Books like 'The Waiting Game'
Readers who enjoyed The Waiting Game by Brigham Vaughn also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance funny sports queer friends to lovers bisexual fake relationship east-asian-mc hockey
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Us by Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated? Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He’s living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves—Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend... -
Sober Dope & Sundays by Nordika Night
WHEN ZERO WILLPOWER MEETS AN IRON WILL. .. Who goes to rehab eight times? Gage does. As a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, moving back in with his mom and starting over in his hometown isn't part of his life goals, but Gage needs all the support he can get. Lost and a little unsure of himself, Gage meets his new sponsor. A sponsor whose son is the perfect sober companion...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort friends to lovers bisexual forced proximity neurodivergent found-family angst -
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Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly
From the author of Love & Other Disasters comes a sparkling grumpy-meets-sunshine rom-com featuring two men's sweeping journey across the Northwestern wilderness. When Alexei Lebedev finally comes out to his conservative community, it does not go well... -
Heart by Jesse H. Reign
The first time I laid eyes on him my heart skipped a beat. My obsession began the way all obsessions do…with a spark. A small, seemingly insignificant flicker that quickly took root. He was pure, liquid light. A sunshine boy with a heart of gold. He turned my world up-side-down. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t let him out of my sight... -
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Until You by Briar Prescott
I’m the first one to tell you I have issues. Trust issues. Family issues. Probably a few others I haven’t discovered yet. Which is why I prefer to keep my life as simple and uncomplicated as possible. Until him. Blake McAdams barrels into my life and refuses to leave...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst nerdy-hero sunny hero sweet-hero queer hurt-comfort tortured hero -
On or Off, Volume 4 by A1
Winner of the Ridibooks 2019 BL Awards. Published in English for the first time in full color and fully uncensored! Yiyoung and his college friends have formed a startup company together, and even managed to score a proposal meeting with the illustrious SJ corporation...Categorized as:
queer secret-relationship queer-awakening bisexual anal sex east-asian-mc sunny hero sweet-hero -
Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox
Julian:. I've been in love with my best friend since forever. Okay, fine. Like, kindgergarten. It started out platonic, obviously, but then became. .. nope. Still platonic. The problem is that Parker Ellis has been straight since forever. And that makes it difficult to convince him the two of us are meant to be together. And now there's no point. All is lost... -
On or Off, Volume 2 by A1
Yiyoung and his college friends have formed a startup company together, and even managed to score a proposal meeting with the illustrious SJ corporation. But when he meets Kang Daehyung, a handsome corporate big shot that's just his type, can Yiyoung keep his cool long enough to succeed in both his love life and his career? -
Sem by Cora Rose
Sometimes your dream guy isn’t who you think he is. Sem has been stalking me for months. He shows up everywhere I am and lurks in the background, his eyes always on me. I don’t understand his fascination with me, but he won’t leave me alone. He’s definitely not my type. He’s too big, too reckless, and too feral... -
Bromantic Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
Bilson. The idea of moving away from Seattle was a joke at first. I have too many failed relationships here. Too much baggage. So when I find myself signing with Nashville and leaving everything behind, I’m hopeful a new start will cure me of my attachment problems. I fall fast and hard, and I’m quickly realizing it’s not so easy to escape my emotional damage. That follows no matter where I go...Categorized as:
sports hockey queer-awakening friends to lovers found-family athletes queer bisexual -
Stubborn Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
Colby. Once upon a time, playing for the NHL was my dream. Then Radimir Novicov skated circles around me and made it clear I’d never be good enough. He was smart, talented, and worst of all–sexy. Every closeted guy knows that you don’t hit on your teammate, even if his gaze lingers longer than it should...Categorized as:
queer hockey sports athletes secret-relationship found-family friends to lovers forced proximity -
The End Zone by Riley Hart
Jeremy. Seeing my best friend West, happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I’ve been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West’s wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning...Categorized as:
sports athletes friends to lovers bisexual secret-relationship multicultural queer queer-awakening -
Iced Out by C.E. Ricci
