Books like 'Bench Player'
Readers who enjoyed Bench Player by Julianna Keyes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny sports from hate to love baseball m-f athletes dual-pov first-person-pov cold hero
-
Irresistible Trouble by Pippa Grant
I, Cooper Rock, baseball god, worshipper of women, hometown hero, beloved son and brother, and owner of a well-deserved ego, have always reached for the stars. Usually in baseball.In love? Nah. When you’ve played the field as much as I have and haven’t been bit by the bug, you’re immune.Or so I thought until she walked back into my life.Waverly Sweet. Pop music sensation... -
Without You: Scotch and Sammy duet - book 2 by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSammy I left because I thought I was doing the right thing. I was falling on my sword. I thought I was saving everyone a lot of heart ache, and in exchange, I took all that ache on my own. I was supposed to be the hero, but instead I was the villain.He hates me with every fiber of his being…It’s been thirteen years since we last saw each other. It turns out ghosts can’t be buried... -
Made For You by Natasha Madison
From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comesA brand new stand-alone enemies-to-lovers grumpy/sunshine sports romance.A spin-off from the Only One seriesVivienneI did the last thing I ever expected to do. I bought a boat. A beautiful boat that was all mine to spend the summer on.Only thing I was looking forward to was the calm being on the water brought me...Categorized as:
sports athletes dual-pov from hate to love cold hero m-f contemporary forced proximity -
Flaunt by Adriana Locke
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsLooking for a Fake FiancéHave you ever wanted to prove someone wrong so badly that you could taste it?It doesn’t matter if they’re right. The fact that they had the audacity to go there is what counts.Hi. It’s me. I’m that person.The man I’ve been casually seeing told me I’m not “wife material” and I should “lower my expectations... -
-
Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire by Pippa Grant
The lies will come back to bite you every time...Never borrow pants from your brother. Especially if he’s a size smaller than you are, because all that pressure in the junk will short-circuit your brain.And you’ll lie to a woman in a club about your real name.Leave her unsatisfied after making out in a bathroom.Then find out that she’s the one thing standing in the way of your dreams...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love m-f baseball competent heroine strong heroine humor contemporary -
Playing Games by Max Monroe
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDickson University’s star quarterback and campus golden boy is used to winning on and off the field…until he meets the one woman who changes the game. Blake Boden is the ultimate distraction—annoyingly handsome, enigmatic, and confident enough to make my teeth grind. He’s the kind of guy who could charm anyone with a single smile, and somehow, I’ve become his latest challenge... -
Killing Booth by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery single thing you want is going to require you to be uncomfortable. Those words had been shared with her by the one man she didn’t think she could take a chance on. She just didn’t know that he was right, or that he was going to be the one making her uncomfortable. Nash Wilder Christopherson was the world’s golden boy. For fifteen years, she watched Nash race from the safety of her phone...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love dual-pov strong heroine m-f humor grumpy sunshine friends to lovers -
The Grumpy Player Next Door by Pippa Grant
An enemies-to-lovers / sports / grumpy-sunshine / neighbor romanceI, Tillie Jean Rock, am not in love with my brother’s teammate...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love cold hero secret-relationship baseball m-f athletes dual-pov -
Jameson Fox by Nina Levine
Rule number one if you’re going to fake marry a billionaire: only marry him if you like him and he likes you. Everything is too hard if you hate each other.Jameson Fox is the most infuriating, arrogant, frustrating, presumptuous, self-important alphahole I have ever met.He stole my company from me five years ago. Now, he’s made me an offer I can’t refuse: fake marry him, and he’ll give it back... -
Kiss My Giraffe by Erin Nicholas
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEnemies to friends to almost lovers then back to enemies…to lovers.She's got a lot of baggage...literally and figuratively. And an entourage. And a freaking giraffe. For real.For a guy who wants to keep things simple, this is anything but... -
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... -
Playing Mr. Perfect: Clay Braden by Melissa Foster
