houston, and the Russians are ready to spoil—and protect—the women they love. Featuring nine sexy, flirty stories, this holiday-themed collection from the Her Russian Protector series allows readers to revisit favorite couples and meet new love interests...
  • Game Breaker by Catherine Gayle

    Game Breaker by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novel in the Portland Storm hockey romance series. He’s becoming a Game Breaker on the ice. With the playoffs right around the corner, Nate “Ghost” Golston is focused on only one thing—getting the Portland Storm to the Finals so he can finally hoist the Cup...
  • Tapout by J.C. Valentine

    Tapout by J.C. Valentine

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    History 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...
  • Here I Am by Rochelle Alers

    Here I Am by Rochelle Alers

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Born into a real-estate dynasty, Brandt Wainwright chose football over the family business, and now he's a Super Bowl MVP. That streak of good fortune runs out the day Brandt crashes his SUV into a tree. During the long recuperation, the fun-loving quarterback becomes cranky and sullen—until private nurse Ciara Dennison shows up for duty...
  • Crazy Maybe by A.D. Justice

    Crazy Maybe by A.D. Justice

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Andi Stone is a strong, smart and independent woman, thanks to the help of a famous boxing trainer, Mack, and his protégé, Shane, who have respectively been like a father and brother to her. But that wasn't always the case. Andi never knew what a “normal” life was like...
  • In Jack's Arms by Roxie Rivera

    In Jack's Arms by Roxie Rivera

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    When pawn broker Abby Kirkwood discovers the evidence of a chilling drug cartel hit on one of the video cameras hocked in her store, she turns to the only man she can trust—Jack Connolly. The smolderingly sexy former Marine runs a successful gym down the street and coaches her brother's special needs baseball team. He's the one man who is always there when she needs him...
  • Just For You by Rosalind James

    Just For You by Rosalind James

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    No shirt, no shoes, no … problems? Hemi Ranapia isn’t looking for love. Fun, yes. Love, not so much. But a summer fishing holiday to laid-back Russell could turn out to be more adventure than this good-time boy ever bargained for. Reka Harata hasn’t forgotten the disastrously hot rugby star she met a year ago, no matter how much she wishes she could...
  • Undisputed by A.S. Teague

    Undisputed by A.S. Teague

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    I live a life most could only dream of. Parties, women, fame—what more could I want? As the undisputed MMA light heavyweight champ, I’ve faced the world’s toughest men. But, with a single glance, I knew that the five-foot-five redhead with a smart mouth and innocent eyes would be my hardest opponent yet. Sidney O’Neil isn’t my type...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  fighters  contemporary  new adult
  • Paradise Fought: Abel by L.B. Dunbar

    Paradise Fought: Abel by L.B. Dunbar

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    I'm not a fighter. I was born into a fighting family. As the middle child, I was overlooked in favor of my older brother. He took the negative attention, too. In comparison, there's nothing special about me. I’m not as big as Cobra. I’m not as strong as Cobra. He's the alpha. I'm a beta. The second son. The lesser one...
  • Bring The Heat by K.B. Winters

    Bring The Heat by K.B. Winters

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Steamy, Sexy Bad Boys Of Summer! Can It Get Any Hotter? I never claimed to be the greatest pitcher in the world—then again, maybe I did—but I was probably drunk off my ass trying to seduce some chick. I had no intention of ever becoming Cody Wright, the best—or the greatest. That was more my old man’s dream. The REAL Mr. Wright...
  • Field of Pleasure by Farrah Rochon

    Field of Pleasure by Farrah Rochon

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Originally Published by Harlequin Kimani Romance – September 2011 Jared Dawson is used to taking big hits on the football field, but nothing could have prepared the New York Sabers star cornerback for the blow he experiences when he catches his long-time girlfriend in bed with an ex-teammate. Seeking a balm to soothe his wounded ego, Jared decides a no-strings-attached fling is the way to go...
  • Going Hard: Boys of Fall by Cari Quinn

