Books like 'Love's Defense'
Readers who enjoyed Love's Defense by Laura Marquez Diamond also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny multicultural sports m-f athletes
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Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsLandon Davies had worked hard to start his own restaurant. It was a very different path than most of his family had taken. He was one of the few family members that were not military or law enforcement. But his hard work had given him a restaurant that was beginning to take off when a woman’s scream in the alley outside his kitchen changed everything... -
Reshuffle by Emilia Finn
The first round is for practice. The second round is for keeps. She was everything Ben ever wanted. But time, distance, and jealousy made it impossible. Now they’re adults, Evie’s back in town after college graduation, and Ben never once let go of what he knew was meant to be... -
When Alec Met Evie by Jenny Proctor
Evie told herself not to fall for her pro-hockey crush. But when she sees him holding her baby girl, all bets are off.When Evie moves South to the same mountain town where her childhood crush plays pro-hockey, she arms herself with all the reasons why she can’t fall for him again.Number Alec is her best friend’s much older brother... -
REGRET by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsPreston Danes was born and raised on the streets.Unloved. Unwanted. And quickly discarded.Now he’s a man on the verge of a new career when the infamous Checkmate Security offers him a job.They want to shut down a mafia family, and they need the assistance of a skilled hacker to get the job done.Preston knows code like others know their left hands. He’s perfect for the job... -
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The Legend by Shey Stahl
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIn a lifestyle of speed, adrenaline and desire, one racer has sacrificed everything for the sport he loved. In turn, he will fight for his name, his family and now his life to be the legend he’s been portrayed to be. You can be everything you set out to be if you want it bad enough. You can be that record breaker you said you’d be. You can be that hero you always thought you would be... -
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... -
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... -
Delayed Call by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 28 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... -
A Smoky Mountain Hockey Holiday by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsOne chalet in the Smokies. Four loving families. While all the grandbabies are on Santa’s Nice List, a few of the adults are getting coal in their stockings. But no matter their status with the man in the red suit, Elli Adler will spoil each and every one of her favorite people with love and holiday cheer... -
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... -
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... -
Thrill of Love by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDiscover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster's writing, and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the Bradens. Fall in love with Ty Braden and Aiyla Bell in this epic love story... -
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... -
Playing Dirty 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... -
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The Fall of East by Nana Malone
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTHE SIZZLING CONCLUSION TO THE HEAR NO EVIL TRILOGYNyla Kincade has stolen my ruthless heart.Now that she owns it I’m not taking it back.I’ve vowed to protect her and all that we love with everything that I have.I will die before I break that oath.Considering the danger we face, that might be a careless promise.But I’ve fought this hard for vengeance, I must see it through... -
Protecting Her Heart by Chance Carter
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI'm going to make her beg. Emma asked me to take her all the way. She wants to experience every delicious thing a woman can feel. She wants to be brought to the very edge of ecstasy, and then she wants to leap right off the cliff. I'm a complete playboy, an expert in the ways a man can make a woman beg, so naturally I accept. I love a good challenge... -
Happy New You by Brenda St. John Brown, Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratings★10 Resolutions. 2 Friends. 1 Shot At Love. ★ I’ll admit, having nine New Year's resolutions makes me twitchy. After all, I’m Allison Gottlieb; overthinker, overachiever, hot mess extraordinaire. I’ve spent my entire life trying to be the best but for some reason, I’ve always fallen short... -
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 m-f siblings-bff humor forced proximity contemporary length-medium -
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... -
All Hung Up by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThis novella originally appeared in the Three Southern Beaches collection released July of 2014. Taylor Jefferies fled the Hollywood spotlight and found herself helping the citizens of the small town of Keeneston. As luck would have it, the sexy man who caught her eye and found a place in her heart joined her at college that fall... -
Second Dive by Jasmin Miller
Noah Winters was my heart’s desire, the boy I loved desperately and had hoped to spend my future with. Until our plans were derailed and life took us in completely different directions.When our fate changed, and our paths crossed again, nothing prepared me for the punch straight to the heart when I saw him . . . or his anger and bitterness...Categorized as:
