Books like 'Strong Side'
Readers who enjoyed Strong Side by Alison Hendricks also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance athletes new adult sports friends to lovers college bisexual forced proximity male-pov
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#Fate by Cambria Hebert
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s meant to be will always find a way. Perfection isn’t an illusion. I met it, held it in my hands. But then it slipped right through. Perfection isn’t an illusion. It’s elusive, cleverly evasive, and, in many ways, a horrible tease. I’m not a man to be toyed with. Quiet, thoughtful, and even sometimes careful, but never someone to taunt... -
Adoring Keaton by Siobhan Davis
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA friends-to-lovers new adult MM romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Stand-alone with HEA and no cliff-hanger. Keaton Moving to California was supposed to be my fresh start. A clean slate. An opportunity to drop the façade, escape the lies, find a focus, and just be myself.But I should have realized it wouldn’t be easy, especially when my last name is Kennedy... -
Manhandled by Lauren Blakely
A spicy friends-to-lovers standalone sports romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely...My buddies made me do it. I swear. I didn’t plan to bid big on a date with my baseball player best friend at the auction. But he looked really good in that tailored suit, and I can't resist a dare... -
Sated in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Montgomery Ink saga continues in a seductive romance where a runaway bride and two best friends might just take the chance of a lifetime. Ethan Montgomery thought he had his life figured out until the moment he and his best friend met a woman in a wedding dress drinking wine out of a paper bag. He might work too many hours and always seems to put his family and friends first... -
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Fake Boyfriend Breakaways by Eden Finley
Breakaways is a collection of short stories from Eden Finley’s Fake Boyfriend universe. They all feature side characters from the series but do not contain fake boyfriend tropes. Rebound (Fake Boyfriend 2.5) Aron and Wyatt have been best friends since college and are both rebounding from bad break-ups...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sports queer queer-awakening m-m contemporary age difference explicit-open-door -
The Idiot by Dianna Roman
You can't pick who you love...nor can you run from them.Murphy Malone loves his orchard, his mother, and his dog. Life is great until he can't stop thinking about what he's missing—someone to share it all with. When he realizes that his love for his best friend, Jesse Carver, runs deeper than the bonds of friendship, it just makes things worse...Categorized as:
queer-awakening friends to lovers forced proximity queer bisexual m-m grumpy sunshine contemporary -
Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAsher Williams is obsessed with love. His column is thriving, fellow students trust him with their relationship woes, and he’s on his A-game when it comes to matchmaking. At least, matchmaking other than his own. After a heartfelt letter written to his column, Asher is set on aiding the two love-struck heroes who desperately need his help... -
Rookie by Eddie Cleveland
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratings* Although part of a series, you will enjoy it as a standalone as well!Rookie is everything you love in an MM first time gay romance. A journey of self-discovery, the undeniable sparks with the man who makes him question everything, the moment of realization, the secret relationship, and coming out... -
Play Dead by Avery Cockburn
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe popular Scottish gay-romance series returns with this must-read novella! Colin’s wounds have finally healed. He’s ready for his big comeback on the football pitch and can’t wait to return to a normal life—especially the rampaging sex he and his boyfriend, Lord Andrew, once indulged in. But Andrew has his own invisible wounds... -
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 queer m-m contemporary praise-kink friends-benefits -
Dare Me by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine
Dare Me is part two of the Dare to Try trilogy and should only be read after Dare You. The moment Bash “Miss Razzle Dazzle” Vogel sashayed into Lieutenant Kieran Bailey’s life, both their worlds were turned upside down. What started as an easy friendship quickly morphed into sizzling chemistry that neither one could deny... -
Next Season by Lane Hayes
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe injured hockey player and the grumpy chef…RileyMy time playing pro hockey will be up soon. I can feel it. And I’ve heard the he’s too old, he’s had too many injuries, he’s lost his edge. I don’t want to admit it, but they could be right. Next season might be my last.Or this season. Because of course, this is when the universe decides I need another concussion... -
Love and History by Lane Hayes
