Books like 'The Fake Out'
Readers who enjoyed The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny sports athletes fake relationship office possessive hero independent heroine sweet-hero m-f
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Fall with Me by Becka Mack
Jaxon Riley is exceptional at three things: starting fights on the ice, picking up women post-game, and going home to fulfill his role as the world’s best cat dad. Relationships, unfortunately, missed the list. Lennon Hayes is supposed to be on her honeymoon. Instead, she’s alone and single, vacationing next door to a surly tattooed man who ran his date off the resort... -
From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one. After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close... -
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Dynamite by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThey call us the devil twins - a fallacy and unfair assumption on everyone’s part. Well. .. mostly. My name is Luke Hart, and I’m the oldest of identical twin boys. Although I may be responsible for the ‘devil’ in our name, I have no urge to set the record straight and exonerate the innocent half of our pairing. There’s no point letting the truth get in the way of a good story. Right? Not so...Categorized as:
sports new adult m-f found-family competent heroine independent heroine possessive hero humor -
Time by Penny Reid
From the New York Times Bestselling Author Penny Reid. A (brokenhearted) physicist. Now an infamous (who is LITERALLY EVERYWHERE! ! UGH! ) musician. The worst has already happened. Mona has learned that she has nothing figured out and plans are meaningless. After leaving her in Aspen, Abram is now breaking sales-records, rising to rock star fame almost overnight. Mona can’t seem to escape him...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers m-f sweet heroine second chances angst from hate to love humor -
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Planes, Reins, and Automobiles by Kate Watson
She's sunshine. He's frostbite. They've got 1,600 miles to go before Christmas—and he's about to discover his new enemy might be his anonymous online soulmate. Oliver Fletcher has one goal, and he's not happy about it: get home for his brother's wedding...Categorized as:
christmas forced proximity grumpy sunshine sports m-f height-difference slow burn sweet heroine -
Making You Mine by Melissa Foster
Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster's writing and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the fiercely loyal and sassily sexy characters in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection... -
My Merry Mistake by Courtney Walsh
Sometimes the perfect gift is standing right in front of you. . . You're just too stubborn to see it. I don’t like to make mistakes. Ever. Especially when those mistakes are witnessed by the same person—flirty Finn Holbrook—who can’t seem to leave me alone...Categorized as:
sports m-f grumpy sunshine caretaking christmas hockey cold heroine independent heroine -
Absolutely Not in Love by Jenny Proctor
My requirements for a man are simple. Must love books. Must NOT love hockey. Which is why I will never be interested in my neighbor, the aloof and mysterious Felix Jamison, no matter how many books I see him hauling into his apartment. Unless he loses his pro hockey skates, I’m out. But then he shows up at my symphony concert. And I catch the sweet strains of Dvorak floating across the hall... -
Mr. Playboy by Cala Riley
A bad decision. An irresistible temptation. Chloe Madison has a talent for chaos—and lately, her life’s been proof of that. Between a flooded apartment and a sudden job loss, she’s hit rock bottom. The last thing she expects is help from Brantley Gibson, the owner of the Boston Foxes and notorious heartbreaker. He's the one man she swore to avoid, but desperation has a way of rewriting rules...Categorized as:
from hate to love m-f slow burn sports hockey sassy heroine working class heroine alpha male -
The Fear of Falling by Dana LeCheminant
What happens in Italy…follows you home. Avery was supposed to be married by now—not stuck working alongside her ex-fiancé, pretending their failed relationship never happened. So when a solo trip to Italy introduces her to a charming stranger with a devastating smile, a no-strings-attached fling feels like the perfect way to remember there’s more to life than work and heartbreak... -
Spoke Too Soon by Dulcie Dameron
It’s every girl’s dream to move in with the hot guy who ghosted her. .. NOT. I’m about to be homeless at almost twenty-five. Cue the pathetic wah, wah, wah sound effect. And to make matters worse, I’m nowhere near having enough money to fund the clothing line startup I’ve dreamt about for years... -
Goalie Interrupted by Anne Kemp
Coaching him was never part of the plan. Falling for her should NOT happen. But in hockey––and love––sometimes the best plays come when you break the rules. Elle: Coaching the River City Renegades is exactly where I want to be—hockey, small-town charm, and zero drama…but there’s him. Dixon Andrews. The team’s broody, infuriating, gorgeous goalie...Categorized as:
sports office hockey m-f from hate to love forced proximity second chances teacher-heroine -
