Books like 'My Only Reason'

Readers who enjoyed My Only Reason by Leigh Lennon also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  sports  friends to lovers  queer  queer-awakening  secret-relationship  new adult  football  athletes 

  • #Fate by Cambria Hebert

    #Fate by Cambria Hebert

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    What’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...
  • Hold 'Em Tight by Alisha Williams, Amber Nicole

    Hold 'Em Tight by Alisha Williams, Amber Nicole

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    They weren't kidding when they say life can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, I think I have it all. My men. Happiness. Friends. Family. And the next, my whole life comes crashing down around me. Betrayal like I’ve never felt before consumes me. A heartbreak so gut-wrenching it hurts to breathe...
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  • Red Lined by Crea Reitan

    Red Lined by Crea Reitan

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Maybe you can order love online…. Julian. I’ve spent a short lifetime learning that what people say they want is rarely what they actually want. What I hope for is a relationship where both of us feel comfortable together. I think I finally find what I’m looking for in a mail order bride. Then he shows up...
  • Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Asher 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...
  • Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    The 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...
  • The Making of Matt by Nicola Haken, E. Adams

    The Making of Matt by Nicola Haken, E. Adams

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Matt Carter, self-proclaimed sex-god and drummer for world renowned Souls of the Knight, didn’t have the time or inclination for planning his future, preferring to fill his days with music, women and alcohol. He didn’t want or need anything else in his life. Until the band parted ways and he found himself no longer living the dream...
  • Perfect Gifts by R.J. Scott, V.L. Locey

    Perfect Gifts by R.J. Scott, V.L. Locey

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Family comes first in all things. Whatever the cost. Ten had always heard the saying ‘Out of the mouth of babes,’ but he’d not expected it to hit home as it had. After a comment from their daughter, Ten and Jared find themselves pondering an addition to the family. Moving into the adoption process is nerve-wracking and riddled with anxiety—kind of like how the Railers have been playing of late...
  • Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    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. You can't miss out on this tender, loving, and hot-as-sin m/m college hockey romance! Rookie:...
  • Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Two childhood best friends. One accidental fake engagement. One Labrador puppy. One week to fall in love. When Harvey runs into his childhood best friend—literally—on the way into Otter Bay for his cousin's wedding, he doesn't plan to end up playing the part of the guy's fiancé...
  • Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need...
  • Love and History by Lane Hayes

    Love and History by Lane Hayes

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 16 ratings
    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...
  • Jumpstart by Riley Hart

    Jumpstart by Riley Hart

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Motocross star, Beckett Monroe, is in need of some serious R&R. Not only to adjust to his new out-of-the-closet status, but in hopes of reigniting his passion for motocross. To his surprise, support shows up in the way of Christian Foster, his childhood best friend and first love. Spending time with Christian is the jumpstart Beck’s heart needs...
  • Hit the Brakes by Beth Bolden

    Hit the Brakes by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Can they fake it til Tate makes it? Tate Ward is in a bind. His food truck hasn’t been the runaway success he’d always dreamt it would be. When he tries to join a new food truck collective to gain a larger following, his sales aren’t even high enough to win a spot. What he needs is a high profile endorsement—and he knows just the guy. Tate hasn’t seen Chase Riley since high school...
  • Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Jesse 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...
  • After The Siren by Darcy Green

    After The Siren by Darcy Green

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 7 ratings
    Theo Bestavros wasn’t supposed to be a footballer. He worked hard, got his game-winning moment and—failed. He’s determined to make the most of a second chance at the Brunswick Falcons. Jake Cunningham couldn’t have had a better start to his career. He’s the Falcons’ star small forward, a fan-favourite, and a constant headline...
  • When Stars Align by Denver Shaw

    When Stars Align by Denver Shaw

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Scarred by the past. Terrified to love again. Savion. Once 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

    Third Time Lucky by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From 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...
  • Playing With Fire by Avery Cockburn

    Playing With Fire by Avery Cockburn

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 16 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...
  • Delicious by Sierra Riley

    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

    Nice Guys & First Times by K.M. Neuhold

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    You 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. **All of these novellas have been previously published either as part of the Heart2Heart Charity Anthology collection or as stand alone free shorts. Always You...
  • All Bats are Off by Kelly Reynolds

    All Bats are Off by Kelly Reynolds

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 6 ratings
    Friends with Benefits meets Ted Lasso in this one-night-stand to lovers, gay baseball romcom set in the Pacific Northwest. If there's one rule every pro-baller knows, it's to avoid the press like the plague...
  • Yesterday by Sarina Bowen

