Books like 'The Play'
Readers who enjoyed The Play by Karina Halle also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary athletes sports alpha male tortured hero angst new adult sassy heroine cold hero east-asian-mc
-
Stone Rules by Samantha Christy
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsCharlie Tate doesn’t live by the rules. Ethan Stone is bound by them. When Charlie returns home after five years away, she has only one thing on her mind – revenge. When she enlists the help of Ethan, a private investigator, she has him challenging many of his rules. And Charlie begins to look at him as she has never been able to look at any other man...Categorized as:
new adult m-f competent heroine strong heroine independent heroine sassy heroine contemporary abuse -
American Hellhound by Lauren Gilley
Black dogs. Demons. Hellhounds. Damned souls that haunt crossroads, taking the forms of hulking dogs with glowing red eyes. Legends of the Old World, but just stories meant to scare lonely wanderers. Mostly. Knoxville, Tennessee boasts black dogs of its own: the mother chapter of the Lean Dogs Motorcycle Club... -
Sweet Possession by J. Daniels
A sassy, in-your-face baker. A panty-stealing, dirty-talking accountant. And a bathroom quickie that changed their lives forever. Wedding hook-ups never amount to anything. Unless that hook-up knocks you on your ass. For Dylan Sparks and Reese Carroll, the big day can’t arrive soon enough... -
Dynamite by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThey call us the devil twins - a fallacy and unfair assumption on everyone’s part.Well... mostly.My name is Luke Hart, and I’m the oldest of identical twin boys. Although I may be responsible for the ‘devil’ in our name, I have no urge to set the record straight and exonerate the innocent half of our pairing.There’s no point letting the truth get in the way of a good story.Right?Not so...Categorized as:
sports new adult m-f competent heroine independent heroine possessive hero humor length-medium -
-
Power Play by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 23 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... -
Checkmate by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsBishop men are nothing but a plague on this planet, a disease that needs eradication before it spreads. They’re murderers. Liars. Thieves. The day I met Colum Bishop, I thought my life was finally turning around. I was led to believe he would be our saviour. He was supposed to be our hero, a long awaited reprieve from the hardships life insisted on throwing at my mom and me... -
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... -
Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWolfe Emerson is notorious for two things: being an absolute beast in a boxing ring and being a voluntary mute. His story remains unspoken and he prefers to live his life in silence. That is, until, his world is turned upside down when he meets someone who is louder than life... -
One Day Fiance by Lauren Landish
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsI’m Poppy Woodstock.Romance author and wholehearted believer in Happily Ever Afters.A terminal case of writer’s block should be my biggest worry. Then I crash into him—literally—and fall into the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Connor Bradley.Thief, rebel… and my new neighbor.One slip with the bad boy next door, and my life becomes stranger than any fiction I could ever write... -
She Loves Me by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsWhat are two besties willing to risk for something more? The New York Times bestselling author of This Is Love has the answer in this fun, sexy, and emotional romance about friendship, family, and giving love a chance. Something is off in Piper Dalton’s life, and she has a feeling it might just be her. All her siblings are blissfully settled with their forever loves...Categorized as:
independent heroine sassy heroine strong heroine m-f humor contemporary friends to lovers audiobook -
Sea of Love by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsYou fell in love with Lacy Snow in Sisters in White (Snow Sisters, Book Three). Follow her on her path to her forever love in Sea of Love. Lacy Snow hadn’t been looking for love when she met strikingly handsome and seductive Dane Braden... -
Fighting for Honor by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author JB Salsbury brings her Fighting series to Harper Sloan’s Hope Town in Fighting for Honor. UFL fighter Caleb hasn’t been to Hope Town since he was eighteen. His next big fight takes place in Atlanta and the serene lakefront home from his childhood is the perfect place to train without distractions... -
Love Irresistibly by Julie James
HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS… A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him...Categorized as:
strong heroine athletes alpha male possessive hero sports sassy heroine career professional m-f -
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... -
-
Down To You by Jayne Frost
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery story deserves a soundtrack. And ours is epic. She started from perfect. A star who shone brighter than the rest. But then fate took it all away. Now she's broken. A beautiful song with a fractured beat. But I'm still on the rise. Chasing a dream that she's already left behind. If I'm lucky, I can find my redemption in the spotlight. Destiny brought us together. Put her in my path... -
Changing Lines by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsClaire and Jude Sinclair have been living the perfect life for the last ten years. Blissfully in love, professionally successful, happily married… They have everything they want—except a baby to make their family complete... -
The Difference Between Somebody and Someone by Aly Martinez
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe world owes you nothing. It took losing the woman I loved and facing the paralyzing task of moving on without her for me to truly understand that. Consumed by regret and razor-sharp memories, I’d resigned myself to a life of loneliness until a survivor from the same plane crash that took my fiancée stormed into my life.Remi Grey was chaos and sunshine, fire and freedom... -
Rescuing Mia by Ellie Masters
