Books like 'Second Down Darling'

Readers who enjoyed Second Down Darling by Lex Martin also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  virgin heroine  college  sports  athletes  single-father  friends to lovers  new adult  forbidden love  forced proximity 

  • The Long and Winding Road by Marie Force

    The Long and Winding Road by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    The Series Finale. .. this is the one you’ve been waiting for! Max Abbott takes center stage in the Butler, Vermont Series finale when the timeline jumps forward five years and finds Max staring down his 10-year high school reunion, with no desire whatsoever to attend...
  • Battle Scars by Emilia Finn

    Battle Scars by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.82 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    They call him Romeo—though no one would accuse him of being a romantic. Troy ‘Romeo’ Rosa has been a mystery for years. A mercenary used to working away and taking orders from his tutu wearing, ruthlessly savage boss. Her domineering ways mean his most recent assignment should be a walk in the park. The last thing he expects is a family so corrupt, it may destroy Checkmate from the inside out...
  • Sponsored links / Remove ads
  • Power Play by Toni Aleo

    Power Play by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Posey Adler is coming home. After a devastating journey for what she mistakenly thought was true love, she is saying to hell with men and love forever. As the Nashville Assassins’s new assistant coach for special teams, Posey is ready to focus on her job and have the attention on her for a change...
  • Lovestruck by Julie Capulet

    Lovestruck by Julie Capulet

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 21 ratings
    She’s completely off-limits. But some rules were made to be broken. Elias O’Shea isn’t just Hawthorne University’s star quarterback—he’s the campus heartthrob. With the looks of a god and an easygoing charm that leaves women swooning, he’s at the top of his game. The NFL is within reach and endorsements are pouring in...
  • Pretty It Up by Cee Bowerman

    Pretty It Up by Cee Bowerman

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Description. Sometimes love just isn’t enough, or is it? Lana Gold, one of the Donovan triplets, found her one true love in college but lost him when the life he’d dreamed of became reality. Being an outsider looking in and so far away from her family and hometown took its toll on Lana and her marriage until she’d finally had enough and left it all behind...
  • Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter, Jacob Morgan

    Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter, Jacob Morgan

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Listening Length: 5 hours, 6 minutes. We’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for any of us. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field...
  • Follow the Play by Kaylee Ryan

    Follow the Play by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 22 ratings
    NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Follow the Play is a single dad, nanny, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity sports romance. Baker. Being a single dad was never part of the playbook, but one look at my son and everything changed...
  • Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Wolfe Emerson is notorious for two things: being an absolute beast in a boxing ring and being a voluntary mute. His story remains unspoken and he prefers to live his life in silence. That is, until, his world is turned upside down when he meets someone who is louder than life...
  • Endeared by J.S. Scott

    Endeared by J.S. Scott

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    After finishing a hard-won medical residency, Owen Sinclair now lives his dream as a family physician. The windfall that brought him newfound wealth has also made handsome Dr. Sinclair the town’s most eligible bachelor...
  • Craving Rose by Nicole Jacquelyn

    Craving Rose by Nicole Jacquelyn

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    I, Rose Hawthorne, have crap taste in men. But, who could blame me, really? When the stories of how your dad and uncles raised hell before settling down are legendary, it was all too easy to see Prince Charming everywhere, believing that if a man loved me enough, he’d change. What a load of garbage...
  • Sea of Love by Melissa Foster

    Sea of Love by Melissa Foster

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    You fell in love with Lacy Snow in Sisters in White (Snow Sisters, Book Three). Follow her on her path to her forever love in Sea of Love. Lacy Snow hadn’t been looking for love when she met strikingly handsome and seductive Dane Braden...
  • False Start by Lisa Suzanne

    False Start by Lisa Suzanne

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Football season is fast approaching, and as a single dad, I need help. Even though I claim I have a little black book filled with names of women who could step up to the task, none of them will do. .. not when I see the bond that's forming between Victoria and my daughter. And not when the attraction between Victoria and I continues to grow despite our constant clashing...
  • The Consolation Duet Books 1-2 by Corinne Michaels