    Going Hard: Boys of Fall by Cari Quinn

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    He lives on the straight and narrow, but she’s determined to take the curves way too fast… Librarian Hollie Bennett is used to being overshadowed by her older brothers. One’s a country star, one’s a former football star…and she’s just a sedate librarian with a secret thing for high-end lingerie and fast sports cars...
  • In the Ring: A Dario Caivano Novel by Perri Forrest

    In the Ring: A Dario Caivano Novel by Perri Forrest

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “In the Ring” introduces Dario “DC” Caivano, heavyweight champion, who is also a man with a heavy heart. It isn’t without reason, however. As a teenager, Dario witnessed the murder of someone that he loved like a brother, and it took a lot out of him. It hardened him and left little to trust...
  • Until Now by Amy Donnelly

    Until Now by Amy Donnelly

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Focus. Dean Goldsmith is Indiana University’s star quarterback, and his dreams are about to come true. His undefeated season means he has a legitimate shot at the NFL. If he stays focused. Football comes first. College senior, Grace Yeates, is determined to defy the odds. She is months away from graduating with a business degree, something no one thought she would be able to pull off...
  • Owned By My Roommate by Imani Jay

    Owned By My Roommate by Imani Jay

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    One curvy girl, one hot roommate... things are about to get steamy!Asher Lee is a retired professional rugby player, on his way to Europe to discuss a coaching opportunity.Anta Konan is a Silicon Valley working girl, flying to London for a much needed getaway...
  • Fury by Clarissa Wild

    Fury by Clarissa Wild

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    This is book 1.5 in the FIERCE series, and it's a retelling of book 1 from Hunter's POV with lots of unique, previously undiscovered scenes! Would you risk everything for love? Life has held nothing but hardships for Hunter Bane. Growing up with a learning disability wasn't easy, especially when you're poor...
  • The Game of Love by K. Alex Walker

    The Game of Love by K. Alex Walker

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Jessica Watkins Presents The Game of Love by K. Alex Walker How was it possible that everything about this woman, every single damn thing he encountered, was so wonderful? Professional Quarterback Austin Riley has always been smitten with the lovely Sommer Hayes...
  • Better To Rest by Dana Stabenow

    Better To Rest by Dana Stabenow

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Just when his personal life starts to heat up, Liam Campbell must put it on hold...after the grisly discovery of a dismembered hand leads him to a crashed World War II Army plane frozen precariously in a glacier...
  • Fly by Molly McLain

    Fly by Molly McLain

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Meet Colton Wade, FMX rider... I’m just a small town guy who caught a lucky break. Now I’m living the dream, on the brink of high-flying super-stardom. But something’s missing. That something is Taylor. She’s my best friend. The one who makes me want to push harder and higher. The one I fall back on when shit gets tough. The one I’d give it all up for. I’d do anything to protect her...
  • The Seduction of Dylan Acosta by Nia Forrester

    The Seduction of Dylan Acosta by Nia Forrester

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Dylan had no idea what she was in for when she married Mets superstar short stop Mark Acosta. Practically overnight, her life changes, and despite her best efforts, Dylan feels herself being pulled deeper into a world of designer clothes, celebrity parties and multi-million dollar homes...
  • Clip by Charity Parkerson

    Clip by Charity Parkerson

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Luka was nothing more than a job to Brady… until he wasn’t. When the owner of the Phoenix Ice Rays starts receiving death threats, the first thing he does is hire Brady to protect his son, Luka. It’s a move that leaves Luka less than thrilled. Ever since moving out on his own six years earlier, he’s come to embrace the silence of his workaholic ways...
  • MVP by Rhonda Laurel

    MVP by Rhonda Laurel

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The game has just begun… Morgan Reed-Blake discovers that being the wife of MVP quarterback Seth Blake has its perks…and its challenges. Thrust into Seth’s high-profile world, she must wade through the celebrity, status, and the ghosts of girlfriends past...
  • Drawn to Fight: Zac & Evie: New Adult, Standalone Fighter Romance by Lilliana Anderson

    Drawn to Fight: Zac & Evie: New Adult, Standalone Fighter Romance by Lilliana Anderson

