Books like 'Play It Hard'

Readers who enjoyed Play It Hard by Michelle Hercules also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  young adult  new adult  sports  class difference  from hate to love  college  dual-pov  cold heroine  alpha male 

  • The Original Crowd by Tijan

    The Original Crowd by Tijan

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    This is the original version of A Whole New Crowd. It has only gone through one round of edits so it is rough. I make no apology for this. The edited version was released as A Whole New Crowd. This is being published at readers' requests. They want to own the original version as well so here it is in all its gritty and monstrously long glory. There is lots of sex so the reader is forewarned...
  • #Bae by Cambria Hebert

    #Bae by Cambria Hebert

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    This fall... Happily-ever-after. That’s what happens when you get married. Right? Turns out sparkly rings, cake and a fantastic wedding do not automatically grant you that, not even when it’s all you truly want. I’m even starting to doubt the bottomless, unconditional love I share with the man I married will be enough...
  • Sponsored links
  • Fallen Crest Campout: A Fallen Crest/Crew crossover novella by Tijan

    Fallen Crest Campout: A Fallen Crest/Crew crossover novella by Tijan

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    Sam and Mason return to Fallen Crest for a camping trip.They head north, meeting up with a few friends from Roussou and enjoy a night of booze, some leapfrogging, and there’s a small therapy session to air out some tension in the group...
  • Clipped by Love by Toni Aleo

    Clipped by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next! This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders...
  • The Deception You Weave by Tracy Lorraine

    The Deception You Weave by Tracy Lorraine

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 18 ratings
    I never could hide from him.Kane Legend always finds me.And now he’s found out the truth.The dark secret I’ve been hiding, the one that’s been slowly poisoning me from the inside out.The pain of the words falling from my lips, is nothing compared to the look of devastation in his eyes. Or the rage that follows.The way I thought he hated me back then is nothing compared to the damage he can do now...
  • #Holiday by Cambria Hebert

    #Holiday by Cambria Hebert

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    Givers gonna give… Twas the night of game day, And all through the town, Lacey glittering snowflakes fluttered around. They clung to the roads, concealing everything with white. It was a beautiful #holiday sight. The paparazzi were out without any care, In hopes to catch Romeo and Rimmel, rumored to be there. When out on the road there arose such a clatter...
  • Gentry Boys by Cora Brent

    Gentry Boys by Cora Brent

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    “All my life I’d always known what the Gentry boys were. A set of fraternal triplets born to a depraved family, they were rough, sexy and wild as wolves..." DRAW They called us ‘those white trash Gentry boys’ until we believed that’s what we were. Our people squatted at the edge of a hellhole prison town for generations. The childhood we endured was the stuff of nightmares...
  • Going Long by Ginger Scott

    Going Long by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    They fell in love in high school and found their way back to one another despite the odds. But can first loves really be forever? For Reed Johnson, the dream was always football. But then Nolan Lennox took over his heart...
  • Ryley's Revenge by L.P. Dover

    Ryley's Revenge by L.P. Dover

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    One girl. Three fighters. Two of them want her, but one wants his revenge. **Jealousy runs deep in this STEAMY, romantic suspense novel by NYT and USA TODAY Bestselling author, L.P. Dover. Find out what happens in the highly anticipated conclusion to Ryley's story.** UFC Middleweight fighter, Ryley Jameson, swore it would never happen again...
  • A Little Complicated by Kelsie Rae

    A Little Complicated by Kelsie Rae

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 21 ratings
    I grew up with the Buchanan twins.Wreaking havoc. Playing hockey. Causing chaos.Almost all of my memories involve Archer and Maverick.Then I started dating one of them.Archer Buchanan is perfect.He’s sweet. Attentive. Passionate.He’s everything a girl could ask for in a boyfriend.And I love him so much.The problem is…I love his twin brother even more...
  • Whistleblower by Kate Marchant

    Whistleblower by Kate Marchant

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 18 ratings
    Kate Marchant presents a story about a young journalist who fights for the truth to come to light—even if it means she might lose everything . . . Laurel Cates has never wanted the spotlight...
  • Let Me Love You by Megan Smith

    Let Me Love You by Megan Smith

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    Will their lives take them in different directions? Jaylinn McCormick is determined to forget that one terrifying night which left her feeling broken and tainted. There is one person who can make her whole again… but he is hell bent on keeping her at arm’s length. She has loved him her entire life but can she wait for him to step up to the plate? Cooper Cahill has loved Jaylinn for years...
  • Love Me by Kristin Mayer