    The Consolation Duet Books 1-2 by Corinne Michaels

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Liam wasn't supposed to be my happily ever after. He wasn't even on my radar. He was my husband's best friend-forbidden. But my husband died and I fell in love with Liam only to be left shattered into a million pieces. Again. I want him. I need him. I yearn for him, but he's gone. Now I have to decide if it's him I love or if he was just the consolation prize all along.
  • Landon & Shay - Part Two by Brittainy C. Cherry

    Landon & Shay - Part Two by Brittainy C. Cherry

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Once upon a time, I fell in love with a boy. A beautiful, broken boy who had his own world of struggles. People warned me against our love, but I didn't listen. We looked weak. Young, foolish. Dangerously in love. We didn't care. In order to keep our hearts protected from the opinions of others, we became each other’s secret. We shared stolen moments. Tender touches. Secretive embraces...
  • Down To You by Jayne Frost

    Down To You by Jayne Frost

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Every story deserves a soundtrack. And ours is epic. She started from perfect. A star who shone brighter than the rest. But then fate took it all away. Now she's broken. A beautiful song with a fractured beat. But I'm still on the rise. Chasing a dream that she's already left behind. If I'm lucky, I can find my redemption in the spotlight. Destiny brought us together. Put her in my path...
  • Kade by Tijan

    Kade by Tijan

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    I have fought. I have bled. I have wreaked havoc for my family. Anyone who threatened us, tried to break us, I broke them instead. Then, there was peace. Marriage. Children. Life was good. Life was great. Until my phone rang one night. Retired, I was no longer in the NFL. We'd recently moved back to Fallen Crest. So I should’ve known. I should’ve remembered. There is no peace in Fallen Crest...
  • Changing Lines by Toni Aleo

    Changing Lines by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Claire and Jude Sinclair have been living the perfect life for the last ten years. Blissfully in love, professionally successful, happily married… They have everything they want—except a baby to make their family complete...
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  m-f  contemporary  hockey  audiobook
  • Full Contact by Fiona Davenport

    Full Contact by Fiona Davenport

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 8 ratings
    Micah Daughtry knew he was done for after one smile from the tired, stubborn waitress at The Tight Line. And the linebacker wasn’t subtle about what he wanted. He just started showing up for Rylin Curtis like she already belonged to him. Except Rylin has strict dating rules: no customers, no bosses…and definitely not a pro football player with a panty-melting smile...
  • Jump by Emilia Finn

    Jump by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I was a smokejumper for the majority of my career. Flinging out of planes at 15,000 feet and hoping to land with my bones in tact and a plan to slay wildfire quickly, safely, and with my crew all in one piece. Ainsley was a regular firefighter. You know, the kind who lives in town, rides in a truck, and wields a hose to save houses and hotels. We were a match made in adrenaline junky heaven...
  • Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Asher Pryce hides behind a wall of secrets he's spent most of his life building up. How else is the adopted child whose birth parents run a drug cartel supposed to fit in? He's notorious for his overconfident swagger and total lack of patience for bullshit - a master of masks. The one thing in his life he can't fake? His feelings for his best friend's twin sister...
  • Strays by Cora Brent

    Strays by Cora Brent

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    STRAYS (An Anti-Hero Romance). Before age sixteen I was kicked to the streets, condemned for a crime I didn’t commit. Since then I’ve done nothing to be proud of. Which is why a man like me isn’t cut out to be a dad. And if this kid had another option I wouldn’t try to be one now. But for once I’m going to step up. I’ll right the worst of old wrongs...
  • The Champion by Shey Stahl

    The Champion by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    A 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...
  • Infinity. by Layne Harper

    Infinity. by Layne Harper

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Colin McKinney has wanted three things since he met Caroline “Charlie” Collins when he was a junior at Texas A&M University: to make her his wife, play professional football, and have a family. In the first three books of the Infinity Series, Colin and Charlie met, fell in love, broke apart, reunited eight years later, and got married...
  • Hard to Score by K. Bromberg