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe was brilliant, beautiful, and marked for death.When Mia, a brilliant biochemist, uncovers a sinister plot involving her company's involvement in nuclear weapons, she knows she must act fast. Risking everything, she flees with the evidence, seeking asylum and protection from the United States government... -
Playing For Keeps by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLife is all about choices, right? Everything we do, from brushing our teeth in the morning, until we climb into bed at night, is a series of choices. Sometimes we make bad choices, sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re made under duress, and sometimes they’re the lesser of two evils kind... -
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... -
The Billionaire's Salvation ~ Max by J.S. Scott
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsBillionaire Max Hamilton thought he was finally starting to find contentment, more than two years after losing his wife Mia in a tragic drowning accident. He'd been reunited with a sister he hadn’t realized existed. Finally he had family again, a reprieve from the pain and loneliness that had haunted him since his devastating loss...Categorized as:
alpha male possessive hero sweet heroine m-f contemporary super rich hero cruel hero length-short -
Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHANNAH COCKER Every man I've dated in this city has either bored me or hurt me. When Sofia Sol, my crazy cousin, offers a ride on the back of her Harley with no destination in mind besides out-of-Atlanta, what do you think my answer is? I'll give you one guess. TOBIAS KYRKOS Life doesn't ever hand you what you want. You have to take it... -
Trust the Push by Kaylee Ryan
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI'm making strides in the world of dirt late model racing. With back-to-back championships under my belt, I'm determined to win a third and be the youngest driver in history to do so. I'm going to make it happen. My career is my focus. That is until the ultimate distraction in the form of a redheaded bombshell drops into my life... -
Until May by Aurora Rose Reynolds
When May Mayson signed up with a popular dating app, she never thought she would get catfished. After being stood up for a date, she finds out that the man she’d been talking to for weeks was lying about who he is.After that horrible experience, she changes her number and deletes the app… only to have fate shove Aiden Bender right into her path... -
-
Duke: Faking the Play by Kayley Loring, Connor Crais
#4 Callum Duquette. Placekicker for the Boston Tomcats. Former underwear model. NICKNAME: Duke. I thought the most annoying thing about being a single dad was that my friends were always trying to find me a date. Until a sassy British ray of sunshine bumps into me at a bookstore...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine sports athletes angst alpha male cold hero sassy heroine cheerful heroine -
I Need You To Love Me by Genicious
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTogether they are nothing more than madness,but they say there’s always some madness in loveSix years elapsed since he shattered her life. Four years since she’s brought him to his knees.Now, Ace is the youngest boxing champion in the world – a force to be reckoned with. He’s dangerous, heartless, and always gets his way.Calla moved to New York to chase her career... -
Playing Dirty by Mickey Miller
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI'm going to teach Andrea to play dirty...she just doesn't know it yet. Jake Pulling in eight figures a year as star pitcher for the Chicago Jaguars, there's no shortage of parties, booze, and women. I'm a beast on the mound and between the sheets but when my social media presence becomes a major problem, the team’s owner brings in a PR expert to clean up my image... -
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... -
Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCameron White is the most famous student influencer on the Bellevue campus. Not only that, she is one hell of a gymnast, ready to stick every landing her senior year. It’s time to go out with a bang... -
Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery time someone mentions planning their wedding, Violet finds a reason why they should wait.Luca is her soulmate and Love Bug’s favorite person.They are already a family, but they need to make it official.Luca is getting tired of calling her his fiancée and not his wife.But Vi is torn.Saying “I do” to Luca will mean releasing the last hold Remington had on her heart... -
Five by J.A. Huss
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFifty million books ago I promised you a love story about Five and his Princess. This is their story. Five Aston has known Rory Shrike for as long as he can remember. He played with her in the sandbox. He went to every damn horse show just to be supportive...Categorized as:
new adult m-f multicultural east-asian-mc suspense contemporary friends to lovers length-short -
Stealing Home by Harlow Cole
To what lengths would you go to earn forgiveness? Would you beg? Would you borrow? Would you steal? Ashley I’ve given up. On my childish dreams. On getting out of this town. On love. On him. On everything. I’m barely treading water. Brayden I’m the man with it all. The pinstriped jersey covering my back garners easy cash, flashy cars and fast women...Categorized as:
sports new adult alpha male athletes possessive hero strong heroine sassy heroine m-f -
Walkout by Lila Rose
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Living Without, Melissa and Dallas’s chemistry skyrocketed. It’s finally time to get up close and personal with this hot couple in their very own novella, Walkout. Get ready to discover what happens when Dallas chases Melissa all the way to Sydney to claim her back. From her one visit to Melbourne and the Hawks MC compound, Melissa Stevenson knows Dallas is who she wants... -
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:
alpha male athletes sports new adult m-f contemporary friends to lovers found-family -
-
Losing Princeton Charming by Frankie Love, C.M. Seabrook
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll is fair in love and war ... but is this love? Spencer Beckett may have fallen hard for Charlotte Hayes, but one lie has their relationship crashing to the ground. Their glass castle is about to shatter. Breaking Spencer's heart in the process. When tragedy strikes, Charlie needs a man who won't let let her down. Even Princes need second chances .. -