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    New Adult fighter romance Zac Rivers. A boy no one wanted to know. Always angry. Always fighting his way in and out of trouble. It was no surprise when he was expelled from school and never heard from again. Until now. I found him at the Londonderry Brawl, and I watched him fight like an animal. Strong. Controlled. But desperate...
  • Broken Lion by Devon Hartford

    Broken Lion by Devon Hartford

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Bestselling author Devon Hartford brings you another scorching hot and scandalous standalone romance. BROKEN MEN BREAK HEARTS The night the EMTs wheeled Lion Maxwell into my Emergency Room turned my life upside down. Although he was bloody and battered from defending his title as the reigning cruiserweight champion of Mixed Martial Arts, his cocky grin lit up the room...
  • Christian by Imani King

    Christian by Imani King

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    He wants a baby, not a wife. She was hired to do a job, not to heal his heart. They’re locked together for nine months with only one rule: Don’t fall in love. At one time, international sex symbol and infamous race car driver Christian Corbett seemed unstoppable. But after a tragic accident left him scarred and broken, he barricaded himself in his country estate...
  • The Blake Legacy by Rhonda Laurel

    The Blake Legacy by Rhonda Laurel

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Two lovers. Two dreams. One hell of a hard decision… NFL quarterback Seth Blake is having an unbelievable hot streak—he’s won his third Super Bowl title the same day his wife Morgan gave birth to their son. Life couldn’t be better for the new father and MVP...
  • Love Notes and Football by Rhonda Laurel

    Love Notes and Football by Rhonda Laurel

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    New baby. New adventures. Love deluxe. Philadelphia Titans quarterback Seth Blake couldn’t be happier. Toddler Jake is growing like a weed, and Seth’s wife Morgan is expecting another baby. He’s just signed a new contract to play football for five more years and has a plan for retirement. Things couldn’t be better...until an unexpected family crisis turns the world upside down for them all...
  • Down and Dirty by Christine Bell

    Down and Dirty by Christine Bell

    Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint... He was a dare she’d never been able to resist… Cat Thomas has never been the kind of girl to stick. A self-professed infatuation junky, she latches on the newest, hottest guy on the block, then finds a reason—real or imagined—to dump him...
  • Winning Love by Abby Niles

    Winning Love by Abby Niles

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Mac “The Snake” Hannon has spent years throwing himself into cage fighting as a way to lash back at the natural disaster that destroyed his future. A call for help has Mac returning to the one place he swore never to return: Kansas—in the height of tornado season. There he meets free-spirited Gayle Andrews...
  • Just in Time by Rosalind James

    Just in Time by Rosalind James

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    What happens in Vegas… Will Tawera doesn’t do commitment, except on the rugby field. Moving to Las Vegas to become a kicker for the NFL would be a big change from New Zealand rugby, but then, he’s ready for a change. And when he’s asked to do a little modeling on the side? Thousands of dollars to hold a beautiful blonde while looking dark, dangerous, tattooed, and Maori? He could do that...
  • The Trainer by Shey Stahl

    The Trainer by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    What if you had one night to reignite the passion and romance that time and distance had seemed to have forgotten? What would you do for just one night to captivate…one night to find the magic? Just one...
  • Wide Open by Tracey Ward

    Wide Open by Tracey Ward

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Kurtis Matthews is a mystery. His rookie year in the NFL was one of the most inspiring the L.A. Kodiaks had ever seen. He was an unstoppable force that had the fans dreaming of championships and the owners reaching for their checkbooks. Then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished. He was traded away in a deal that sparked outrage both on the field and in the stands...
  • Game On by Tracy Solheim

    Game On by Tracy Solheim

    Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 22 ratings
    The only way to win is to score… With a reputation for fast moves on the gridiron and even faster moves off the field, Shane Devlin was a player in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, his bad-boy persona has made him a risky prospect as a quarterback, and only the Baltimore Blaze are willing to give him a chance. And he’s about to take a hit he never expected...
  • Time Will Tell by Chantal Fernando