    Love Me by Kristin Mayer

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    Engaged and happily in love, Allison Scott and Damien Wales are looking forward to joining their lives together as one. Coming from a mournful year after losing her parents, Allison is ready to heal and move on to the next chapter with the love of her life. But Damien’s past continues to threaten their future. A man once obsessed with Damien’s sister is now after his one and only love, Allison...
  • Amour Amour by Krista Ritchie, Ava Erickson

    Amour Amour by Krista Ritchie, Ava Erickson

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Listening time 13 hours 21 minutesLove is a circus"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip...
  • Bittersweet Always by Ella Fields

    Bittersweet Always by Ella Fields

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    From bestselling author Ella Fields comes an all new standalone. An emotional new adult romance that proves love is worth fighting your demons for. Toby Hawthorne was an enigma. One I didn't factor into my college plans. I wasn't looking for love. I wasn't not looking for it either. And in that state of in-between, he found me. Unaware of the battle he fought everyday, I fell fast...
  • Fighter by Tijan

    Fighter by Tijan

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    All of Dale's brothers help with their bounty hunting business, all except her. Wanting out of that life, she left for college, but on her first morning back home for the holidays, she’s back to chasing after a bail jumper. When she realizes the jumper is her ex-boyfriend, Jax, Dale gets dragged into helping him evade her brothers so he can win an underground fighting competition...
  • The Final Move by Victoria Denault

    The Final Move by Victoria Denault

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Hockey legend Devin Garrison thought he blew his shot. But his relationship with Callie Caplan just went into overtime.Sexy, rich, and one of the biggest stars in the NHL, Devin Garrison has always been the one who had it all. That is until his marriage falls apart and he realizes he has to start over. If he's honest, there has only been one woman who ever really excited him-Callie Caplan...
  • Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett

    Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 37 ratings
    “There is a vulnerability there, hovering just below the surface. And I want to pick at it until I expose it. Then I want to kiss it." Two years ago, Emily Burnham had an epiphany about the shallowness of her life. And she made it her mission to become a different person…a better woman. Out from under the controlling thumb of her mother, Emily is tasting the real world for the first time...
  • Drops of Rain by Kathryn Andrews

    Drops of Rain by Kathryn Andrews

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Ali Rain Sometimes I think to myself, “How did I get here?” Then the pain hits and I remember…it’s because she’s gone. I now live in a new town, go to a new school, and I’m supposed to be moving on with my new life. Only, I no longer know who I am anymore. Dancing is all I have left and every day I feel completely alone. Silence has become the theme song to my life...
  • The Fake Zone by Mariah Dietz

    The Fake Zone by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    A romance that will have you on the edge of your seat by USA Today Bestselling Author Mariah Dietz.Greyson Meyers can’t afford the distraction of a relationship. His focus is football and earning his degree to ensure his mom never has to work another day.Mila Atwool has it all together—at least, that’s what everyone thinks...
  • The Mistakes You Make by Tracy Lorraine

    The Mistakes You Make by Tracy Lorraine

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 11 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Tracy Lorraine comes a new dark bully college romance.Some demons we can't outrun.Kane Legend is mine.The gorgeous boy who always finds me.The ruthless bully I've spent my life avoiding.Even leaving Harrow Creek wasn't enough to escape his torment.Because I didn't stay away and neither could he.One weekend home... one party.One night that ruined everything...
  • Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne

    Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 43 ratings
    West Golden—Fierce protector. The one.The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end...
  • Madden by Brooke O'Brien

    Madden by Brooke O'Brien

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Madden Cole is considered a rock 'n' roll god, and all the women want him. Except for me.After working my butt off as a journalist for years, I’ve heard the rumors about him and his band and have read all about their dirty scandals in the headlines.When I land a job as a writer for Limelight magazine, I'll stop at nothing to make a good impression...
  • The Complete Fire on Ice Series by Brenda Rothert

    The Complete Fire on Ice Series by Brenda Rothert

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    This series has five full-length novels about hot hockey stars and the women who steal their hearts. Bound College senior Kate Camden has learned to adapt - to her last year of school, to the promise of motherhood, to the fact that she’s doing it all alone. But just when she’s learned to adjust, heartache threatens to break her apart...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  hockey  young adult  contemporary
  • Torrid Track by Naomi Porter

