Books like 'The Very Thought of You'
Readers who enjoyed The Very Thought of You by Erika Kelly also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary sports friends to lovers
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Nora Roberts Bridal Quartet Boxed Set by Nora Roberts
This boxed gift set from the New York Times bestselling author of more than 190 novels features four books that follow the love lives of four childhood friends who have teamed up to form one of Connecticut's premiere wedding planning companies... -
Pretty It Up by Cee Bowerman
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsDescriptionSometimes love just isn’t enough, or is it?Lana Gold, one of the Donovan triplets, found her one true love in college but lost him when the life he’d dreamed of became reality. Being an outsider looking in and so far away from her family and hometown took its toll on Lana and her marriage until she’d finally had enough and left it all behind...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers contemporary alpha male second chances multicultural length-short -
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... -
Roman by Samantha Whiskey
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsI’m one of the fastest running backs in the NFL, but I can’t outrun my feelings for my best friend.I’ve wanted Teagan Hall for over a decade, but I’ve never been willing to risk our friendship.Then she shows up at my doorstep, fleeing her abusive ex, and everything changes.Now she’s not just my best friend—she’s my roommate.She's also the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.Every innocent touch crackles... -
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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... -
Play to Win by Ja'Nese Dixon
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsKamal’s an ex-football player. Jayda’s a single mother uninterested in another relationship until she sees Kamal with her daughter.Every rejection will only make his victory sweeter. He plans to lick, taste, and devour her like the delicacy she is until the world, her ex, and Jayda recognizes his name tatted on every inch of her curvy body... -
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... -
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... -
I Want to Hold Your Hand by Marie Force
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFor the Abbott siblings, the Green Mountain state has always been an idyllic place to call home... -
Power Forward by Nicole Falls
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"It’s your world, baby. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I got you."Starting Center for the Nashville Trojans Zebediah Kennedy has always been known as the guy everyone turns to for a good time. As a free agent going into the next season his future is unknown, but he’s determined to make the best of it, now matter how the cards may fall... -
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 age difference forced proximity contemporary length-short m-f -
Defining the Rules by Mariah Dietz
It started with friendship. The best stories always do. Our story sounds unlikely. Bizarre. A fable. Like wine and cheese and my favorite pair of jeans, Things got better over time— Too good, it seemed. Arlo Kostas was the starting running back for Brighton University. His quick smile and sharp wit Was enough to disarm even the biggest cynic... -
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Bangshift by Winter Travers
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 11 ratings*Skid Row Kings Series, Book 3 Kurt Jensen has had enough. Tired of being under his brother's thumb and having the one person he wanted push him away, Kurt knew it was time to leave. California was supposed to be the new start he craved and needed, but one wrong turn brought everything crashing down around him, literally... -
If It's Only Love by Lexi Ryan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance in the bestselling Boys of Jackson Harbor series. Meet single dad Easton Connor as he leaves the NFL and returns to Jackson Harbor to fight for another chance with the love of his life. *** I don’t regret much. Not my decision to enter the NFL draft before finishing college...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers contemporary new adult single-father siblings-bff length-medium -
Holding On by Pamela Clare
A hero barely holding on… Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help... -
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... -
Lights Out Lucy: Roller Derby 101 by Elicia Hyder
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI love Lucy! "OMG! I love Lucy!! Seriously loved this book. Laughs, romance, and some serious a$$ kicking as Lucy tries out for the roller derby. Lights Out Lucy deserves much more than 5 stars! Excellent read from start to finish." --Amazon Reviewer A fresh, fun, feel-good book... -
Van by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTemptation could destroy everything he’d spent his career building…Professional hockey player Jean-Michel Vander is living the dream…. And the Las Vegas strip is a long way from the small town in Quebec where he grew up. He works hard but he plays harder, especially in the off-season. The sexy redhead he spots doing a striptease in a Paris nightclub is all kinds of fun...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers friends-benefits contemporary new adult hockey length-medium -
Foul Play by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Phantoms are back with a vengeance… and the City of Angels will never be the same. When the world's top supermodel’s friend zones you, what's a determined hockey player supposed to do? Change her mind. But it’ll take more than a trick play to convince her. Cheyenne is more than a stunning beauty; she's a part of my life, my bed, and now my heart... -