    Hard to Score by K. Bromberg

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 28 ratings
    I’ve signed numerous players to my family’s agency—I assumed winning over my next client would be just as easy. The last thing I expected was to run into the boy who took my first kiss and broke my heart: only now Drew Bowman is all grown up. Sexy. Scandal-tainted. Second-string. The crush I never got over. I tell myself work is the reason I can’t get him out of my head...
  • Every Kiss You Steal by J.E. Parker

    Every Kiss You Steal by J.E. Parker

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 11 ratings
    Her past is plagued with darkness. .. He's determined to make her future brighter. -Ashley-. My life was once a nightmare. Because of my past, the walls I've constructed are mighty. But those walls begin to waver the day I meet him. .. Chase Jacobs, star quarterback, and the cutest boy I've ever seen. With his easy smile and sweet words, he's perfect. Problem is, I'm not...
  • Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    We’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for Jaxon, Addison and myself. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field...
  • Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins

    Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    HANNAH 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...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  m-f  humor  contemporary  length-medium
  • Falling North by Alyson Santos

    Falling North by Alyson Santos

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Turner Artist Management Urgent Action Item:. ✔ Save Falling Back North from implosion. When your agency’s newest artist shows signs of collapse, you jump on the problem. When it involves a potential rift between the brothers who form the band’s soul, you throw your Hail Mary. So I did—by hiring a respected marketing goddess to save them...
  • Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper

    Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Green 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...
  • Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Poppy Anderson was nailing her sophomore year at Brighton University. She liked her classes, had the greatest best friend, and was finally ready to start dating again. Or she was … until her ex, Mike, transferred to Brighton and started exchanging long stares and inside jokes that Poppy thought he’d forgotten. Paxton Lawson was long ago labeled ‘The Golden Boy...
  • End Game by Riley Paige

    End Game by Riley Paige

    Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Sloane-. My dad’s cancer is back and I keep trying to outrun the inevitable with practice, routines, and lists—anything to keep my hands busy so my heart doesn’t break. Logan Brooks, my brother’s best friend, moving back in with us was the changeup I didn’t see coming. I want to hate him, but he’s the only person who seems to quiet the panic in my chest...
  • Finding Infinity by Layne Harper

    Finding Infinity by Layne Harper

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    "Finding Infinity" as described by Colin. .. "Fine Charlie. ” Colin says dropping his hands in defeat. “Here's what I want. I want everybody to back off and let me play football. I want you to go back to practicing medicine because I’m ready for you to be happy again - not this forced shit that you keep trying to sell me...
  • Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Cameron White is the most famous student influencer on the Bellevue campus. Not only that, she is one hell of a gymnast, ready to stick every landing her senior year. It’s time to go out with a bang...
  • Without You by Lacey Black

    Without You by Lacey Black

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Tucker. I spend my days brewing beer for the popular Brew Crüe Beer Company and my nights devoted to being a dad. Raising a young child with special needs can be tough and stressful, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. He’s everything to me, and the reason I keep going. It’s him and me against the world, and I have no intention of changing that. Then, Kinsley McGregor walks back into my life...
  • Careless Storm by Katherine Jay

    Careless Storm by Katherine Jay

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I’m not his to protect, but the NFL's bad boy has never been one to follow the rules. Six years ago, I was living my dream life. Supportive family, amazing friends, admission into my dream college. .. And a secret relationship with my brother’s best friend. Zane and I had it all worked out until one horrific moment tore our worlds apart, sending us spiraling in different directions...
  • Landon by Cora Brent