The sporty roommate, the professor, and a history lesson…Holden-Ezra might be the most annoying roommate ever. He’s loud, obnoxious, and full of himself. So what if he’s a tall, muscular, tattooed jock? His tendency to strip to his boxers in the kitchen while helping himself to my food isn’t endearing in the slightest. Nope. Ezra has to go...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity friends to lovers athletes bisexual queer queer-awakening m-m -
Extended Stay by Mia Monroe
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI’ve never been interested in a man before. So why do I want to kiss this one?Promising my sick uncle I’d help fix his rundown hotel in San Diego was just the beginning of my problems. I plan to do what I can, convince him to sell, and then take off, returning to my calm and structured existence back east. I double down on that plan when I arrive to find it in worse shape than I expected... -
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Frat Bro by Raleigh Ruebins
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis fall, I have one simple rule: don't fall in love with my fake boyfriend.I’m awful at following the rules.One minute I was a nobody in a small Colorado town, getting by on contract work, home renovations, and a dumpster fire of a dating life—and then suddenly, my life was on TV...Categorized as:
friends to lovers athletes sports queer queer-awakening m-m age difference hurt-comfort -
Fancy Free by Mia Monroe
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe last thing I need is a curious straight guy sniffing around me. So why is he so hard to resist?My life is everything I ever wanted - by design. Being one of the nation’s most sought after wedding planners has led to a life of traveling to glamorous locations, bumping elbows with the rich and famous, and sampling every handsome hunk the world has to offer... -
When Stars Align by Denver Shaw
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsScarred by the past. Terrified to love again. SavionOnce upon a time, my life was a fairytale. Engaged to a beautiful woman, we were planning our perfect future. Then, the sick act of an obsessed man ruined everything. Alone, disfigured, and betrayed, I fled to LA to focus on my work as a paleontologist.It was there I met Declan... -
Third Time Lucky by R.G. Alexander
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author R.G. Alexander, Book 3 in the Finn's Pub Romance series! Ever had a thing for the man next door? My sexy new neighbor is confusing the hell out of me. Elliot Ransom is a baseball player and a single dad, but he doesn’t know his butter beer from a snozzberry... -
Bad Pucking Roommate by Michele Lenard
Secrets threaten disaster in this bi-awakening, MM romance about two teammates who have chemistry that extends beyond the ice, an unconventional roommate agreement, and a not-safe-for-work pair of dice. Athletes are notoriously superstitious. Some don’t wash their gear. Others sleep with it. I’ve even heard of a guy that peed on the field to ward off evil spirits... -
Delicious by Sierra Riley
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 17 ratings“You’re exactly what I never knew I needed.” “I don’t have time for love.” Gavin Campbell has poured everything he has into starting up his bakery, Delicious... -
Nice Guys & First Times by K.M. Neuhold
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsYou Always Remember Your First…Come along for a sweet, steamy compilation of 4 MM romance novellas by the queen of swoon herself: K.M. Neuhold... -
Boyfriend Freeze by DJ Jamison
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI've made a lot of mistakes, but you can't be one of them...Dear Graham,After crossing too many lines for my self-respect, I made a promise to myself: no hookups for sixty days.But I didn't count on meeting you.Who knew a smart, cardigan-wearing geek would be such temptation? You're all wrong for me, except you're also kind of exactly right... -
Beautifully Devoted by Michele Lenard
Forgetting to knock changed everything.CamWhen I was ten, I made a promise. One that I’m still honoring a decade later, even though it means hiding a part of myself from the most important person in my life.My best friend, Jagger. And truthfully, burying that part of me is a small price to pay if it means nothing comes between us...Categorized as:
queer-awakening friends to lovers queer new adult dual-pov college football bisexual -
How To Save A Life by Andria Large, Jena Brignola
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsHow do you save someone’s life? There’s the obvious way of physically saving them from a tragic end. Then there’s the more subtle way of saving someone who doesn’t know they need to be saved. Someone who is drowning emotionally and has no idea that they are slowly dying. Ezra Whitmore is one of those people...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers queer queer-awakening m-m contemporary single-father length-short -
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Yesterday by Sarina Bowen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s been seven years since John Rikker left his childhood home in Michigan. Surely that’s long enough to scar over the wounds he received there... -