    Torrid Track by Naomi Porter

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Brynne. My Bonita.She is my ruination.If the Knight’s Legion MC’s president wasn’t my best friend, or the VP my father, I’d be insignificant, a nobody. Just a broken man lurking in the shadows, watching the world go by. Nobody truly knows me until a gorgeous woman with soulful, whiskey-colored eyes looks into mine. Brynne Gallo sees who I am and wants me regardless of my scars and hidden kinks...
  • Portland Storm: The First Period by Catherine Gayle

    Portland Storm: The First Period by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    BREAKAWAY She’s reaching for a breakaway pass. Dana Campbell has spent the past seven years in self-imposed isolation for a crime she didn’t commit. The danger is well in the past, but her panic attacks make it impossible to have a normal, healthy relationship with a man. Even her counselor has given up on her...
  • The Art of Breathing by Cali Melle

    The Art of Breathing by Cali Melle

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    One last summer together.One bucket list.One line and once it’s crossed, there’s no going back…Luna Truly was living on bottled air and borrowed time.She had spent most of her life in and out of hospitals.All she wanted to do was live a typical life—one where she didn't feel like she was a burden.Everyone treated her like she was a fragile piece of glass, except for one person...
  • Running Home to You by Suzanne Sweeney

    Running Home to You by Suzanne Sweeney

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B00IFR0XP2 Juliette Fletcher thought she had it all – a strikingly handsome man who adores her, a new business venture with her best friends by her side, and a dream house right on the beach. But appearances can be deceiving and everything comes at a cost...
  • A Beautiful Funeral by Jamie McGuire

    A Beautiful Funeral by Jamie McGuire

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 44 ratings
    Losing has never been easy for a Maddox, but death always wins. Eleven years to the day after eloping in Vegas with Abby, Special Agent Travis Maddox delivers his own brand of vigilante justice to mob boss Benny Carlisi. Vegas's oldest and most violent crime family is now preparing for vengeance, and the entire Maddox family is a target...
  • Home Game by Ginger Scott

    Home Game by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Football has been my life. Not that I ever had a choice in the matter. When your dad is a retired, future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, the gridiron tends to weave its way into your DNA.I always loved the game, but I could do without the spotlight that comes with being Peyton Johnson, the great Reed Johnson’s daughter...
  • Double Major by Catherine Gayle

    Double Major by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    It’s the NHL’s draft day, but the whole Portland Storm team is back together for an entirely different event. Complete with a double wedding, an unanticipated guest, overdue apologies, unexpected goodbyes, and fresh starts, this big day has the potential to get them all called for a Double Major...
  • No Rules by Anita Rigins

    No Rules by Anita Rigins

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    How to win a game where you know neither the rules nor the codes?Barely arrived on her new campus, Iris witnesses a wave of hysteria in the college corridors. The most select group oncampus has issued an invitation. Who wants to try to join?The Pack members rule the everyone knows them, and everyone wants to be part of it..
  • Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett

    Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Ever Montgomery suffered the ultimate betrayal by the one man who she should have been able to count on for anything. It has left her hurt, jaded and incapable of forming relationships, but it also means that she can spot a liar a mile away...
  • Almost Beautiful by Jamie McGuire

    Almost Beautiful by Jamie McGuire

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    The highly anticipated sequel to Jamie McGuire’s New York Times and internationally bestselling phenomenon, Beautiful Disaster.Newlyweds Travis and Abby Maddox return from Vegas, hoping to one day leave Eastern State University’s fatal fire in the past. But when the FBI arrives in Eakins, friends quickly become enemies, and the Maddoxes fear their happy ever after could go up in flames...
  • The Midseason Fakeout by E.M. Moore

    The Midseason Fakeout by E.M. Moore

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The star quarterback of the Bulldogs was supposed to be my ticket to a normal life, but now I’ve fallen for him…again.He’s my brother’s best friend. The perfect person to fake a relationship with. No feelings involved. Just pretend.He helps me. I help him.We both agreed.Except, things get real…and quick...
  • The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

    The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    "When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music." Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year...
  • Pep Talks by Ali Dean

    Pep Talks by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    (This is the fourth book in the Pepper Jones series, which should be read in order. The first three books in the series may be purchased as a box set for a discounted price, under the title “The Pepper Jones Collection.”) Pepper’s freshman year at college is a harder transition than she anticipated...
  • Drive by Brenda Rothert

    Drive by Brenda Rothert

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Years of training are about to pay off for hockey player Nikola Vereshkova. A call to play in the big league means he can finally come through for those who need him. His relocation to Chicago comes with built-in friends – and one gorgeous enemy who was less than impressed with him after their first encounter. Sadie Alexander knows all about the drastic measures men will take just to get laid...
  • Wild Child by M. Leighton