All's fair in hate and hockey. My path to success never included an enemy as a teammate, especially one as infuriating as Quinton de Haas. Clawing under my skin is his favorite pastime, only feeding the animosity between us as the years pass. We’re as completely opposite as two people can be; the golden boy and the black sheep. Constantly at odds or at each other’s throats... -
Seth by Carly Marie
Be yourself because everyone else is taken. But what if that risks everything you know? Seth Johnson has worked his entire career to be remembered more for his skill than as an openly gay NHL player. Finding a boyfriend has been pushed to the back burner. As for exposing his softer side, the side that loves lace and lingerie? It’s not happening...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes queer caretaking secret-relationship found-family hockey -
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The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder
What happens when the Prince of Wales falls in love with the Prime Minister? My boring life working in an insurance call center in sunny California just took an unexpected turn. Thanks to my misbehaving relatives, I’ve leapt from obscurity to royalty as the new heir to the British throne. But my welcome in England is about as warm as the weather... -
Holiday Heart Strings by N.R. Walker
Hartbridge Christmas Series - Book Four. Englishman Braithe Branson arrives in Hartbridge, Montana, to take on a brief substitute kindergarten teacher position. His introduction to the sleepy town is being pulled over for speeding. Not an ideal start, but at least the deputy was cute. Colson Price takes being a deputy very seriously. After all, his job is all he has... -
Goal Lines & First Times by Eden Finley, Saxon James
COHEN. It turns out making out with my best friend in high school could be considered gay. Who knew? Apparently, everyone but me. Now that it’s been pointed out, I can’t help reliving it in my head. Repeatedly. Goodbye Denial Town, hello Confusionville. When my path leads me down the gay dating app route, I don’t expect to meet anyone I like, but then I meet him. He can’t be more opposite than me...Categorized as:
sports bisexual friends to lovers athletes secret-relationship anal sex hockey slow burn -
Felix by Emmy Sanders
What more could an exhibitionist want than a willing voyeur right next door? Emil. I like being watched. I’m not ashamed of it, nor my job at Elite 8 Studios where fans know me as Felix. But when my newest costar turns out to be the very same neighbor I’ve been giving private shows to through the window, I’m thrown for a loop...Categorized as:
found-family queer office anal sex nerdy-hero sweet-hero friends to lovers sunny hero -
You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan
There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show. There’s a bachelor party to survive. The paparazzi to outrun... -
On Board by Jay Hogan
Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble. Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy maybe isn’t so straight, after all...Categorized as:
forced proximity bisexual slow burn angst secret-relationship queer queer-awakening caretaking -
The Amazing Alpha Tau Self-Improvement Project by Lisa Henry, Sarah Honey
Dalton Beauregard has a plan, and it involves acing all his exams, making the Dean's List every year he's at Lassiter College, and going to med school and becoming a doctor. Marty O'Brien has a plan too. His is to improve his life by emulating those around him. He's going to need a study plan, a tutor, and. .. a boyfriend? Dalton can't believe he's even considering this. It's utterly ridiculous... -
Mr. Important by Lucy Lennox, May Archer
One New Year’s masquerade. One anonymous hookup. One billionaire-sized mistake. Once upon a time, someone looked at my scrawny, impetuous eight-year-old self and nicknamed me Mr. Important… and I believed them. That was my first mistake. Two decades, a dozen failed careers, and a thousand meaningless hookups later, I’ve made more mistakes than I can count...Categorized as:
forced proximity office super rich hero secret-relationship hurt-comfort queer bisexual anal sex -
Until Jude by Briar Prescott
I'm the first one to tell you doing the right thing has never been high on my list of priorities. Same goes for respecting the law. And ethics in general. It's more like guidelines anyway. Until him. Jude Riley. I invite myself into his life and refuse to leave. I know it's wrong. I know I shouldn't. I do anyway. It's never meant to turn into anything serious. It's never supposed to matter... -
Fandom by Eden Finley
DENVER. Everyone remembers the night the boy band Eleven broke up. Hearts shattered around the world, including my own. I made a mistake, and I’ve been avoiding bandmate Mason Nash ever since. At first it was hard, but eighteen months ago, he made it easier by leaving Hollywood and disappearing. When Eleven reunion talks start, I’m against it completely... -
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On or Off, Volume 4 (On or Off (Paperback Ed.) #4) by A1
Winner of the Ridibooks 2019 BL Awards. Published in English for the first time in full color and fully uncensored! Yiyoung and his college friends have formed a startup company together, and even managed to score a proposal meeting with the illustrious SJ corporation...Categorized as:
angst queer queer-awakening bisexual caretaking forced proximity grovel hurt-comfort -
Waiting for Ru by Barbara Elsborg