sports m-f athletes contemporary humor length-medium audiobook disabilities and marks -
ICED by Jacob Chance
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 17 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... -
Somebody Like You by Carrie Elks
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe’s rich, talented and way out of her league. Now he’s making her an offer she can’t refuse…Football has always been Cam Hartson’s life. When he's forced to retire following an injury, he slinks back to his small home town, planning to lie low and lick his wounds. Until he meets Mia Devlin. The beautiful single mom of two tearaway boys has no interest in love... -
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... -
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Savor by Xavier Neal
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLately, Logan "Unbreakable" Kellar's life has been a series of miscommunications with catastrophic consequences. However, this time around, the consequences threaten to not only damage his current relationships but erase a future he only ever dreamed of... -
Just Say (Hell) No by Rosalind James
Need an Escape to New Zealand?Valentine's Day. Even a hard man needs a soft side. Marko Sendoa isn’t a beach man. He’s not an Auckland man. He’s a hard man. Born Basque tough, raised in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, and bred on hard work, discipline, and getting the job done... -
Trey by A.M. Madden
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say time heals all wounds. And maybe they’re right. But what about wounds no one sees? The kind that open again and again? The kind that have you feeling like you swallowed glass?Those are the wounds I carry. Years of heartbreak have created layer after layer of scar tissue over my whimpering heart... -
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... -
Bad Boy by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA Bad Boy trying to be good, a Good Girl driven to be bad and a five year old who wants to rule the world… Being good is so freaking hard. And boring. Flynn Boyle has only been doing it for a couple of hours and already he’s had enough... -
T.Y.P.O.: Take Your Pants Off by Frankie Love, C.M. Seabrook
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA typo in a text brought us together.Auto-correct gone wrong? It's never been so right! Aylee is scared of a couple things: Being in the water for one and being with a man for another. Good thing I'm the guy who got the message because I can kill two birds with one stone. Alpha-hole much? Let's call it confident. I know what Aylee needs because I have my own demons to conquer... -
Lucky Shot by Rebecca Jenshak
Nick Galaxy has zero interest in helping anyone write a love story—especially not one about him. He’s a single dad with enough on his plate, and the last thing he needs is a curious, chatty author poking around in his past.But when Ruby shows up on his doorstep, notebook in hand and determined smile on her face, resistance becomes... complicated.She’s supposed to be here for research... -
The Baby-whisperer and the Brute by Tru Taylor
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou can’t appreciate all the implications of the word “conflicted” until you come face to face with the guy you’ve been secretly lusting after for weeks... and then learn he’ll be signing your paychecks—Angelina RappaportSome people might call me sheltered. That doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ve been practically sequestered my whole life... -
The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington
Getting 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... -
Hot Pickle by J.J. Knight
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI'm rock hard.No, not like that.When that happens, you won't need me to tell you.I'm a competitive bodybuilder, ready for my very first contest. And winning requires more than killer workouts and stage presence.It's all about the tan.My training partner Franklin uses the best in the business — Camryn Schultz. She understands the career killer of a badly placed white spot.She’s also his sister... -
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The Do-Over by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI don’t believe in the whole opposites attract mantra. From what I’ve seen in my job as a police officer, opposites means a whole lot of conflict and arguments. Lelani and I are opposites but we never argue. She’s a free spirit, the type who never fully unpacks her suitcase. She’s weaved in and out of my life for years and each time I wonder if I’m enough to keep her feet planted on the ground... -
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... -
Misconception by Julia Wolf
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI know rock stars. I grew up in the business, and now I make a living managing their tours. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.Lots and lots of ugly.All that ugly is why I’ve sworn off dating rockers, but sleeping with them, well...I’ve been known to make the occasional exception.One sultry night in Vegas, Mo Aronson, lead singer of Unrequited, becomes one of those exceptions...Categorized as:
multicultural m-f contemporary humor age difference secret-relationship length-medium -
The Race by Alice Ward
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI like it fast. She likes it faster. Who will win this race? As founder and CEO of UnCaged Fitness, I sponsor some of the hottest fitness properties around. Top female athletes and models beg for my attention. I’m rich. I’m ruthless. And when it comes to my business, I don’t play around. Until Emma James and her beautiful curves comes to Daytona... -