Quarterback Clay "Mr. Perfect" Braden is determined to show sexy scientist Pepper Montgomery the benefits of hands-on research in PLAYING MR. PERFECT, the first book in the Bradens at Ridgeport series by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melissa Foster. Loaded with heat, humor, and heart, this steamy, small-town, opposites-attract standalone romance is unputdownable... -
Jock Blocked by Pippa Grant
She can't let him score… Call it superstition, but when a guy bats as hot as Brooks Elliott, you don't mess with what's working. And what's working is him keeping his pants zipped and doing all of his scoring on the field... -
Now's The Time by Harlow James
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Let me experience all of you tonight, Penelope…since this is all that we get.”That was the agreement between me and Maddox Taylor, the NFL’s most notorious playboy and mega-talented quarterback who happened to be out in California for one night—one night in which I broke all of my rules and gave in to the undeniable attraction I felt for the man...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love athletes secret-relationship m-f contemporary humor forced proximity -
-
Just One Look by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLuka Darkovic has some tackling skills. He hadn’t planned on using them to bring down a runaway dog the size of a Shetland pony, though, especially not when his neck is already buggered. At 33, a rugby forward protects his vertebrae.. He’s even less happy when the dog’s incompetent owner turns up in his hospital cubicle the next day with a plan to fix those vertebrae... -
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... -
No Cap by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsYou know when you see that big red flag, and you think to yourself, I should probably not go anywhere near there? Yeah, Quincy Carter ignored that big red flag. He walked right up to that red flag, waving blatantly in the wind, and kissed the holy hell out of her. Sure, he probably should’ve arrested her for breaking a restraining order...Categorized as:
from hate to love first-person-pov dual-pov m-f contemporary suspense humor military -
The Champion by Shey Stahl
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA powerful love story of tragedy, love, and commitment. The fourth book in the Racing on the Edge series submerges you in the lifestyle of a champion of a sport that dominates America. Through smoke and methanol, you learn the good, the bad, and the secrets no one wants you to know... -
Dangerous Exes by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel van Dyken’s scorching series, revenge is a justified pleasure… Isla made one teeny little mistake. Now she and her PI company, Dirty Exes, are being targeted by one seriously angry and furiously sexy ex-quarterback. Jessie freakin’ Beckett. But there’s no way some NFL superhunk is going to take her business away... -
The Curveball by Emily Childs
He's the charmer of the infield. I'm the uptight, jaded author who won't give him a chance...now we're roommates? Griffin Marks can charm the socks off anyone he meets. Except me. To me he's a beautiful pest who will do just about anything to make me like him. I wish him luck... -
Dirty Talking Rival by Pippa Grant
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsDespite growing up in rival towns, Grady Rock and I were high school best friends.But now?Now, he's my biggest enemy. My dirty-talking, master-baking, grudge-holding, hot-as-sin enemy.All I wanted was to help my mom run her bakery after a family emergency left her unable to do it herself.Never mind that I can't bake. Or that I never wanted to move home again...Categorized as:
dual-pov m-f from hate to love secret-relationship first-person-pov contemporary new adult humor -
Delayed Call by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsVaughn 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... -
Houston, We Have a Problem by Dana LeCheminant
Houston Briggs is at a crossroads, facing the possible end of his career after a devastating injury. With an uncertain future ahead of him and his siblings finding their own happy endings, he’s desperately seeking peace and purpose.Enter Darcy Paxton, his refreshing new neighbor who is nothing like the women of his past relationships... -
Playing Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance 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... -
-
Riptide by Kathryn Nolan
Avery Dacosta never expected to find a protester in front of her office.Especially not now, when she’s this close to achieving a professional milestone years in the making: building a luxury hotel on Playa Vieja, San Diego’s untouched beach paradise.Finn Travis, local surfer and all-around nice guy, never expected to find himself the leader of Playa Vieja’s resistance... -