Enforce by Charity Parkerson
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThey were supposed to be a one-night stand, and then a weekend fling… a just-for-this-season affair… soulmates. When Chip met Jai during All-Stars weekend, their hookup should’ve ended there. At the time, it was no big deal. As the assistant coach for the Phoenix Ice Rays, Chip can’t be in a relationship with a player from his team. Lucky for him, Jai plays for the Red Zones... -
The Sweetest Goodbye by Christina Lee
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBillie Montgomery was always known as the sick kid with the therapy dog. Dylan Bowden never had two nickels to rub together, let alone a true home to call his own. The two have been best friends since high school. They’re always there for each other, so when Billie opens his own bakery called Montgomery’s Sweets no one supports him better than Dylan... -
A King in Wonderland by Nash Summers
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAsher Williams is obsessed with love. Or at least he was, until it all came crashing down. He made a mistake. And even Asher himself, arranger of marriages and aider of lovesick hearts, doesn’t know how to fix it. And like every heroic quest, there are a few bumps in the road and dragons to slay... -
A Fool and His Manny by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeeing the truth and falling in love. Dustin Robbins-Grayson was a surly adolescent when Quinlan Gregory started the nanny gig. After a rocky start, he grew into Quinlan’s friend and confidant—and a damned sexy man. At twenty-one, Dusty sees how Quinlan sacrificed his own life and desires to care for Dusty’s family... -
Playing the Player by Beth Bolden
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCenter Logan Banks didn’t come to Miami looking for a best friend.He came for football and for a chance at freedom—the freedom to live out of the closet.But after a water main break, he lands an unexpected roommate, the new Piranhas kicker, Dylan Leonard. Between practices, games, and too many late nights on the couch, a best friend is exactly what he gets... -
Signs of Love: Winter by Anyta Sunday
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat happens when a clueless hero believes in star-sign compatibility? What happens when there’s only one sign left to try? Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer... Caspian’s tried the lot, compatibility nil. Leo is his last hope for happiness. He just has to find one. Maybe his Virgo best friend will help? He should sneak over next door and see.. -
The Jock by E.M. Denning
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsColby Bennett is straight.At twenty-five, he’s the middle of three boys raised by a single father. He’s always been a jock, so managing a gym feels like his calling. If only being a big brother were as easy. When Colby stumbles on his younger brother trying on feminine clothing, Taylor is angry and embarrassed... -
Frat Wars Presidential Chaos Bonus Scene by Saxon James
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratings...Categorized as:
college queer-awakening sports queer m-m contemporary from hate to love length-novella -
Break Down by Rebecca Norinne
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHis heart says no, but his body says yes Liam Donnelly's honed, athletic body craves something he can't have. Not when the last time ended in disaster. Now, the Dublin Rugby player is seeking redemption with a new team in Edinburgh. His fresh start is going strong, but one look at Chef Lachlan MacLeod's inked forearms and whiskey-colored eyes and he's tempted by far more than what's on the menu... -
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Alex by S.M. Shade
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNinety- two days. Thirteen weeks. That’s how long it’s been since I lost my love, my best friend. It’s been everything I can do to drag myself out of bed and get back to work, but I know Cooper would want me to move on. I think he’d even be happy if he knew who I want to move on with. The target of my affection, though, may not be so thrilled about my choice. He’s straight. Or he thinks he is... -
Broken Ice, Mended Hearts by Ryan Taylor, Joshua Harwood
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPIERRE (“GAGS”)My life is complicated.Hell, I’m complicated.I don’t know a life beyond how I’m perceived. After a devastating divorce, it looked like I never would.Can a hockey fight change your life?I may not understand my attraction to Sven Holmer, but I can tell you my obsession with kissing him started in the middle of a fight... -
Catching Kalen by Maya Nicole, Britt Andrews
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe call never came.So, I did what any major league hopeful reject would do: I went to the bar to escape my reality.When I locked gazes with a pair of gorgeous blue eyes, I knew the night was going to be anything but normal.Especially since I’d never been with a man.One night of passion left me questioning everything... -
Playing With Fire by Avery Cockburn