    Landon by Cora Brent

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    LANDON. My former student. My new roommate. My greatest weakness…. Autumn:. It’s not that I’m hiding out in this hard luck little town. But I’m twenty-six years old, I’ve had one boyfriend and he ditched me for my sister. So I might be a little cynical. Then again, perhaps a high school math teacher shouldn’t expect romance...
  • Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Every time someone mentions planning their wedding, Violet finds a reason why they should wait. Luca is her soulmate and Love Bug’s favorite person. They are already a family, but they need to make it official. Luca is getting tired of calling her his fiancée and not his wife. But Vi is torn. Saying “I do” to Luca will mean releasing the last hold Remington had on her heart...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  angst  contemporary  alpha male
  • Happy New You by Brenda St. John Brown, Cassie-Ann L. Miller

    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...
  • On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton

    On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    An emotional and angsty grumpy x sunshine hockey romance from USA Today and WSJ bestselling author L A Cotton. Are you ready to fall in love with a Laker? When Harper Dixon discovers her father is the Lakeshore U Lakers new assistant coach, she wonders if her life can get any worse. Enter Mason Steele. Arrogant. Cold. With enough ice around his heart to freeze anyone who gets too close...
  • 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...
  • Tight Fit by Lisa Suzanne

    Tight Fit by Lisa Suzanne

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It’s okay to admit I’m scared. Outside forces are working hard to tear us apart, but we’ve teamed up against them. It’s the internal struggles we’re battling that could spell the ultimate end. When Ben makes a public show to prove how committed we are, I’m left confused as I struggle to figure out whether his feelings for me are real or if they’re part of the act...
  • Catch a Wave by Savannah Scott

    Catch a Wave by Savannah Scott

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Did 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...
  • Jersey Girl by Rhonda James

    Jersey Girl by Rhonda James

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Brantley Cage is a standout D-man on Great Lakes University hockey team. Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love. And then he meets her. There's just one problem. She's the sister of his best friend, and he’s been warned that she’s off-limits…...
  • Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The 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...
  • The Hate of Loving You by Maya Hughes

    The Hate of Loving You by Maya Hughes

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Six years ago, in the dead of night, I woke up to a cold bed and an even colder future without her. I would’ve followed her anywhere and she left. I thought I’d moved on and left all she meant to me behind. But a first love is never easy to forget. Even harder when I once felt our love is inevitable--inescapable. And I’ve been proven right once again...
  • A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The sweet and sexy conclusion to New York Times bestselling author, Monica Murphy’s standalone Callahan series, bringing readers along for the ride as fan favorites, Jake and Hannah get married! Hannah Walsh. Gorgeous. Intelligent. My first love. My high school sweetheart. My everything. And now my fiancée...
  • The Hail Mary by Ginger Scott

    The Hail Mary by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Sixteen years is a long time. In a marriage, it’s a milestone. On the gridiron, it’s a miracle. Reed Johnson wants more time for everything, but time is funny that way. It can be cruel. With a body that can’t quite take the hits it used to and a heart tired of being torn in two different directions, Reed is faced with a reality he’s not quite ready for—life without the game...
  • Ever Found by L.E. Bross

    Ever Found by L.E. Bross

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    I just keep making mistakes. It was supposed to be an easy job. Steal a timepiece from Hook and in exchange, find out where my little sister is. But the hero isn't always the hero and sometimes the bad guy is the person you least expect...
  • Heavy Shot by Toni Aleo

    Heavy Shot by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    From the Nashville Next Generation series, comes your next book-boyfriend! Dimitri Titov was on hockey skates before he could walk. All he’s ever wanted is to play for the Assassins, his dad’s team. After growing up in Russia, he’s back in Nashville, Tennessee, and ready to pursue his lifelong goal. Austen McDavid escaped the kind of life they make Netflix documentaries about...
  • Only One Forever by Natasha Madison

    Only One Forever by Natasha Madison

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    From The Something So Series and the This Is series comes Only One Forever. Dylan. My dreams came true when I was adopted at ten. I was the best on the ice. Living the life of what every kid dreams of. We’ve been best friends since then. Even when she was the annoying little sister following us around. I would do anything for her. It is another family vacation; except this time it feels different...
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.