The Bro-Code by Melissa Adams
I’ve always been the most popular girl on campus. President of the hottest sorority, dating one of the hottest hockey players, but this fall it seems like my luck has run out.When my sorority house is destroyed, I’m forced to move into the frat house with not only most of the sexy-as-hell hockey team.I know I’m in trouble...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers contemporary hockey new adult length-medium explicit-plentiful -
My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited love, new adult romance.Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him. Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in... -
With a Hitch by R.C. Boldt
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRC Boldt brings us a smart, sexy new standalone about a matchmaker/dating coach who's faced with the challenge of finding Mrs. Right for the city's beloved NFL wide receiver... She’s playing it safe. He’s playing for keeps. DARCY Growing up in the foster system, I learned the hard way that lasting love doesn't always come easy... -
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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... -
Interception by Lisa Suzanne
All I wanted was a second chance. Chase was still my every fantasy ten years after we broke up. He stepped back into my life the same night Gavin, once my closest friend, confessed his deep-rooted feelings and kissed me like I’d never been kissed...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers contemporary love triangle other-man-woman length-short open-door -
Smokeshow 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... -
My Rebound by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA rebound isn’t supposed to last. Though, sometimes, fate has other ideas in this opposites attract, friends with benefits romance.It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.Mackenzie Thomas started planning her future at the age of six. She knew the college she wanted, the career she needed, and the boy she would marry.Only he wasn’t supposed to break up with her in such a spectacular fashion... -
Burn by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratings**Burn is the third and final book in the brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers Fuel Series by Ginger Scott. This second-chance romance completes this angsty, steamy, new adult trilogy.Dustin Bridge’s world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand... -
Winning Whitney by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHot shot hockey player Jake Curruthers has a plan – focus on his game and avoid distractions. He's succeeding at the first. The Alaska Blizzard has been on the upswing lately, but his focus shifts when the heart-stopping blonde from his past shows up in Anchorage. Yeah, his head is definitely not in the game anymore... -
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... -
Talk British to Me by Robin Bielman
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAs the Dating Guy on L.A.‘s top morning show, I give the single guy’s perspective on dating, love, and sex—and I give great advice. Everyone’s hooking up…well, except for me. Sure, I can get any woman I want, but I’ve got a “no relationship” clause in my contract and the only woman I want has “relationship” written all over her. Probably stamped on her ass, too... -
Dirty Flirt by Mira Lyn Kelly
Bad ideas are kind of my superpower... I’m Ben Boerboom, the NHL’s favorite puck boy, and Lara's my slamming hot, former bestie. She's also the friend who got away and my dirty, dirty accomplice from those two insane weeks that weren't supposed to change anything... but did.I wanted it all. Would have wrapped my forever around her finger if she'd let me... -
Fight by Molly McLain, Sara Eirew
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 12 ratings**This is not a standalone. Check out FLY (Velocity, #1) first. amzn.to/2dPfsgW :) ** The story continues... I trusted Colton with every bit of myself. I believed him when he promised he'd never hurt me. But he broke me...and now I watch him give another woman everything I thought would be mine. I never saw this coming... -
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A Friendly Wager: A Secret Baby, Fake Engagement Romance by Ajme Williams
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy next-door neighbor is wifey material .Calm down... I’m not proposing to her.A fake engagement will do for now.My mother won’t get off my back.As a star hockey player love isn’t on the cards for me.Not now, not ever.I had a one-night stand with Ruby a decade ago.But that shouldn’t come in the way of our ruse.I doubt she misses the way I made her shake when I took her v-card...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers contemporary new adult second chances secret child length-medium -
Intermission by Lisa Suzanne
I’m in love with two men. I’m torn and need to choose which man from my past I want as a permanent part of my future. My heart leads me one way as my brain pushes me toward the other. I want them both, but each of them holds a secret that will change everything... -
Aftersome by Remi Rose
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTen years ago, I lost the love of my life.In a blink of an eye, he was gone and to this day, I still seem to be picking up the pieces of my broken heart.But in losing Hayes, we had also lost Mal. The misunderstood hockey player who wished more than anything that he could turn back time and trade places with his best friend. So, in his grief and guilt, he left. Without a goodbye... -