Going All In by Ali Parker, Weston Parker
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBeing the nice guy leaves me open to being a rebound romance.Which I’m not interested in. I’ve got better things to do.Like taking my spot on the NBA draft picks. It’s all that matters to me.Love has never been on the radar. I’m too focused for all that fluff.Then life slows me down. Way down.An injury at the end of the spring semester has me working my way back to full health all summer long... -
Changing Lanes by Katie Graykowski
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsProfessional Football Player, Devon Harding found his soul mate at the age of seventeen. Trouble is, he can’t remember her last name. For the last fourteen years, he’s been waiting for The Universe to send her back to him. When that day comes, he nearly falls all over himself to get to her. But he plays it cool and waits for her to come to him. And she walks right past him... -
Play Me by Kelly Elliott, Kristin Mayer
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe has a head for business and a body for sin. He is a coach who knows how to use his equipment. Neither is looking for love. Should be easy, right? Wrong. This might be the most important game Kendall Wales and Hunter Owens have ever played where everything is on the line. With one wrong play, they could lose it all... -
One Steamy Pucking Meet Cute by Penelope Bloom
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI’ll tell you about the two very large pickles I’ve found myself in, but only if you promise not to laugh… Pickle number one: I'm unexpectedly pregnant by an NHL star, who just so happens to be my big brother's best friend—and no, we weren't exactly dating. For reasons that totally make sense (trust me for now), I never told him about the baby... -
The Shake-Up by Evie Mitchell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnikaMy milkshakes may bring all the boys to my bar, but that doesn't mean they wanna hang around for dessert.Despite being the perfect woman - attractive, confident and a world class chef - I'm not marriage material. I've resigned myself to that fact. But that doesn't mean I don't want a man in my bed.And Mac? Or should I say, Mac-Daddy? Well, he's just the man I'm looking for.Temporary... -
Day One by Lauren Runow
My thoughts of how I’m going to survive this indefinite amount of time alone are interrupted by a notification from my Tinder app.Yes, we’re on quarantine. Yes, I reactivated my account out of pure boredom. And, yes, Drew’s one profile photo is smoking hot.I hit Reply.Day by day, as the world tries to stay healthy, we find creative ways to pass the time together... -
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Surprise Package by Donna Alam
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsTechnically, I might be breaking and entering, I didn't come down the chimney. And I'm no Ho (Ho Ho) But I did get my hands on his . . . Surprise Package. When I arrive at my remote holiday cottage, I don't expect to find a hot Scotsman in my bed. I also don't plan on being snowed in with him. He says I have the wrong address—that the cottage is his, But I think there's another story... -
Cage's Misconduct by Nikki Worrell
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsDalton ‘Cage’ Booker is the number one goalie for the San Diego Scorpions. Most people describe him as willful and stubborn—sometimes even difficult to control. More often than not, words fly out of his mouth without the benefit of passing through his brain first. And women love him... -
Pitch to Palace by Aven Ellis
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe was a princess who found solace and happiness in books, determined to stay hidden from the world forever. But will her crush—a sexy Canadian footballer with a playboy past—be the one to lure her out of her shell and into his arms instead?Comfort for Isabella York is found buried in the pages of books... -
Pretty Liar by Donna Alam
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPretty Liar is book two of the Pretty Trilogy, the series that began with, and is, Pretty Hot. He was supposed to be her rebound: getting under a new man to prove she was over the old. But things don’t always work out to plan, especially with a man like Kai in control. Kai is a man who has it all: wealth, good-looks and charm enough to coax the knickers from a nun... -
The Gate to Everything by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMillions of readers have fallen in love with Ava’s bestselling Dare series…come join the family. USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles presents a heartwarming and romantic second-chance story about love and family. Quarterback Jordan Dean thought he had everything until his long-time girlfriend broke up with him. His football rock star life had become too burdensome to her... -
One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill by Mandy Baggot
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCurl up by the fire with the ultimate seasonal romance, from the bestselling author Mandy Baggot! ‘I absolutely love Mandy’s books’ Milly Johnson Imagine the perfect Christmas Kiss… His strong arms around her waist, her hands on his face, the snow slowly starts to fall… It’s enough to make Isla Winters cringe! While her sister can’t get enough of this – increasingly common – sight on the...
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