Books like 'Defensive Hearts'
Readers who enjoyed Defensive Hearts by Alley Ciz also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny from hate to love grumpy sunshine sports new adult athletes spanking dual-pov cheerful heroine
-
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]()
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... -
![]()
![]()
Sponsored links -
![One Day Fiance by Lauren Landish]()
One Day Fiance by Lauren Landish
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsI’m Poppy Woodstock.Romance author and wholehearted believer in Happily Ever Afters.A terminal case of writer’s block should be my biggest worry. Then I crash into him—literally—and fall into the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Connor Bradley.Thief, rebel… and my new neighbor.One slip with the bad boy next door, and my life becomes stranger than any fiction I could ever write... -
![The Final Fight by J.B. Salsbury]()
The Final Fight by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhen life brings you the perfect person at the worst possible time… On a weekend visit to Las Vegas to visit his brother, Marine Braeden Daniels meets a woman who challenges him in ways he can’t deny. The best part is she wants what he wants. No strings. No feelings. Just fun. AJ is a Las Vegas performer who is finally living her dream. Growing up poor, she’s determined to succeed at any cost... -
-
![Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper]()
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]()
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... -
![Blind Pass by Teagan Hunter]()
Blind Pass by Teagan Hunter
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there.I would know. I’m coming home with a brand-new ring on my finger.My wife? Ryan Bell.We’re polar opposites.She’s sunshine and happiness.I’m grumpy and scarred—literally.We could get it annulled and no one would be the wiser.Only problem? We posted about it online, and it’s already making headlines...Categorized as:
sports grumpy sunshine cold hero dual-pov cheerful heroine hockey from hate to love athletes -
![Just One Look by Rosalind James]()
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... -
![Jock Blocked by Pippa Grant]()
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...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love cold hero dual-pov cheerful heroine sassy heroine athletes m-f -
![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... -
![Puck Performance by Alley Ciz]()
Puck Performance by Alley Ciz
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAll's fair in love and potatoes. Melody Brightly Broadway Star. Pink hair. A smile that hits me harder than a slap shot. Terrible taste in hockey teams. Full of secrets. The one woman I fail to defend my heart against. Jase Donnelly Defenseman.Charming. Sexy as puck. Makes my hormones give a standing ovation. The one guy I can never be with, but can't stay away from... -
![Kiss Me Tonight by Maria Luis]()
Kiss Me Tonight by Maria Luis
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsI had it all.The Super Bowl rings.The hot shot TV gig.Then I got fired.Now I’m living in middle-of-nowhere Maine, playing assistant coach to the woman of my nightmares.Did I mention that she and her son are my new neighbors?If you talk to the locals, they’ll tell you Aspen Levi is the queen of high school football.But if you ask me, my new head coach is a pain in my left nut sac.She’s too blonde... -
![Dangerous Exes by Rachel Van Dyken]()
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... -
![Hot Heir by Pippa Grant]()
Hot Heir by Pippa Grant
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIf I had to pick a bride of convenience, my first choice would NOT be Peach Maloney.My fiftieth choice would NOT be Peach.Top spot on my list of occupational hazards? Yes. Royal pain in the crumpets? Yes.A bride of convenience? No.But I’ve unexpectedly gone from royal bodyguard to monarch, having inherited a crown that was stolen from my family long before my birth... -
-
![Delayed Call by Toni Aleo]()
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... -
![Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins]()
Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHANNAH COCKER Every man I've dated in this city has either bored me or hurt me. When Sofia Sol, my crazy cousin, offers a ride on the back of her Harley with no destination in mind besides out-of-Atlanta, what do you think my answer is? I'll give you one guess. TOBIAS KYRKOS Life doesn't ever hand you what you want. You have to take it... -
![Text Me Baby One More Time by Teagan Hunter]()
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... -
![Dangerous Fling by Crystal Kaswell]()
Dangerous Fling by Crystal Kaswell
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHe's her rock star crush, her go-to fantasy, and he's offering to make all her dreams come true... Rock star Malcolm Strong is used to being in control. Of the band. Of his feelings. Of the woman he has tied to his bed. He never gets close enough to get hurt. He never wants to. Until Lacey. The sassy brunette is working on the band's latest music video... -
![Houston, We Have a Problem by Dana LeCheminant]()
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... -
![Drew by Lulu Moore]()
Drew by Lulu Moore
