Books like 'They're Strictly Friends'
Readers who enjoyed They're Strictly Friends by Chloe Liese also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
multicultural friends to lovers grumpy sunshine soccer m-f sports height-difference forced proximity
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Saving His Heart by Avery Maxwell
Never have I ever...The number one rule in medicine is don't fall in love with your patients, but Preston Westbrook makes his own rules. Hand him a life-altering diagnosis, and all bets are off.I'm a doctor without a license. He's a billionaire without a chance.He hired me to care for his failing heart, but when meddling family forces his hand, he introduces me as his girlfriend... -
![Sweeper by Amy Daws]()
Sweeper by Amy Daws
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsComing November 4The cocky footballer next door has some serious balls…luckily, Daphney Clarke knows how to play. Zander Williams is the hot new American determined to take European football by storm. His head is so big, it barely fits under his backwards hat. And when he’s recruited to one of the biggest up and coming clubs in London, he’s certain to make his name known...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers forced proximity grumpy sunshine soccer m-f humor contemporary -
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![Hard to Hold by K. Bromberg]()
Hard to Hold by K. Bromberg
The contract with Major League Soccer was supposed to help repair my damaged reputation. Then I discovered that I’d made a deal with the devil: the player I’m supposed to recruit is none other than the bad boy, star Premier League footballer, Rush McKenzie. British. Tattooed. Sexy. A man currently at the center of a huge scandal. The goal? To convince him to stay in the States... -
![The Best of All by Karla Sorensen]()
The Best of All by Karla Sorensen
He’s commitment phobic. She believes in happy endings. The twist of fate that binds them is a surprise they never saw coming in a bittersweet romance about instant family—and not-so-instant love.A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common... -
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![Pretty It Up by Cee Bowerman]()
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 multicultural contemporary alpha male second chances length-short -
![Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic]()
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... -
![The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown]()
The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFamily, wounded hearts, and a Texas bed-and-breakfast are in need of repair in New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown’s inviting novel about down-home comfort and second chances.Cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae are due for a change... -
![Wishing on a Star by Mandy Baggot]()
Wishing on a Star by Mandy Baggot
A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other.Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends' best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie, a Christmas to remember.Sam Jackman has just been dealt with life-altering news, and all he could think to do was run... -
![Gotta Be Bayou by Erin Nicholas]()
Gotta Be Bayou by Erin Nicholas
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsHow do you get over a woman you never should have been, ahem, under in the first place?Just when FBI special agent Spencer Landry had decided to forget about investigative journalist Maxine — Max — Keller and their one hot night together, there's a threat made against her and Spencer's protective instincts get all riled up. Again... -
![Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic]()
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]()
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]()
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... -
![Tight Laced by Lisa Suzanne]()
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 forced proximity m-f age difference contemporary siblings-bff length-short -
![The Problem with Falling by Brittainy C. Cherry]()
The Problem with Falling by Brittainy C. Cherry
Willow Kingsley is everything I don’t need in my life. She’s sunshine and chaos dressed in a flower crown. She’s a wildflower in a world I’ve spent years trying to keep simple and quiet. She talks too much, smiles too easily, and doesn’t understand the meaning of personal space. Worst of all, she’s staying in my house for the summer, turning my carefully guarded world upside down...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine friends to lovers forced proximity multicultural m-f suspense contemporary bwwm -
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![Secrets and Satin by Liliana Hart]()
Secrets and Satin by Liliana Hart
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsNo one knows heartbreak like Jade Jax. After losing her husband to a tragic death, she doesn’t believe love can happen twice. But after years of living a half-life without her husband, her body starts to waken again, and needs she’d forgotten come to the surface... -