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 15 ratings“I don’t want options. I just want you.” Robert McKenzie has a secret. As the only straight player on an all-LGBT soccer team, he’s known to fans as “McWhatAWaste.” No one would guess Robert’s actually bisexual. At twenty-one, on the verge of a brilliant career in video game design, he’s finally ready to be his true self... -
You, Again by Lane Hayes
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe hometown hockey hero and his best friend's brother...VinnieHockey is in my blood. I learned to skate before I learned how to ride a bike. I’ve been on a wild ride, playing at the highest level for some of the biggest and best teams in the league. But now it’s over, and I’m not sure what to do with myself.So I'm going home to Elmwood... -
Tangled Up In You by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBecoming best friends at an early age, Corbin and Hunter were inseparable. Where one went, the other followed. As years passed, their friendship blossomed into something more and both boys fell madly in love. Corbin loved Hunter’s quirkiness and obsession with Shakespeare, and Hunter loved Corbin’s goofy personality and kind heart... -
Poetry in Motion by Samantha Wayland
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTravis Campbell has been at this hockey thing for a while. He knows his days on the ice are numbered, but he’s happy with the Moncton Ice Cats and he’s still got some time to figure out what comes next. He’s been taking college classes online and thought he knew what he was doing, but then he made the ultimate rookie mistake... -
Regular, Smegular! by Becca Seymour
A cheesy game of spin the bottle grabs my interest, but it’s the hot guy with sexy piercings and delectable ink who keeps it.Have I kissed a man before? That’ll be a no.But I’m definitely interested, and by the way Tiller can’t take his gaze off me, he’s hoping the bottle lands on him.Spoiler it does.And holy crap, it’s the hottest kiss I’ve shared with anyone.Now there’s one slight problem... -
Change Up: An Out For You Gay Sports Romance by Quinn Ward
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsNo one expected the loudmouth of the team to be hiding in the biggest closet of them all. When he’s paired with someone who just wants to keep his head down and play the game, sparks are going to fly.Kevin Green has always been the life of the party. He’s the one everyone turns to for a bit of comic relief... -
The Deepest Blue by Christina Lee
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsLee exchanges skyline for swampland in the next book of her male/male romance series, Roadmap to Your Heart. Rugged and conventional Callum Montgomery enjoys running Shady Pines hunting preserve, except for the secret that's eating him alive. When his sister brings a date for a family wedding, he can't stand the arrogant city slicker with the stick up his perfectly fine ass... -
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Starfish and Coffee by Kele Moon
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOn the island where they first met two lovers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited. Now jaded and broken, Alex and Matt still can’t deny their sizzling connection or the memories of one perfect, uninhibited year together...Categorized as:
queer-awakening queer friends to lovers new adult dual-pov bisexual m-m contemporary -
Out in the Offense by Lane Hayes
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsChristian Rafferty is a talented quarterback with a big secret. He’s determined to make the most of his final season on the football field, and if possible, avoid any confrontations with his conservative parents about his future. It shouldn’t be difficult; he’s become adept at keeping his public and private lives separate... -
Change Up by Sloan Johnson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKevin Green has always been the life of the party. He’s the one everyone turns to for a bit of comic relief. With so many of his teammates coming out of the closet and living healthy lives, it’s getting harder for him to keep the secret only one other person knows: that he’s not as straight as everyone assumes when they see him out with his hot girlfriend... -
Coming in First Place by Taylor Fitzpatrick
David has known Jake Lourdes' name since he was fourteen years old... -
Requited by Jesse H. Reign
If you've read Unrequited, and have been left longing for more of Andy and West's story - you are in luck. Requited tells the story of roommates and best friends Andy Montgomery and West Baxter from West's perspective. It is a sweeping story of friendship that turns into longing that can't be ignored...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity college queer queer-awakening bisexual m-m contemporary -
Summer Lessons by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsa Winter Ball novel Mason Hayes’s love life has a long history of losers who don’t see that Mason’s heart is as deep and tender as his mouth is awkward. He wants kindness, he wants love—and he wants someone who thinks sex is as fantastic as he does...
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