Let me ask you a question.Have you met your soulmate?I did, then promptly lost her. Because what happens in Vegas stays there, right?Wrong.I’d never been the relationship type, but I’ve spent every spare second of the past twelve months wondering what if. What if I hadn’t slept through my alarm? What if I hadn’t lost her number? What if I’d known her name?But I came up blank... -
![Playing Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance by Mickey Miller]()
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... -
![ICED by Jacob Chance]()
ICED by Jacob Chance
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOliver Ice, one of Boston University’s notorious hockey players, has been on my radar since I slammed into his rock-hard body during my first week of college, three years ago. He helped me to my feet, muttered an apology, and ran off after his girlfriend, dashing my hopes of a happily ever after. Now, he’s the bartender where I work, and this time, very much single... -
![Rosie and the Beast Next Door by Kaylee Baldwin]()
Rosie and the Beast Next Door by Kaylee Baldwin
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt is a truth universally acknowledged that a hockey player in possession of a bad reputation must be in want of a fake girlfriend.Rosie Forrester is in desperate need of cash after an embarrassing run-in with the law. Enter Dylan Savage, a disgraced hockey player who needs a place to hide out for a few months while he figures out how to get back on his team... -
![Dirty Flirty Enemy by Piper Rayne]()
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... -
-
![Real Fake Love by Pippa Grant]()
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... -
![Flirting With Forever by Claire Kingsley]()
Flirting With Forever by Claire Kingsley
He’ll break all her rulesNora Lakes is sophisticated, successful, and happily single. Career problems aside, her life is fine the way it is, thank you very much. Sure, her best friends are all moving into a new season of life—full of husbands and babies and white picket fences. But that’s not what Nora wants. Neither is the gruff, tattooed guy next door. Tattoo artist Dex St...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine from hate to love dual-pov cold hero alpha male single-father humor contemporary -
![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... -
![Some Kind of Blunderful by Livy Hart]()
Some Kind of Blunderful by Livy Hart
If you ask Mia Madden, the road to dating hell is paved with suspiciously hot online profiles. Take tonight’s date, for example. Alex Conroy’s whole “boardroom in the streets, lumberjack in the sheets” thing totally works for her, but his profile did not convey that he represents everything she loathes about corporate hustle culture. He’s not even worth her bottle of purse wine...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine from hate to love dual-pov new adult m-f humor forced proximity contemporary -
![Finding Dandelion by Lex Martin]()
Finding Dandelion by Lex Martin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsWhen soccer all-star Jax Avery collides with Dani Hart on his twenty-first birthday, their connection is instantaneous and explosive. For the first time in years, Jax isn’t interested in his usual hit-it and quit-it approach. But Dani knows better. Allowing herself a night to be carefree and feel the intensity of their attraction won’t change anything when it comes to dealing with a player... -
![Faking It with #41 by Piper Rayne]()
Faking It with #41 by Piper Rayne
Fake.Being the heir to Jacobs Enterprises, I’ve been around fake people my entire life. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change for anyone. Which is the only reason I’m a professional hockey player who lives on the beach and does as he pleases without answering to anyone—except my father.And now, my daughter... -
![Tangled Twosome by Meghan Quinn]()
Tangled Twosome by Meghan Quinn
Racer McKay is a broody bastard. From the moment I met him, he’s been rude, irritable, and unbearable. And worse? He's broke. A contractor working to remodel my parents pool house for extra cash, he stomps around in those clunky construction boots with his tool belt wrapped around his narrow waist, and a chip on his shoulder. Racer McKay is also infuriatingly . . . sexy as hell...Categorized as:
new adult alpha male from hate to love cold hero m-f humor contemporary working class hero -
![Breakaway (The Rule Book Collection) by A.M. Johnson]()
Breakaway (The Rule Book Collection) by A.M. Johnson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs Tampa Bay's star center, Mark Carmelo's life was hockey, and after a bitter and public break up, all he wanted to do was focus on the game. Until he saw her. The one that got away. The one he thought he'd never see again. For thirteen years, Stevie West drowned in her lackluster life. Recently divorced from her “roommate” with passionless benefits, she was ready to start over... -
![Made For Me by Natasha Madison]()
Made For Me by Natasha Madison
From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new stand-alone friends to lovers sports romance. A spin-off from the Only One seriesChaseEveryone expected me to play hockey.I was good at it, but I was better at being a doctor.So I hung up the skates and joined Doctors without BordersBut there is no place like home, so now I’m back... -
![Power Play by C.J. Cartwright]()
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]()
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]()
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... -