![Give Me Forever by Layla Hagen]()
Give Me Forever by Layla Hagen
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsHe was my first love. Now he's my roommate. And he won't stop until he wins me back.Conned out of my business I have no other choice but to move back home to Chicago. I’m determined to rebuild everything, but I’m so broke that I can’t even afford to pay rent.Then my first love, Sam Maxwell, unexpectedly pops back into my life and turns out to be my knight in shining armor...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity m-f humor super rich hero contemporary length-short -
![Replay by Amy Daws]()
Replay by Amy Daws
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsNot all players deserve a second chance… no matter how hot their first chance was. Football club lawyer, Santino Rossi is known in the locker room as the two-month chump. For years he’s been on a mission to find someone he can share his basil plant with and cure him of his former playboy ways... -
![Love Blooms with the Duke by Alexa Aston]()
Love Blooms with the Duke by Alexa Aston
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA fourth son instantly propelled into a dukedom . . .A beautiful woman trying to support herself as a governess . . .Two people who want to be accepted—and who long for love . . .Xander Hughes, London’s biggest rake, suddenly finds himself in over his head, becoming the Duke of Brockbank and guardian to two nieces he has never met... -
![Are We There Yet? by Savannah Scott]()
Are We There Yet? by Savannah Scott
A vintage VW van. Four friends. A cross-country road trip.It will be the best adventure of my life, if only I can shake the feelings I have for Cameron .Cameron Reeves is as gorgeous as his name makes him sound.He’s about six feet tall, which is the height I always wrote in my ideal man list in my journal. Yes. I have a list of qualities I want in a man... -
![Dump and Chase by Toni Aleo]()
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... -
![Only One Touch by Natasha Madison]()
Only One Touch by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsNicoWhen I inherited the Dallas Oilers from my father , I became one of the youngest owners in hockey history. Even though the team was at the bottom of the hockey standings,I had big plans to change that and bring the Cup to Dallas.Falling in love was something I never believed would happen to me... -
![Tight Hold by Lisa Suzanne]()
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... -
![Sweet Spot by Jessica Prince]()
Sweet Spot by Jessica Prince
Who knew four little words and a very public kiss would change so much.Gage Langdon didn’t do relationships. After having his heart shattered years ago, he made a vow to never go down that road again. But when his past waltzes into his town, demanding his attention, he reacts without thinking and makes a very public display of kissing his best friend...Categorized as:
forced proximity friends to lovers m-f contemporary military length-medium explicit-open-door -
![Playboy in a Kilt by Kait Nolan]()
Playboy in a Kilt by Kait Nolan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA notorious former playboyAs heir to Ardinmuir, Connor MacKean had one job: fulfill the marriage pact that's held his family captive for three-hundred years. Except his sister's the one who took the plunge, and now there's nothing standing in the way of him finding a real and lasting love... -
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![Cross My Heart by Logan Chance, Lilypad Lit]()
Cross My Heart by Logan Chance, Lilypad Lit
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Logan Chance comes a riveting tale about friendship, love, and lies. This scorching romance shatters the boundaries between love and make-believe.Thanks to podcaster gossip, my firm thinks I’m not a good fit for the high-profile case of my dreams. They want someone in a committed relationship...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity m-f contemporary suspense super rich hero length-short -
![Protector in a Kilt by Kait Nolan]()
Protector in a Kilt by Kait Nolan
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA captive who dreams of her freedomIn public, violinist Elizabeth Duncan is the toast of the entertainment world. A prodigy who's been wowing audiences with her music since she was only twelve years old. But behind closed doors, she's desperate to escape the man who's turned her passion into a prison. When the specter of violence becomes more than a threat, she sacrifices everything to run...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine forced proximity friends to lovers m-f contemporary military abuse age difference -
![Moonstruck by Dana LeCheminant]()
Moonstruck by Dana LeCheminant