    Yesterday by Sarina Bowen

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It’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. Or is it? Can Rikker survive a visit with his parents? And can Graham let him do it alone? (Only published in the Novella Collection "Extra Credit" - The Ivy Years 6 which contains all three novellas.
  • A King in Wonderland by Nash Summers

    A King in Wonderland by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Asher 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...
  • Playing the Player by Beth Bolden

    Playing the Player by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Center 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...
  • Skating to Him by Christie Gordon

    Skating to Him by Christie Gordon

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I’m skating to the NHL while he’s running from his past. When we collide, am I brave enough to take the shot? Tyler. Hockey is my life. My ticket to the NHL is in sight, and I can’t afford distractions. Then Coach pairs me with Rowan, the new guy from Boston. He’s talented, sharp, and annoyingly irresistible. When he asks to hit the gay bar with me and my friends, I chalk it up to curiosity...
  • Poolside by Taylor E. Weston

    Poolside by Taylor E. Weston

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 6 ratings
    Divorce left Tommy Littleton shaken. He thought he’d checked all the boxes in his marriage, but none of it mattered when “love” was left out. With nothing else to show for his life, Tommy will stop at nothing to get a promotion–even if it means participating in an open-water swim to impress his boss. Unfortunately, he looks like a drowning raccoon in the water...
  • Break Down by Rebecca Norinne

    Break Down by Rebecca Norinne

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    His 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...
  • Alex by S.M. Shade

    Alex by S.M. Shade

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Ninety- 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...
  • Three Is the Luckiest Number by Catherine Cloud

    Three Is the Luckiest Number by Catherine Cloud

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Elliot Cowell spent his entire life training to become a superstar. A prodigy on the ice, likely the future captain of his team, there’s no room for mistakes when it comes to Elliot’s career, but knowing all that didn’t keep him from falling in love with Blake Samuels...
  • Mud & Lace by Jay Northcote

    Mud & Lace by Jay Northcote

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 11 ratings
    When Wicksy falls for drag queen Charlie, they discover that both sexuality and gender can be fluid. Simon Wicks—Wicksy to his rugby teammates—has only ever been interested in women. But when he sets eyes on Lady Gogo, a drag queen who performs at Rainbow Place, he can’t stop thinking about her...
  • Change Up: An Out For You Gay Sports Romance by Quinn Ward

    Change Up: An Out For You Gay Sports Romance by Quinn Ward

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    No 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...
  • Starfish and Coffee by Kele Moon

    Starfish and Coffee by Kele Moon

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    On 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...
  • Change Up by Sloan Johnson

    Change Up by Sloan Johnson

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Kevin 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...
  • Summer Catch by Beth Bolden

    Summer Catch by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 10 ratings
    Newly hired Charleston Condors’ coach Jonathan Kelley is very aware of all the uphill battles he’s got to climb. There’s a new owner he’s got to please. New culture to implement. New players to train. New rules to follow. But one rule hasn't don't spend so much time flirting with the cute bartender via text that you start to wonder if you're straight, after all...
  • Biscuit in the Basket by Kit Oliver

    Biscuit in the Basket by Kit Oliver

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Every love story needs its happily ever after - and then even more. Biscuit in the Basket follows Sebastian and Gil through the week after their first story ends in Light Up the Lamp. In this novella, they settle into their new lives, get their feet under themselves, and start to build their future...
  • Sweet Spot by Sloan Johnson

    Sweet Spot by Sloan Johnson

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Four years ago, it took no time at all for Cody Marshall to fall for the rookie pitcher at spring training. While their lives were nothing alike, Cody understood Nick Stone’s insecurities and pain. And then… Nick left. Eventually, Cody found his own passion and landed a dream internship with the Mavericks. His life was finally turning around. And then… Nick came back...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  queer  m-m  contemporary
  • Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Loving You: Book Four. Can friends turned occasional lovers move beyond past mistakes and wrong assumptions to build something that can last? Quiet bookworm Shane has a big secret—one he’s kept for fifteen years. AFL superstar Ambrose Jakoby grew up next door to Shane. They were close friends, and Shane supported Ambrose through school. One night, everything changed...
  • Obsessed with the Heartbreaker by Rina Damen