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... -
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Bleacher Report by Kenna King
“All’s fair in love, hockey, and podcast syndication. ”. All I wanted was a tiny interview to secure my podcast syndication deal. What I didn’t expect? That my big break would hinge on Hunter Reed—the NHL’s newest golden boy, full-time playboy, and the guy who mistook me for a puck bunny at Oakley’s bar. Hunter Reed is six-foot-two of attitude, muscle, and maddening charm...Categorized as:
hockey sports m-f fake relationship forced proximity friends-benefits height-difference anal sex -
Knockout by Jessica Prince
It wasn’t fair that the man I hated with a passion was so freaking gorgeous. Things in Layla Fox’s life were going great. She had a fantastic job, amazing friends, and a killer apartment. There was just one tiny glitch in all that perfect. Her upstairs neighbor was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome . . . and she hated the man with every cell in her body... -
Never The Bride by Kortney Keisel
No rings. No vows. No ‘til death do us part. As a top divorce attorney who’s built her career—and her walls—on the belief that marriage doesn’t last, Camila swears she’ll never walk down the aisle. After years of watching relationships crumble, she’s made it her personal mission to convince her little sister to avoid getting married at all costs. The problem? Camila’s already married. Secretly... -
Accidentally Fudging the Beast by Nichole Rose
Nothing tastes as good as chocolate…until it nearly kills the hot hockey star of your dreams. Dani. I had a vision when I made fudge for the team's homemade Secret Santa exchange. It didn't involve nearly killing Trent Kirk, the hot hockey star I've been obsessing over for months, but here we are anyway. Now, he's insisting that I spend Christmas break helping him recover... -
The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score
What would it take to get one last chance? Joey Greer is done having her heart broken. Eight years ago, after a horrific car accident, Jackson Pierce—her high school sweetheart—abandoned her. Abandoned his family. Abandoned the town they'd both grown up in, and fled to Hollywood. He never looked back, and she never forgot him. Or forgave him... -
The Secret Hook-Up by Pippa Grant
You’d think nearly dying trying to get out of a too-tight gown in a dressing room and being saved by a strong, competent man was a good thing. Not so much, though, when that strong, competent man is your ex. Your secret ex. And the reason you need a gown is because you’re part of a charity auction. The charity auction where he gets into a bidding war to win you...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity hockey friends to lovers found-family m-f second chances fake relationship -
Faking All the Way by Nikki Lawson
One gorgeous hockey player. One little lie. One fake relationship that turns my holidays upside down. When my asshole ex ambushes me at the airport with his perfect new fiancée, I panic and claim I'm dating Asher Vaughn, the hockey star whose face I just saw on the news...Categorized as:
sports m-f fake relationship christmas hockey athletes super rich hero height-difference -
Bad Call by C.L. Rose
EMMETTFrom the moment I met Stella Wilder on the first day of kindergarten, I knew she’d be a part of me forever. We were inseparable, slowly falling for one another more with each passing year. The summer before we went to college on opposite sides of the country, she made me the happiest man alive by agreeing to be my wife. But it wasn’t long before it all fell apart...Categorized as:
sports m-f height-difference second chances forced proximity caretaking spanking anal sex -
This is Beautiful: Logan & Kayla, #2 by Kennedy Fox
Kayla Sinclair is a saint and real life Angel. She wears her heart on her sleeve and inspires me to be a better person. Rescuing dogs, feeding the homeless, volunteering at the local food pantry are just a few of the ways she gives back to others, although no one has ever been there for her. Falling for her was inevitable, losing her will destroy me...Categorized as:
new adult alpha male friends to lovers m-f friends-benefits second chances spanking christmas -
Miles Ever After by T.L. Swan
Miles Ever After. The book of magical endings, featuring extended epilogues for the following,. The Stopover. The Takeover. The Casanova. The Do Over. -
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The Christmas List by Maren Moore
From bestselling author of The Mistletoe Bet, Maren Moore comes a second chance, single dad, holiday novella full of Christmas sugar and spice. I love Christmas. So much so that in my smalltown I’m known as The Queen of Christmas. And no one knows holiday festivities quite like Strawberry Hollow. Only this Christmas season delivers an unexpected twist in the form of Wyatt Owens... -
The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne
As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again. As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be...Categorized as:
alpha male from hate to love angst sports new adult second chances independent heroine cold heroine -
Checking Mr. Wrong by Anne Kemp