Game Changer: A Wynn Hockey Novel by Kelly Jamieson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsJackson Wynn I don’t want anything to do with my crazy family’s drama, which I’ve been watching unfold from a distance over the last year, but now my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and I feel I need to at least make a quick visit to see him. My hockey season’s over, all I have to do is get through my teammate Steve’s wedding, and then I’m on a plane to Los Angeles to do my family duty... -
Captured by Mr. Wild by Elle Nicoll
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere are men. And then there’s Blake Anderson.He was my best friend.Until I left.Ten years apart have turned him into a handsome, rugged, tattooed wall of muscle.He even has his own fan club, following the success of his smash-hit TV survival show.They call him Mr. Wild.One night he shows me just how wild.For a moment, I almost believe in magic again.Almost... -
Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsJesse Ainsley’s life running his busy veterinary practice in the sleepy Cornwall bay he grew up in leaves no time for a serious relationship… at least, that’s what he tells himself, but the simple truth is much more cliché... -
Risk (The Driven World) by Harlow Layne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHarlow Layne's Risk is a forbidden, sexy, doctor/patient contemporary romance in K. Bromberg's Driven world.There was no turning back once the line was crossed...Callum Crew loved control— on and off the track. It’s what made him the best Formula One driver of his generation. But being the best was a lonely road. In his line of work there was no room for doubt or distractions... -
Snow Days With You by Leonie Mack
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings‘I love Leonie's books - so romantic!' Sandy Barker When Luna Rowntree gets an unexpected and life-changing legacy from a man she’s never met, she’s determined to find out why – even if it is Christmas Day and her family are expecting her... -
Puck Proposal by Delancey Stewart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy hockey career is on fire, so when my best friend from high school (and the girl I'd always want) shows up on my doorstep in trouble, I have a turn her away (not likely!) or propose. Back then, Josephine Baxter was the unattainable debutante who took pity on the kid from the wrong side of town.We were unlikely best friends. And she was the girl I’d never have. At least not like that... -
One Timer on Top by London Casey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDON’T SLEEP WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND’S EX. Okay. I get that. I respect that. But what about sleeping with your biggest rival’s ex? And… what about marrying her…?* * *I caught my boyfriend enjoying some “oral service” from another woman. Dumping him is easy. Getting rid of him his almost impossible since I work in PR and he’s one of my clients. (Yeah, I know, don’t mix business with pleasure... -
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Faceoff by Rebecca Connolly, Heather B. Moore
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsShe isn’t supposed to want him. He isn’t supposed to want her. But wanting each other is inevitable. Clint McCarthy has finally achieved his dream of playing for a professional hockey program, and is eager to make his mark with his new team... -
Pretend You're Mine by Crystal Kaswell
This is the worst idea in the history of the world. Leighton is my best friend. My subordinate. My girlfriend. That’s the story we're selling. To our co-workers. To our friends. To everyone who's anticipating the breakdown of the year at my ex's wedding. It's a terrible idea. This ruse is going to f*ck sh*t up. Losing her is out of the question. Touching her is all kinds of wrong... -
Thanks For Last Night by Lauren Blakely
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA sexy new friends-to-lovers standalone!Let me list the reasons why dating a sexy, charming, pro hockey star is a bad idea:1. He’s one of my closest friends2. All our friends are friends3. The wounds I’ve got from past relationships go deep. And so do his.We’re both devoutly single -- it’s just safer for the heart that way... -
Blindsided by Shey Stahl
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsLandon Slade. Highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Demi-god. Certifiable ladies’ man. It’s no secret my ego is boosted. Being light on my feet and good with my hands, I control the plays and my stamina is legendary. And on and off the field, I make the decisions, the rules. Do I do complicated? Hell, no. I take what I want, tackle life my way. But then there’s her... -
Dropkick My Heart by Winter Travers
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKellan Countless hours of practice, and enough determination to succeed no matter the cost is what has brought Kellan to standing at the door to his life coming full circle. Life on the competition circuit was fast-paced, and exciting, but now Kellan is ready to settle down, and stay in his own bed for longer than a week...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers fighters contemporary from hate to love humor length-medium -
Fortunate Son by Jay Crownover
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsRy Archer and Bowe Keller are as different as night and day. But that doesn’t stop the childhood frenemies from reconnecting whenever one of them needs some help tackling any of life’s major puzzles, like figuring out why getting what you always thought you wanted isn’t living up to all the hype...
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