Ever Found by L.E. Bross
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI just keep making mistakes. It was supposed to be an easy job. Steal a timepiece from Hook and in exchange, find out where my little sister is. But the hero isn't always the hero and sometimes the bad guy is the person you least expect... -
Falling Hard by Pamela Clare
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA Gold Star wife alone… Ellie Meeks promised her pilot husband that if he was killed in combat, she would live her life to the fullest. Three years later, she is still alone, raising the twins he never met. She has no interest in dating or meeting men—until one snowy night when a stranger helps her get her sick kids safely home...Categorized as:
sports tortured hero alpha male independent heroine m-f military contemporary men in uniform -
Intimate Intuition by Audrey Carlan
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSilas McKnight is the owner of multi-million-dollar musical production company Knight & Day Productions. He’s rich, attractive, and loyal to his core. He’s the man every woman wants but none can have. He’s suffered immeasurable loss, and he doesn’t plan on ever going through that hell again... -
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 independent heroine m-f contemporary from hate to love explicit-plentiful audiobook -
Forever Right Now by Emma Scott
Darlene Montgomery has been to hell and back…more than once. After a stint in jail for drug possession, she is finally clean and ready to start over. Yet another failed relationship is just the motivation she needs to move from New York to San Francisco with the hopes of resurrecting her dance career and discovering that she is more than the sum of her rap sheet...Categorized as:
new adult angst strong heroine grumpy sunshine competent heroine cold hero m-f friends to lovers -
Savor by Xavier Neal
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLately, Logan "Unbreakable" Kellar's life has been a series of miscommunications with catastrophic consequences. However, this time around, the consequences threaten to not only damage his current relationships but erase a future he only ever dreamed of... -
Broken Beast by Crystal Kaswell
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDanielle Bellamy is broke and out of options. Until I offer her a lifeline: A million dollars to play my wife.Danielle Bellamy is mine.For the next year, the curvy photographer is staying in my secluded mansion, wearing my ring.A ruse, to exact revenge against the man who destroyed me.Only every time I gaze into her dark eyes, I forget we're pretending.Her kiss is intoxicating... -
Grappling for Position by Melynda Price
This battle of wills is about to go below the belt… Willow Scott is sweet, innocent, and 100% untouchable. She’s the epitome of everything MMA fighter Regan “Rapscallion” Matthews has always wanted, but will never have. A woman like her deserves more than a scrapper from the wrong side of the tracks—the Scott’s charity case... -
Island Side by Michelle Mankin
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHollie Lesowski is a beautiful young actress locked in a legal battle with one of the most powerful and feared directors in Hollywood, a man who betrayed and hurt her, a man she mistakenly believed was her father. Maximillian Cash is her bodyguard, a blond, blue-eyed giant sworn to protect her. Gentle despite his imposing presence, he seems to be just right for her... -
-
Brazen Steele by Ali Dean
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBeckett Steele knows what he wants and he’s finally going after it. But there’s one thing that might complicate his mission. It was easy to sign the legally-binding contract prohibiting a public relationship when he had no intention of falling in love... -
Volleyball Vixens: A Harem Fantasy by Jenna Albright
Jason Courtland wants nothing to do with the sport of volleyball ever again, yet at the request of his mom's best friend, the voluptuous and caring Angela, he's been coming along to watch her intramural team practice a couple times a week. And while he might still want nothing to do with the sport, there's plenty he wants to do with the members of Served Hot...Categorized as:
sports sassy heroine strong heroine career professional poly age difference harems contemporary -
Triumph by Cecilia London
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“All of your ideals, your hopes and dreams…they cease to matter if you abandon them in your darkest hour. We have to see this through to the end.”Jack McIntyre and Caroline Gerard have never shied away from a challenge. As dual commanders of the American rebel forces, they now face the greatest adversity of their lives. Every decision has permanent consequences... -
Beneath Your Beautiful by Emery Rose
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEDEN All I wanted was a fresh start in a new city...and a bartending job. I never intended to fall for the sexy, tattooed bar owner. Dark. Brooding. Emotionally unavailable. But Killian Vincent is a challenge I can’t seem to walk away from. He’s afraid that if I dig too deep, I won’t like what I find. But he’s wrong, and I’m determined to prove it. KILLIAN Love can destroy a man... -
Bad Beginnings : A Redemption Beach Prequel by Vivian Wood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller Vivian Wood One minute, everything is normal. The next, it’s all f*cked up. I’m left to pick up the pieces, alone. Life turns out to be a series of these moments. Make it or break it, use it or lose it. Everything is changed forever now. There’s no going back. But I may be able to go forward. There is a light at the end of the tunnel... -
Playboy’s Reward by Gina Azzi
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt was supposed to be a favor between neighbors…When sexy-as-sin Harper Henderson launches profanities into the night sky from the balcony below mine, I intervene. I volunteer to be her date to her ten-year high school reunion. I may be a professional hockey player with a playboy reputation, but I’m also a good guy and I make an exceptional plus-one.Being Harper's fake date is easy...
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.