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWith his knack for bad luck, Liam isn’t surprised when he’s awarded house arrest after protecting a fan at his last show. What he didn’t expect was the girl of his dreams showing up with his lunch delivery and turning his confinement into an unexpected friendship... -
![Only One Forever by Natasha Madison]()
Only One Forever by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 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 forced proximity friends to lovers m-f contemporary new adult forbidden love athletes -
![Knock Out by Jiffy Kate]()
Knock Out by Jiffy Kate
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the blink of an eye, Willow Bernard goes from stocking shelves at the Piggly Wiggly to kicking butt at Viking MMA.Willow Bernard has taken a lot of hits in her twenty-two years but always manages to come back swinging. Hoping to fly under the radar for a change, she relocates to Green Valley...Categorized as:
sports grumpy sunshine friends to lovers forced proximity fighters contemporary humor length-long -
![Tight Fit by Lisa Suzanne]()
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 forced proximity m-f age difference contemporary length-short -
![Catch a Wave by Savannah Scott]()
Catch a Wave by Savannah Scott
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDid you ever see a guy and just know you had to meet him?That was me and Bodhi Merrick. I couldn't take my eyes off him as he donned his wetsuit at the famous big-wave surf spot, Mavericks. I'll never forget that day. Or every time our paths crossed after that. Big wave surfing is a small world. And, as it happens, Bodhi felt the same tug---this irresistible attraction that drew us to one another...Categorized as:
sports multicultural forced proximity m-f siblings-bff humor contemporary length-medium -
![The Scientist by Kristen B. Cole, Margo Lipschultz]()
The Scientist by Kristen B. Cole, Margo Lipschultz
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhen an outgoing musical maven meets the enigmatic neuroscientist next door, will their worlds clash in a dramatic showdown of art versus science, or will they discover that love is the ultimate experiment worth conducting?When celebrated Broadway composer Hadley Olivier’s best friend receives a life-threatening diagnosis, Hadley says goodbye to her beloved home in NYC and sets off to the West...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine friends to lovers forced proximity contemporary humor menage length-long -
![The Plan by Karla Sorensen]()
The Plan by Karla Sorensen
Have you ever fake dated your bodyguard? I don't recommend it. Especially if he's anything like Erik Wilder: former football player, world class know-it-all and unapologetic grump. To be clear, I didn't want a bodyguard (hence the fake dating idea). Most days, I can’t figure out why he wants the job either. We drive each other insane, probably because we’re as opposite as two people can be...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity grumpy sunshine m-f contemporary humor age difference from hate to love -
![Falling into Forever by Avery Maxwell]()
Falling into Forever by Avery Maxwell
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhat’s a brokenhearted romance novelist to do when an interview accidentally turns her into the villain? I’ll tell you one thing—the plan definitely wasn’t to turn to the man who taught me that happily ever afters exist only on the page...Categorized as:
friends to lovers grumpy sunshine forced proximity m-f contemporary from hate to love -
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![No Rep by Lani Lynn Vale]()
No Rep by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsTaos was tired.Tired of everything that came with living. Not to the point where he was suicidal or anything, but tired enough that he just didn’t give a crap anymore.He’d seen all the ugliness this world had to offer due to his job as a police officer for way too many damn years of his less than stellar life... -
![Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis]()
Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis
T.J. Wilder is the perfect package of breathtaking adventure and raw sex appeal. Even better, he's about to reconnect with the one woman he's never been able to forget... Get Your Pulse Racing To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J... -
![Someone You Love by Kristen Granata]()
Someone You Love by Kristen Granata
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA touching forced proximity summer romance about healing and taking chances.Charly Johnson created a bucket list when cancer left her mother with less than a year to live. They didn’t make it all the way through the list before she died, but she made Charly promise to finish it and live her life to the fullest.Spending the summer in a coastal mountain city in Maine is next on her list... -
![On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton]()