![The Sweetest Chirp by Toni Aleo]()
The Sweetest Chirp by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAudrinaI ran.I left everything I knew, and I didn’t look back.I have loved my best friend since I the moment I knew what love was. While I adore a good best-friends-to-lovers trope, that was never our story. We danced around each other, skated along the line but didn’t cross it, and I never knew why. Until one night, I took matters into my own hands... -
![A Fish Out of Water by Savannah Scott]()
A Fish Out of Water by Savannah Scott
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI knew trying to make a fresh start on Marbella Island would mean reinventing myself.I'm only here while I work my way up to my dream role in a major motion picture in Hollywood.Which explains why I took a role playing a mermaid in the island production of In So Deep . What I didn't count on?Ben. The charmer who just took a job as a water sports instructor.Everyone loves Ben.Everyone but me... -
![Nailed by Cora Brent]()
Nailed by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA scorching ‘enemies to lovers’ office romance proves hazardous in this new stand-alone from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Cora Brent. The good news: Audrey Gordon has just received a dream assignment managing one of the city’s largest construction projects. The bad news: She’ll be teamed up with cocky office rival and former lover Jason Roma... -
![Meant for Stone by Natasha Madison]()
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 grumpy sunshine dual-pov alpha male hockey m-f contemporary -
![Since I Fell For You by Bella Andre]()
Since I Fell For You by Bella Andre
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsMillions of readers have fallen in love with the San Francisco and Seattle Sullivans. Now get ready to fall in love with the New York Sullivans! BOOK DESCRIPTION: Suzanne Sullivan doesn't need a bodyguard. After all, she's one of the most successful digital security specialists in the world―so she can most certainly take care of herself despite the problems she's been running into lately... -
![The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington]()
The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGetting involved with your brother’s best friend is risky enough. But when he's a hockey player? It's a whole new level of bad idea.As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a I’m obsessed with hockey romances.But let me tell you, real life hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends.So I threw down the gauntlet on BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong... -
![Something So Perfect by Natasha Madison]()
Something So Perfect by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsMatthew Drafted first round pick when I was seventeen, playing first line at eighteen, branded NHL's bad boy at nineteen. At twenty-three I was cut from the team and living back home with my parents. A knock on the door brought an opportunity I couldn’t turn down... -
![The Trouble With Gravity (Gravity Series) by K.K. Allen]()
The Trouble With Gravity (Gravity Series) by K.K. Allen
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsKai's life is a series of choreographed steps, each one shielding her from the tragic memories of her past. Audition, dance, paycheck, repeat. It's a broken record, but it's what keeps her world spinning... -
-
![This Much is True by Tia Louise]()
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... -
![Never Kiss the Bad Boy by Lauren Landish]()
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:
new adult m-f from hate to love alpha male dual-pov contemporary humor first-person-pov -
![Face-Off at the Altar by Toni Aleo]()
Face-Off at the Altar by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMarkus Reeves is sucking. Big-time. Toiling away on a minor-league hockey team hundreds of miles away from home, he's watching his dreams of an NHL career fade away. Add in the lingering guilt he has over the dramatic demise of his relationship with college girlfriend, Mekena, and he's a mess on and off the ice. But the family of his heart, the Sinclairs, won't let Markus suffer any longer... -
![Turn of the Tides by Jessica Prince]()
Turn of the Tides by Jessica Prince
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWhen Beau Wade left his small hometown of Whitecap, Oregon, he swore to himself he’d never go back. But when his NFL career goes up in smoke, that’s exactly what he finds himself doing. Not much has changed in the ten years he’s been gone... -
![Grumpy Goalie by Delancey Stewart]()
Grumpy Goalie by Delancey Stewart
My life was in order until a bikini-clad trespasser decided to take a dip in my hot tub in the middle of a cold winter night. So I asked her to be my fake girlfriend.She’s house-sitting next door, got locked out, and decided the best way to stay warm was to sit in my hot tub... -
![Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis]()
Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLandon Holder is exactly the kind of man Livy Adams should stay far away from. The flashy, flirty star defenseman for the Chicago Buffaloes is known for hooking up with women all over Chicago. Livy finds herself attracted to Landy, but his sexy good looks and charm are irrelevant...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.
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.