The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsShe wants forever. He plays it day by day. They’re both wishing for the best in USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke’s charming and sexy hopefully-ever-after romance.Single mom Palmer Clark will not be sidelined by the new man in town. Sure, the honey-tongued baseball legend is gorgeous, loves puppies, and has charmed his way into the community’s heart, but Palmer craves stability...Categorized as:
sports strong heroine secret-relationship dual-pov baseball m-f contemporary small town -
Real Fake Love by Pippa Grant
If people have polar opposites, Luca Rossi is mine.His butt is in the baseball hall of fame. Mine’s comfortably seated in the hall of lame.When he’s not snagging fly balls out in center field, he’s modeling in shampoo commercials. I once jammed my own finger while stirring cookie dough, and sometimes I forget shampoo is a thing.He’s a total cynic when it comes to love... -
The Lineup by Meghan Quinn
Want to know a secret? It's about that girl over there. Don’t look, but she’s the one in the power suit—with the long, black hair and the serious expression, the one I’m about to go on a date with . . . Yeah, according to her, she “accidentally” donated an obscene amount of money to my charity — The Lineup — to win said date but I found out the truth. Miss... -
Dirty Flirty Enemy by Piper Rayne
He’s the arrogant Manhattan realtor with billboards advertising his six-pack more than his expertise in negotiations. I’m the competing broker who stupidly moved across the hall from his office. From day one, I’ve been his sworn enemy. Okay, so I might have accidentally stolen one of his clients... -
Text Me Baby One More Time by Teagan Hunter
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA SECOND-CHANCE ROMANTIC COMEDY! I love you , he said. Forever , he said. Turns out, he lied. When he leaves me high and dry after a cross-country move, I push him out of my life as much as I can, which is hard to do when the guy who broke your heart also happens to be the most famous dude in town... -
Winning Mr. Wrong by C.W. Farnsworth
A reality television dating show was never part of my post-college plan. Nearly broke, unemployed, recently dumped me let my best friend Haley decide it should be.They say don’t make important decisions after five shots of tequila, and I now believe whoever coined that phrase... -
Grumpy the Bear by Marika Ray
He’s a tattooed, blue-eyed jerk who has no business being a single dad. He’s also my next-door neighbor, and after negotiations, my grumpy employer for the summer.I don’t put up with cocky males normally and I certainly won’t put up with that man making noise at all hours of the day and night while he builds his glamp-ground...Categorized as:
from hate to love strong heroine sports cold hero m-f dual-pov first-person-pov competent heroine -
Never Say Never by Harlow James
“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”When those words left the lips of Damien Shaw, my childhood nemesis, I should have told him to kick rocks right then and there... -
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 from hate to love cold hero m-f contemporary humor age difference forced proximity -
-
Hard Fall by Sara Ney
"Hard Fall"That's what my mom is always saying: "The bigger you are, the harder you fall." She's talking about love—I've never been in it myself, but that doesn't stop me from secretly matchmaking for my friends. Who would suspect me, a world class athlete, of meddling in other people's love lives? I love Love, especially when it’s not me who’s doing the falling…"No Thanks... -
Power Play by C.J. Cartwright
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if the one who got away… comes back? They say you never forget your first love. But does time truly heal all wounds?Levi Fawkes knows hockey, and not much else. As the captain of the Astoria Bay Thunder, his eyes are always locked on the goal... -
Forever Pucked by Helena Hunting
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsBeing engaged to Alex Waters, team captain and the highest paid NHL player in the league, is awesome. How could it not be?In addition to being an amazing hockey player, he’s an incurable romantic with an XL heart, and an XXL hockey stick in his pants. And he knows how to use it. Incredibly, orgasmically well. Alex is the whole package and more. Literally. Like his package is insane... -
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... -
Tripp by Alex Wolf, Sloane Howell
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTripp Patton is not the guy you take home to meet your mom.He is the number one sports agent in the world, and he didn’t get there by playing nice.On the verge of signing the biggest player of his career, someone gets in his way.Lennon Edwards, a younger agent trying to make a name for herself. She’s hungry for success, relentless, and drop-dead gorgeous... -