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI’m sarcasm with a messy bun. He’s a sweetheart with a slapshot. Sparks were one thing—those fireworks, though? Yeah…no one warned me about those. Mabel. Returning to Maple Falls wasn’t part of my five-year plan—or my backup plan. Or any plan, really. But here I am, back in my quirky hometown, dodging my mother’s judgment and trying not to cringe every time someone mentions the viral moment... -
This Is Love by Natasha Madison
From the best selling series, Something So comes the spin-off series This is. .. Vivienne. Never fall in love. That was my motto, and I was sticking to it. Having my heart broken once was enough, and I never wanted to do it again. He was supposed to be a one-night stand, the only thing I do. One rule shouldn’t be so hard to follow, but then I went back for seconds, then thirds...Categorized as:
sports alpha male friends to lovers hockey m-f friends-benefits anal sex sassy heroine -
First and Tension by Tara Sivec
It all started with a dare. Emily Flanagan has been living her dreams the last four years as a professional cheerleader for the Los Angeles Vipers, thousands of miles away from her tiny hometown of Summersweet Island, Virginia. She’s got the world at the tips of her pom-poms. .. until she tells her boss to shove those pom-poms where the sun doesn’t shine...Categorized as:
sports sweet heroine new adult m-f fake relationship friends-benefits slow burn competent heroine -
Fore-Ever Yours by Bella Greene
A viral photo, a fake relationship, and one big problem. Matthew. All I wanted was a quiet few days. Instead, I get coffee poured on me, a gossip scandal, and a fake girlfriend. My agent insists this PR stunt will boost my career. Fake dating her for a few months? Fine. No problem. Except it’s definitely a problem. The more we fake this, the more I forget it’s not real. Beth...Categorized as:
sports m-f slow burn fake relationship forced proximity office competent heroine sassy heroine -
Perfectly You by Claudia Y. Burgoa
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsUSA TODAY Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa brings us a light-hearted small-town romantic comedy full of a swoon-worthy billionaire, single dad romance, and big laughs. I need a massive break. So long to my cheating boyfriend and betraying roommate. Goodbye hectic emergency room and long hours... -
Things I Remember by Kelsey Humphreys
It shouldn’t be a surprise that my marriage is ending, since it was secretly a business arrangement to begin with. It’s time to let it go. I have accepted that. Apparently, my almost-ex-husband has not. Susan Canton loves her family and their business. Typical first-born, she’s an achiever, a leader... -
This Is Love by Melissa Foster
Fall in love in Harmony Pointe, where hearts are lost, found, and sometimes misplaced…and everyone get a happy ever after. If a woman can’t find love in the quaint town of Harmony Pointe, it’s sure to find them—whether they’re looking for it or not. Here, the remaining single Dalton siblings are about to discover that they’re next in line to get swept away by love...Categorized as:
sassy heroine strong heroine alpha male tortured hero forced proximity office m-f humor -
The Crush by Karla Sorensen
You know that girl from your past that you can’t quite stop thinking about? The one that you pushed away because you had a goal that seemed so much bigger, so much more important than any crush you might have had? That’s Adaline Wilder for me. Nothing came before football. Not in college, and not in my five years in the pros...Categorized as:
sports strong heroine friends to lovers new adult angst athletes independent heroine sassy heroine -
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Perfectly Complicated Christmas Romance by Grace Worthington
He's allergic to Christmas. She practically bleeds tinsel. Their holiday collision is about to get complicated. Single mom Janie Bennett has one pull off the perfect Christmas pageant for her kindergarten class. What she doesn't need is the world's grumpiest hockey player ruining her holly-jolly plans. Enter Rourke Riley, Mr...Categorized as:
christmas hockey sports m-f grumpy sunshine from hate to love forced proximity teacher-heroine -
That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss by Julie Christianson
My dream job just got snapped up by the one man who rejected me…. That’s right. I’m an unemployed twenty-something stuck sleeping on my grandmother’s old futon while Hudson Blaine, the guy who shot me down, gets to manage The Beachfront Inn. Talk about life being unfair. I’m about to flee town with what’s left of my pride when Mr. Rejection begs me to stay... -
The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan
First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more. .. What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her. No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn't my usual type. She's defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn...Categorized as:
sports new adult friends to lovers angst alpha male athletes sassy heroine forced proximity -
Show Me Forever by Layla Hagen