    Time Will Tell by Chantal Fernando

    Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Be spontaneous, they say. That's how I ended up on the back of a stranger's bike. A sexy, tall, tattooed stranger, but a stranger nonetheless...
  • Always Consumed by Skyla Madi

    Always Consumed by Skyla Madi

    Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    In the beginning, you have sex. Lots of it. Then, somewhere in the middle, you lose it. Olivia and Seth are stuck in a rut—a busy, sexless rut—and with Valentine's day fast approaching, Olivia wants to force them out of their comfort zones and into fresher waters. Seth, however, believes the trick to recapturing their passion lies in their beginning...
  • Saving a Legend: Kavanagh Legends, Book 2 by Sarah Robinson

    Saving a Legend: Kavanagh Legends, Book 2 by Sarah Robinson

    Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Praised by New York Times Bestselling Author Penelope Ward as “a unique story line with multiple layers to it,” Sarah Robinson’s Saving a Legend goes another round with the brooding Kavanagh MMA fighters who won’t call it quits in the ring, or in romance.His family’s gym has produced a roster of mixed martial arts legends, but so far Kieran Kavanagh hasn’t followed in their footsteps...
  • Totaled by Stacey Grice

    Totaled by Stacey Grice

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Totaled is a full length (112,000 words) new adult, contemporary romance novel. It is not recommended for readers under the age of 18 due to sexual situations, mature content, and explicit language. Bree Murphy is stuck. Forced to grow up too fast after the tragic death of her mother, she has little time for any sort of life for herself...
  • Collision by K.A. Sterritt

    Collision by K.A. Sterritt

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Their lives were destined to collide. Juliette Salinger lives her life entirely on her mother’s terms. Everything from what she wears to who she dates is determined by what is deemed appropriate for their social standing. Look a little closer. Juliette isn’t cut out for that life. She lives for moments of reckless abandon to escape the crushing pressure of never being good enough...
  • Lady Killer by Misti Murphy, T Lund

    Lady Killer by Misti Murphy, T Lund

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    They called him the Lady Killer. Able to get into a woman’s panties in 3.6 seconds flat. I know where he’s been. I know he keeps a list of all the women he’s f*cked. And there are so many reasons I’m not interested in being another number. I’m the reason his boxing career is over. The reason he almost died. I can never stop running...
  • Fighting Strong by Marysol James

    Fighting Strong by Marysol James

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    When Katie Lloyd finds out that her stepfather is dying, she’s determined to get to him, no matter what. Thwarted by transportation problems and challenged by bad weather, she ends up having to accept help from the one person she can’t imagine being trapped in a car with on a five-day road trip: Adam Pierce...
  • Dolce by Rachel Blaufeld, Pam Berehulke

    Dolce by Rachel Blaufeld, Pam Berehulke

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “Who just stole my thunder across the Hafton airwaves, you ask? Right now, right this very second, listeners, I have Hafton’s one-and- only, the main man with the ball in hand, Blane Steele is in the studio. Mark my words—he’ll not only steal the ball, but your lady’s heart too. Watch out, gentlemen, the Stealer is in the house!” — Sonny Be Knocking Boots, Hafton Radio 96.9 Coed antics...
  • Playing Dirty by Avery Wilde

    Playing Dirty by Avery Wilde

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    This bad boy plays dirty… JAY She’s out of my league, but that won’t stop me from trying to score… I don’t do relationships. No way. As one of Manchester United’s top players—and playboys—I’m only looking to score, on the pitch and off it too. Until I meet Kate. She’s smart, ambitious, and beautiful, and unlike all the other women I meet, she doesn’t give a damn about who I am...
  • Rough Around the Edges by Ranae Rose

    Rough Around the Edges by Ranae Rose

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Sometimes love is enough. Other times, you have to fight for it. Raw, real romance from an all-male point of view. For Ryan Moore, the choice to fight is like the choice to breathe - necessary. After being wounded in war and discharged from the United States Marine Corps, competitive MMA fighting is the only thing he's still able to excel at...
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