    Wild Child by M. Leighton

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Jenna Theopolis has always known what she wanted. Getting out of her small hometown of Greenfield was number one on her list of priorities. Until she met Rusty Catron. Rusty’s fun-loving personality was the perfect match for Jenna’s inner wild child. But what started off as a summer fling quickly turns into something more. At least it does for Jenna...
  • Flame by Erin Noelle, Kerry Genova

    Flame by Erin Noelle, Kerry Genova

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I’m soaring. After years of hard work and determination, I am exactly where I want to be in life. As the top ranked Freestyle Motocross rider in the world, I have more money than I could ever dream of spending and gorgeous women throwing themselves at me in every city I land. I have everything I want. Everything except her...
  • Let Me Heal Your Heart by Lily Foster

    Let Me Heal Your Heart by Lily Foster

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    LET ME HEAL YOUR HEART Book Four in Lily Foster’s LET ME series First loves are not easily forgotten… Anna has endured more by the age of eighteen than most do in a lifetime. Unless you know her, you see only the beautiful, privileged, bright college freshman who seems to have it all. Few people know what she’s gone through or know who she really is...
  • Wilder Play by Ali Dean

    Wilder Play by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The addicting, edge-of-your seat Wilder series continues with the third installment filled with sports, romance, and characters you'll obsess about. Continue your fast-paced binge read and enjoy the ride along this twisty, unpredictable plot...
  • Devil In The Details by Alannah Carbonneau

    Devil In The Details by Alannah Carbonneau

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    His voice is smoke infused whiskey wrapped in sin. I’m broke as hell. He’s rich as the devil. I’m a blushing innocent with my v-card intact. He may as well have written the 'Karma Sutra' for how much experience he has in the bedroom. I’m in college. He’s on his way to being this decade's hottest rockstar...
  • The Fouls We Make by Brooke O'Brien

    The Fouls We Make by Brooke O'Brien

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A close proximity, friends-to-lovers sports romance by Brooke O'Brien about a woman who has sworn off dating football players and an all-star running back determined to win her heart and break her rules.I've sworn off dating football players. After my last relationship ended disastrously, I've given up on love entirely...
  • Cruel Hate: A College Sports Romance by Isla Vaughn

    Cruel Hate: A College Sports Romance by Isla Vaughn

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Knocked up by the QB.Harassed by punt bunnies. Falling for the enemy isn’t an option here. I threw caution to the wind and my v-card at the one man I can’t stand. What did that get me? Pregnant. Now, we’re both screwed. Mr. Superstar wants the punt bunnies off his back. I want my parents off mine. To do that, he proposes a fake relationship...
  • When You Were Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

    When You Were Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    When her head was screaming “enough,” her hopeful heart continued to whisper “wait.” It's the only way Valerie Zuniga can justify her ongoing addiction to the amazing but ever, elusive Alex Moreno. Mesmerized by the profound connection neither has ever quite understood, Valerie accepts their crazy relationship for what it is—non-exclusive...
  • The Game by HJ Bellus

    The Game by HJ Bellus

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    **Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content. Born to shine. Groomed to dominate. Levi Wilks is destined only to be a champion… Number one on the field, in the record books, and in every fans’ heart. This star QB is perfection from head to toe. Only his looks rival his talent on the field...
  • The Winning Side by CM Doporto

    The Winning Side by CM Doporto

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Lexi’s determined to keep her word and stand by Raven’s side because her love for him is too strong to deny. As Raven learns to deal with the issues that are destined to destroy him and their relationship, their love is taken to a new level. As doors are closed and new ones are opened, Lexi and Raven find themselves in a heavenly bliss, but not without the challenges from Raven’s past...
  • Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

    Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 15 ratings
    Dear Wendy's Sophie and Jo, two aromantic and asexual students at Wellesley College, engage in an online feud while unknowingly becoming friends in real life, in this dual POV Young Adult contemporary debut from Ann Zhao...
  • The Falling of Love by Marisa Oldham

    The Falling of Love by Marisa Oldham

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    You will never forget your first date, your first kiss, or your first love. You will also never forget how it felt when it was torn apart. Seventeen-year old Grace Hathaway does not give much thought to falling in love, until the day that Ian Taylor, rebel and misfit walks into her math class. From their first conversation, Grace is mesmerized by Ian's charisma and rock star façade...
Play It Hard by Michelle Hercules
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
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

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.

romance book finder preview 1
romance book finder preview 2
romance book finder preview 3