Ruari Byrne may not have had an easy life, but now he’s determined to live in the present, not his past. Trouble is, it’s hard to be independent when you’ve no money and no qualifications. All Ru knows is horses, and when he finds out that his beloved Joni and Cookie are off to auction, his heart is in his throat...Categorized as:
sports queer angst multicultural caretaking hurt-comfort secret-relationship anal sex -
Playing Dirty by C.E. Ricci
Our rivalry formed long before we became siblings. Madden Hastings has been my nemesis since the day we met. A divide was born from the age-old rivalry between our universities,. but this year, another layer developed. It became personal. Because the captain of Blackmore’s baseball team? He’s also my new step brother. My disdain for the sudden blending of our families leads to more conflict,... -
The Husband Game by Brigham Vaughn
Dustin Fowler Wed in Secret Vegas Ceremony – Partner’s Identity Remains a Mystery. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Or does it? Toronto Fisher Cats ice hockey team captain Dustin Fowler attended the NHL awards and came home with more than the Ted Lindsay Award...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity hurt-comfort athletes queer found-family hockey fake relationship -
Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold
Is it possible my straight best friend had a sudden stick shift? I made peace with my hopeless crush on my straight best friend, Journey, years ago. It helps that he’s never in the country long and our relationship consists of sporadic texts and video chats at odd hours. Now Journey is back. Back in the country, in my space, sharing my bed, and something is changing between us... -
Blitzed by S.E. Harmon
NFL tight end Andrew McAdams isn’t thrilled to be sidelined with an injury. He’s even less thrilled about his legal troubles. Community service is the only thing standing between him and jail so. .. yeah. That’s a no-brainer. It's not all bad news, though. He gets to work with Jesse Fox, who is as gorgeous as he is guarded. And there's no rule saying he can't do his hours and have a little fun...Categorized as:
sports athletes bisexual friends to lovers forced proximity hurt-comfort queer found-family -
Scoring Chance by A.J. Truman
A totally fake marriage… with very real feelings. I'm a carefree bachelor who never wanted kids. But it seems life has other plans. When my best friend and hockey teammate Tanner Chance finds himself jobless with four kids to support, I suggest a wild marriage. My health insurance can cover Tanner’s family, but to keep nosy coworkers from sniffing out the scheme, the whole Chance clan moves in... -
Road Rules (Rules of the Game) by Brigham Vaughn
Rule #1: Hockey Comes First. As NHL team captain, Zane Murphy’s goal for the upcoming season is simple: take the Evanston River Otters all the way to the Stanley Cup. Rule #2: Only On the Road. But an unexpectedly hot night with his best friend and teammate Ryan Hartinger throws Zane’s carefully laid plans and his sexuality into disarray. Rule #3: Don’t Fall in Love with Your Best Friend...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sports secret-relationship queer queer-awakening bisexual anal sex athletes -
The Revenge Game by Jax Calder
Rule #1 of Revenge Club: Don't fall for your target. Andrew. I’ve come a long way since being the gawky, geeky, gay kid who was constantly picked on growing up. Having just sold my tech start-up for so much money it broke my phone calculator, I’m now at a loose end wondering what to do next in my life. Then I run into Justin. Justin, the golden boy from high school... -
Spotlight by Eden Finley
Ryder. When I quit the biggest boy band on the planet, I was supposed to get my life back. It’s not that I wanted to leave the spotlight. I felt like I had to for my daughter. Her picture shouldn’t be splashed all over the tabloids. I thought I could do this parenting thing on my own, but it’s obvious I need help. I just didn’t expect to find it in the form of a gorgeous guy I meet by chance...Categorized as:
friends to lovers office secret-relationship queer super rich hero bisexual angst sunny hero -
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Power Forward by Jodi Oliver
Jackson. When I attended my teammate’s wedding, I wasn’t expecting to come face to face with the man who broke my heart fourteen years ago. He was my teammate. My first love. But when I got traded, he threw what we had away. Now he’s back in my life and he wants to give things another go. If I agree to try again, and it all goes wrong, it’s not just my heart that’s at risk of breaking... -
The Trade Deadline by A.L. Heard
After a fleeting encounter when they’re in Juniors, Ryan “RJ” Russell and Lars Nilsson find themselves thrown back together years later when they end up on the same NHL team. Being friendly to a new teammate just got way more complicated. It’s one thing to have a one night stand with someone from another country; it’s a whole other mess to sleep with your teammate... -
Manhandled by Lauren Blakely
A spicy friends-to-lovers standalone sports romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely. .. My buddies made me do it. I swear. I didn’t plan to bid big on a date with my baseball player best friend at the auction. But he looked really good in that tailored suit, and I can't resist a dare...Categorized as:
athletes sports angst friends to lovers forced proximity queer childfree-couple secret-relationship -
The Head Game by Brigham Vaughn
Fisher Cats Defenseman Rushed to Hospital After In-Game Fall—Mystery Beau Revealed? The Fisher Cats defenseman is conscious and in stable condition following a seizure that occurred during the recent game against Buffalo. Updates indicate that while still hospitalized, he’s hopeful for a quick return to the ice... -
Deke by Eden Finley
Ollie. Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help. My family believe I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers athletes secret-relationship hockey queer nerdy-hero sunny hero -
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
Enemies become lovers in this sizzling sports romance about taking a chance on love when life’s taught you it’s a losing game. Oliver Bergman is a beloved rising soccer star, all sunshine smiles and the heart of their team’s spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In he’s genetically designed to get under misanthropic, miserable Gavin’s aggravated skin... -
Family First by R.J. Scott, V.L. Locey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn injury threatens to end Stan’s career. Will he choose to fight for his beloved hockey, or put his family first? Few goalies are as dedicated as Stan Lyamin, known for his resilience on the ice, talking to his pipes, and his love of Elvis. Add in his adoration of his family and his life has been filled with all the things that bring him joy... -
Composed at Randy's by Zile Elliven
"How do I tell the guy I like that I’m not homeless, just a dumbass? ". Love beyond the binary, serving up low angst trans romances at Randy's Diner. Composed at Randy’s is a 'dumbasses in love', cis male/trans male pairing with a smooth-brained (not remotely smart) genius, a goth himbo, and all the help they can get to achieve their happily ever after.Categorized as:
queer caretaking forced proximity found-family neurodivergent sweet-hero sunny hero possessive hero -
Pushing the Limits by Riley Hart
I was fourteen when my dad married Lane’s mom and our families became one, when my favorite moments were those spent staying up all night, talking or watching Lane create art. There aren’t many things more inconvenient than loving your stepbrother. I know the limits, and that’s pushing them too far. Over the years I’ve pulled away from him... -
Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
Tripp. The worst part of being in love with my straight best friend is the fact he’s too oblivious to see it. Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately. If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle...Categorized as:
sports athletes friends to lovers sunny hero anal sex sweet-hero queer-awakening hockey -
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Change My Ticket by Zarah Detand
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHollywood heartthrob meets med school dropout in this contemporary British MM romance. When your key credential is looking good in spandex, your first serious role matters. Too bad that Gabe Duke can’t seem to get a proper handle on the molecular biologist he’s meant to portray... -
Flagrant Foul by Jesse H. Reign
He’s my brother’s best friend. I’m the annoying kid who followed him everywhere. Now we’re playing for the same team. Sev Delorean is an NHL D-man with an excess of swagger and stickhandling techniques that made him world famous. He’s the bane of my existence and my reason for living. He's strictly off limits though. My brother has made that perfectly clear... -
TYLER by N. Boeyer
Tyler. I’d found my heart—my everything—but then he got one shot to follow his dream. So he left… and took my heart with him. I love Jace. So freaking much. But hiding our relationship from the public to boost his career is harder than I expected. I get it. He’s following his dreams...Categorized as:
queer sports anal sex hurt-comfort secret-relationship athletes sunny hero possessive hero -
Gym Bros by August Jones
Calyx. If I could teach yoga and never have to walk a runway again, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But tell that to my manager-slash- part-time lover. Eager to get me back to work, but willing to be patient, he asks me to help his son recover from a torn hamstring. I accept the opportunity to use my brain and my body to help get an athlete back on his feet... -
Unbreakable Stories: Lucas by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
A collection of six short stories following the romantic adventures and misadventures of millionaire Lucas Vallois and Romanian bodyguard Andrei Hadeon. This collection is more than 30,000 words long and contains stories such as:. The Meeting. Perfect. Te Iubesc. I Want More. Homecoming. Thanksgiving... -
Pretty Toxic by J.R. Gray
Saint Vincent. I might be the best-selling solo artist in the world, but my personal life is a disaster. For every number one album, there's a sea of my worsts, all documented in photos. Bad break-ups. Destroyed hotel rooms. Fights. Drugs. And just as many rumors. Every headline reaffirms the walls I’ve built around myself. Fame destroys everything it touches and I can’t let anyone close...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst bisexual queer queer-awakening secret-relationship anal sex sweet-hero
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