    Obsessed with the Heartbreaker by Rina Damen

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I’m the most boring guy in this college, but the Heartbreaker is secretly obsessed with me. People know Henry Campbell as the Heartbreaker, the unofficial college King that everyone wants but very few get to have. He hates me and yet he often secretly watches me, and once I find out, I can’t resist the temptation of slithering back into his life. We used to be close, neighbors. Then we weren’t...
  • Just Like Florence Nightingale by Sean Kennedy

    Just Like Florence Nightingale by Sean Kennedy

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Simon Murray is preparing to spend his first Christmas together with Declan Tyler, but he has to play nurse as Dec is recovering from a knee operation. With best friends Fran and Roger holidaying in Italy, how will Simon manage to become a modern day Florence Nightingale? NB: Short story, approx. 2000 words...
  • Country Boy by A.E. Wasp

    Country Boy by A.E. Wasp

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Sometimes the toughest thing to have faith in is yourself. The first time Paul Dyson met Robbie Rhodes, they ended up naked in Robbie’s bed. The last time they met, on the ice the morning after, Paul punched Robbie in the face and called him something he’d rather not repeat. Two years later, they’re teammates on the Seattle Thunder hockey team...
  • Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    It’s either the beginning of a great porno or a disaster waiting to happen. That feeling when you’re a thirty-year-old gay virgin with a little OCD, nosy neighbors and a lot of awkward, secret fantasies revolving around your straight best friend? Yeah, that’s me right now...
  • It's Never Over by Nealy Wagner

    It's Never Over by Nealy Wagner

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Six years have passed since the awful day when Axel and Caxton were caught making out in the woods at church camp. They were only teenagers then, but Axel had been devastated when Cax had cut off all contact with him. After that, his best friend seemed to vanish...
  • Riptide by Ruthie Luhnow

    Riptide by Ruthie Luhnow

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    "The weirdest part about kissing my best friend is that it isn't weird at all. ". Drew Riordan is excellent at compartmentalization. It's the only way he's managed to survive three years at Bellamy university—and on the crew team—and how he's made peace with staying in the closet for the foreseeable future...
  • Me Against the QB by Billie Bloom

    Me Against the QB by Billie Bloom

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Bodie thought his homework was done when he graduated from college, but no such luck. His new assignment: prove to his dad he can handle clients by babysitting a wild NFL player in the off season. Colby is a handful for any agent and he can’t stay out of the press, for all the wrong reasons...
  • Out on the Ice by Lane Hayes

    Out on the Ice by Lane Hayes

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Colby Fischer is a bad boy with attitude and a chip on his shoulder. As a senior at a Southern California college, he knows this may be his last shot. He doubts he’ll ever become the hockey legend he dreamed of being as a kid, but he definitely doesn’t want to be an accountant...
  • Wrecked Rose by Leila James

    Wrecked Rose by Leila James

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Max Sutton. Confident, witty charmer. Out and proud. I never expected him to cross my mind. One kiss wrecked me for anyone else. And now he consumes all my thoughts. If people find out, my world explodes. He doesn’t want to hide us. And I want him … but I might have to choose her. Welcome back to Rosehaven Academy...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    EDDIE. Everyone knew Max was a bad boy, but everyone fell for him all the same. When I returned back home to live, he said we should hang out a bit. And that's what we did, except we started to hang out a lot. Because now I was falling for Max, too. MAX. No one has ever understood me like Eddie. I was so stoked when I heard he was coming back...
  • Canning the Center by Tara Lain

    Canning the Center by Tara Lain

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Six foot seven inch, 300 pound Jamal Jones loves football, so when he finds out the ultra-conservative owner of his new pro football team fired their current center because he’s gay, bisexual Jamal decides to stay in the closet and hang with the females...
  • Boys of Summer by A.E. Wasp

    Boys of Summer by A.E. Wasp

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Teammates, roommates, friends with benefits. What could go wrong? Boys of Summer is a book about finding the perfect person to ride shotgun with on the crazy road trip called life. It contains a Dolly Parton lookalike, an unfortunate deer versus car incident, and poorly-timed epiphanies. Everybody leaves. That was the first lesson Thunder goalie James McVicker ever learned...
  • The Game Changer by Kay Simone

    The Game Changer by Kay Simone

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A straight quarterback. A gay physical therapist. Love is out of bounds… Right? Malcolm Rodgers loses everything in one week. The quarterback is benched with an injury the same week his fiancée breaks off their engagement...
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