I moved to Chicago six months ago, determined to finally open my own bakery. My landlady was this sweet woman who treated me like her granddaughter. Then she sold the house. Now the devil himself is my landlord and neighbor since I live in the guesthouse on his property. Declan Maxwell is moody, unreasonable, and takes himself far too seriously. Unfortunately for me, he’s also damn sexy... -
Love Letters to Christmas by Camilla Evergreen
He's the best mail lead around, and I'm just his childhood friend turned roommate. .. I've spent my life battling to manage my parents' impossible expectations and trying to catch the eye of Brian Single, a man whose head only turns for mail...Categorized as:
christmas office friends to lovers angst m-f forced proximity slow burn found-family -
The Day the Jerk Started Falling by Max Monroe
My name is Oliver Arsen, but my mates call me Ollie. I live hard and love harder, and it’s love that usually gets me in the most trouble. According to the greater population, I’m the ultimate jerk. My affection tends to be short-lived—a quality I’ve been assured multiple times by the fairer sex isn’t becoming—and the leaving part of loving and leaving has always come natural...Categorized as:
sports from hate to love forced proximity m-f second chances grumpy sunshine office super rich hero -
Tomboy by Avery Flynn
How exactly has one good deed landed me in the penalty box? Ice Knights defenseman Zach Blackburn has come down with the flu, and my BFF—his PR manager—begs me to put my nursing degree to use and get him back to health. Of course she would call in a favor for the most hated man in Harbor City. But when he’s finally on the mend and I’m sneaking out of his place, everything goes sideways... -
On the Shore by Laura Pavlov
He's the GOAT of the NFL. She's a hot-headed reporter who despises him. They're in the same small town for the summer. What could possibly go wrong? I'm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL. The upside—I get to do what I love every day, which is play football. And I make more money than I know what to do with... -
She Loves Me by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWhat are two besties willing to risk for something more? The New York Times bestselling author of This Is Love has the answer in this fun, sexy, and emotional romance about friendship, family, and giving love a chance. Something is off in Piper Dalton’s life, and she has a feeling it might just be her. All her siblings are blissfully settled with their forever loves...Categorized as:
friends to lovers independent heroine sassy heroine strong heroine m-f humor contemporary audiobook -
Body Check by Maria Luis
They call me the Bad*ss of Hockey. The Beast of the Northeast. And I’m not just referring to my stick play on the ice. As Captain for the Boston Blades, I’ve spent years working toward bringing home the Stanley Cup. But when the owners sell us out to Hollywood, suddenly we’re not just playing for thousands of fans, we’re cracking open our lives on a new reality show, Getting Pucked... -
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Wishing for Champagne Kisses by Brittanee Nicole
Best Friends Don’t Kiss. Ryan Manning has been my best friend since we were kids. He’s my secret keeper. The holder of all my truths and the person I admire most in the world. He’s also a Lumbersnack and the man I’ve secretly pined after for decades. But we don’t talk about that. I’m just here in Lake Tahoe for the next week to play the part of his doting girlfriend... -
The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAs a female coach, I’ve always lived by a simple mantra: throw hard, swing for the fences, and never, ever look back--especially when it comes to past flames. So when my ex-boyfriend somehow manages to land the job as my new assistant coach, my life is flipped upside down. The game I thought I'd mastered is now being played with a whole new set of rules. My ex is baseball's all-star Nathan Pierce... -
Sure Shot by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWelcome to Fort Lauderdale. .. where the days are hot and the Knights are hotter! I gave up everything for hockey… even my chance at love. But relocating to Florida to be the starting goalie for the Lauderdale Knights is still the best decision I’d ever made. I have everything… except someone to share it with... -
Pop! by V. Kelly
A sex contract seemed like a good idea, until she fell in love. When Symone Esquire fails to woo her best friend into taking her virginity, his rejection is the catalyst that inspires her to create a sex contract with a local legend, a man nicknamed “The Cherry Popper”, to take her virginity instead... -
The Bloody Prince by Edwina Darke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShould your true love drive you crazy? Katie Warray knows that heroes rarely live up to expectations. Especially not the charming, roguishly handsome, thriller writer she’s had a crush on since she was a teenager. It’s disappointing that Tristan Prince turns out to be more frog than fairytale. But Katie doesn’t have to like the man to be his new editor. Tristan Prince doesn’t take much seriously... -
Playboy’s Reward by Gina Azzi
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 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...
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