On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn emotional and angsty grumpy x sunshine hockey romance from USA Today and WSJ bestselling author L A Cotton. Are you ready to fall in love with a Laker?When Harper Dixon discovers her father is the Lakeshore U Lakers new assistant coach, she wonders if her life can get any worse.Enter Mason Steele.Arrogant. Cold. With enough ice around his heart to freeze anyone who gets too close...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity grumpy sunshine m-f new adult dual-pov from hate to love college -
![Rafe by Sawyer Bennett]()
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... -
![The Deeper I Fall by Erika Kelly]()
The Deeper I Fall by Erika Kelly
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's a rough and rugged hockey player. She's a posh British princess. To win an enormous inheritance, they’re forced to live together.This is not going to go well.When his former hockey coach passes away, Declan Cadell is shocked to learn the man left him a cattle ranch. Well, not exactly. He’s got one little hurdle to jump first... -
![Pining For You by Marika Ray]()
Pining For You by Marika Ray
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’ve been in love with my best friend since the day I met her freshman year of high school. She was a halo of sunshine on a rainy day, pulling me out of the shadows and making me feel like life was one big roller-coaster ride of excitement. Until the day we graduated and she left on the back of a Harley with some guy who didn’t deserve her, middle fingers in the air...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity m-f contemporary marriage of convenience humor length-short -
![Shopping for a Turkey by Julia Kent]()
Shopping for a Turkey by Julia Kent
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI don’t understand Americans. Or, as we say in Scotland, I dinna understand ye eedjits. And I definitely dinna understand the crazy mother-in-law of my cousin Declan... -
![Branded by a Song by L.J. Evans]()
Branded by a Song by L.J. Evans
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHas this country-rock legend finally met his match? A woman who can fill the aching void for “more” that’s been missing from his life? Brady O’Neil tells the world he’s temporarily returning to upstate New York to help his sister. While it’s the truth, he’s also searching for the soul his music has lost... -
![Never Wager With A Scoundrel by Alyssa Clarke]()
Never Wager With A Scoundrel by Alyssa Clarke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings#Forbidden Love#Best friends to loversLady Marianne Ayles has always been acutely conscious of her stepbrother, Julian Montgomery, the dashing and mysterious Viscount Hardwick. When her stepfather, the Marquess, expresses concern over Julian’s prolonged withdrawal from social events and increasing reclusiveness, he implores Marianne to intervene...Categorized as:
friends to lovers grumpy sunshine forced proximity m-f historical regency forbidden stepsibling -
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![With a Hitch by R.C. Boldt]()
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... -
![Smokeshow by Raine Miller]()
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... -
![Rule Breaker by Stacey Lynn]()
Rule Breaker by Stacey Lynn
Spending the night in jail isn’t exactly how I planned to spend Christmas, but I’ve had worse holidays… Now that I’m out, it’s time to accept my real punishment. Coaching ten-year-old terrors on the ice, in my non-existent free time. My Coach thinks it’d be good for me. Remind me where I came from. He should know I’ve tried every day of my life for the last ten years to forget... -
![Kind of a Sexy Jerk by Lili Valente]()
Kind of a Sexy Jerk by Lili Valente
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSo let me get this straight... For the next few days I’ve got myself a grumpy fake husband who’s also kind of my...bodyguard?I guess that’s a better way to spend the weekend than binge-watching reality television, especially since it’s kind of my fault we’re on the run from the mob and I need a protector.Oops... -
![The Two of Us by Taylor A. Torres]()
The Two of Us by Taylor A. Torres
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSometimes holding on to pain means letting go of love.If there’s no place like home, that’s more than okay for Mara Makinen. In fact, she prefers it that way. Going back to the place where she made the worst mistake of her life? Not ideal... -
![Behind the Pages: A sultry romcom of the unexpected by K. Iwancio]()
Behind the Pages: A sultry romcom of the unexpected by K. Iwancio
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo authors, an intertwined plot, and one heck of an alluring ending to their highly-anticipated bestselling books... With her fantasy series, Bridget Paige is the newest member of the New York Times Bestseller list. Except no one knows who she is. To the world, she's Bridget. To those behind the scenes, she's introverted Paige Booker...
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