Another Christmas from Hell by R.L. Mathewson
Bryce has been avoiding his brother’s best friend since they were children, but now that she was living across the hall from him, staying away from her was the last thing that he wanted to do in this holiday romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author R.L. Mathewson.He wasn’t in love with her...Categorized as:
from hate to love dual-pov m-f contemporary humor christmas siblings-bff explicit-plentiful -
Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe way she looks, smells, laughs is killing me.I fell in love with my sister’s best friend. To top it all off, she’s brilliant. And I’m failing Chemistry.Of course, when I get her help, she’s laidback about it. Charming and helpful as always, like she doesn’t know how much I want her. I’ve got to play it cool and let her see a different side of me... -
Freak Show by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWelcome to the Circus is a brand-new series that centers around a family that owns a circus, 6 sisters and one brother. This is book 1 featuring Val & Felix... -
Ale's Fair in Love and War by Sylvie Stewart
An Enemies-to-Lovers RomanceHollis Hayes is the worst neighbor in the entire history of neighbors.She’s also the hottest.F.M.L.I don’t have time to fight with the dog groomer next door. There’s a brewery to run, siblings to rein in, and a mom to look after. So if Hollis thinks I’ll roll over and let her drive me out of business, she’s not nearly as smart as she thinks she is... -
Just Playin' by Shandi Boyes
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsPresley “Elvis” Carlton was at the top of his game. Number one draft pick, engaged to an up-and-coming model, and voted best player of the decade his first year on the field. Things were golden. . . until an accident saw everything important torn from his grasp...Categorized as:
sports athletes secret-relationship new adult humor contemporary curvy heroine length-medium -
-
My Scorned Best Friend by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsXavier and Clara kissing in a tree…When your best friend growing up is a girl, that’s the song your classmates taunt you with over and over again. But it was never like that… until now.It’s always been Clara and me. She’s the only one who truly knows me. After I was drafted into the NFL and ended up the starting quarterback for the San Francisco Kingsmen, I begged her to come with me...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love athletes m-f contemporary humor friends to lovers sassy heroine -
Meant for Stone by Natasha Madison
Ryleigh: Growing up in Hollywood, I was surrounded by liars and phonies. So when I got my law degree, I knew I wanted to work as a district attorney. Busy days turned to long nights—I was on my way up the ladder. Then he happened. Bullied his way into my life as if there was no choice. Suddenly everything I thought I wanted wasn’t as important...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love dual-pov secret-relationship m-f contemporary friends to lovers humor -
Kissing for Keeps by Martha Keyes
History has a way of repeating itself.SienaComing on the heels of a big, fat failure at work, my best friend Madi's glamorous French wedding is the perfect opportunity to prove I can do some things well–even if it kills me, which is looking like a distinct possibility. Maid of honor duties are no joke... -
This Much is True by Tia Louise
A smart and sexy romance about a grumpy single dad on a mission of revenge, and the girl he can’t leave behind by USA Today bestselling author Tia Louise. Hope I blame the alcohol.I lost my restaurant business, was forced to sell my dad’s cherished 1967 Chevy Impala, and I got a little drunk... -
Tomboy by Avery Flynn
How exactly has one good deed landed me in the penalty box? Ice Knights defenseman Zach Blackburn has come down with the flu, and my BFF—his PR manager—begs me to put my nursing degree to use and get him back to health. Of course she would call in a favor for the most hated man in Harbor City. But when he’s finally on the mend and I’m sneaking out of his place, everything goes sideways...Categorized as:
sports cold hero dual-pov tall-heroine from hate to love athletes strong heroine m-f -
Never Kiss the Bad Boy by Lauren Landish
Survival Mode is how I live. My ghost kitchen is the place to be for every work crew in the city, and I bust my butt from sunup to sun down, while rubbing every nickel and dime together to scrape by. And it’s going fine. Until he shows up. Kyle Harrington parks his truck right in the middle of my drive-thru line and acts like the trouble he’s causing is no big deal...Categorized as:
m-f from hate to love first-person-pov dual-pov contemporary humor new adult alpha male
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.